MUNICIPAL CONGRESS

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2204, 17 July 1914, Page 8

MUNICIPAL CONGRESS

THIRD DAY ; BIG SHEAF OP REMITS DELEGATES DISPERSE TO-DAY The Municipal Association's Conference was resumed in the Council Chamber at the Town Hall at 9.30 a.m. yesterday, under the presidency of the Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J, P. Luke). The conference sat till 6 p.m., and during the day rushed tlirough a great deal of the work on the order papers.Only some ten remits remain to be considered to-day. At tho conclusion of the sitting some of the members signified their desire to return at:B p.m. to endeavour to conclude the business, but as the election of officers has yet to take place, and tho Prime Minister (Hon.* Yy. F. Massey) is to be'interviewed, a show of hands was taken on a motion to resume this morning, resulting in an agreement to reassemble again to-day. The following is a record of the remits considered:— Motor-cars and Speed Limits. It was resolved:— , Motjr Tax.—That legislation be obfcained to give local bodies authority to tax the owners of motor vehicles for the purpose of maintaining roads injuriously affected by motor traffic.—Wellington., iSpeed Limit.—Til at the Executive of tho Municipal and Counties' Associations jointly draw up a set of . regulations fixing the limit of sjeed, etc., and fequest the Government to include its recommendations in' an amended Act — Palmerston North. Uniform Rate of Speed.—That the Government bo requested to bring an Act to regulate to a uniform speed motor-cars and motor bicycles throughout the Dominion, particularly when travelling through boroughs, and that nay infringement of the speed limit be made, an offence under the Police Offences Act.—Greytown. Police Department to Fix Speed Limit.—That the speed limit of motor-cars and motor cycles bo fixed in every borough, town district, and county by tho Police, Department.—Wanganui. Numbers, Silencers.—That tho Motor Regulation Act be altered to make it compulsory—(a) That the number of motors be affixed at both rear and front, and that the rear number be shown at night by means of .a' light, (b) That it be an offence for "motor oyoles to be driven within a city or town without a silencer being affixed and used.—Palmerston North. Car to be Registered in Owner's District.—That if the Registered oiyner shall go to reside permanently in a registering district other than the distriot in which his car is registered, he shall, within one month thereafter, register such car in such new district.—Lower Hutt. v . _ ' Proof of Registration.—That, in order to avoid the necessity of calling a clerk of the registering authority as a witness to prove registration, tho Act bo amended to make a certificate under tho hand'of tho clerk of the registering authority conclusive evidence of the truth j- of all matters stated in the certificate. •—Lower Hutt. Signposts as to. Speed. That section 6 (2) of tho Act bo amended to rendor it unnecessary to erect speed limit signposts in cities and 1 boroughs.—Hutt andHawera Standard Size of Road Motors.—That the Motor Regulation Act. 1908, ho amended to provide for a standard maximum length, w'idth, and -weight of; road inotoM.—Christc'hijrch-.' Finance. Local Bodies Loans Act, 1913.—That the following clause be added to Section 16:—(f.) In payment of any award of a Compensation- Court constituted under the Public Works Act, 1908, in respect of land acquired under tho provisions of such Act ; and all interest and other charges incidental to such award, where a special loan has not already been raised for the payment of such-land; provided that where a special loan has ueen so raised and found inRufficient the local authority may raise t'h* balance required under the provisions of this section."—(Waipawa). Subsidy—Merger of District. in Borough during Subsidy Year. —That the law he amended to niake it clear whore, an adjoining district is merged in a borough during a subsidy year the borough as the successor of such adjoining district shall be entitled to subsidy on the amount of general rateß actually collected by such adjoining district up. to.the date of the merger. (Note—Counsel for the association is of opinion that this is tho law at present', but the Government Department administering tho subsidy vote takes a different view.).—(New. Plvmouth.) Surplus Loan Moneys.