The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1911. LOCAL GOVERNING BODIES.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 55, 19 October 1911, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER. THURSDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1911. LOCAL GOVERNING BODIES.

The advance sheets of the Official Year Book for 1911, Part 11., deal with local governing bodies, licenses and local option, manufactories and works, and the electoral law. Wo have already devoted space to licensing matters, and now propose briefly reviewing what is said regarding local government. For purposes of local ' government New Zealand is divided into counties and boroughs, the counties being, for administrative purposes in some cases, subdivided into road and,town districts, and certain of the latter, those having a population of over five hundred, possess powers independent of county control. Counties are constituted by special Act, but two or more existing counties may, by Proclamation, be united to form one county. Boroughs are constituted by Proclamation, and' must possess a population of not less , than one thousand, but must not in area more than nine square miles, nor must any point be distant farther than six miles from another. Any locality not exceeding two square miles in area, outside a borough, and wherein there are not less than fifty householders, may be proclaimed a town district. 'A road district may comprise any portion of the area of the county, within which it lies, and may • ;e created by special order of the •ouncil of such county. Harbour Boards are formed by special Acts within counties and boroughs. Special districts, with limited powers, may be constituted for specific purposes such as river protection, drainage, watersupply, etc., within the areas wherein inch services are required. <AI-, though the boroughs, of which there were 111 in March, 1910, lie geographically within the counties, yet by die law they are not considered as part of them. On the 31st March, 1910, the counties numbered 110. The number is increased from time to imo as need is found by the cubdivision of existing districts. In the /ear 1878 there were only 63 ooun- . ies. There wore, however, 180 road listriots (five ' without Boards) in existence. in March, 1910, and 51 town list nets. One of these latter is the special Town District of Rotorua, the ul'nirs of which are administered by ifficers of the General Government. Jesidos the above there were 39 river protective • districts • (cxclncling JnciiJlutha, in Bruce County, which is ilso a road district), 3 drainage districts (Christchurch", Dunedin, and Auckland Suburban), 3 water-supply districts (one without Board), and -11 land drainage districts under the Lard Drainage Act (two without Board). The Harbour Boards numbered 33, excluding Coromandel, Kawhia, Port Robinson, Kaikonra, Fortrose, and Half-moon Bay, for which the County Councils of Coromandel, Kawhia, Cheviot, Kaikonra, Southland, and Stewart Island act as the Harbour Boards also New River and Port Molynonx, for which the Invercargill Borough Council and the

C'lutha River Board act as Harbour Boards. Those bodies levied rates in the financial year 1909-10 to Ihc amount of .£1,523,307, of which £l,053,447 consisted of general rates, and £167,860 special and separate rates. The sum of £80,469 was raised by licenses,! and £28,000 by other taxes, making £1,631,777 altogether, which sum is equivalent to £1 13s Sc! per bead of the mean European population. In the year 1903-9 the local taxation was £1 11s Od par head, or 2s 2d less than in 1909-10. The revenue derived from rates increased from £463,581 in 1890-91 to £1,526,317 in 1909-10. Revenue from Government increased in the same period (twenty years) from £144,008 to £195,624. Receipts which cannot be classed as “revenue” were £236,902 in 1890-91, against £2,362,171 in 1909-10; but these figures vary from year to year according to circumstances, snob as large operations by way of construction of works, for which money has to be specially raised. Tlie receipts (distinguishing revenue from other sources of income) and expenditure of the various local bodies, with the amount of rates collected, and the amount of indebtedness on account of loans for each of the past twenty years are tabulated.