It it Costs Money,

Then They Don’t Want it!

Moresby Residents Discuss Local Government

From Our Own Correspondent

Port Moresby, May 21.

LOCAL Government came out in the open for discussion at a special meeting of the Port Moresby Town Advisory Council in May.

As guest of honour at the meet ing was Mr. K. O’Dell, who has been appointed by the Administrator to conduct a survey on local govern ment, and give a report on the practicability of introducing it.

The Administration has offered it to any Territory town that wants it —but if the events at the Port Moresby meeting are to be taken as a guide, Territory towns are likely to be very wary.

It will mean taxes.

Mr. O’Dell said that if local gov ernment were to come, it would embrace the present township limits of Port Moresby. The basis of local government was finance, which had to be raised from rates on private properties.

The main questions to be decided were whether there was a demand for local government, and if so, would people be prepared to pay the rates.

Mr. O’Dell said that if utilities were the responsibility of local government, they would need to be self-supporting. At present, in Port they were not, the loss being borne by the Administration, but he was not able to give the ex tent of the loss.

Mr. J. Ahearn seemed to sum up the general view early in the meet ing when he said that the matter was too nebulous for proper dis cussion in the absence of figures showing what it cost to run the utilities of Port Moresby, and the ownership of lands and population figures.

In fact, said Mr. Ahearn, only a small proportion of the population was permanent or had any interest in the town or in the introduction of self-government.

Mr. O’Dell said no full details were available about unimproved capital values in Port Moresby, and valuations would take at least six months to get. If the Government had to supply this information, it should first be given some indica tion as to whether demand existed fpr local government—this indica tion the Administration could get only from the Council.

During the meeting frequent re quests came from Mr. Vince Sanders as to “how much it cost to run the town.” He said that if it was

going to be run by a local government, then Port Moresby didn’t want a local govern ment. He got support from Mr.

Ahearn, and Agricultural Director Dwyer. . .

Mr. S. Fox took a dim view of the financial approach. He said there was more to local govern ment than that. It was a matter of democracy. The tradition of de mocracy was reflected in the de mand for some measure of self government, and Port Moresby had to have it if it was to advance.

It was moved by Mr. Fox that the Council was sympathetic to the idea that local government was de sirable in Port Moresby, but be fore expressing its views as to its feasibility, Council asked the Gov ernment to supply details of the unimproved capital value of land and the cost of services supplied.

There followed considerable dis cussion on the text of the motion, mainly on the point of whether or not the Council was indeed “sympa thetic” to the idea of local govern ment.

Finally, Mr. Fox agreed to amend ing the offending words to read, “the council is sympathetic to the idea that local government may he desirable.’”