CITY ADMINISTRATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19879, 24 February 1928, Page 10

CITY ADMINISTRATION.

A request having been made to the Government by the City Council for a commission of inquiry into certain matters of administration, it is greatly to be hoped that the Government will examine the application solely from the point of view of the public interest. There is no necessity for the Prime Minister to attempt to explore all the ramifications of the council's own proceedings. The salient facts are that many months ago the council itself appointed a committee to make investigations then considered necessary ; that various matters were presented to that committee by one of its members as requiring its consideration ; and that eventually the committee continued its inquiry in public. For reasons that were cogently stated in a report to the council five weeks ago, the committee ' asked to be relieved of the task imposed upon it, and on its recommendation the council unanimously decided to ask the Government for "an independent and competent commission of inquiry." Among the considerations leading to this decision were the opinion that the judgment of a committee of the council would be suspected of bias in favour of the administration, and that the finding of an impartial tribunal would carry more weight with the community. Those are probably sufficient reasons for the extraordinary course of appealing to the Government for assistance in an investigation of municipal administration which otherwise might be held to be properly within the functions and the responsibilities of the council itself. It is regrettable that such a situation should have arisen ; it would be still more unfortunate if the council's application should not be granted. Serious misgivings have been aroused; it is due to the citizens of Auckland that these should be pursued to precise conclusions. In the interests of the council's own officers, senior and subordinate, there is clearly need for definite judgment upon the manner in which they have discharged their administrative duties. Questions have lately been raised regarding responsibility for the cost of the proposed commission. That is a matter upon which the contemplated commission would be perfectly competent to give a ruling that the Government would be careful to enforce. It may, however, be observed that since the council has admitted that it is unable to deal satisfactorily with a situation that has developed wholly within its jurisdiction, and has appealed for external assistance, neither the commisnor the Government is likely to have any doubt regarding its liability for the whole costs of the inquiry.