MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 161, 10 August 1877, Page 3

MUNICIPAL CON FE RENCE.

At Thursday's sitting of the Delegates, Mr Standish moved — "That the Government be asked to postpono the passing of the Charitable Institutions Dill until Tuesday, in order that the suggestions adopted on the Conference on the matter be laid before Parliament, and if approved of, embodied in tho bill." Carried unanimously. It was moved by' Mr Standish — " That tho chairman write to request the Government to be good enough to inform this Conference upon what basis of calculation the pro rata deduction for the maintenance of charitable institutions and hospitals out of subsidies payable to municipal corporations have been n.ade, and are intended to be made for the future, and whether subsidies payable to County councils and road boards have been and will be liable to the same deductions." Carried unanimously, Mr Reynolds considered clause 3 of the Bill a direct violation of the Abolition Act of last session, nnd urged that the Conference should insist on those principles being maintained, as otherwise the Provincial Governments would have been abolished on false pretences. The subject then dropped, and after some cursory discussion the Conference went formally into committee on the Municipal Corporations Act, which it was agreed required several important amendments. It was resolved on 'the '"motion of Mr Standish to recommend that clause 11 be amended by empowering* a resident magistrate to exercise any jurisdiction exercisable under the Act by two justices of the peace, It was recommended that clause 345 be repealed. It was also agreed that the Conference recommend that the number of residents required for a district to be formed in a borough should be 100, instead of I*so as required by clause 17 ; providing that any new borough should be not less than five miles distant from an existing one'; also that the number of signatures required to be attached to petition for such borough to be constituted should be 50, instead of 100. On the motion of Mr Hutchison, it was resolved — Ci That the opinion ofthe Attorney-General be taken as to whether clause 223 gave municipal councils power to take lands outside the borough lor drainage purposes." On the motion of Mr Steward, it was resolved to seek legislative provision I exempting receipts given by munioipa'ities from stamp dnt}'. A telegram was received from the Invercargill Municipal Council asking the Conference to recommend that power be given to levy a general 'rate of 2s "m the £. instead of Is, the limit at present. The proposal elicited much discussion,

■IIIMHIM«lll«l II 111 11 Jill M ■ '".<"« "* I ll 111 .1 11*11 but the majority ofthe Conference was decidedly against 'the proposal, wliich, on being put, was rejected.

At Saturday's sitting Mr Steward called atteution to section 9 ofthe Rating Act, which provided that where any property is let for a term of less than six months, the "ownor /should be primarily liable for the rates. This pr ictically shut out a large section of tbe community from 'exercising the franchise. In Dunedin 'the working of this clause had defrancliised 2,000 neople, and the rolls of other toWn had been diminished in proportion. There were many persons who did not cdre to take a house for six months or a year, although they might, have lived in town for two or three years or more. There

was no provision in the law 'which allowed a tenant, if he wished, to pay the rates and have his name put on the valuation list. Practially the tenant always paid tho ratea, and the landlord would add them to the rent if ho were liable. His motion — "That it bo recommended that legislative provision be made to read as a proviso to section 0 of the Rating Act, 1876, in the 'manner following — viz., provided always that if tho occupier of any property, not being tho owner thereof, should himself pay or caused to be paid within the time prescribed by law, tho rates due within respect of such property, his name shall thereupon be entered on 'the burgess roll in place of the name of the owner of such property, as provided by section 9 of Rating Act, 1876"— -was carried, it being understood that the recommedation referred only to municipalities and not to other bodies affected by the Act.

Mr Ellen's motion—" That clause : 3o, part 3, of the Municipal Corporations Act be repealed, and the votes for tho election of Mayor and auditors be cumulative" — was opposed strongly by Mr Swanson. — Mr Standish thought the Mayor should the representative of the whole city, and not one-third. — Mr Jack, Mayor ®f Hokitika, opposed it on the same ground. — The Chairman said that at the last election tho Christchurch Council passed a resolution affirming the desirability of restoring the system of cumulative voting, on tho ground that a better class of men were obtained. It was useless to elect n Mayor in the manner proposed by the Act, as he had no power apart from, or antagonistic to the Council who were elected on a different basis. — Messrs Reeves and Hamilton preferred the English plan of placing the election of Mayor in tho hands of the councillors.

The motion was negatived on tho voices.

The Chairman proposed the following motion, which was carried — " That steps be taken to obtain a re-enactment of section 13 of the Bankruptcy Act, 1868, in order that the estate of any bankrupt may bo primarily liable for rates."

The Chairman hoped the Conference might get through its business on Tuesday, so that members might have an •opportunity of meeting the Government, nnd explaining their views upon the several matters they had considered. They would be able to return home by steamers which left for North and South on Wednesday, and each borough could write to its representative in the House, urging him to support the suggested reforms.

At Monday's sitting the following resolutions, after very long discussion, were passed :•— •" That no deductions should be made from subsidies payable to the local bodies in tho Provincial Districts; That, as provided for by 'ho Bill now before Parliament, provision should be made for maintenance of these institutions throughout the Colony from the Consolidated Fund, but failing that, by a general rate levied over the Colony, such a rato to be fixed annually by Parliament ; and, That all hospitalsand charitable institutions be managed by Boards elected !>y tho local governing bodies in the various districts where such institutions are established; but where any district adopted the Charitable Institutions Bill shall be accurately defined, it shall be exempted from taxation for similar institutions."

The deputation wailed upon the Premier and Dr Pollen same afternoon, and were most favourably received. Tho Premier acknowledg-ed that the present method of deducting from the subsidy was amistalce, and stated that the Gov. ernment intended shortly to introduce a Bill, providing- that where the Charitable Institutions Bill Was not adopted, 'the deductions from the subsidy should be on tbe rateable value, and not upon the rates actually raised.