MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

Hokitika Guardian, 15 March 1928, Page 3

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

(By Telegraph—Per Press Association.) NELSON, March 15. Several remits dealing with matters coming within the scope of Local Bodies’ Loans Act were discussed af the Municipal Conference. The first one In-ought forward by Christchurch was a proposttl that municipalities should be allowed to pay unexpected loan moneys temporarily into their district fund accounts, in order to keep down hank overdrafts on which a high rate of interest was chargeti. The remit met with strong opposition and was finally thrown out in favour of an amendment by a. Tinittrn delegate that banks should he induced to take into account all credits in other accounts before charging interest on current accounts overdrafts. An Onelmnga remit was that legislation he introduced to enable Borough Councils to raise hv special order loans for putting in drainage and sanitary fittings to ratepayers’ premises. The mover explained that at present it was necessary to take a poll of ratepayers for this purpose, thereby incurring unnecessary expense and if the poll was lost, causing considerable, hardship to those affected. The remit was carried. "Wellington delegate moved that or-ders-in-council under the Loans Board be unassailable in any Court. The Mayor of Wellington (Mr G. A. Trottp) said that Wellington Cite Council was given endless trouble bv threats of injunctions etc. from lit * 1 • • investigation committees. The rein if was carried. That provision be made to permit Boroughs and cities fo have direct representation on Main Highway Boards and Councils was a remit brought forward by To Arolia. The mover wished to remind the Conference that it was because of the activities of this association that the recent concession to Boroughs had lieen brought about He said that Boroughs were greatly concerned with many of the decisions of the Main Highways Board. For instance a Borough at. present had no power to. express its opinion on which road should he chosen ns the main access to a. Borough. The remit was carried. A lengthy <ii.scus.sion look place on the following remit widen emantncil from Green Island Borough Council; ••'llinl the present law relating to construction, reconstruction and maintenance of highways in the Dominion be amended so as to enable the Afaiu Highways Board to take over and be whollv responsible for the main arterial toads in the Dominion with a view to toping with Lite present and lutit re tralfie requirements.” The mover said that question was one of national importance and the passing ol the Alain Highways Act was an indication that this importance had been recognised ■'by the. Government, but tip fo the present the .Main Highways Board had done its work merely by granting subsidies, and the mover's Council considered that that was insufficient for modern motoring requirements.

Opposition to the proposal was ex-pre.-se;l by delegates from huger cities who said they were not prepaid! u. hand over control ol any ol theii main street to an outside body. It was eventually decided taut : committee repiesenting both larger and smaller Boroughs be set up to try and

come to some agreement a.s to their reqnireinnts and bring the pto| --at* . tit a later stage of the coniercnee.

The Alayor of Christchurch (Rev. J. K. Archer) moved that this conference is of opinion that the time has now come when the qualification for all local body elections should be the Parliamentary franchise.

Rev. Archer said that it was time that in a democratic country like New Zealand, citizenship and not the possession of money or property should be tt qualification for inking part in all forms of government. It would unify and simplify matters it the Parliamentary roll was’ used lor every purpose.

The Town t lerk of Dunedin, pointed out that Mr Archer was not saying wlmt ho meant. If Parliamentary franchise was to be qualification then

a man owning property in two towns would be deprived of one vote. Mr Sullivan said that the previous speaker’s speech was very clever, but no one would suggest that any man paying rent should not have a vote. Mr .\reher meant that all those people who had their names on the parliamentary roll should exercise every vote they were entitled to at present. The opinion was expressed by another delegate that the Mayor oi Christchurch was putting forward a doctrine which would not bear a practiceMexamination that no one could argue that all men were equal m qualit> citizenship, for municipal government \ verv high grade of citizenship «as required and a man who lived in a place and made his home tbeie .m . inueli higher grade citizen than a merelv transient visitor. Afr Archer said he never expected an assembly of this kind to pass bis resolution. He could remember the time not very long ago when he "as the onlv man of democratic instincts who name here. From the Arguments

about equality made by a man at the , back be wondered where lie had been i brought up to develop such silly ideas, i (Cries of “Order, Order.”) > The delegate referred to challenged Mr Archer: to meet him on any 1 platform if lie had any doubt almut s the growth of the speaker’s mind, o Mr Archer said he would be pleased s to accept the challenge, s Mr Archer's motion was throw,, S out.