MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 62, 31 July 1912, Page 5

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

CIVIC GOVERNMENT. PICTURE SHOWS. Dy Telegraph—Preai Association. Wellington, Tuesday. Before the Municipal Conference today Lord Islington addressed the delegates on the future of civic government, with special reference to the urgent necessity for introducing a system of town planning. He expressed the opinion that these New Zealand conferences should not be confined to routine work. They would find the utmost advantage in the endeavor to obtain the last and best information on some of the scientific methods pertaining to municipal adminstration. They could call into their counsels the best engineers and the best architects, and the best scientific men. His Excellency strongly emphasised the importance of town planning, which had not accompanied the progress made by New Zealand in other directions. He referred to housing as the very foundation of the social future. "Try to urbanise your rural districts, try to ruralise your towns," he said. He would like to see garden cities. The Governor was frequently applauded and heartily thanked. It was unanimously decided at the Municipal Conference to-day to recommend an amendment of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1!)08, empowering councils to make by-laws for the regulation of cinematograph and other picture shows and exhibitions. The Mayor of Wellington and Councillor Fletcher, of Wellington, explained that the regulation would he very desirable, especially with regard to children of tender age attending such shows in the evening. There was no desire to harass proprietors of picture shows. Councillor John Fuller, jun., of Wellington, of the firm of Brennan and Fuller, thought art galleries should also be brought under the regulation. He said proprietors of picture shows tried to keep their entertainments clean. THE VALUATION QUESTION.

Wellington, Last Night. At the Municipal Conference to-day resolutions concerning valuations were passed as follows:—That local valuation rolls should be adjusted to December 31 and put in the hands of local authorities by April 1 following, in order to admit of rates being levied and demanded at a much earlier date than is now possible; that the Valuation Department make arrangements for valuations of boroughs to be made at regular intervals of not more than three years; that the law be amended .so that the Valuer-General, on application of a local authority, shall revalue all lands cut up and roaded for residential sites during the interval which elapses between revaluations; that a local authority be enabled to require the Valuer-General to make a new valuation of any property or properties without being put to the expense of having the whole district revalued; that no owner be allowed revaluation of his property without the consent of the local authority, except wien a new revaluation of the whole district is made; that no revaluation of property made after the sitting of an Assessment Court shall apply to local rating. The conference resolved that borough councils should be empowered to make by-laws for the regulation of cinematograph and other picture shows and exhibitions; that fresh legislation should be provided giving councils full power to license and control all hoardings, existing or future, and generally to" control, under license or otherwise, the exhibition of advertisements on hoardings, walls, buildings, etc. The Municipal Conference adopted remits as follows-.--That the ■travelling allowance of Mayors or councillors travelling on councils' business with the authority of the council be first-class train or steamer fare return and 20s per day for the time actually occupied in travelling, and performing" work authorised by the. said council, the provision also to apply to town boards; that a council may, out of general funds, pay to a band or bands a sum not exceeding .£IOO per annum for supplying music for the enjoyment or recreation of the public; that legislation should be passed empowering councils to deal with the maintenance and construction of private streets and private ways on the lines of the Victorian Act; that the Municipal Act of 1908 be amended to permit a local authority to establish any system of traction in addition to tramways; that any person laying out a new street be compelled, when required by a local authority, to connect with a public sewer and municipal waterworks, provided that there is a public sewer and water-main within lib' feet of any public entrance to such new street 1 ; that power to define the ordinary supply of water and to decide whether the same shall be measured by meter, as provided by the Act of 1880,' be restored to local bodies; that legislative power be given to municipal councils to appoint inspectors to test gas meters belonging to private gas companies; that more stringent and systematic inspection of dairy herds should bo made by a Government*inspector; that no owner ov lessee of any land now being the. site of a dwellinghouse shall sell or part with any portion of such land the effect whereof would be to leave a lesser area or open space to such dwelling .house than is required in respect or new dwelling houses; that the provisions of the Municipal Corporations Act dealing with the licensing of billiard rooms be amended to give municipalities extended power, so that not onlv the character of the applicant and the" suitability of building shall be taken into account, but also the question as to whether the. locality is suitable or otherwise when deciding upon any application for a billiard room license," that section 90 of the Public Health Act. 1008, be amended so as to authorise local bodies to order repairs to buildings; that no second-hand Umber be. removed from one district to another without first being inspected by an officer belonging to the public body of the district into which it is proposed to bring such timber, and no second-hand timber shall be used for building purposes in any district unless approved by an officer of the district where such timber is proposed to be used; that a strong protest be lodged against the practice" recently introduced by the Department of Lands of charging fees on plans required by law to he .submitted to the Chief siirvcvor for approval; that section 111) of the Public Works Act, IMS, under which local authorities beneliling b v the construction of bridges, etc. may be compelled to contribute thereto, be amended to also provide that the local authorities concerned, in lien of hi.kiny the steps prescribed by said spctio;,.' may. by agrrcuienl. arrange liie proportion of cost; l„ be lionie by each local aulhoriiv; that section Ct -of (he Rating Act. which cni title, a. ratepayer to hall' rates on a building vacant, lor not. less Lb an six months be repealed; (hat local bodies be empowered to rale companies or persons using public streets for profit; that boroughs whose i-aiing is on a basis of iinimi roved value lie given the same power in respect, of raliu'jr gas companies' i;:a'ns. electric tramlines.'etc., as is „i V en U'.'dcr the Haling Act; that a proviso be added to section'J!) of the [latin;;- Am-m]-ment Act, (hat where prior jo two boroughs amalgamating as ncrec ment is entered into (hat the rating s\s(eni in force in one or other shall continue, such boroiu.'h shaP. after amaLram tiion. be ;> .-pccial ratin"; area in (h, united' bor■'UL-'!: that the ; rownV e>. aip.ioii from rate.; 1,;. nboli-hed on prom-rti,■; acquired bv lb" Co-.a '•—: i nt. as .lv,.■>'■„,, p,,,,.,,. ••"'• oliV.r. of ('-,. C.iiv.-.,. a.nl Tour!,; li.-parlmctls , ;! ,,l <h-t (:.,. wovennm-n; ,jc liable for rules on workers' dwellings;

that all lands hold by the Government, or in trust for the Education Department on short tenancies, be rateable if let by the week or month, and the owner to be liable for rates; that a further amendment be made to section 10 of the Town Boards Act, 1908, to provide that the electors' roll shall only be required to be prepared during a year in which a general election of- members takes place, and that the time the roll is to be prepared be altered from the month of April to the month of July.

AN ENGINEER'S DEPUTATION. Wellington, Last Night. A deputation representing the Institute of localGovcrnment engineers waited on t'h« Municipal Conference to-day requesting that a superannuation scheme for engineers in the service of local authorities be inaugurated. The chairman assured the deputation that their representation would have the due and careful consideration of the conference.