THE COUNTIES BILL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 131, 28 June 1901, Page 2

THE COUNTIES BILL.

OUTLINE OF ITS PROVISIONS. The Counties Bil : . which is expected to bs in'roducc-d by tho Government th : s session, follows gen<i\illy the lines of the Local Gcvornraect Bill unreduced in 1895, except m to the franchise. It dots ui.t, however, deal w.th boroughs, Existing cavities are ret lined, A new county under the J-5.1i must havjj notlossthr.u the minimum p.pulatio... ! of ce-sary for constituting au electoral! diatric - . for the election of a member (other than a Maori membw) of the tlouie of Representatives. For land draiuag» and river proteci>n purpo-es, special dis'riots are (o be constituted, which uwy, wheie coninclude boroughs. The counc Is of the counties ar,d boroughs included in a special dist ic" will txecisoa joint control of the sam«. Provi-ion is ijinde for constituting parts of counties is "to.vn districts," within which the Jounty Council msy exercise borou«h powers, This provision will meot tho cjS9 of the town districts that become absorbed in the county, and of any congested pvr's of a county. Power is given to retain any exiting road distticts. Tbe franchise is extended I'd the casof a freeholder, notwiths'anding tha' his property is occupied, and also to tl e case of a person who for three months his bren in occupation as tenant or subtenant of the whole or <3ny pirt of any building in tho county under a tot at.cy the rent whereof is at tbe rate of not less than t»n pounds per year for each tenant thereunder, fn the f -rmer rase the franchise ('ike Mm ra'epay's' f'anchifel is avni'aUe for a 1 p 'rp sos, but i:i the la'tn- i' is no' avn'la le for tha purpons o f any poll r. la ing to loan or rites. The whole c mncil of a couuty goes out o c office evf-ry two yars, the da'e of o' ction bv'ng alru/d from 'rer -o May. The Bill g> t s County C.iuncils wide powers acd discrotioßS, acrl removes the existing hampering r. strictions on the power to mske such by-laws as the needs of f ach district require, Th,i Bill contiins the powpr giv-n to (ounios by the Public Work-", Land Drai'.age, and many other Acts. There will be cinsfq'iential repeals of Acts and ena- tnw.ts An eflbrt-. has b en made to shorten ■ind simplify t'io legislation comprised in the Bill, having duo regard to its numeoiß end impor'ant provisions, ARRANGEMENT OF THE BILL. The ab we an the main features of the Bill, which has nine divisions, thirty-nine parts, and 361 clauses. The divisions and p.irts a>e ps follows : - 0 .n=t ; tution of districts. —Division nf the colony for loral government purposes ; incorporation of counties, anl t-ansfar of and.liabilities of, and dissolution of, absorbed locil bodies ; bringing Act; into opara^ion. Tho Executive.— Electors, dert'ens uid polls ; chtirman ; cons'-itu'ion ard authority of council; committees; proceedings of and commit* eqa; ouster of office ; offices ; application of Divi«ion 11. to retained road district?. Finance.—Tho county fund ; sprcißl loans; finance generally; accounts and audit. Alteration in districts.—New special districts; of dis'r'eti and special districts; al'd'atiocs within counties and special districts ; financial and othe- adjustmentp. General powers. Contiacts and works; leasing; public works; compounding. Particularpowsrs.—Roads; drainage and tiver works ; wa'er tupply ; pub' c hfalth and convenience; markets and weighing m'chines; harbour works and na-Ration; miscellane m powers. Private works. -General provisions as ti pdvate works. Road dis'ricts. —Retained read districts. Subsidiary and inci'?en*ial provisions.—Offences; legal p-oceedings; bylaws ; statist'es; m'scellaneous; repeals and s .viugs. JBXTRAOTS FROM PROVISIONS. Every county existing at tho coming into operation of tha Act is ronstft uted i county under •he Act. T u e populaion of a new county after the coming into o Pe ation of the Art is not at the time ef it i cons iba"ion to bJe»'s than the minimum population for the time being nee ssary for the constitution of an «1 ctoral district for the elec ion of one member (othr than a Maori m-mber) of th* House of Eopteentatives. Such minimum is to b' C3mp :tel in manner privided by an y Act fur the time being in force regu latina the division <f th« colony in'o elect >rel d's ri t-«. The Give. ner may, by proc'amat'on, name e\-(ry ue w county.

| Ti>e ridings of exHiug counties are -leclired to be ridings unrlt-r ',he Act. Every new county is t) be divided in'o nil e. riding". Ev ry riding of a n w county u at the time of the consti'ration of such riding to contain a populotiou of not less than five hundred.

