MUNICIPAL CONGRESS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2192, 3 July 1914, Page 8

MUNICIPAL CONGRESS

TO MEET THIS MONTH

BIG BM/GET OP REMITS

The tliirteeuth coiiiewnoe 0! tho MuniciDal Association of New Zealand will bo opened in tto Cettiiwl Chumber at tlic lowii Hall, Wd.lingf.aM, at 10 a.m. on July 14. The Mii Tor .of Wellington. (Mr. J. p. r,uke) wiU presi*. I here are 116 remits on the o.hier iia-pr* and m addition to disfjojing of tl«so tlio conference will di'Si witit offer mmters, including' a ;inpei'an.tn!ation scltonic, the question of rood boards jewing (.lie association. Among the rcmiU' ai® the lollowing:—

Uocal Bodies" Loans Acts. Instalments of' Govcriimeirt Lpoiis.'--lliat tlio Government be requeued to amend llegulation li of the rßgiilatigrtS gazetted oii pages W- :to 430' of the "iV.Z. Gazette," 1911, which jirohitrite the superintendent &{ ttt© K..J5, State Guaranteed Advances Office from nuuttgamating the instahu"cfl.ts- of ibaiß talj'en up from the office, so that %s mterest on a loan can be paid by Mt-yMtly instalments, instead of as sit present, each instalment being treated as a. separate loan.—(OnehungaJ.Mjm'riftd at 1912 conference.

