The Waikato Times THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1936. LOCAL BODIES

Waikato Times, Volume 119, Issue 19945, 23 July 1936, Page 6

The Waikato Times THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1936. LOCAL BODIES

When he addressed the Municipal Conference at Napier some months ago the Minister of Internal Affairs stated that. there were far too many iUt‘tll bodies in New Zealnnd. “I have already found,” he said, “that my movements are hampered in this respect. I have literally felt like the proverbial fly in .the spider's Web.” Mr Parry added that it was the Government’s duty to efiect reform and it \\‘nnted the romperution of the local authorities concerned. It will be admitted that (580 local bodies is a surprising number for such n eoinlniriitirel_\- small population. There is scope for consolidation, and pussilily the Minister will commence by studying the conditions in the suburbs of Aurklnnd. Three road districts adjacent to the ““31 M the end of 1934; possessed £27,000 out of the £36,000 (gush il>sl‘l~. owned by these bodies and two of them were the only road districts that had spent money on drainage, water and sewerage system. They form part of the County of Eden and have lurge populations. Two counties in the South Island apparently have road districts for every ward of the larger area and their operations are very restricted. Then there are town districts that are classified as “dependent." that is, forming ports of counties, and these twenty-six local bodies 11nd only 152 employees. In a whole year they did not expend £50,000, one limiting its expenditure on roads, footpaths and bridges in 193-1 to £7 and another to £l6. An examination would show that some of these dependent boards could be merged with the counties. Many of the independent town boards will, sooner or later, reach borough status and probably some suburban boroughs will be included in the cities they adjoin. The effecting of mergers may not be an easy matter because there is often much local feeling, but it can be taken for granted that the existing number of local bodies represents the maximum. The State was directly responsible for many of the counties being created, because the subsidy enabled a larger sum to be obtained by several coniDm‘atively small counties than one large body could secure. The good work done by those engaged in local body administration is acknowledged and the Minister paid the members a. deserved tribute, but modern conditions have banished many‘ of the factors that tended to create small local bodies and Mr Parry has been encouraged by signs of a greater willingness on the part of neighbouring authorities to consider the question of amalgamation.