The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. WEDNESDAY, 28th AUGUST, 1889.

Southland Times, Issue 10244, 28 August 1889, Page 2

The Southland Times. PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. WEDNESDAY, 28th AUGUST, 1889.

Local Government is always a subject of interest to English speaking communities. At Home it has lately been one of the principal questions of the day. England has got and Scotland is getting a new system of local government ; and we colonists can scarcely help feeling flattered to think that we have given these old experienced and highly political countries some hints that have been useful to them in their reconstructions. Not that we have any great reason to boast of our sagacity or originality after all. We have borrowed infinitely more than we have lent. But the special circumstances of colonists, as the founders of new communities, with new institutions suitable to their peculiar conditions, call forth the inventive and adaptive powers of the mind into lively exercise; and it would be strange indeed if we had not struck out something worth copying, even by onr betters, in the art of government. Principal Rainy said the other day at Dunedin that his first feeling in visiting these colonies was the new experience of being in a society, the very beginnings of which were within the memory of living persons; and that his second was that of wonder at the extent to which all sorts of institutions bad been created. This, he added, was a most healthy sign, and spoke volumes for the energy of those who bad instituted and carried on public life under the Southern Cross. There can be ; no doubt that we New Zealanders in ! particular have plenty of all kinds of institutions. At present however we mean to refer only to such a 8 are included under the technical or specialised designation of local government. Of these there is assuredly no lack. Indeed some of our most thoughtful politicians hold that they are too numerous) and that a better system of local government could be formed by a considerable amount of amalgamation and reconstruction. Of those who advocate this line of reform Dr Hodgkinson is one of the most enthusiastic. It was he, if we remember right, who asked the Premier some weeks ago if he would grant facilities for discussing the general question of local government reform. Sir Harry Atkinson could scarcely deny such a request to such a sincere supporter of his Government as the member for Wallace ; but he intimated plainly enough that be considered any diacussiou of the kind altogether superfluous. He said we bad one of the best systems of local government in the world, and he evidently thought that it would be best to let well alone, However, a committee was appointed to inquire into the matter —to try and find out the best possible system of local government for New Zealand. But the result,Bo far, is only what might have been expected. The subject is not one in which any general interest has been excited. There is no popular de» mand for local government reform. The country is perfectly contented with the system it has got. In such circumstances no committee could set. about the inquiry with much vigour. It would be felt that it was a matter more of curiosity than of importance ; for it is only under the spur of public opinion that any kind of political investigation can be properly conducted, We learn that a sab-com-pjittee entmited mth t]»t*9fc of draft-

ing proposals for discussion has given] in a report, bat that this deliverance is not so full as might have been wished. The reason assigned is that the Representation Bill,want-of-eonfidence debates, and other urgent Parliamentary matters have so completely engrossed the attention of members that little or no time could be spared for anything else. It is stated however that such proposals as were formulated were in the direction of reducing the number of local governing bodies. This might have been taken for granted. Most of those who are agitating for local government reform have strong provincialist tendencies. Some of them would restore the old provincial governments in their entirety if they could ; but as there is no hope of this, their efforts are directed towards establishing as close a copy of provincialism as they think it possible to get. Nor can it be denied that there is something to be said in favour of such a scheme. We have too many so called local governing bodies, and too little local government, in the proper sense. Give to properly constituted local, bodies, say the reform advocates, power to deal with all public works in their respective districts, and there wonld at once be an end of the disgraceful logrollings which goes on in Parliament ; members would cease to be merely begging agents for their constituencies ; and the general economy of the country would be carried on in a satisfactory manner. It is alleged that tbe practice of subsidising all sorts of local bodies and institutions has destroyed the independence of the colonists, and that the only sure way to get rid of such a pernicious custom is to decentralise, and confine the energies of the general government to purely colonial affairs. Efforts have already been made to stop subsidising, and the evil is certainly not so rampant as it was, although one of the causes of the apparent improvement may be set down to the financial straits to which the colony bas been reduced. Given prosperous times again, and the practice might be revived in all its original vigour. Hence the need of such a system of local government as would render a recurrence of the old abases impossible. It is not likely that anything of importance will be accomplished this session ; but it is well to keep the subject before the public and to have it thoroughly investigated and discussed.