Tiie Public Trustee, as: Sltfkmg fund Commissioner.—That' the I/ocai podies lioans Act, li) 13, lie amended te cmpower local bodies tp remove the■ lHi.blic : Trustee from office .as n Siulying Fund Commissioner in caS.CS *hero tlie loans in respect of which l)o las been aftpointed CommissioneV :liay<s not been oj)tained from Governnvertfc Departments. (The reason for this- is tWI tte PuWio Tmsteo only allows 4 pef cent, interest on sinking funds., while tlie Christchurch City Council's otter. sJniUag fund commissioners net over , 5 ;pef cent., ilia result being a loss of at ieast 1 po.r Sent, interest on the funds..)—COMsWlriiireM • Town EJaarci.sv Date for Election of Bowsd.-*l-hat the time of election of 'for town boards should be altered so; as to 'cbmo in line with the c-lsCiioMs *>( borgiigli councils,, as tlio beßiiiuiiig of tfe fin«ii i cial years is a more suitable timfi- than September.—(Ellerslie Tojitt .Baard : .) Supplies by lilembef-s.Hrija.t iiieraVai;S .of tha town boards be Tiernwtted to paif ticipato in any contract, .or- ivotk to be. done, or to supply g.fiads t4 tie fejjnxl, if the paymenf. of aftj , esinWdct., work, or supply does; ljot- S.scSfid £.5 for any one contract , ,' wetK.,'. of s.uppjj'i ■ or £10 altogether. in any <jne; ,yca:r e (Raetihi Town Board. f -Otaii!:- 'IWn Board.). . . - '. . ' . j Valuation of Lend. Local authorities to -jnafee their own valuations on unimprovedthe law bo amended s.O -as to; fejiaMe local authorities rating on. the .'.jHf.nijiro.fed value to make their own. vaiijat.ioijs at the saino date, Jamtaiy, aS is iscd for valuations under the annita-t. vnlue system of rating, but at te-ieifliial- jitfriotls, and that power also b'pgffeft ferplacinis on such roll, srij -prijpcriy or additional vajucs. wlvi.cJi tnajf : Jia.ve become rateable.—(Wegtprtrt-,) Valuation year to closis 3J*;.peirilJPT 31. —That the Valuation ts Smd itet, >.96g, bo amended to provide ..for. -fta sfosing of the valuation year oil .'Jteeniier 31 r instead of March 31., and ifet tTt? Valuer-General be defected fio have all the completed rolls in ;tli.ejijiiid;s of tlielocal authorities before April , 1 m oaeli year.—(Palmerston Nerfbj'iCltf yalc'hiH'Oh) ■■■ Subdivisions. to.be:.sap'airffli(?iy vftlaeC —That' the Valuer-Geri#vl hb tisqmttA ■ to includo in the valviafieii. rfl t(i local bodies the SispiVcate,. valuation of each eubdivisifl)t*-iCPa}roMsbna North.) ■ Tramway Cbniroi. : Control of electric ■ the control over electric: , }trana taken: away from local bodfef iby fli.e Tramway's. Amendment Acl, -j.9-3i9,« bft.- restored.—(Onehunga.) Second poll for ■ Clause 13 of the second schedule of theTramways Act, 1908, be djjtete&sd fie as to exclude tlio right ta' dentianel a, spcond poll on the question- o.f ajspjyihg , lot: an authorising, order tp cohetrac-t a tramway.—(Palmerston Sf-OJ'tlt.) ■ ' Bylaw Provisions. Plans of subdivision..^*! , hat prwisi.on: bo made in the Jluniipipai. Act. compelling owners atfodtyUtijig • prdperties, where it is-not kitendeJ. ta fatnj etreete, to deposit a pliwi of tl.lo pm*' posed subdivision for tl-ia-- co'undfs approval, such plan wlifen aßprOved it> fe the property of the effiineif.—gtratferd , .' Removal of damaged b-uildings.— That the Municipal Corporations Act,- ISO'S, i bu amended to give lscsl alrilioritios power to order the j.ehiGta? of any dwelling-house or other , WHing w3ii#: has in the opinion of the Wo-ugll inspector been so damaged' l>s , fii'o or' other causes, as to rejjdor *i| feey^tfid ; repair, and that it b.ct tfn- offence to allow such building to iMiyrii-ii after one calendar month from thfc time oJf.j-cfie-iv , ' ing notice to remove same-—(PaImRTS-: ton North.) Lighting ways.—That legisfetion be , , enacted for the purpose of giving penrer ' for dealing with the qSestW of KeM-' ing places that have riot beconjo -publ-fc j streets or public ways* ,as this cdHJi-cil is advised . that local authorities toe no power to light such. ton.) Electoral. That the Parliameiit-niy .feni af baT.'; lot paper bo used- at lfloal elections aid polls, in_ order that tfo&e may be unf-. formity in the mode b'f rptiordiiig Votes and to obviate the diffieatty in feectiWjj ' plural voting now catLsod:-by tte gum*- , nung'down of the voter's .nuwber. "Application for enirolnieiit-,— T.liSt ns - far as tho question of amending tire en*; rolinent eystem is coneerriee}', • tte dot«> cil approves of a proposal w-hidh woi.ild , involve the necessity fep an applicab'oii for enrolment to bo ma;de. b.efttjr- 0 a-i-id witnessed by a J.P., a ssifeitor, minister '■ of religion, postmaster,, or other public officinl shall satisfy himself, if. necessary, by the certificate of- another -efcetor as to the anplicn-nt's- -hoiia fi<W." _ Vacancy in Office of li-Itiyct or Ceiincillor.—Tliat provision be uiafe for any vacancy in either the pffiofe of J,tajor or councillor to be filled by tlis eoMteij , for tlio balance of the ta-jii. Tl.rat Station 48 of the Municipal Cbfp&ations Act bo amended so tliat tfe term of office of councillors be estehflsd and a proportion of members refoe annually. "That, as the present eysteni stf (?3iwting mombers of harbwir boards lias beeji found to be oxpanska 'wiihmit giving the counties pw-por re.p-wscnH 1 ' tion where joined wit-ii bworieiis. tliey be eleetcil by thn loort botjips- tn tti-e grouped district." "thstt etertimis lit) taken by the bodies conqeoiijc!, fc polk to be taken on some othftj- day thnii that appointed for'the general election of the council." ■ResDccting the Hospitals mid Charitable Institutions Act, tta feltaviijg remits, have been fprwatdcHt:—"TWt elections bo taken bf the .tiodies cftticernetl, and not by 'the teal iiiftlierity, mid that tho polls be f-rtlse-n an S.on'ie day other than that a))p>iiitai fav tlfi> general olcci-ion of tte eieun&i-l. fflio present, inotbod is pfevjn* itself n source of great ineonv-PM-kt-nec:, e.sppftwily in the .smaller localities;. The cfliaCPstioii at the pnilinp; li.eot.li.ii k a envi-Sn of great confusion nut! loads to canv. plinations. Tho additioti:sl lvorh mi* tailed liv the Local Election.? m& 1?olts Act of 1013 lias further uicreased the .difficulty. 1" "That each contributing iiral aifttaitv sliall have the right. t:o oloti at least. fine, representative to Uii? Bpsjrftjil. aiid Charitable Aid Board of its. ■cli.stric't." Various ProtiosaCs, Government Hunrdu-gSv-Ufha-t -Is^fa. ' lation be introduced to .Dro-vent ©ovehi-

