CIVIL CONTROL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 13374, 7 May 1914, Page 4

CIVIL CONTROL.

THE COMMISSION METHOD ;)GOMMENDEP.i.

(Special to Herald,) - . ', .''• DUNEDIN, this day- , At the Mayoral installation yesterday , the.retiring7l\layor,of*tbecityi(Mi' W* , D. Stewart), in,.Uie course of an. .M I "^* 1 natinrf valedictory, announce^ tliat, the , lateptyers' burdens had been lightened to the^nt of 3d m the £, which cer- , tain civic services. ■ would, -have^ . . in-- ■ volved a rate, equal to A& inithe.-£ had, .* they beejj charged to -loan, or had -a . rnecial rate been struck > r their mam- „ tenance, and also been defrayed out ot , the -ourrent. revenue. In the course,- ot- 1 his remarks he r_aid:''L. do not think t that you will find any private bu,*nness \ where tlie electrical engineer Avould be supposed to spend half ,-his time :looking *1 for customers, and negotiating 'contracts, ,* or where the gas engineer would be sup- 1 posed to' push the sale of gas. * I hese function-. Avould he carried out by^a J business., manager as distinct ; from • the < expert,, Vho should be, free to devote 1 iumself to jbi? own specialised callnig. 1 There is A popular explanation tp the ■effectthat councillor have not thc -same interest and incentive to avoid blunders ■ as has the priA'ate employer; tliat it is i not their oavu money- that is at stakq, ' and that there is a lack of continuity ■' m the. policy- of a constantly changing: .< elective h6dy,. but I .canliot acquiesce. m ' thia explanation, because my. ex,perience is y that .councillors aac deeply interested m their Council »Avork, and are as anxious to make it a success- as, -any company director,- >nor. does, the per-*' -onnel. of a committee of the Council change any more quickly tlian does the personnel qf a board of director-. . It is not surprising- mider fliese ■ tjircunistances, that indica&ionfr have begun to appear of. a. desire to attempt some, other, and* mprc efficient; method ot losai administration.,. , Attentipiu has .-.., heen directed chiefly towayds „ tho .-nclieme, known m America as government by commission, .that is the appointment of a, sniall body of commissioners, nojt.mpre thane say. ; threes ; . or five/, who w,oul^* be paid large salaries, and m AA-hom Avould be inA-ested complete control both of tlie tradwig departments and tbe other municipal 7dfepartmen*ts. They would be appointed foi* at least .fiye< years, and would -be given a free-hand both as, to 'policy and as to administration. This system is rapidly spreading m America, where already over 200 cities • h^ve adopted the commission,, form of govern-, ment. The chief merit of. the sysjtem, is that 'it centralises power and .responsibility in,** small nhmber of -men; who can act-inbi'e ptomptly, .ahdr-ean^anitiatoi and carry out thej* ,uolioy without all, the delays , caused by committoej and, fiub-committee's and reports and countei'-reborts. "I have , not' recently l read . inucfbT <w the * progression iof*' the! scheme, but sometime agp.- the* figures, furnished Avere startling, some fcities reducing the cosY of administration by one-third, arid aome by even more. ** Of course .-tlw need for such a* plan : Avas greater iii America, vh^e corruption is _6 rampant; The question is perhaps, not yet Ayifchin the range; of practical politico m New Zealand, but if public dissatisfaction Avith the Council's administration continues toi.groAv^.b think it a*oul«4 be a Avise step rto, try such a scheme, so" far at any rate as regards? the trading concerns'. In the meantime I suggest' that one., important reform Avould, do niuch to the, rat^r: payers,, , A government board corre.Spohding to tlie LocaKGovfernment Board m Englaiid should be set up, Av'lios-e duty it woitfd be to iiiAestigate and report on silk municij)f-lv. trading : departments, and to/ certify m each, sase whether s tlie provisions made for. rcneAvaly depreciation.; sinking funds, and other -accessary 7,cliarges, lwying regard to the. sbeAt standards, are.; jsufficie-nt. Sdch a, boaifd eonld also be used. (a^,m England) to .certify .as to tho expediency and "Soundness of all loan proposals. E\*eh the sanction of tlw -ratepayers- to,. loans should , still 'be required, it Avquld 7 be of 7 assistance to them to kiiOAv that an independent board of experts had vouched for the Avisdofn of the proposal.'; I ibolieve that under such a • procedure the Dunedin, trading , de* partments would slioav extremely satisfactory results. One of our slate Gover-, nprs 'expressed surprise, that • nq, such system , was m force, m New Zealand, as.'it- .hasy v>*i*oved\a valuable, check hi England on the mistakes' of local bodies. Whatever reforms are adopted it is absolutely essential that Aye should catolvc the rfiosb efficient means of local governments as -T' believe more of our social problems caji be solved through a proper- realisation of the possibilities of ■ci'i-ixj. government than through Parliamentary . legislation or State activity."