The condition of local government in this state is admittedly unsatisfactory. In the metropolitan area the agitation for a °Greater Sydney° is still proceeding by which its advo cates hope that the city council will absorb the small surrounding suburban local governing bodies, of whom there are no less than 41, each with its own separate mayor, council, officered staff and administration.
The number of municipalities in New South Wales is only 188, covering an area of 1,810,912 acres with an annual value for assessment pur poses of £10,309,655 and a very large area still remains under the control of the state govern ment which is now considering proposals to extend the system of local government by the creation of shire councils and new municipali ties, allowing such bodies to levy their rates on the unimproved capital value of the land in stead of on the annual value of improved prop erty.
Besides the municipalities there are boards and trusts composed of members appointed by the state government and members appointed by various municipal bodies, which are estab lished for the benefit of districts covering areas of two or more ordinary municipalities and are empowered to construct and supervise water works, drainage works and similar undertak ings with power to raise money by the sale of debenture stock and levy rates on the assessed value of benefited properties. In New South Wales there are the metropolitan board of water supply and sewerage, various harbor trusts, country water trusts and the metropoli tan fire brigades on which latter repre sentatives of the fire insurance companies sit who contribute to the upkeep of the brigades.
Local Government in The city council of Melbourne consists of 28 members (seven aldermen and 21 councillors) presided over by the lord mayor who is elected annually by the council. Three councillors are elected for each of the seven wards of the city, one being chosen annually by plural voting for a period of three years. The aldermen are ap pointed by the council and hold office for four years. Residence within seven miles of the city and minimum rating of f10 qualifies for a vote which slides upward to three votes on a f150 assessment.
This state has had a comprehensive system of local government in force for many years which divides it into cities, towns, boroughs and shires; the councillors are elected by the ratepayers, and the mayors of cities, towns and boroughs and presidents of shires by the coun cillors. The total area under local control is
87,302 square miles, only 582 square miles re maining outside of localgovernment.
Melbourne and 22 suburban municipalities constitute the metropolitan area, and thoughtful students of local government look forward to the time when all or most of these will be amalgamated with the city. A royal commis sion has taken most exhaustive evidence pro and con during the past three years but so far has not submitted its report.
Other governing bodies outside, yet dove tailing in with the municipal councils and the state government in Victoria, are the metro politan fire brigades board, the Melbourne har bor trust, the tramway trust consisting of repre sentatives of the Melbourne city council and 11 other suburban municipalities, the metropoli tan board of works controlling water supplies. sewerage and drainage and various other water works, irrigation and water supply trusts under quasi-local and quasi-state government control.
Local Government in South Australia.— The council of the city of Adelaide consists of the mayor, six aldermen and 12 councillors. All of them including the mayor are elected by the ratepayers. The mayor and aldermen hold office for one and three years respectively; the councillors (two for each of the six wards) hold office for two years. At each annual elec tion the mayor, two aldermen and six coun cillors are balloted for. Plural voting obtains for mayor and aldermen, the system allowing a citizen one vote in each ward where he has property assessed. The state is divided for local government purposes into municipal and district councils. Aldermen may be elected to suburban councils in addition to councillors after a poll of the ratepayers has been taken approving such a proposition, followed by a proclamation by the state governor, and it is worthy of note that the chairmen of the dis trict councils are elected not by the ratepayers but by the members of the councils. The an nual assessed value of property in municipalities is f2,661,238. There are no boards or trusts (other than the fire brigades board) of any im portance, but very extensive powers are vested in corporate bodies who may raise loans for the construction and working of tramways, ferries, jetties, waterworks, gas works, electric light works, baths and washhouses, abattoirs, markets; and make and provide pleasure grounds, libraries, museums, hospitals and asylums.