MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 13923, 6 March 1913, Page 3

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

ELECTIVE COUNCILS' DENOUNCED., MR. FISHER -FAVOURS EXPERTS. - (Per United Press Association.) ...AUCKLAND. March o. 'Unqualified condemnation of the system -■by.-which'the control of municipal affairs is entrusted to the elective Councils was given by the -Minister for Customs, the Hon. F. Mi 11. Fisher,-driring an interview last' evening.■ He spohe, with confidence of the progress of Auckland and of its future, and then, discussing from an impersonal standpoint the ’methods of ■ munnicipal administration, declared that ini-' • portant municipal; ventures must ' before long be placed under the independent control df ’expcrts. Incidentally he expressed the: opinion that the Government must Soon invest the police with absolute control of all city traffic. 1 '‘lf 1-may venture an, opinion/' the Minister continued 1 , “I do not'-think the day is very far distant inNew Zealand when even Municipal Councils will; be wiped out of existence, it e cannot' have our rapidly-growing cities controlled by Councils, and in saying this I do not jSpcak in a personal sense regarding Auckland'dr any other City' Council, but I dc/ not think we shall be able very much' longer to tolerate the system by/ which a large number of men arc elected to .take control of great municipal undertakings of which'they know nothing. Commoii sense and necessity will force us to realise that such; groat enterprises as trainways, the lighting of streets in our largo cities, water supply, drainage, and road formation must be under the control of experts, and '"riot''under the control of men whoso business it is to earn popular opinion by proscribing a policy that will bring the municipal venture to ruin. We have seen in so many cities a tendency on the part \,f councillors, in order to obtain popularity, .to increase wages and beuefife to the. public, and. by these , moans to undermine the success, of our municipal ventures. This policy will have to bo ! stopped. We must run our big cities on J busiucs’s lines and make.,them pay, .if they | are going to grow/ To "take- tile place of Municipal ' Councils an entirely different system must be introduced. 'lnstead of 1 having one city engineer, whose business it is to control—very many ventures, we j ■shall-have toTiclve, a number of experts ;or . trustees to' manage l bur affairs, appointed in somewhat the same manner as the trus- ' toes of the Sydney Harbour Trust—a hu'ge ! concern which-is, I believe, managed by ' three men/ : There would be- a ■.man fin ! charge of lighting, a man in charge of. water and drainage, and a fourth in charge of footpaths and roads and chan- - nelliug. Every man would have'to be ex- : pert,-and anybody who was found unfitted I for his work would be tipped out of it. An i expert knows he must make his Job a sue- ! eessful financial enterprise. It will not pay him to increase wages for the purpose of getting votes, nor to ’ extend benefits to the public until a strain is imposed on the venture that imperils its existence. I ; think some such change will havb to be made in New. Zealand. I hope the result of tins interview: will not hurt anybody’s - feelings,” said Mr Fisher in conclusion, '■' but .will stimulate soma'of the local authorities to'do perhaps' a little better.; than they, are doing at present.”