—That an alteration be made in tho Municipal Corporations Act, allowing the investment of surplus loan moneys in the District Fund Account; or, in the alternative. that ,an amendment be mado in Tho Banking Act, 1908, requiring the hanks to take into consideration the local authorities' accounts in Credit the excess of- the debit Accounts over the credit accounts, if any, to be the amount on wTpoV int-emst shall be charged as overdraft. —(Lyttelton.) Form of Votina Paper.—That in order to secure absolute uniformity the system of voting by striking out + 1 names on voting paper eh all ho extended to polls on loan, rating, or any other matters. —(Hawera). Advnrtisomnn+.c of Loan Polls. etc That statutory advertisements in resr<"to loans, special rates, otc.. be gazetted free of-charge, as formerly.—(Hastings.) Unauthorised Expenditure.—Tlift ° tiori '28 be amended by substituting "two per centum" fir "one per centum" therein.—(Auckland.) Publication of Balance-sheet. —-That the regulation . under tho Municipal Corporations Act inns. be nniended by exerjytirig councils, from publishing r balanre-3he°t in :Incal in»r«rapei«. and ripfining publication as sufficient if +>- balance-sheet is printed and circulated to everv householder within the district under its control.—(Carterton .1 Audit of Tracing 'Arfcountf—Tha.t the Public Revenues Act be amended to provide for the certification of municipal trading accounts by the AuditorGeneral .—(Ea-sthourn e.) Purchase of Land on Terms—That provision he mado in the Municipal Corporations Act enabling the local authority to purchase land on terms, provided that no such local authority shall have a greater sum than_ £2000 outstanding at any pile time in respect of such purchases, and that the rate of interest on such outstanding balances of purchases shall not exceed 5 per cent.—(Eastbourne.) Rating and Valuation. ""Valuation bf Land Act. 1908.—That the Valuation of Land Act, 1908. be amended in the direction' of proline that'where a valuation has been fixed h.v the signatures of the chairman of tho Assessment Court and the ValuerGeneral, an objector under Section 31 be compelled for the space of three months to place his property in tho hands of the Valuation Department for absolute sale at tho price put upon it. and that no reduction he made until the end of the said three months,- or until n sale has been effected.—(Palmer6ion North). Rating—Power to Sue Alternatively. —That the Rating Act be amended so a« to give local authorities power to sue alternatively if. necessary the occupier, ' '"wner, .of rated

for any rates that may be in. arrears.— (Nelson.) Ascertaining Name of Owner of Mortgagee—That legislation be introduced so as to provide that local bodies requiring the name of tho owner or mortgagee for the purposo of collecting rates lie supplied by tlio Department free of the usual charge made for searching a title.—(Palmerston North.) Rates on Buildings Out of Repair.— That Section 64 of the Rating Act, 190S, be amended eo as to provide that anv person who does not keep his rateable buildings in a sufficient state of repair to permit cf their being occupied, or, who being the owner of rateable buildings lit for occupation,-Tefuses to occupy or let the same, shall be required to pay the whole year's rates as though the said rateable buildings were occupied.—(Palmerston North.) Reserves, Etc., to be Exempt.—That nil reserves held by a local authority for recreation purposes, and all lands vested in a local authority of which there is not an occup'er as defined in the Rating Act other than tho local authority be exempt from rating.—(Palmerston North.) Sale by Registrar.—That Subsections 1 and 2 of Section 73 of the Rating Act, IPOS, be amended by deleting the word "six" and inserting the word "three" in place thereof, also Subsection 4 in the samo way.—(Ashburton.'). Rating of Gas Mains and Tramway (carried at two conferences).— That city and borough councils be given statutory authority for rating gas mains, tram tracks, etc., laid down in the public roads within the boundaries of such local authorities.—(Birkenhead.) Valuations on Annual Value.—That the Rating Act be amended so as to provide for the valuation list to be supplied te borough councils on December 31 of each year with consequential alterations.—(Nelson.) Recovery of Charges as Rates.— That the provisions of tho Rating Act respecting the recovery of rates be extended to include all rates and charges made by a local authority (i.e. woter rates, sanitation charges, amounts for work, done by a council which it is legally allowed to do, and for which the owner of a property liable,, eto.). — (Birkenhead.) Ratos on Workers' Dwellings.