NEW ZEALAND LEGION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22122, 28 November 1933, Page 11

NEW ZEALAND LEGION

MONTHLY MEETING OF MEMBERS. The monthly meeting of members of area committees in Dunedin of the .New Zealand Legion was held last night in the Chamber of Commerce board room. Mr H. L. Paterson was in the chair. Mr J. T. Paul gave an account of tb# operation of central government in New Zealand. He laid special stress on the need for a-critical examination of such matters in the light of historical development, for it was their past growth, he stated, which affected their present working. Mr Paul explained some of the defects and abuses which bad crept into the system and to-day gave rise to considerable dissatisfaction. It was cioar that these could only be remedied after much practical and theoretical investigation, and he thought that in endeavouring to direct public opinion to the consideration of these problems, the legion was doing good work. There was cer- * tainly much room for improvement in the present system of election, under / which the fluent speaker could so easily capture a majority in preference to the clear thinker, and also in the general distribution of the work of government. Mr James Begg dealt with certain anomalies in the working of local government. He gave examples of the operation of certain road boards and other councils with which he had been connected, showing how in some cases imperfect legislation and local jealousies had made the work of board members unduly heavv. It was essential, he said, that each board should be responsible for its expenditure and should not be, like most of the hospital and education boards, purely spending bodies. _ It was - also necessary that these bodies should have a fixed maximum sum available from the Government, rather than that each should strive for an increase at the expense of its neighbours. Any _ change must be slow and gradual, and it was difficult, to see that any sudden or complete reconstruction or alteration was either feasible or desirable. He gave examples of the excellent management of some of the boards in this country, contrasted with the extravagant expenditure of others. Both speakers answered a number of questions on the' subjects introduced by them, and a hearty vote of thanks to both was carried.