LOCAL BODIES' CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 June 1921, Page 6

LOCAL BODIES' CONFERENCE.

MEETING AT ELTHAM. The first meeting of the newly formed Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association was held at Eltham yesterday, the following delegates being present: Eltham County Council, Messrs. Belcher, Massana, McGuinness and Fitzgerald (engineer); Inglewood County Council, Messrs. Corkill, Stuart, Cowley and Capper; Hawera County Council, Messrs. Murdoch and Linn; Waimate West County Council, Messrs. Me Phillips and Hansen; Stratford County Council, Messrs. Walter, Were and Spence; Clifton County Council, Messrs. Piggott and Dowsett. Mr. C. J. Belcher was voted to the chair. The constitution of the association provides that the subscription entitling a- local authority to membership shall be based, on the net capital rateable value of each district as shown in the latest statistical returns at the following rates: Less than £500,000 £2 2s per annum; £500,000 and less than £1,000,000, £3 3s; £1,000,000 or more, £4 4s per annum. Each local authority shall appoint one or more delegates to the association conference. At each yearly session there shall be appointed a president, four vice-presidents and a committee of fourteen members. No delegate shall exercise any vote unless the subscription to the association has been previously paid by the body he represents.

In discussing the constitution of the association, Mr. R. H. Piggott asked if more than one delegate were present from any body would each delegate have a vote, or whether each body should exercise only one vote. He considered the voting would he unequally apportioned if a number of delegates from any one authority were present at a conference and each exercised a. vote. Another body might be handicapped by having perhaps only one member present.

Mr. McPhillips considered that any number of delegates should be allowed to be present from any bodj-, but was firmly in favor of each body having only one vote.

Mr. Murdoch asked that those bodies who had not yet signified their intention of joining the association be further circularised with the object of securing their affiliation.

After a short discussion it was unanimously resolved to postpone the adoption of; the constitution until a future meeting, and to circularise all those bodies who had signified their intention of joining the association, to allow of remits being prepared to be presented to that meeting with the object of defining the constitution. In reference to the by-law relating to the width of tyres of vehicles, Mr. Murdoch asked that it be a recommendation to the conference that the by-law be uniformly adopted throughout the province. He said that the greatest amount of damage to roads resulted from the use of narrow tyres with heavy loads, and he thought the by-law should be enforced simultaneously throughout the province. A resolution, moved by Mr. Murdoch, that it be a recommendation to the conference that the by-law relatingl to the width of tyres be uniformly enforced, was carried unanimously.