LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXIII, Issue 2938, 8 May 1912, Page 3

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL.

CONFERENCE TO BE HELD.

The following circular letter has been forwarded to the local authorities bythe Minister, of Internal Affairs with re- [ spect to the conference ior the purpose of considering the Local Government Bill :— " I have the honour to inform you that in the opinion of the Government the time has arrived and is opportune to deal with the-question of the simplification of the local government of New Zealand, There has gradually grown up a considerable overlapping of the funct-. ions of local bodies, which is not conductive to successful local Government. The number of local bodies is felt to be far in excess of the requirements, and their powers- are in some respects insufficient to enable them to carry out their work to the best advantage. At the present time there are no less than 124 counties, 113 boroughs, 60 town districts, and 149 road districts, 41 river districts, 43 harbonr boards, 13 education districts 42 land drainage districts, and 37 hospital districts, in existence, making a total of 622 local government districts. "In the scheme which is now before the country the Government propose to materially reduce the number of the local governing bodies by increasing the areas and enlarging the functions of the local bodies proposed to be set up. It is therefore the intention of

the Government to endeavour to pass into law, with such amendments as may be considered desirable, the Local

Government Bill introduced by the 1 Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward,during the recent session of Parliament, a copy of which has already been sent to you. The principal features of the Bill are chiefly outlined in a explanatory memorandum which accompanied it, and I now inclose further copies of the memorandum for the information of the members of your board. " In view of the importance of the subject and the changes proposed in the Bill, it is deemed advisable to submit it to a conference to be held in Wellington, in the Dominion Museum Building, commencing on Tuesday, May 21st, at 10 a.m. It is obvious that direct representation of each local body concerned would make the conference altogether too unwieldly. It has therefore been decided that local governing bodies within such areas should meet and ( elect a delegate or delegates to the conference. As hospital districts, consisting, as they do, 'of groups of counties, have well-defined boundaries, it is proposed for the sake of convenience that they shall comprise the areas referred to, and that the chairman of each hospital and charitable aid board (with the exception , of'the groups of districts mentioned below), shall convene a meeting at an early date, such meeting of course electing its own chairman. This course is also proposed because the hospital board will doubtless have the necessary accommodation and be in a } sufficiently central position to make it convenient for the local bodies from all parts ot the district to meet together and select their delegate or delegates to the conference in Wellington. " In a few cases, where the population of the number of local bodies within the boundaries of a hospital district is too small to warrant separate representation,, it has been, decided to group such a district with another, or others, and a delegate or delegates be elected-for the group so formed. The following are the hospital districts that have been so grouped—Coromandel, Thames and Waihi ; Hawera and Patea ; Wairau and Picton ; Buller and Inangahua ; Southland, Wallace and Fiord. ". Each delegate to the conference will be allowed 10s per day travelling allowance in addition to locomotion expenses to and from Wellington. Other expenses incurred will be required to be paid by the respective local bodies— G. W. RUSSELL, Minister of Internal Affairs."