Local Government.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5283, 13 June 1895, Page 2

Local Government.

THE PREMIER'S PROPOSALS.

[FBOM OVR OWN COBBKSPONDENT.j

WELLINGTON, June 12.

. The Government proposals respecting the Local Government Bill were dealt with pretty fully by the Hon R. J. Seddon at Kqsb on June 3, and as the telegraphed reports of -the speech contained no mention of the matter, I send Mr Seddon'e remarks as given by the Hokitika Guardian :— " Amongst the measures to be dealt with next session will be the Local Government Bill. There had been, in his opinion, too much local government altogether. (Hear, hear;) There were money b frittered away in administrative expenses which, he thought,, might be spent in opening up centres. Money raised in each local boundary could only be spent, within it. When the abolition of the provinces took place, there was provision for sixty County Councils. After thac, however, JSoad Boards, Charitable Aid Boards, Hospital Boards, Borough Councils and a hoet of other distributing bodit s bad arisen. Local government, in fact, bad run riot. Government had made up its mind to wipe out a large number of these small local bodies. (Hear, hear.) On the West Coast it would be easy .to settle that question of local government. They could divide the Btrip of coast between the ranges and the sea into districts of such size as might be' deemed advisable, with one local governing body for each. Education Boards and School Committees would not be interfered with, but Charitable Aid Boards, Efospital Trustees, Borough Councils and . Town Boards would be wiped out; There were works which now could not be done at all by the local bodies, whioh a central authority with an assured revenue could undertake. Now, if £100 was wanted for a road or track, they had to go to the Government^ for Parliament, was descending to i he iVtadus of a Boad Board, and it was time pettifogging local authorities were abolished. Their functions were things of the past, and they were actually as dead as Julius Cseaar. There would be much opposition to be encountered. He might create ill-feeling in bis own district. He would act, however, as he believed to be right. He would not permit a larger centre to take revenue from a smaller ! centre. Subdivisions of governing districts ! muat be carefully laid down. Neither must the revenue of one portion be spent in another. The whole of the soheme had been carefully thought out, but he cbuld not make a fuller statement as the draft Bill had not yet received the assent of his colleagues. He would, however, persist in the matter until the Bill was finally passed into law. (Hear, hear.)" . From other sources I learn that it is intended that the functions of local bodies will be discharged by committees.