Municipal Conference.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 298, 23 June 1896, Page 2

Municipal Conference.

(Per Pjgte Association) miLLINGTON, Jane 22. The Municipal Conference .opened this morning. The President's report comprised a statement of the principal work done by the Association since its constitution. The Association has a credit balance of Jslßl, and has no liabilities. The principal business of the conference will be consideration of the Local Government Bill. The Mayor of Greymonth moved a series of resolutions on the Chinese question, and a long and interesting discussion took place. His resolutions were that Boroughs be given power to (1) Confine Chinese to a separate district ; (2) Issue licenses to opium dens and stores where opium is sold, to be similar to hotel licenses, with a heavy penalty for selling without a license; (8) Limit the number of persons who may occnpy tbe same tenement, with the exception of a member of tbe same Chinese family ; (4) Make it an offence against any Chinese householder if he harbors or encourages any European of immature age. The first two resolutions were thrown out practically unanimously and numbers 3 and 4 were adopted. Resolutions were passed desiring that tbe Fire Brigades should be supported jointly by tbe Government, Borough Councils, and Insurance Companies, and urgin? Government to introduce clause 5 of the Bating Act, so as to provide that reviewers should sit with the Judges in the Assessment Court, and that the section exempting universities and colleges from the Bating Act be repealed. This Day. The subcommittee appointed by the Counties' Conference to consider the Local Government Bill has reported that the measure in its present form is unworkable, and consider it would not improve the efficiency of local Government, while materially increasing the cost thereof. The Conference spent nearly two hours discussing the Local Government Bill. Mr Philips, town clerk of Auckland, moved " That the Local Government Bill does not meet the approval of this conference, and that Government be requested io introduce an amended Municipal Corporation Bill as promised last year."— Carried by 16 votes to 12.