50 years ago

REGIONAL authorities could eventually supersede local councils, Minhamite Shire councillor, Keith Ball, claimed this week. Cr. Ball was commenting on the regional groupings proposed by the Federal Government which he described as “the thin end of the wedge”. The groupings, which were made public this week, places Hamilton in the South-West region, along with 16 other municipalities. The suggested set of regions have been compiled and issued by the Department of Urban and Regional Development. To qualify for Federal finance through the Grants Commission, councils must form into groups. The commission will only deal with applications formulated on a regional basis. The South-West Region has a population of 96,196.