MUNICIPAL CONTROL.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 September 1921, Page 7

MUNICIPAL CONTROL.

REMITS FOR CONFERENCE. New PLYMOUTH PROPOSALS. Notice was received by the New Plymouth Borough Council at Monday night’s meeting that the Municipal Conference will be held at Wellington on Tuesday, October 4. The general manager (Mr. F. T. Bellringer) wrote recommending that the following further remits be forwarded for the consideration of the conference: (1) That section 6 of the Local Bodies* Loans Act, 1913, be extended to enable the State Advances Office, in addition to the other purposes mentioned therein, to lend money, to local bodies for the construction of electric light works. (2) That sub-section 3 of section 28 of The Local Bodies Aot, 1913, be amended to provide that once a debenture is registered it shall not be transferred by delivery alone unless, and until the local authority, at the written request of the registered holder or his legal representative, shall have cancelled. such registration, and further that in so far as the same shall be applicable, the procedure for dealing with registered debentures, set out in the schedule to the Napier Harbor Board’s Loan Enabling Act, 1918, be incorporated in an amendment of the Local Bodies Loans Act. (3) That section 11 of the Public Works Act, 1908, be amended to empower local authorities, in addition to acquiring land, to also acquire compulsorily any easement required in connection with the construction of a public work. Explaining the reason for the remits, Mr. Bellringer said the first one arose through the fact that last year, when the council was endeavoring to raise money they could not get it, as, though the State Advances had a sum available, this department was only empowered to lend for certain works. It .would probably not affect the council again, but some other council might find itself in the same position, and the remit was intended to remove the difficulty. The idea of the second remit was to bring municipal debentures on the same footing as. company debentures, as the present system of registration was not effective in some respects as regards protecting the holders. In the case of the last remit, the council recently wanted to put a tram line through a private property, and had to buy the land. The purpose of the remit was to give power to acquire an easement for such purposes, and this would have the effect of reducing the amount of compensation payable. The council approved of the remits, and it was decided that they be forwarded to the conference. On the motion of Or. W. Rumball, it was also decided to forward a remit with the idea of securing the removal of the restrictions as regards the setting aside of renewal funds, the present limit of P/ 2 per cent being regarded as too low. The general manager was appointed to represent the council at the conference.