THE Soutland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, 3rd AUGUST, 1900 MUNICIPAL REFORM.

Southland Times, Issue 14712, 3 August 1900, Page 2

THE Soutland Times PUBLISHED EVERY MORNING. Luceo Non Uro. FRIDAY, 3rd AUGUST, 1900 MUNICIPAL REFORM.

» - Now that Parliament will soon be practically engaged with the consideration of the question of local government reform, it may not be without interest to note that action in the same direction, though by no means in so comprehensive a form, is at present being taken in New South Wales. In relation to many matters New Zealand has led in liberal, up-to-date legislation ; aad in regard to municipal institutions, so important as these are to the material progress of a new country, even the mother colony of Australasia may learn much to advantage from the youngest of her scions. This has been made very evident from the proceedings in con- ! nection with the Plague scare, which have demonstrated grave defects in the constitution of the governing bodies of cities and boroughs, and generally in the laws relating to municipalities. The Government have indeed been constrained to take into their own hands matters of administration which should properly vest in the local authorities, and there is a general feeling that radical reform is urgently required. Sir William Lyne, the Premier, has brought down what may be regarded as a first instalment in the " Sydney Corporation Act Amendment Bill." Admitting that this measure does not by any means carry out the full intention of the Government, but is rather an indication of the niaia principles upon which complete, comprehensive municipal reforms are ultimately to be based. It is especially interesting to note that, in very materially extending the franchise, the New South Wales Premier adopts almost verbatim the provisions in that respect of the New Zealand Act, improving upon these in some not very essential details. For instance, it is provided that in the event of joint occupation by two or more persons of a building to the yearly value of ,£2O or upwards, two of the joint occupiers may exercise the franchise. Similar provision is made under the head of occupiers of houses, for joint lodgings, so that in the event of three persons or more taking lodgings to the annual value of £20,

two may vote ; it being deoided by a majority who are to exercise the privilege. The intention presumably is to admit to the franchise adult persons residing in hotels and boarding-houses who may not be individually in occupation of rooms of the annual value of £10. They will be enabled to choose among themselves persons to vote at the municipal elections, in the proportion of two to every £20 of the annual value of the whole premises. It is proposed that the new Council (of Sydney) shall consist of the Mayor and twenty-two aldermen, who shall hold office for two years, so that, as in the bill now before the New ; Zealand Parliament, all the members of the Council will go out of office together, and there will be a clean sweep at biennial periods. The aldermen are to be elected by the persons on the roll in eleven wards, and each burgess may record as many votes as there are persons to be elected, but may give them all to one candidate. Persons owning property in several wards may vote in each for alderman, but, if only occupiers, have one vote only. This provision does not seem to be in accord with the generally liberalising tendency of the bill ; since property personified will be able to go from poll to poll in the different wards and record eleven votes ; while the citizen who pays rent for a shop in one street, and for his dwelling house in another, will only be able to vote once. A strong effort will no doubt be made to amend these provisions when the bill is in committee, and adapt the franchise to that in force in England, where there has been nothing in the way of property qualification in municipal elections for years. How far behind New South Wales is, compared with New Zealand, may be surmised when we find among the reforms proposed in the bill the admission of woman to the municipal franchise. The powers proposed to be given to the Council elected under the new franchise are by no means, we think, adequate to the representative position which it will occupy, and the importance of its functions generally, and the bill in this respect compares most unfavourably with that introduced by Mr Seddon. There is nothing as to taking over the water supply, the sewerage, the trams, nor the various large matters which it has been advocated should be controlled by the proposed County Council of greater Sydney. Power to reserve land for the widening of streets is given, but very little beyond this. As regards sanitation, the Premier is evidently determined that the Government shall have a voice in the matter under any future arrangements. The bill provides that although the City Council may nominate inspectors, the Government shall have the last, indeed the sole, word both as regards their appointment and discharge ; whilst the expenditure in salaries, etc., is to be divided between the Treasury and the Council. So far as can be judged from the tone of the Sydney press in discussing the bill, it is hardly likely in the present form to give general satisfaction. The expectation of the citizens, it would appear, was that there would be a new council which should have every detail of city administration unreservedly in its hands. The proposals of the Government fall very short of this, but the bill is, of course, open to improvement and amendment in its passage through the Legislature, where no doubt it will receive the close consideration which its importance demands. We propose to discuss Mr Seddon's proposals, embodied in the Municipal Corporations Bill, now before Parliament, in a future article.