—That tho Workers' Dwellings Act, 1908, be. amended so that the-Government shall bo mado liable for rates in the samo way as are all other owners of land as set out in the Rating Act, 1908.—(Palmerston North.) Valuation Year to Close December 31.—That the Valuation of Land Act, 1908, be amended to provide for the closing of the valuation year on December 31, instead of March 31, and that the Valuer-General be direoted to have all the completed rolls in tho hands of the local authorities before April 1 in each year.—(Palmerston North. Christchurcb.) Subdivisions, to be Separately Valued. —That the Valuer-General be required to include in the valuation roll supplied to local bodies, the senarate valuation of each subdivision — (Palmerston North.) ■ Water by Meter.—That local bodies bo empowered to charge for all water consumed by meter withrtnt striking a water rate— (Havelock North.) . Separate Rate.—That municipal councils be empowered to levy a "particular separate rate" for the, purnose of maintaining sewerage systems.— (Carterton.) Tramways. Control of Electric Trar.-ways.—That the control over electric trams taken away from the local bodies by tho Tramways Amendment Act, 1910, bo restored.—(Onehunga.) Second Poll for Tramways.—That clause 13 of the second schedule of the Tramways Act, 1908, be amended so as to exclude the right to demand,a second; poll on tho question of applying 1 for an authorising order to construct a tramway.— (Palmertson- North.) Ilutt Railway- and Road Improvement Kct.—That the Government should favourably Consider the question of repealing or so amending the provisions of Section 3, Hutt Railway and Road Improvement Act, 1905, which at present prohibits the extension of a tramway to Kaiwarra yia the Hutt Road as to allow of the establishment of such a service. —(Onslow.') Shops and Offioss Act. Saturday . Half-Holjday.—That the Act be amended in 'the direction of providing for a universal Saturday halfholiday.—(Nelson.) Petition on Half-Holiday Question.— That the Act be amended so that an>" petition on the half-holiday question shall include the full Christian and surnames, occupations, and. addresses of the signatories.-^Wellington.) Electors to Voto in their Own District.—That electors voting on the halfholiday and Hospital Board questions must vote in their own district. (At present the voters of the Miramar and Karori Rolls may vote in the City on those questions.—(Wellington.) Shops and Offices Act.—Exemption of Borough Councils.—That in the event of tho Shops and Offices Amendment Bill, which was withdrawn last session, being reintroduced, .the Executive-Com-mittee of this association be to take active steps to have Borough'' Councils exempted from the provisions of tho Act; or if this be not possible to see that the provisions' of the Act aro mado as little irk-somo-'to boroughs as possible.—(Now Plymouth.) . BIRTHDAY FELICITATIONS. PRESENTATION TO MR. J. P. ; LUKE. ' At the: morning tea adjournnient of the 'Municipal Conference yesterday Councillor R. Fletcher informed delegates -that it happened ,to be tho Mayor's natal day, a'nd . taking Mr.' Luke entirely by surprise proposed his health in genial terms. The toast; to which tho names of Mrs. and Miss Luke, were added, was heartily responded to by the delegates, with musical honours. The little function had a sequel. Half -way through the afternoon sessions, Mr. J. Nash (Palmerston North) said abruptly that Mr. H. Holland (Christehurch) had something important to say of interest to everyone. With that Mr. Holland stepped forward, and after congratulating the Mayor on attaining his fifty-sixth birthday, expressed the hope that ho would occupy his present position for a long term of years yet, and made feeling reference to the kindly place His Worship occupied in their hearts. Tlie delegates to the conference wished to show their appreciation of the good treatment they had received and in wishing him many happy' returns of the day asked him, to accept for himself and Mrs. Luke a handsome silver rosebowl, which was suitably inscribed. Mr. Luke expressed himself completely surprised,- and blamed Councillor Fletcher for having given him away. He expressed his heartfelt appreciation of tho goodwill which had prompted such a gift. (Applause.) Mr. J. B. Shacklock (Mayor of Dunedin) stepped forward, and on behalf ■of the delegates begged the Mayor to accept on behalf of Miss Belle Luke a pair of silver vases in rsmembrance of the Municipal Conferenc# pf 1914. Mr. J. Nash responded gracefully on behalf of Miss Luke.