XX. J. HAYDON CARDEW. 



hands of the municipality. I do not wish to detract from 

 any merit the authorities now controlling these services 

 are justly entitled to, for the way in which those services 

 have been constructed and maintained, for they have done 

 exceedingly well, but I am contending for the great prin- 

 ciple of popular control of domestic services as against 

 that of bureaucratic. The concentration of all these 

 services under municipal government where they rightly 

 belong, would result in economy, and any profit arising 

 therefrom could be allocated to improving the city, remov- 

 ing shim areas, beautifying the parks, and maintaining the 

 streets ; as regards the latter, it does seem unjust to the 

 ratepayers that they should be called upon to maintain 

 streets which are constantly being cut up for the ^repairs 

 of services, which bring in no revenue to the municipal 

 coffers, and over which the municipality has no control. 

 Apart from that, the municipality should only be deprived 

 of its streets by the central government in time of great 

 crisis. 



Our domestic services of water supply and sewerage are 

 subject to all the evils of dual control, which is not only 

 the cause of much friction between State and municipal 

 officers, and waste of time and money, but has the direct 

 effect of removing the responsibility from the officers' 

 shoulders charged with the control and management of 

 these important services. If the charges for these services 

 were to be defrayed from the general taxes then there 

 would be some justification for the Government executing 

 the work; but the moneys are borrowed by the munici- 

 pality, and rates are levied on the ratepayers to pay the 

 interest and redemption of the loan, so that the general 

 taxpayer does not contribute, and has no interests to be 

 conserved. If the people are to be trusted with municipal 

 government they should be trusted up to the hilt to carry 



