MUNICIPAL LAW.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 October 1921, Page 5

MUNICIPAL LAW.

CONFERENCE OF COUNCILS MANY MATTERS DEALT WITH. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Last Night. The Municipal Association Conference was continued .to-day,., the Mayor of ‘■"ellington (Mr. R. A. Wright) presiding. A Devonport remit to the effect that gas mains machinery be made rateable was re-affirmed. It was agreed that an amendment should be sought in the Rating Act, so that if property is arbitrarily withheld from a bona fide tenant and kept vacant by the owner in order to promote a quick sale, the property be liable to full rates.

Approval was given to a remit asking for provision for the onus of obtaining a demand for rates levied upon any 1 property be laid upon the ratepayer, so as to place the collection of local taxation upon the same footing.

It was decided to seek an amendment of the Local Bodies Loans Act to enable the State Advances Office to consider favorably applications for advances to local bodies for road construction works, including the purchase of the necessary machinery; also that the operations* of the department be extended substantially, increasing the maximum the Office is permitted to lend to any local body in any one year. Authority is to be sought for local bodies, when submitting loan proposals to ratepayers, to provide for working capital in addition to the money required for land, buildings and plants, the first year’s interest, the provision to ne made retrospective, so as to apply to existing trading concerns. Other remits were carried asking that local bodies be required to provide a sinking fund for all loans raised under the provisions of the Act; that the Government fully consider the question of contributions for the maintenance and construction of roads and bridges by adjacent local authorities, with a view to passing legislation clearly defin* ing and limiting their possibilities; that no deed transfer or other instrument whereby any land having a frontage or a smaller area than prescribed in section 354 of the Corporation Act is conveyed, transferred or assessed, shall be 'received under the Deeds Registration Act, or Land Transfer Act, without the consent of the council of the borough In which the land is situated; that- the Local Bodies Loans Act be amended to empower local bodies to issue on the open market loans repayable by equal half-yearly instalments, principal and interest combined, the loan to be completely paid off by the payment of halfyearly instalments. The conference strongly protested against the injustice of the banks municipalities commission for the payment of debentures and interest coupons, since these are subject to the usual exchange charges. It was decided to refer to local authorities the following: “That a local authority not having established a superannuation fund, upon being required - to do so by a requisition signed by a majority of its employees, shall apply 16 become a contributor.”