Chapter I. INTRODUCTORY
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1956.tb01294.x |
| Date | 01 October 1956 |
| Published date | 01 October 1956 |
Ch. I.
INTRODUCTORY
CHAPTER
I
INTRODUCTORY
1
NEED
FOR
LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
IN
the
early days of colonial administration
the
only possible form of govern-
ment is strong central government
but
as education
and
experience grow
the
people
must
be led in time to govern themselves.
For
this purpose
the
primary
requirement is
that
they
must
take
part
in something of value to
the
community
ｾｳ
a whole which
they
can see before
their
own eyes. Central government
and
Its methods are too remote for
the
ordinary
man
to see
the
link between his
part
and
the
visible results,
but
local government is an
important
method
by
which
the
connection between
the
individual
and
the
objects of government
may
be made manifest.
The
lower
the
general
standard
of education
the
greater is
the
need for local government
at
the
lowest level
at
which
it
can be
efficiently run.
Moreover, as a result of recent social
and
economic developments, acentral
government is no longer able to administer effectively without
the
assistance
of local government institutions. Differences in customs
and
different degrees
of political
and
civic consciousness are
not
readily assimilated by a central
administration. Special
and
intimate
knowledge is required.
We believe
that
local government is of value as
an
end in itself,
but
it has
the
additional
advantage
of being atraining ground for self-government
at
the
centre. Though this advantage is incidental
its
importance cannot be over-
emphasised.
ORIGIN
OF
LOCAL
AUTHORITY
. The smallest groups of people usually recognise some
authority-even
if
it
IS only
the
family
head-and
in Africa
there
have always been
traditional
authorities controlling
the
activities of larger or smaller groups.
It
is clear,
however,
that
over large
parts
of Africa
authority
was exercised over persons
rather
than
over territorial areas, with
the
result
that
unoccupied
land
did
not
Come
under
the
control of
any
constituted
authority
at
all. Between
the
fragmentary personal authorities there were often no relations other
than
those
of force. Such anarchy could never lead to a unified system of government.
It
has been
the
task
of British Administrations over
the
years to replace
anarchy
by organisation, to build
the
separate native authorities into a firm
structure
and to replace personal jurisdiction by jurisdiction over territorial areas.
In
ｾｨ･
process,
native
authorities have shed most of their claim to enjoy undefined
Inherent powers
and
such powers as modern local authorities now have
are
mainly defined powers conferred upon
them
by law. In most territories new
local government ordinances have been enacted since 1950
and
it
is now
generally
true
to
say
that
local
authority
of
the
modern
kind
is a creation of
sUperior governmental units.
DIVISION
OF
FUNCTIONS
In
all
the
old ordinances
the
native authorities were empowered to
make
Orders
and
rules affecting different services,
but
none was
statutorily
empowered
to provide
any
service.
It
is
true
that
they
did in fact provide some services
and
kept
separate budgets. However, in
the
absence of qualified staff,
they
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