MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5104, 2 August 1877, Page 2

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

The Conference met at the Provincial Council Chamber at noon yesterday. The following delegates were present ;—Messrs. Hutchison (Wellington), Bamber (Wanganui), Thompson, M.H.R. (Balclutha), Standish (New Plymouth), Ellen (Kaiapoi), Hobbs (Christchurch), Reynolds, M.H.R. (Port Chalmers), Sutton, M.H.R. (Napier), Farrell (Blenheim), Steward (Oamaru). Mr. Hobbs proposed, and Mr. Reynolds seconded that Mr. Hutchison, Mayor of We& lington, be elected chairman. The Mayor said he felt much obliged for the honor proposed to be conferred upon him, but he must decline, as he really had not time to attend to the duties. He had great pleasure in welcoming the delegates, and begged to propose that Mr. Hobbs, of Christchurch, who had initiated the movement of the Conference, should be its chairman.

This was seconded, put, and carried unanimously, and Mr. Hobbs was accordingly elected chairman. The Chairman observed that when it was first proposed by the Christchurch Municipality to hold this Conference letters were sent to the various corporate towns in the colony, and very favorable replies were received. All the delegates, however, who had been appointed to meet at Wellington were not as yet present, and as he looked round the room he saw only about half their number, and he would therefore suggest that they should adjourn until the following day. The Mayor suggested that some of the business might be proceeded with, such as the consideration of the Charitable Institutions Bill now before Parliament.

The Chairman then addressed the Conference, explaining the reasons which had induced the Christchurch Council to initiate this Conference. In the Abolition of Provinces Act, 1875, no mention was made of any deduction from subsidies. In consequence of this, the boroughs in Canterbury had voted in favor of abolition, vainly believing that under its provisions, a permanent income from local revenue and the subsidies would be thereby secured. But the result was that the very next session the Financial Arrangements Act had been passed, providing for such deduction, in clause 13. Clause 4, however, prodded that for the financial year just past charitable institutions should be charged upon the land fund. And an assurance that this was the case had been given to the municipality of Christchurch by a Minister of the Crown. When, therefore, the subsidy for the last half year, amounting to £2945, was due, no deduction was expected. But, instead of receiving this sum, a cheque

was received for some £6OO, the sum of £2327 having been withheld, calculated in some abstruse manner peculiar to Treasury clerks. It was considered that the Government had treated the municipalities with injustice in regard to this deduction made for subsidies for charitable aid. Figures proved that the four municipalities in Canterbury rate themselves more than all the road boards. Hence they have a larger subsidy due, and as a consequence a larger deduction is made. But the boroughs only contribute one-third of the patients in the hospitals and other institutions, and about one-third of the paupers receiving relief. These four municipalities ought not to be made to pay, if a pro rata deduction had been made, more than about £2070, whereas the deductions from their subsidies amount to £3251. This showed that the principle upon which the cost of charitable institutions has been allocated was unjust; and it was to obtain a remedy for this injustice that a conference should be held to bring united pressure to bear to obtain redress. In order to show how unjust this method of making deductions is, he asked if all the municipalities rate themselves at Is. in the £, and the road boards 6d., what would be the result? Why simply that, although only one-third of the patients and paupers belonged to the towns, yet they would be called upon to support twothirds or more of the total number of them. Had the Counties Act been in force the counties would have been empowered to provide for their own sick and destitute, but in consequence of the action of the county councillors m not bringing certain parts of the Act into operation, the boroughs had to suffer, and this he did not consider fair or reasonable. He desired to obtain from the Government a refund of the money unjustly withheld, and that in future there should be a definite charge made on the Consolidated Fund, for charitable purposes. He was opposed to the Charitable Aid Bill brought in by the Government, which he considered would press on the liberalminded in the community and allow the large majority to escape without contributing, and it was felt necessary to take united action in the matter as soon as possible, in order that they might obtain some finality in the action of Parliament in dealing with the incomes of the boroughs. The conference would also discuss any other matters of general municipal interest, Mr. Steward said it should be one of their chief objects to make such a representation to the Government as should have the effect of bringing about a fair adjustment of contributions to charitable aid, whether expended in town or country. He was not prepared to say that he was opposed to the principle of the Charitable Aid Bill. On the contrary, he approved of it. Mr. Hutchison and Mr. Sutton said they approved of the principle of the Bill. Mr. Standish moved, —That the chairman he requested to procure for the use of the Conference a' sufficient number of copies of the Municipal Corporations Act, the Financial Arrangements Act 1876, and the Charitable Institutions Bill, now before Parliament. Mr. Thompson seconded the motion, which was carried. NOTICES OF MOTION. The following notices of motion were given : . Mr. Standish, —That the Chairman write and request the Government to be good enough to inform this Conference upon what basis of calculation the pro rata deduction for the maintenance of charitable institutions and hospitals out of the subsidies payable to municipal corporations have been made, and are intended to be made for the future, and whether the subsidies payable to county councils and road boards have been and will be liable to the same deductions.

Mr. Thompson, on Friday,—That in the opinion of this Conference the number of resident householders in a district proposed to be formed into a borough should be reduced from 250 as provided by the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876, to 100. Mr. Steward, —(1.) That it bo recommended that provision be made for dispensing with the necessity of a reference to his Excellency the Governor in the matter of the renewal and transfer of municipal leases. (2.) That steps be taken to vest direct in the municipalities the municipal reserves now held under Crown grants to the Superintendents, and which now vest in trust in his Excellency the Governor. (3.) That this Conference take into consideration the advisability of asking that legislative provision be made exempting receipts given by municipalities from stamp duty.