MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81839, 4 September 1906, Page 2

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

Per Press Association. Wellington, September 3. The Municipal Association's Conference opened to-day. The Hon. T. \V, Hislop, Mayor of Wellington, presided. The Association considered t.ie Bill for the incorporation of the Association and the establishment of a superannuation fund. Further - discussion was postponed till tomorrow, as many of the delegates had not been able to study the Bill. It was ieso»ved that the Municipal Corporations Act should be amended to permit the card system to be used in compiling the district electoral rolls. The following- remit from Christchurch was agreed to: "That \ clause 40 of the Municipal Corporations Act, ltjoo, be deleted, with a view of inserting the following : 'The Council may, if it thinks fit, appoint one of its members to act as deputymayor, such deputy, with the consent of the mayor, to have authority to do all acts which the mayor himself might do, except act as a justice of the peace.'" It was resolved that the Municipal Corporations Act should be amended so as to authorise the payment of councillors expenses when travelling on council busi- * ness. The Conference adopted a recommendation from North East valley, that Government valuations should be completed annually to December 31, instead of March 31, in order that the valuation lists might be in the hands of councils before the termination of their financial year. Lower Itutt Council proposed: (1) That in the opinion of this Conference the present system, whereby Government lands purchased for work* men s homes or other similar purposes are exempted from rating' whilst remainig unoccupied Crown lands, is manifestly unfair to tho local body in whose district such lands are situate, as well as to the private owners and ratepayers and property in such district; (2) that 'V any buildings erected upon such ' lands as aforesaid should in all respects conform to the building and sanitary bylaws in force in the district. An addition was made to the motion as follows: That all buildings on Government lands which are lot to employees, officers and others, and or which rent is paid, be liable for the rates levied by the municipalities m which such buildings are situated. Thus amended, the motion was agreed to. It was decided to recommend that councils should be given the option or appointing an assessor to assist the judge in determining valuations in the Assessment Court. v Other rcsoiu tions passed were i n ~ ■ a , malga " latin T 'he .different rates levied on the rateable value; \yheie rating on unimproved value is ln f orcej a]] rates be ]evied on the unimproved value; that power should be granted to charge one-\ npll f COSt 0f kCrbi "S- and chan V Being to owners of property abutrom°N nC ™ fo , rmations - A proposal from Napier, that boroughs sho uM be allowed to take over public streets when « prescribc <l width When the configuration of the borough required special provision to 5A- *»• ——n