COUNTY RIVER BOARDS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume IV, Issue 1034, 29 August 1883, Page 2

COUNTY RIVER BOARDS.

[from our f arli amenta ry correspondent.]

Wellington, To-day. The following important amendments Wrire last night added to the Counties Act Amendment Bill, on the motion of Mr E. G. Wright 1. The Governor, if he thinks fit, may by proclamation declare the Council of any county to be the Board of Conservators under any Act for the time being in force relating to the management of rivers (herein referred to as a Rivers Act), in respect of any river district constituted under such Act the limits whereof are entirely included within the limits of such county, subject to the conditions following :—(1) lhat a petition of the majority of the ratepayers of the river district is pesented to the Governor in that behalf, after such petition has been previously publicly notified in the district for not less than thirty days ; and (2 ) That a resolution of the County Council to be affected by such petition concurring in the prayer thereof is transmitted to the Governor. Provided that, on the proposed constitution of a new river district, it shall be sufficient if the matter of the above-mentioned petition be included in any petition presented to the G--vernor praying him to constitute such district; and in such case a separate petition shall not be necessary, but the resolution of the Conned shall be indispensable in all cases ; 2. Every proclamation issued under the foregoing section shall take effect on a day certain, to be specified therein; and on the coming into effect of such proclamation — (1.) All provisions of the Rivers Act under-which the river district is constituted which relate to the election of members of Boards of Conservators, their number, their continuance in office or retirement therefrom, shall be suspended from operation within the district for the whole time wherein the proclamation aforesaid remains in force :

(2.) The County Council for the time being in office shall be the Board of Conservators for the river district, and shall have and may exercise all the functions, powers, and duties granted to such Board by the Rivera Act which is in force within the provincial district wherein the county is situated, subject as follows: The Council may exercise all such powers and duties, in addition to their ordinary jurisdiction under The Counties Act, 1876 ; and their proceedings as a Board of Conservators shall be regulated under such last-named Act, instead of under the Rivers Act aforesaid ; excepting that— All property rateable under the Rivers Act within the river district shall be rated under the said Act, and not under The Counties Act, 1876 ; but the rates when collected shall be paid into a separate account in (he county fund, and may be administered under the Counties Act, 1876, but shall be applied only for the purposes for which the same were levied. (3). Every County Council constituted a Board of Conservators shall have not only the powers of such Boards under the Rivers Act in force in the river district, ,

but also all powers granted to such Boards under any other Act of the General Assembly.

3. The Governor, if he think fit, may revoke any proclamation in whole, or as to so much thereof as declares a County Council to be a Board of Conservators; whereupon all suspended provisions of any Rivers Act shall be revived and come into operation again on the day of the coming into effect of such proclamation in the river district affected thereby.