THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 396, 4 August 1877, Page 3

THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

1 [Ey Telegraph.] I "Wellington, August 3. | It was agreed, on the motion of Mr. jt Steward, "That it be recommended that I provision lie made for dispensing with tlie . necessity of a reference to his Excellency ; the Governor in the matter of the removal f and transfer of Municipal leases." Mr. Steward moved, "That steps he ■ taktn to vest direct in Municipalities the i Municipal reserves now held under Crown i grants to the Superintendents, and which ) now vtst in trust in his Excellency the ) Governor, and all Municipal reserves held ■ under and by virtue of any Provincial • Ordinance or other enactment, care beinir 1 taken that where lands are reserved for "1 recreation purposes, the same trust is | maintained, so that the reserves mav not I he alienahd from the purposes originally (J intended/' Carried. % After some discussion, the following re- | solution, moved by Mr. Ellen, was agreed I to, "That, in the opinion of this CVnfer- % tnce, in the event of any contributions 1 being in the future exacted by law from 7| Municipal and Governing bodies, by way deductions from the amount of sub- :| siclies payable to those bodies respectively, | it is necessary that some different basis 3 should be adopted from that adopted in ; the past, inasmuch as the result of the | system which has hitherto obtained of • making such deductions in proportion to ■ the amounts payable has been found to work most unjustly." The Chairman thought that the Confer- ' ence should v.g:vce upon what form they should ask the Government to refund the j money which had been taken from them ■on the jyro rata principle. He then read j the copy of a letter which had been for- \ warded to the Governor : —" Sir, —I have ■]tl e honour, by direction of the Chairman ;of the Conference of Municipal Delegates inow assembled, to forward you a copy of 2a resolution passed this day, 'That the 'Chairman write and request the Government to be good enough to inform this z Conference upon what basis of calculation jjthe 2 )ro ru t (l deductions for the maintenance of charitable institutions and hos|pitals out of subsidies payable to MuniIcipal Corporations have been made, and ■ are intended to be made for the future, jand whether the subsidies payable to 1 County Councils and Road Boards have :-heen. and will be, liable to the same cle,jductions.' The Chairman would feel very "igreatly obliged by a reply to the above." >J Mr. Steward moved, "That, in the .opinion c>f this Conference, the Munici,'J palities have a fair claim to special assistance on the part of the Government •9 towards the cost of the maintenance of *| Fire Brigades, and that legislative provi--3 sion should be made accordingly." Agreed Hto.

Moved by Mr. Steward, "That all licenses, the revenue derivable from which is by law made Municipal property, be issued by the Municipality, and all the license fees paid direct to the Borough treasurer." Carried. After a lengthy discussion, Mr. Standish moved, " That Clauses 46 and 47 be amended, in order that any person who produces a receipt for rates paid in accordance with occupation may claim at my time to have his name put on the burgess roll, and so entitled to vote at any election, and that his name be struck off the defaulters' list." The motion was amended so as to prevent the privilege being exercised within seven days of the election, and in that form was carried. ! Several amendments suggested from were postponed until the delegate from that city could arrivej It was resolved to adopt one of the

amendments providing for additional leasing powers with reference to markets being given to Corporations, on the ground that the present insecure and short tenure tended to greatly depreciate the annual value. Another of the Auckland amendments — that fees for all licenses in Boroughs be paid direct to the officers of the local authority—was carried unanimously. The Conference then adjourned until to-morrow.