THE PELORUS GUARDIAN TUESDAY, JUNE 3 1890. Local Government.

Pelorus Guardian and Miners' Advocate., Volume 1, Issue 37, 3 June 1890, Page 2

THE PELORUS GUARDIAN TUESDAY, JUNE 3 1890. Local Government.

In an interview with a representative of the Otago Witness Sir Robert Stout sketched out what he thought would be a good form of local government suitable for New Zealand. His idea appears to be between a slight modification of the provincial system and an extended county system. He said, “what I propose is the creation of nineteen districts in the colony, each district to have a district council; and I would give to these district councils the management of education, hospitals and charitable institutions, police, industrial schools, police gaols, and, in fact, all other things save those that might be enumerated as properly belonging to the General Assembly. These would include, no doubt, what was laid down in our own Constitution Act as not being suitable for provincial councils. For example, the district councils would have no power to deal with customs or stamps, with courts or the main criminal offences, with coining or issue of notes, with weights and measures, post offices, telegraphs, bankruptcies, patents, lighthouses, marriages, lands, &c.” We rather think that the scheme sketched out is rather too elaborate, and if it were adopted all at once it would cause no end of mischief, and the defects in the machinery would be a source of constant trouble and annoyance. With all due respect to Sir Robert Stout’s great ability, we do not believe he or anyone else is likely to propound a scheme of local government with enlarged powers to work with any degree of smoothness for many years. Nor do we think it. _WOUId-hfi._wiaft-ta- io the extreme length of adopting a system that would be far in advance of what we at present enjoy. We are fully alive to the fact that our present system of local government could be greatly improved, and every effort should be made in that direction ; but this jumping up, so to speak, ten rungs of the ladder all at once, is neither natural or healthy in the body politic. We all know that we had a very good system in the provincial councils, out of which might have been worked one that would have suited the requirements of the colony, because, in the New Provinces Act, the power was granted for any new district to be separated and formed into a separate province, but instead of allowing matters to be worked out in the natural course of events, the system was destroyed at a moment’s notice because it suited the whim of a few politicians at the time; but as they have been destroyed we have no desire to suddenly jump back again to almost the same order of things. What we have got to do now is to gradually build up a system, by giving more extended powers to our present local bodies, and consolidating some of these into one. By this means !we will be more likely to arrive at perfection than by adopting any extreme course of action in elaborating a system suitable to our requirements and the general growth of the country. The local bodies which have given the greatest satisfaction, and which have performed the most useful work, have been the Road Boards, and by granting them enlarged powers as might be suggested from time to time, they might be built up by slow degrees to meet all the demands which could be made by the greatest enthusiasts for local self-government. It is generally acknowledged that we have too many local bodies doing the work which might be performed by one, and, therefore, it would seem as though we should go in for consolidation, that some remuneration might be given to those who take an active part in local affairs, with competent and permanent paid officials who would be able to devote all their time to the work. There appears to be no satisfaction in the present half-and-half mode of doing things which is enivitable under existing circumstances. The salaries paid at present are possibly more than the present local bodies can afford, and yet they are not sufficient for the work to be done properly; but if a number of them were merged Into one the present small salaries, vvhen added together, would be more

than sufficient to give a good salary for the whole of the work. We believe, therefore, on the of economy and efficiency, that some of our small local bodies should gradually be amalgamated together, when wo might ultimately enjoy a real

/ood system of local self-government. The question of finance is always a prominent feature to be taken into account when dealing with this subject, and we should like to see the Road Hoards, for instance, have greater and more direct powers in this matter. At present money is collected by the General Government, and then a certain amount is given to the County Councils, and then they, in turn, divide it among the Road Boards, and by the time it has gone the round it has been reduced to half its original amount in salaries to those who have been passing it round. The fact is, our statesmen appeared to have been under the impression when originating these numerous local bodies, that the country was inhabited by 6,000,000 instead of by 600,000 inhabitants.