GREATER AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20868, 9 May 1931, Page 10

GREATER AUCKLAND.

MERGING OF BOROUGHS. OPINIONS OF NEW MAYORS. COMPULSION DENOUNCED. The Chamber of Commerce is suggesting to tho Prime Minister the widening of tho order of reference of tho proposed Local Bodies Commission so as to cover not only investigations of tho incidence of local taxation and the possibility of farther economies, but also to examine the possibilities of some of the smaller contiguous local authorities being compulsorily amalgamated. When questioned yesterday as to his attitude toward tho question of the Borough of Mount Albeit merging with the city, the Mayor-elect, Mr. W. F. Stilwell, said he had a perfectly open mind on tho matter. It was a quostion which demanded very mature consideration, but from what ho knew of the new council, if it were called upon to give .1 lead in the matter, it would do so with tho best interests of the ratepayers only in view.

" I notico that the Chamber of Commerco suggests the application of compulsion in this matter," ho added. "So far as I am concerned, I am convinced that is a most dangerous doctrine. I cannot conceive of any commission, no matter what its personnel, that could come to reliable or representative conclusions on such a problem, which is of domestic nature and should be decided solely by the citizens concerned. # If tho commission were composed of local men the parochial aspect might be predominant and if its personnel were nationally representative they would lack local atmosphere and would probably find it impossible to assimilato tho degree of local knowledge essential for arriving at a reasonable judgment. "■As I have said, I have an open mind on tho subject; I will givo my best consideration to this or any other proposal that may bo advanced as being in tho best interests of the borough. No thought of office will affect my judgment, bub compulsory amalgamation would be the negation of democracy." Mr. T. McNab, the Mayor-elect of Mount Eden—tho Borough Council of which informed the Chamber of Commerce that it was opposed to amalgamations, adding that it was a mistake to supposo that they invariably led to economy in overhead expenses—stated that six years ago ho had favoured tho merging of Mount Eden with the city, but since then heavy capital expenditure had taken place in providing drainage and other things and the position had entirely changed. Mount Eden was probably in a better position to-day than the city. But apart from any question of advantage at the moment, these were not times when changes of the kind should be contemplated. The city had quite enough responsibilities without extending them. It would be time enough to consider amalgamations when the economic clouds had lifted.