ROTORUA. MANAGEMENT CRITICISED

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2283, 31 August 1908, Page 2

ROTORUA. MANAGEMENT CRITICISED

THE PAST AND THE PRESENT.

VIEWS OF RESIDENTS

“Tho Tourist Department seems to bo ruling Ilotorua with a rod of iron. I have rocoivcd a' number of complaints from my constituents tlioio.” Such were the words cf Mr Kerries in tho House of Representatives shortly before the Fleet Week adjournment. They were tlio startingpoint of some conversations between a “Dominion” reporter and certain residents of the thermal capital whom he met recently. UNDER GOVERNMENT CONTROL One of them explained that until rather more than a year Rotorua lvid been governed by a Town Council, the majority of the members being .nominated by tho Government. He did not claim that this exceptional system was an ideal one; but tho elected members, even ■when thoy could not mould the policy of the Council, could at least insist on knowing wliat was being done and lettipg the public know. Under the now regime of absolute control by tho Tourist Department, nothing was known. Receipts and expenditure were no ascertainable. The only public body that could now stand between the townspeople and the Tourist Department wus the Chamber of Commerce, which was very active, but could get no satisfaction when representations wore made to the Government. Hence, as far 'as local government was concerned, Rotorua was in a position that would not be tolerated by any other town in tho Dominion. Nor could it be claimed, in the opinion of this gentleman, that the loss of local governing power was offset by any gain in the efficiency of the public- services. On the contrary, tho new management was, he declared, less successful than that of the late Town Council, and less economical. The water rate had been increased since the change by 50 per cent. The charges ’for electric light were higher than in Wellington, in spite of the fact that tho power was drawn from the 'Okero Falls, close at hand. The light, as well as tho water supply and drainage, had been from the inception the work of the Government, but under the new management tliero was no sign of any attempt to make the supply adequate to the needs of the place. As a consequence a number of people were putting in acetylene gas. The drainage system had been a failure from the first, and was now being renewed. The permanent staff of the late Council consisted in all of three men, whereas the Department now had seven acting in similar capacities, and yet progress in the improvement of the streets and footpaths was much less. “In short,” said our informant, who is a leading business man in Rotorua, “the ' small and unrepresentative meeting which resolved in favor of complete Government control sold tho birthright of the people for a mess of pottage, and made a very bad bargain.’ ’ NATIONAL INTERESTS. The new regime was defended by a resident of a good many years’ standing, who had considerable property interests in Rotorua. He pointed out that all the land on which tho town was built was Government leasehold, and thus belonged to all the people of the Dominion. The Government had also spent large sums of money in erecting costly public buildings and otherwise developing, the tourist attractions of tho place. Great as had been this expenditure in the past, it must he still greater in the future as Rotorua and its wonders became still more widely known. It would be national expenditure for the improvement of a national asset. The inevitable corollary was national control. The interest of tho Government, or, in other words, those of the people, far outweighed and must still further outweigh in tho future tho interests of the not very stablo or permanent population of the township. He acknowledged that mistakes had been made' under the new management,. but be submitted that eight or ten months was too 6hort a period for n conclusive tost. Besides. the old Town Councils had made mistakes too. The last one had been a sensible body, but some of its predecessors had been unwise; and anyway the Councils with their limited powers and peculiar illogical ten pound rental franchise were little better than a farce.