LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 November 1933, Page 6

LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Judging from the statements of the Minister of Finance, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, there is to be no speeding up of local government reform. A vague reference to this most necessary undertaking was made in the Budget, and Mr. Coates has since stated that the Government is “considering the personnel and order of reference of the commission of inquiry,” a task that appears to have been occupying the Ministry for some time, seeing that a commission was first promised in the Budget of 1931. The Prime Minister has admitted on more than one occasion that reforms are urgently needed, but judging from Mr. Coates’ forecast of the commission’s scope nothing very drastic is intended. The Minister of Finance thinks some amalgamation of local authorities might be desirable, and again that it must not be made except where “the advantage to the locality is clear and the change is agreed upon.” If the latter of those conditions must be fulfilled the progress towards reform is not likely to be rapid. What the Dominion, is expecting is the appointment of an independent commission capable of inquiring into all phases of local government and recommending how efficiency can be increased and extravagance or uneconomic methods eliminated. To arbitrarily amalgamate a few rural local governing bodies will not bring about those desirable results. On the contrary it is conceivable that in some cases decentralisation might be recommended by a properly qualified commission. If the Government considers reform of local govern-, ment is’ not an urgent matter it would seem preferable that existing authorities should be acquainted with this decision so that they may make their arrangements accordingly.