meat De-partmenfes putiiMg up adveftisin.a hoardings facing a public street within a city or borough, and that the Ac-fr:be aIWMKkd so as >te give the local authority tlio power tp rc-hise the orectjftii of. private liOHi'dtng.s in a city or ti()roi!f}i."--(PaltiK;rstOM. North.) Arterial Heads,'—Thai tlw GsvMis* Went bo urged to eitW' take over x&A be rcsprmsiblc for the repair of aftoriai roads or subsidise the looai bojjice nwrntaiiinig such reads.'—(Bivlvcniiead, i Green Mnml,)

State Quarrisss.—That ths Gwcvnmcait bo as-ked to consider the qucstMis ojf pstaWisMng State <imim'i?s, shingle beds, scoria pits, etc., and linking tliefti with branch lines to Aa railway, so Hi.it lofial bodies dopud-iiig on the rail* way fat' their metal supply jnay get it at JIM oosi ; -»-CPakckt))ie.'5

Building BsvLafrs.— I'jiat leea] suthorities Jje gjSyeii jtowcr to refuse a .permit to, Inrffd a tlv, : «lJi.ngl)oji'3o unless it is d'e■fcndied a distaafic- qf 4ft. Bin. froui aUy ■of the bmnrdaries of tha land on which it is erected, or a -distance of 6ft. froiii ike cities ef a rjiftslting ejwtpd on tlio sjfiits piefle of lantL*-(Pa.taef«fcoH JTorth.)

Subsidy to Private Services for Pas. sengers., ete.—Tftai Seetioii %1 of the ■ Jliiftic'ipal Corporations Act, 1&18, lie amended and extended , tfftipowriu-g i>, laeal, au-ftori'tr to .malto and le'V.y a septate .rate "for fclje purpose rf S'Askiisfllg any service fiStab&lied or maintained by any person or company, or by any ether local authority;, far iht> ■ ftoiweyance of passettgehs iiittl fipeis tp arid from ait place- .within the tWough ' and aiuf -place. _ outside the Wrough bound'aricsj subject to any such proposal : beiiis; appwyecl by tstepftyws,^teken.lißrtfd!.) *■ . N ; Dojfflftmeiit to Fu.B Down ■CottdenVfiod SuildiugiS.— ''Pint fto Jaw in reepftefc to plife ? putting Iwn of buildings be iiiiiejided b,y thrmviiig the- anus ■ of doing *o oft to tlvs. Public B*ailth Beprtaeatt (Ihricr iho present ■fcejtt the teaffii ofeef r.oncknms a buimiag, afttf the local body has to go' to all tie trouble ant| o.ft«vii efttafling heavy legal fees, el t-atoyiiig out Jlfe Wsjies.)—'(Oitelwngai)