THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9160, 6 August 1908, Page 5

THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

BT TKLEGKAPH—PRESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, August 5. The Municipal Conference concluded to-day. Resolutions were adopted as follows:—That the Councils shall have power to take waterworks, gasworks or electric light works under the Public Works Act; that judgments for rates should be made a fir&t charge on land; that where rating is on the unimproved value the refund of rates on unoccupied dwellings should only apply to water and sanitary rates; that the Rating Act should be amended so that the 10 per cent, penalty shall be part of the rates after six months from their due date, and may be recovered as a separate rate; that the Rating Act be amended to make all lands and buildings mentioned in section 2 liable to rating when such lands and buildings are let, leased or used for revenue producing purthat where municipal markets are established in boroughs of not less than lu.ooo inhabitants all auction salea of fish and fruit shall be held in such rrarkets; that all waterworks rates should be rated on the unimproved value. Officers were elected as follow : President, Hon. T. W. Hislop, Mayor of Wellington; Vice-Presidents, Mayors of Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Nelson; Executive, Mayors of Petone, Lower Hutt. Palmetston North, Karori, Onslow, Masterton, and Councillor Hindmarsh (Wellington): secretary, Legal Adviser and Treasurer, T. F. Martin; Auditor, A. S. Bias, Wellington. Delegates from the Municipal Conference interviewed Sir Joseph Ward and Dr Findlay this afternoon, and laid before them the resolutions passed by the Conference. Sir Joseph Ward stated in regard to superannuation that the Government expected to get through an amendment of the Act this session, and there was a Bill on the stocks dealing with the superannuation of the employees of local bodies. The Government was going into the whole matter. In respect to loans to local bodies, an amendment, giving the powers asked foi by the Conference was btinu brought down this session. The Premier said he was in favour of the muuicipalisation of gas-works, but they would not get legislation through this session providing for the compulsory acquisition of gasworks. The Hon. Dr Findlay, leferring to the Corporation Contracts Bill, said the Judges in the Court of Appeal had more than once expressed the opinion that tho absence of a corporation's seal ought", not in good morality to be raised.