MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 316, 16 June 1915, Page 5

MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS.

RESOLUTIONS AT THE OOXFKIIEXCfi By Telegraph.—Pi ess Association. Wellington, Last Night. Ilie Mayor of 'Wellington presided over t.ie meeting of the Legislative ami Executive. Committee of the Municipal Association of New Zealand at the Town Hall this afternoon. An enquiry was received from a corporation as to the power to make salary and wagoc payments to employees who have enlisted The secretary has replied that he thought It was necessary to have legal sanction for such a course. He was instructed to prepare a draft ol* < legislation, to he submitted to the Government making such action legal. Mr. Luke remarked fiat where an employee of the Wellington City Council was getting less_ on active service than in the Corporation employ the difference was , made up by the council. The, Minister of Internal Affairs wrote ashing far an opinion of the committee i on the proposal for the remission of rates due by those absent on active ' service. It was pointed out that a.s the ! law stood the property of a ratepayer . might .he confiscated while he was" at the front. A member of the committee \ remarked that a council could remit rates in the case of extreme poverty. The secretary wa.s instructed to prepare legislation allowing rates to he remitted or their collection postponed over two years without losing the right of collection. The committee agreed that power should be given to councils, to establish their own accident fund, to prohibit the importation into a district of secondhand timber, and to purchase land on terms. Remits to this effect had been carried at the 1011 conference. A resolution was carried in favor of Government departments, such as the Tourist Department, the Insurance Department, the Public Trustee's Department, aud the State Coal Department, which enter into competition with pri- ' vate business firms, paying the. ordinary 1 municipal rates. An additional motion, ] proposed b,y Mr. JSaldwin and carried 1 unanimously, recommended that rates " should be payable on the land bought ; by the Government for workers' cottages not yet erected. It was held that 1 in this connection the State should be ( in the same footing as a private owner, i A resolution was passed calling upon ' the Government to give, effect to a re- ] mit passed at the last conference urg- ; ing the repeal of section 117 of the : Public Works Act (the "compulsory i dedication" clause), or in the alterna- r tive to give the local authority the ' right to apnrove of the dedication. The ■> committee agreed that the present j system of s-treet widening was not of j practical use. r The following motion bvi Mr. Holland ■■ (Olu'istelnireh) was pa-ssed: "That the Municipal Corporations Act, IfllO, be amended in the direction of providing j for some valuation assistance to lie giv- j en to local bodies by the Government Department in assessing the value of improvements effected lyv street widen- , ing. subject to the right of appeal by , such party." ,■ It was decided to recommend the amendment of the Proportional Representation Act of 1014 so as to allow a Council to retain office till its successor is appointed, and in the ea-e of divided boroughs to amend (he Local Represent- . ations Act, so as to dispense with a V scrutiny unless such is called for by one of the candidates, and that the Municipal Corporations Acts and the Municipal Loans .Acts be consolidated.