THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9158, 4 August 1908, Page 5

THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

RESOLUTIONS PASSED. BT TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON. August 3. The Municipal Conference, to-day, passed resolutions as follows:—That to secure continuity of business, the Act be amended in the direction of making the period of office for Councillors three years with an annual retirement of one-third of the number of Coucillors; that all rates for the the current year, whether demanded or not, and all arrears of rates and other charges due in respect of any property; must be paid before the transfer of such property can be noted in the rate-book; that adjacent municipalities, or any adjoining local bodies, be compelled to bear half the cost of lighting a boundary road in similar terms to those relating to tha construction and maintenance of roads; that Borough Councils be given power to collect half the cost of future permanent footpath work from the adjoining owners, irrespective of the past work having been done without charge, such charge, however, not tj be recoverable if the owners have previously paid a proportion of the cost of past works of a similar nature; that lit shall be legal for a Borough Council to let from year to year pnused streets within a borough which are not required for public tarffic for the time being; that the largest city or borough amongst adjoining local bodies shall be the licensing and controlling authority for the collection of fees under heavy traffic by-laws, and that the fees collected be apportioned by a conference of the local authorities affected, failing which the matter shall be settled by a magistrate; that the municipal corporations be given - legal power to sell coal to burgesses and others; that the apportionment of cost of maintaining hospitals for consumptives in proportion ta population instead of in proportion to the rateable value is wrong; that May 24th be honoured throughout the Dominion as Empire Day, and declared a public holiday, and that June 3rd be not kept as a holiday; that Borough Councils be given express legislative authority for making by-laws to provide that no premises si-all be used as tea, dining, or supper rooms, or boardinghouse sunless licensed by a Council; that powers be given to Borough Councils to fix the license fee for hawkers and pedlars, and tnat steps he taken to prevent auctioneers from travelling from place to place to dispose of goods in compeii'ion with resident shopkeepers; that power be given municipalities to make by-laws for the regulation or prohibitive hawking or pedling in or upon street?