Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 9403, 9 January 1894, Page 4

An interesting fact, pointing to the large number of settlers engaged in the work of administering local self-govern-ment, came.'out in the Waikato County Counoil the other day on the consideration of the petition of the Huntly settlers to be : constituted a road district. A short time ago the Council wasj required by the Government to furnish a return of the number of local bodies and the members thereof, which it did with the following rather surprising results, viz., as corrected to date: One County Council, with eight members ; three Road Boards with 15 members; one Hospital Board with four members; three Licensing Committees with 15 members; 11 School Committees with 55 members; a total of 19 local bodies! with 97 members. There are 677 ratepayers in the county, which has thus one local body to every 35| men, while every seventh man is a member. These local bodies require 17 secretaries :or clerks, five collectors, 16 treasurers, seven returning; officers, six dog registrars, and a receiver of gum revenue; in all 52 employees, or one official to every 13 ratepayers. Were the whole local government of a county placed in the hands of one central body the work would be far more economically performed and quite as efficiently. ,