SUBSIDISING LOCAL BODIES

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11754, 11 February 1919, Page 5

SUBSIDISING LOCAL BODIES

HON RUSSEL’S REPLY Per Press Association. Christchurch; February 10. A deputation waited upon the Hon Russell to-day and asked that clause 9 of the Selwyn County Subdivision Act should he amended to enable the counties into which the original county was divided to receive more by way of Government subsidy for public works The Minister said the question would ne brought up for consideration by the Government, but be could not promise the Government would agree to the proposal. The Whole system pt subsidies ?to local bodies was

on a wrohg toflisis, Some districts received no subsidy ViliKttw&f, and others which received small subsid ies, should have large ones The proper system was to base subsidies on the needs of the districts, not on amounts of rates they collected He was not prepared to say whether the cutting up of the Sdfwyn county was an improvement s not, but he was convinced thac if’ rural government was to be placed on a proper footing strong fiiremty councils with enlarged powe’fs and absolutely assured finances were necessary. He would not say at present how the assured finances should be provided, but he might be in a position to do so some day. The Government should hand over to local bodies many things that they could do far better than the Government could do.

Mr Staples. Yon would have a kind of provincial council? The Minister said he would not make the bodies to large as too be unwieldy. One of the best administered counties in New Zealand was Southland county. Another very good county was Hawks’s’ Bays county. The question of subsidie would be held over until the whole question of local government, with the power s ef local bodies, was considered, first by the people and later by Parliament. The Government was not in favour of counties being divided in order to obtain a higher subsidy. He believed he was expressing the opinion of the Minister of Finance when he said Canterbury was one of the richest, best roeded, and best railwayed parts of New Zealand. There were other districts that needed a subsidy much more urgently than Canterbury did.