The following parts of any now countyjmay, in manner providfd by the Ac"-, be d. p 1 i. el town districts:—Any pirt compjisina in a ej/.tinm.us area not more than niuo tquue mil'.-s an'! having no two points distant more than six miles fro n one an ith -r, mid con tiin'ng a population of no l -, less than five bundled. Every town dtVvict sxisti, g in any county on the coming into .operation r.f the Ac', is dec! r..d to he ;i town district. A 'town dis'rict is 'o ji-onsiitu'e one of the tidings of t'n. Oui.ty. Wihinn-mJ with respect to every town riis ric", the county council (may exerti e all tin pnveis that it oiiM ex rcne under any Act* c nf.uring powfis upon K,rough Councils wore such to-vn district u borough, and wore Huch cuncil a 1 orough coun< i]. buch county cournil may, accordingly, make an! respecive'y levy a'.d i ufor.e within such town di-i'riet auy rites or hys-lasis and regulations applicable to boroughs, Any duties imposed by sn y Actß upon borod«h councils with respect .o b.ironghs shall be performed by county councils with respect to town \ districts, j

There aio also to be speaial distac s called "river and dr.iiiuge districts," for the protection (f ifce /ands sitint< th' rein from damage by tho overflow 01* the waters of uny 'ivor or mors intirS"eting or bounding such sper'al districts, and fur the diainage of the lands situate tha-ein. There are a ! so to be such exis'ir.g road districts as may bi retained, but co new road district is to be cot-sti-'u'ed. The clerk of every county is required to annually, at the prescribed time, and ia the prescribed maimer and form' make out a li't, to be called ,; The bounty Electors' List," tor nach riding thereof, setting forth the name, eceu° lotion, and address «l every per^a •

mule or female, of the full age of iwt-nty-onj years, who po*s63>e9 any one of ilie following qualifications': (it) A freehold qualifica'iun, meaning thereby th,t he is tho ben iicial owner of a freehold es'ate in l-md of thr, e-pifcil value of not Iras than twentyfive p raw's in tho tiding to which the lt-if, lo'a-.i -, wfcetue.i subject to encunibrouccs or not, and notwithstanding ithntrtuy other p rsia is the cieupie. thoret f. or cf any pa>.t thereof, nude, any 'o.nncy ; or (b) a rating qualifier linn, meaning the -i by that ho is th person whoie name iippeirs for the time being in the oi-eup : ei-s' co'.umn in ih i rate book in respect of any rriteihlproperty in the riding to which the list relates ; or (<•) a residential qudification, meaning tbeieby tint ha is, and for afcUast three nuntlis thui las', past hai in occupation as temntor sub-tenaut, or as one of several tenan's or sub-totmots holding in joiut ten .rmy or tenancy in c mtnon, of tho who'to or iiny port ion of auy house, warehouse, ollicc, shep, or other bui'ding in tlie tiding to which tho list rolites, uiid.r a teuuLcy tho rent under which iH »t the rate cf cot less thin ton pounds per year for tho tenant or Hub-umunt (o'-, a* tho ci o may be, for each of the hi vorul ten into or Hub-toiiiints) provi dud that whore any tonutit or sub ttn nut sublet* Mm whoe or any portion of bin p. unices, the rent piyab e by him shall, for the pur pose of this wib-stction he deein.d ndue-.d by tho rent payable to him bo his sub-tenant or sub-t.o-.ii'.ts; or (d) a mining quahlioitiori, mouiirg thoiouy Uiaii ho rf-sidis, aud f>r not- lo j s than two months then last past h w resided, within the riding to which the lis'. iel>it->, •nd : s tin bolder of a miners, tight, or the beueficinl holder of a cons -li 'ated inkers' right, ii the reg sterol h ld--r of a lioem-e in rispect of a c.lai'ii . f any description, or <i*' arniteral ic us', o.' tho registered o*ner of a share or interest as partner in any mi-ing p. ivil->i;« represented by any mL 01V ngh f , consolidated inineis' lice se for a claim, or miner J 1 cont-e. On or before the prescribed day in each year, ihe Receiver of Gold Rivenui wi-.hin >ach riling is to praparo and forward to the dork a return setting f rth the full names, addnsies, and Occupations of all persons (not being aliens) to whom any right or liceu*e i.f any kind mentioned io. subsection (d) of subnotion. 1 of this sec ion we e issued during the period ende 1 on a prescribed day, In the t.ise of husband and wife, any qualific\ti,inV,po3sesseJ by either of tin in is to be deeinsd to bo posseted by each of them. It is to be tho duty of the clerk to enter on tbe county electors'i list t v e namo of every person who, to the clerk's knowledge possesses any quilifici'ions entiling him t? be ent-red thereof, oo who in the prostribed form makes claim to be entered thereon.

