TOO REVOLUTIONARY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXIII, Issue 14, 14 May 1912, Page 6

TOO REVOLUTIONARY.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL

CONDEMNED BY THE MAYOR Oi

AUCKLAND

The Local Government Bill to be considered by Parliament next session came in for some rather severe comment at the hands of (ho *'a\oi ct Auckland (Mr. C. J. Parr), in tno course of ids inaugural address uhen taking for another year. Ibe main pfovisicu of the Bill, said Mi. Farr, was to create 24 provincial councils for the Dominion. All Hospital Boards and Education Boards wtic to be, abolished, and their dutiet taken over by tlie provincial councils, wincti would really he enlarged county cosnoils. Presumably tnc of Auckland would consist of the Counties of Rodney, Eoen. Franklin, and Manukau. _ This, of course, included Auckland City, liacli local authority elected represent,itn os, and the president was elected by the Council, and received a salary of L3OO per pear. All matters pertaining to education, hospital, charitable aid, public health, and main roads vere to be handed over to cite now council, which would also have very large powers in the matter of imposing mtes.

He mentioned these matters because an important of Meal bodies’ rep resent:’, fives was being summoned in Wellington to discuss this Bill. If. was accessary that Die (By should ho adequately represented. r llm orov sinus of the Bill would matov aby affect Auckland City Council, and the education, health, and well-being oi the citizens. It introduced the principle of local rates for education, ■which, in his opinion, was a very objectionable feature. It would leave the city not only to pay the cost of its own maintenance, but also to heai part of the cost of works in the provincial district with which it had no concern. Again, it would scorn that the city’s powers to deal with infectious diseases, plague, otc.,_ wore to bo taken away and vested in a new body. This was a step requiring very careful consideration. While every one admitted the necessity of a comprehensive scheme of local government, they had to be careful that the new measure was not more retrogressive than progressive. In his opinion, the scheme, in its present shape, was too revolutionary to be of any real value.