MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS

Gisborne Times, Volume LXI, Issue 9854, 6 November 1924, Page 3

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS

CONFERENCE OF LOCAL BODIES.

* \ * IMPROVING CITY AND BOROUGH CONTROL.

APPARENT APATHY OF MUNICIPAL ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE.

“The proceedings were most interesting mid. instructive,” said the Mayor (Mr G. Wildish) who represented the Gisborne Borough ’Council at the annual conference of the New Zealand Municipal Association, held at Auckland, last month. “There was a large attendance of delegates representing practically every town in the Dominion and remits dealt with were an excellent education to me in municipal affairs.” Continuing, Mm Wildish said that he was convinced that the conference was most beneficial to local bodies and it would have been regrettable had it been decided that Gisborne should not ho represented. Further, he said that Parliament met for only ono session in the year, whereas the local bodies held meetings from January to December and knew the requirements of their respective towns and cities, whereas the Government did not., and he thought more power should be given to the local bodies in the direction of removing anomalies in municipal management. On perusing the order papers of the conference, . it is obvious that much important business in relation to municipal management was transacted at the conference and when the remits are submitted to the Government, and, if adopted, will bring about numerous . improvements in the methods of city and borough control. The most striking feature cf the conference papers is the bracketed note under numbers of remits passed at “1921 and 1923 conferences.” This is significant in that it points to the lethargy and apathy of the executive of the Municipal Association in not submitting these remits passed at' the conferences to the Government immediately. The remits arc obviously passed with a view to improvement in municipal affairs generally and unless the * executive wake up and presents the requests to the Government to have legislation passed on those lines, the conference becomes a useless nonentity and waste of money. To the contrary., the Municipal Association is one of the best institutions and it is “up to the executive to sec that the remits adopted are submitted to the proper quarters. Why such a deplorable state of affairs has been allowed to exist in a public institution, is difficult to understand. It is stated that the past president (Mr R. A. V right) may have been so busily engaged in Parliamentary business that he was unable to summon the executive and, further, that a meeting of that body was only convened once by telegraph when several members cculd not possibly attend. _ The appointment of Mr IT. L. lapley, Mayor of Dunedin, as president of the Association, with a live executive, will probably produce tiie much needed “push” on the Government for the granting of the conference’s requests. It is understood that, in future, the executive will be convoked quarterly to give consideration to the remits adopted to put before the Government. The next conference of the Municipal Association will he held in 1925, delegates being agreed that it would be beneficial to local bodies of both islands to change tho- place of conference each year,- instead of centralising in Wellington, as has been done foi some years past.

Under the Fires Brigades Act the Palmerston North Borough Council submitted a remit to the effect that the Government should be requested to introduce legislation under which insurance companies should be compelled to subscribe to a much greater percentage towards Fire Board revenue than at, presnt. It was pointed out that the local bodies subscribed, at present, equally w.tli the insurance companies and, as the former were trustees of the ratepayers who were policy holders in one or other insurance company, under the present law the local bodies subscribed twice over. This was supported and passed. Suggested alterations in amounts payable by the various contributors was made by Foxton Borough Council, which recommended that the insurance companies should pay 60 per cent.,, local bodies 30 per. cent., and the Government 10 per cent., while Dannevirke Borough Council proposed that contributions should lie in proportion oi three-quarters by the insurance companies and a quarter by the local bodies, after deducting the amount paid or payable to the Fire Boards bv the Government. " The Main Highways Act was the subject of renr.ts from Dunedin, Foxton and in reference to a street in continuation of & main highway. The remits from these three bodies, which was _ carried, sought to have section 2o of the Main Highways Act providing for subsidies' to boroughs in respect or the maintenance and construction oi streets, being portion of a continuation of a main highway, to be made mandatory instead of permissive as at present. In regard to the construction or maintenance of this road, the Dannevirke Boroug.i Council came forward with a, remit asking for an amendment of the Main Highways Act; to the effect that boroughs should receive the same contribution for construction and maintenance of nnv boroug.i street which was in continuance oi main highway, as was at present granted to County Councils. Ibis remit was also carried. A move to secure representation for boroughs on the Main Highway Board was made bv the Hann ton Borough Com oil, with the follow ng remit wli'cli was-passed l>y the conference: That it be brought to the notice of the Minister for I übHc Wcrks that, though the Main Highways Act requires the borough to pay a proportion of Hie cost of the charges connected with the mam highways, boroughs are given no representation on the Boaru or' Control cr on the district councils, and it is against the principles of democratic government that any body of persons who were reouired to find moneys to pay for public services should have no representative on the Board, in which is vested the 'control of these moneys. , , Two remits of interest to the motoring nubile were presented by .Pahnerston'Nortb and Nelson Borough Count oils and er.rried. The. first suggested that, it should be made compulsory for all drivers of private or licensed motor vehicles, irrespective of place of residence, to hold a certificate, of competency to handle a motor-ear .of any description. The second remit proposed that the Government should be asked to provide legislation to make the granting of certificates of competency, the .licensing of motor drivers, and the suspension and cancellation of such certificates by .any authority applicable' to the whole of the. Dominion. The amendment of section. 330 of the. Municipal Corporations Act relating to the approval of plans was sought by the Gisborne Borough •Council in a remit requesting that in no case should the plans, of any land for sub-division be deposited under the Land Transfer Act. of 1915, of the Deeds Registration Act. 1905. or that the ‘transfer of any a.lotmeht or sub-division of: any land he registered under either of those Acts unless the nlarJ had been duly approved by the Borough Council.

The rcnr.it W-’s w-P • ?.r.'OT>oj*ted nn<l \ adopted. said ■Mi*'. "Wild'sh in corvcr- • Hat'on wit!i n ..‘‘Times’? representative, TP Parliaincnt will only news legislation o)i tin' lines suggested the power.

of preventing slum areaq in towns through buildings being' erected too closely will be vested in the Cbuncils, I as the local bodies will •then bo able tc fix the frontage and if the plans |- do not conform they can be rejected. ; Of course if the land was sub-divided i prior to 1910 the Council has Do say, ! but any land sub-divided after that year—if Parliament passes legislation on the lines of the remit —-the Council will be able to approve or reject the plans. • , 'I Opposition to street collections was ’ indicated iu a remit proposed by the Christchurch City Council and adpt-; ed by the conference. This remit ; asked that the Municipal Corpora- . Pious Act should he amended to give Borough Councils power to make a by-lrnV prohibiting the soliciting of subscriptions from the public without consent first being obtained froni the Council, and that a statement of re- ; ceipts and expenditure in connection \ with the subscriptions should, be. sub-; mitted to the Council on the closing of ; the fund. I The Ricoarton Borough Council s remits asking for provision! to he j made in the Police Offences Act or, some other Act permitting arrest m cases where refusal of names were re- , fused to a-constable or police officer by persons breaking the by-laws, was carried. • The -conference also adopted a remit by the Wanganui Borough Council emphasising tlie necessity for better signals at level crossings and suggesting to the Railway Department j the substitution of visible signals for tlie present system.