DEPUTATION to THE PREMIER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 10835, 19 August 1898, Page 5

DEPUTATION to THE PREMIER.

THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FRANCHISE.

[BY TELEGRAPH.— ASSOCIATION.] > Wellington, Thursday. A deputation from the Counties' Association waited on the Premier to-night, and brought under his notice the resoliti}.is passed by the County Councils' Conferencee' with respect to the Government's Local Government Bill, charitable aid, and ether matters. In reply, the Premier said the time had arrived for a radical change in the local government franchise. At • present, local bodies did not represent the people." He intended to do away with plural voting, but the House would have to make muA better progress than it was doing at present before he could bring down the Local Government Bill. Indeed, he considered that the Bill was well worth a special ses-, sion, and members of Parliament should be patriotic enough to devote extra time to such an important measure.' He would take the mind of the House on this, and he urged the deputation to bring all its influence to bear upon members in the same direction. Referring to charitable aid, he said he. considered true benevolence and charity had disappeared from the colony with the coming into operation of the Charitable Aid Act. As to the request that the £500 exemption, under land and income tax, should be abolished, that, lie said, would have the effect of destroying the system. He would rather they had suggested an increase of graduated rates on large estates. He might move in that direction himself, but he thought the poor settler was taxed enough at present, and he did not favour increasing the burdens. Respecting the high charges made by the Government in connection with the rolls under the Government Land Valuation Act, he said that for the first time in the history of the colony a complete valuation had been made, and the result had been that the valuations had been increased by £16,000,000. He promised to confer with the Minister for Lands with the view of allowing local bodies to pay the fees in connection with-the rolls by instalment.