CONFERENCE OF LOCAL BODIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 July 1919, Page 5

CONFERENCE OF LOCAL BODIES.

ARTERIAL. By Telegraph. —Press Association. Wellington, July i The conference, of local "bodies In the Wellington province resolved to urge oil the Government the necessity of Improving the road access to the capital city, especially referring to the danger-* ous nature of the Paekakariki hill and the Rimutaka hill, and to ask for the appointment of a commission to inquire into the beat way of accomplishing same with a view to remedying the matter forthwith, treating it as part of the main arterial road. It was resolved that the Government he asked to legislate during the next session of Parliament for the creation of an Arterial Roads Board for the North Island; that such board be financed by the issue of State legal tender notes upon which no interest shall be charged, but which notes shall be redeemed on the completion of this public work at the rate of 5 per cent, per annum; that the upkep of these approved arterial roads shall be borne by the local bodies in which each length of road rests, after the expiry of one year from the date of iaying by the Arterial Roads Board. WASTE PRODUCTS. The utilisation of waste products in industry was the subject of a lecture by Professor Eaatcrfield to a conference of representatives of local bodies, which is meeting in Wellington. He mentioned two pieces of war work he had been able to do. He suggested that the collector of customs instead of destroying all opium taken from Chinamen fehould give it to him. It Was evident to him that great quantities of morphine, which was the active agent in opium, would be required for the relief of the pain of wounded men. From the considerable quantity accumulated by the collector, he was able to produce sufficient morphine to give injections in 250,000 eases. Another piece of work he Was able to do Was making carbons for searchlights. It was at the time when German ships were off our coasts, and the forts found they could get no carbons for their lights. The reason was that all the carbons previously used had come from Nurnberg, even those used by the navy. 'With assistance he had been able to make a thousand burners.

IMPORTANT RESOLUTIONS. Wellington, Last Wight. The conference of local bodies and chambers of commerce in the Wellington Province carried a resolution favoring the. imposition of an annual tax on all power-driven road vehicles, the tax to be levied, on horse-power and weight combined, and the proceeds to be used for the purpose of providing funds for the improvement of main arterial roads. A remit Was adopted urging tho subdivision of all big estates, thus encouraging closer settlement, and that something be done in the matter of preventing land aggregation. Another remit adopted was: That, with a view to correcting the drift of rural population into cities tod boroughs and providing suitable dwellings far country workers, village Be.ttieiHenta oh modern town-planning lines be established (1) by the joint action of local bodies, (2) by promoting garden settlement companies on the lines of the English garden suburb associations; that the Government be Urged to import, either from England or America, as early as possible, an experienced town planner to direct the movement throughout the Dominion; that the State arrange to' finance town-planning schemes, as is done in Britain; ,that the Government be urged to pass ft Town Planning Act. The conference endorsed a remit urging State control of all living forests in the country, the vigorous planting of selected Crown lands, and practically a stoppage of the exportation of sawn timber from New. Zealand. The following resolutions were carried: That the conference affirms that it.be an established principle that a betterment tax be put on lands served by any railways or deviations of railways that may be built in the future; that the Government be asked to report on the advisability of our exportable wool being scoured before exportation. The conference then concluded.