For taking any poll on any prop s»l that urder this or any other Acti is to !-e submitted to the votes i f all or s jme of the eloctors of tha wbolj county, the clti'k is to pioiwe from the country • lcc'ors' roll or nil's a combined roll .■ompri>ing :>ll the electors of the coun•y enti lrid to vut) at such election or oi such proposil,but so thatuo person's name sh-11 appear more than once on such combined roll,

Ev<-ry peisoc whose name appears on tlm cou<>ty dectcrV roll for the time being in forco for any county or riding is to be an fleeter for the purposes of this Act, a*id is to be entithd t> vote (a) it every poll taken for eUc ion undiT this Act with respect to such county or riding; and a'so (b) at every poll talMn on a Y iy pr..p.>sal tbat, under tbis Act or any other Act, is sub nitted to the votes of ths t-1- c:o. s of sjch county' or riding, or of any defined portion I thereof respectively, p:ovidsd that, if i his qualification is o'her than rating or freehold, ho w no 1 , 'o he cntith d to vote | at the p)U taken on any proposal rela-1 t ; ng to loins or t&'b*. At each po'l atj which an elector is entit'ed to vote he is to havj the following voting power, that is to say- (a) If bis qualification is rating or freehold, one vote if the raoital v;hie of hi-irateable p'operty is not m'-re 'han one tfccu and pounds, two votfs if it is more than one thousand pounds and not more than two thousand poinds; and three vote 3 if it is thin two thousand pouuds ; (b)j if his qualification is other than rating' or freehold, one vote, and no more. An electir whos: qualification Presidential or mining is not to bo < ntitlei to vto at any poll unless at the time of holding the poll he is r. sident in the cnunty or riding in which tin poll is held, and has been reir'enti in the county for at l<ast three months then las' past if qua'ificatiera is raining. The moj -ri'-y required to determine any s'ich election or carry a<y such proposal other thun a proposal to raise a Iran) to be a m*j >ri'y of thq vlii votea C'S L at the pol'. A council miy make any coitrat' for "ok or labor to be done on the coop -rativ.! s s*pm fin aiing thftrcby at '- pr'ca and subject to conditions fixed iiy the conn' i!) to any value or amount with ut calling for puM'c te.-'ders, cr may itself cirry out such wo k or omp'oy such labor without the in'erventi"n of a extractor. Every c •ancil is to ke p a*; is principal < Hico a l'st of vhe nitas of wages imd the hou r s of labor *o be paid and o u s-rved on works wSich are to be dona on the co-opera-tive system, or which the council nso'ves t> carry out without the into - vention of a contractor, The list is 'o h e base Jon the rates of wag's and bouts if 'aHor eorerally accepted as a u 1 and fair in t'o trido or class of lahor to which tlwy relate, ardsh.ill a* <U ie sooab'e tffnes be opuu to public :spcct''of.— Times