MUNICIPAL CONGRESS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2203, 16 July 1914, Page 8

MUNICIPAL CONGRESS

SECOND DAY

SHORT BUT BUSY SESSION

Tlia biennial conference of the Municipal Association of New Zealand wis resumed shortly after 9 a.m. yesterday. The president, the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke), presided until a few minutes before 10 a.m., when lie vacated the chair in order to preside at a tree-planting function in connection with the observance of Arbor Day. Mr/ H. Holland, Mayor of Chnistehurch, and vice-president of the association, was elected to fill the chair, and fulfilled that duty until 10.35 a.m., when the motion for adjournment was taken, in order to allow members who desired to attend the Trenthani races. The Day's Business. ■ The following is a record of the de-, cisions of the conference on the remits dealt with:— . Registration of Charges.—-Be Section 39 of the Municipal Corporations Amondment Act, 1913.—That the District Land Registrar be required to register notices in all cases under this authority, notwithstanding anything to, tha contrary contained in tho Land Transfer or any other' Act. (At present where a caveat has been registered against a titW under tho Land Transfer Act, tho District Land Registrar cannot register a notice under the abovequoted section:)—Hastings.—Carried. Building By-laws.—That local authorities be given power to refuse a permit ko build a dwellinghouso unless it is de'taobed a distance of 4ft. 6in. from any of. the boundaries of the land on which it is erected, or a distance, of 6ft. from the eaves of aydwelling erected on tho isame piece 'of .land.—(Palmerston Worth.)— This remit lapsed for want of a seconder. ,' Plans of-Subdivision—That provision ; be made in tho Municipal Corporations 1 Act compelling owners subdividing properties, where it is not intended to form streets, to deposit a plan of the proposed subdivision for the council's approval, such plan when-approved to be the property of tho council.—(Stratford. )—Carried. i Consolidation -of Local Body Acts.— That tho Municipal Corporations Act and other Acts affecting local bodies be consolidated.—(Foxton.)—Carried. ' Fire Brigadss Act. lustirance Companies.—Return showing'premiums received. That Section 22,-Sub-section'(a) of tho Fire Brigade's Act, 1908, be amended by adding thereto:—"That where the control of- a fire brigade is vested in a'local authority, the return above-mentioned shall bo made in' tho same manner as if there Were a fire board and shall bo transmitted to such local authority.—(Westport).—Carried. . Fire District for Adjoining Local Authoiities.—That tho Fire Brigades Act be amended to enable adjoining local authorities to co-operate in forming tiro districts and in providing plant for fire protection.—(WooJston.)—Carried. ' j . Harbour Boards Act. . Election of Members—That, as the. present system of electing" members of harbour boards has been : foiind to be expensive without giving the counties proper representation whoro joined with boroughs, they-bo elected.by tho local bodies in tho grouped district.—(Palmerston North.) —Lost. Polls not .to, be Taken with• General Election.—That elections bo taken by the bodies concerned, this.polls to be taken on some other day than that appointed for the general election of' the council.—(Nelson?) —Lost. Hospital and Charitable Institutions Act. ■'■ Elections of Members.—That elections bo taken by the bodies concerned, and -not by the-local authority, and that the polls be taken on some day other than that appointed for the general election of the council. (The present method is itself a source of great inconvenience, especially in the smaller localities. - The congestion at the polling booths is a cause of groat confusion and leads to "omplications. Tho additional work entailed by the Local Elections and Polls Act of 1913 has further increased tho difficulty.)—(Nelson.)—Lapsed for want of a seconder. \ ' Election by Local .Authorities.—-That each contributing local authority shall have tho right to elect at least one representative to the Hospital and Charitable Aid. Board of its district.— (Richmond.)— Lapsed. Nationalisation of Hospitals, etc.— That tho present method of levying local, todies for the upkeep of hospital and charitable aid bo discontinued and that hospitals, etc., bo nationalised and the wholo upkeep be met, out of' general revenue, the whole treatment, etc.,. to be free of cost to patients, and the Governmenfto bo urged to bring down the necessary' legislation to'givo effect to same.—(Petono.)—This motion was. lost after a discussion (which is reported elsewhere). Collection of Hospital Rates.—That Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards-be empowered to levy and collect their own rates.—(Nelson.) —Lost. , Local Bodies' Loans Act. Advertising Loan Proposal.—That Section 9 of tho Local Bodies Loans Act, 1913, be amended by defining accurately the meaning of tho clause "Once in each week for four successive weeks."—(Palmersion North.)—Carried-. Instalments of Government Loans (carried at 1912 conference). —That the Government bo requested to amend Regulation 14 of tho regulations gazetted on-pages 423 to 430 of,tho "N.Z. Gazette/' 1911, which- prohibits the .Superintendent of the New Zealand •State Guaranteed Advances Office from amalgamating the instalments of loans taken up from the office, so that tho interest ou a loan can be paid by halfyearly instalments, instead of as at . . . present, each instalment being treated, as a . separate loan.— (Onehunga.)—Carried. ' First Year's Interest.—To omit from the Local Bodies' Loans Act, 1913, Section 4 (1) (h) the words "during the construction of'auy_ works for which any loan is raised."—(Eastbourne.; —Carried. "' - . Sinking Funds. The Public Trustee as Sinking Fund Commissioner.—That the Local Bodies' Loans Act, 1913, bo amended to em- ' power local bodies to remove the Public Trustee from offico as a sinking fund commissioner in cases where the loans in respect of which he has been appointed commissioner Have not been obtained from Government Departments. (The reason for this is that the Public Trustee only allows 4' per cent, interest on sinking funds, while the Christchurch City _ Council's other sinking fund commissioners net over 5 per cent., tho result being a loss of at least 1 per cent, interest on the cburch.)—Carried. Elections. Notice of Election.—Notice advertising elections to be published 21 clear days before tho election.—(Wellington.) —Carried. Notice of Retirement. —Notico of retirement of a candidate from election to be given seven clear days before election in lieu of three clear days as at present. —(Wellington.)— Carried. Form of Voting Paper.—That the Parliamentary form of ballot paper be used at local elections and polls, in order that there mav bo a uniformity in the mode of recording votes and to obviate tile difficulty in detecting plural voting '■•"aw, caused by. the euniniing down of

the voter's number.—(Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington, Duncdiii, Palmors'ton North, Cambridge, Gre'ymotith, Foxton, Port Chalmers.)—ln connection with this remit Mr. Vigor Brown (Napier), stated that the matter had boon referred 'to in connection -with tho Local Elections Amending; Act, which was before Parliament on Tuesday night (the Bill passed its second reading). Another delegate said that he had been at Parliament and was under the impression that the House was waiting for a lead from the conference, and he thought _ they should give that lead. Tho remit was carried. ' The conference will resume at 9.30 a.m. to-day, The Wellington remit recommending that the time for receiving nominations for all elections bo limited to 14 clear days before tho dato of election, instead of not more than sevon or loss than five days as at present, was withdrawn on the motion of Councillor R, Fletcher, who - had since been informed that an amendment to the Act was .being made ill the direction indicated.