GREATER AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19730, 1 September 1927, Page 12

GREATER AUCKLAND.

REVISION OF GOVERNMENT. THE PRINCIPLE APPROVED. DISCUSSION AT CONFERENCE, APPOINTMENT OF COMMITTEE. The scheme for reorganising the local government of Auckland, propounded recently by a citizens' committee, was last evening approved in principle by a representative conference of local bodies, convened by the Mayor of Mount Eden, Mr. E. H. Potter. The conference, at which about 50 persons were present, appointed a representative committee to elaborate the details of the scheme and report to a further conference about two months hence. Mr. Potter, in an introductory speech, congratulated the promoters of the scheme, which, lie said, was in line with others which had been brought forward in Great Britain and the United States. Mr. T. Bloodworth, on behalf of the framers of the scheme, said that no criticism of present local government was intended, although much criticism had been offered by certain persons, and a good deal of dissatisfaction existed. Some advocated straight-out amalgamation as a remedy; others wished to have special hoards set up to control particular services. The committee, having given the matter consideration, felt that neither solution was satisfactory. It had therefore drawn up plans of its own, believing it would be better that the bodies carrying on the work should confer and make proposals to the Government rather than that the latter should take first action. Many Present Bodies. To show the scope of the problem, Mr. Bloodworth stated that in the Greater Auckland area 23 local bodies, with a total membership of 247, were endeavouring to carry on the functions of local government. Their total indebtedness was £7,790,093. That of the Harbour, Power, Drainage and Fire Boards made the total £12,760.645, and the annual loan charges were £926,525 If the Hospital Board were included, the figure would be about £5 a year a head of the 200.000 inhabitants of Greater Auckland. In explaining the existing system of local government, Mr. Bloodworth said there had been a vagiie -idea that in time ail functions would centre in one body, but this principle had been broken by the establishment of the Auckland and Suburban Drainage Board and afterwards of the Auckland Electric Power Board. More lately the Government had imposed on the system of local government certain new bofiies, the Town Planning Board, the Local Government Loans Board and the Transport Appeal Boards. All were nominated. nr>t elected, bodies. This indicated a tendency to vest ultimate authority in centralised organisations outside the control of the electors. Local bodies should resist this. The present trend of development was toward an Auckland City Council elected on the ward system, and carrying on all the functions of local government through a large number of standing committees. This the committee did not consider to be a satisfactory solution. As a better alternative it had prepared a scheme allowing regional control of regional matters and local control of local matters. Working on English Model. Mr. L. A: Eady, who explained the committee's scheme, said that Auckland was growing so rapidly and new problems were cropping up in such numbers that a comprehensive but flexible system of local government had become urgently necessary. The committee had made wide inquiries into systems used in other countries, and had 'found that those of Great Britain were outstanding, and had obviously been widely copied. The plan now proposed was based upon the English county council system. This had been devised to bring order out of the chaos which had been caused in the latter part of the last century by the creation of a host of new bodies to carry out new special services. Mr. Eady detailed the functions of the London County Council in controlling services affecting the whole London area, including main drainage and the maintenance of certain arterial streets. He showed a diagram illustrating the application of the method to Auckland. This provided for a metropolitan council elected by electors of the ten urban Parliamentary devisions and controlling all regional services through standing committees, finance and policy being co-ordinated by the council as a whole. Local affairs, including streets, parks, libraries, by-laws, licensing, traffic and sanitation, were to be in the charge of a dozen or more local bodies elected by the people of their respective districts. A connection between these bodies and the metropolitan council was to be maintained by a joint committee of mayors and metropolitan committee chairmen. This would be an ideal regional town-planning authority. Both the metropolitan councils and the local bodies would have rating powers for their respective services, but the council alone would raise loans. The system was simple, efficient and advantageous in many ways, Mr. Eady said. The benefits of a co-ordinated plan of local government were undisputable. Planning for the Future. "The members of existing local bodies have been asked to do the impossible; the present system has outgrown its usefulness, and the time has come when it should be altered," said Mr. W. J, Holdsworth, chairman of the Auckland Electric Power Board. Auckland was only passing through phases which larger cities had already experienced. To those who declared the committee's scheme was impossible it should be sufficient to say j that such methods had been put into successful operation in Great Britain, Europe and North America. Mr. Holdsworth deprecated merely destructive criticism and indifference. Auckland was suffering from growing-pains, and problems were occurring which were beyond the power of the local' authorities to solve. Much money had already been speriL in undoing the mistakes of the past. The Government statistician estimated that within 30 years Auckland's population would have increased from 200.000 to 500,000. It was for the people of to-day to see the foundations of this still greater city were well and truly laid. The committee's scheme was a genuine attempt to meet the problems with which every local body was faced. It had not been hastily drafted, but was the result of fully three years' work. Its framers .were well aware that special legislation would be needed to carry it through. They had no axe to grind. They put it forward as something concrete, and asked that it bo given the consideration it deserved. Opinions to be Obtained!. Mr. Potter moved: "That this conference approves the principle of a board or boards to control main services throughout an extended area, and that the scheme be referred to the various boards and councils concerned for expressions of opinion, to be submitted to further consideration at a conference to be called in about three months." Mr. S. Donaldson, Mayor of Newmarket, in seconding the motion, congratulated the committee on its work and said the scheme was well worthy of consideration. He suggested the second conference should be held in two months. I The motion was so amended and was carried unanimously. Mr. Potter stated that members of the committee would be glad to attend meetings of local bodies and explain the scheme. On the motion of Mr. J. M. Melville, it was resolved that a joint committee, consisting of five members of the original committee, with one representative of each local body, should be set up to consider the details of the scheme in its application to Auckland, and to report to the neaf conference.