COUNTY COUNCILS' CONFERENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5101, 12 August 1895, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCILS' CONFERENCE.

An informal meetin? of many of tho County delegates deputed to 1 attend tho annual Conference of i County Councils, was held in tho e Hutt County Chambers on Saturday. In the absence of Mr Von Reden f (the President), Mr Eraser, M.H.R., 1 (Vincent aud Lake County Council) 1 at the request uf the meeting, took the Clmir. I The following delegates were also present:-Messrs G. C. Williams (Bay of Islands;, A. li Harding (Hobson), K Edwards (Ohinemuri), ' I l '. W. Lang, M.H.R. (Raglan), Captain McMahon (Waitemata), A. 11. Jlusou (Wanganni), M. McFaddcn (Bullcr), M. Hannau (Grey), W. : lrying (inniigalma), T. Mackenzie, M.11.11. (Clutlia), J, Allen, M.H.li. (Bruce), F, It. Flatman, M.H.R. (Mackenzie), R. Logan (Manitoto), It. McNab, M.H.R, (Southland), j. Grimmomi (Westland), F. A, Majendie (Hutt), C. Phillips (Wairarapa South), 13. J. Harris, M.H.R. (Mangere), W. Massey, M.H.R. (Mount Albert), F. Lawry, M.H.R. (Mount Eden), and J, 11. Davison (Anniri), Later in tho day Messrs Von Reden (Wairarapa) andMcGowan (Coromandel) also answered to the roll call of delegates. Mr Frasor explained that the vexatious delay which bad occurred in calling the Conferenco together was occasioned through the Local Government Bill not having yet been circulated, and as the consideration I of that Bill was really the principal object for which the Conference bad been convened, the executive considered it would be as well to put oil' the Conference until the proposed measure was printed. Mr Coleman Phillips (Wairarapa South) did not think that much good would result from tho deliberations of tho Conference this year, more especially as lie believed it was not the intention of the Government to I discuss the Bill until it had been referred to the various local bodies during the recess. ! Mr T.McKonzie, M.H.R, (Clutlia) moved, and it was seconded by Mr : Edwards," That the Government be ; respectfully asked to furnish the Conference with a copy of the local 1 Government Bill." The motion was agreed to. Messrs C. Phillips, J. Grimmond j andCaptaiu Jl cMabon were appointed . a deputation to wait upon the l'rei mier to see if tlioy could obtained a • copy of the Bill. The Conference resumed at 2 p.m. in Thomas' Hall, when the president (Mr von Reden) assumed tho chair. 1 The pi'csidcnbsnbinittcd his annual , report, in which he stated that at the close of the Conference of last , year the deputation appointed had i wailed upon the Premier with sugi geslcd amendments in Bills then 1 before Parliament, several of which | were given affect to by the Government. Tho Hon. Mr Seddon on that occasion also promised that the proceedings of the Conferenco should be printed,butunfoi'tunatclythrongli press of other work the proceedings could not be piinted until nine months after the Conferenco closed, which had greatly retarded the work of the Association. The president added that tho financial position of the Association was satisfactory. Captain McMahon (Waitemata), moved a vote of thanks to the president for bis services to the affiliated Association during tho past year which was agreed to unanimously. The election of officers for tho ' ensuing year was postponed.

Mr Grimmond (Westland), who formed one of the deputation which had waited upon the Hon. the Premier that morning reported that Jlr Seddon informed the deputation that the Local Government Bill would -not bo ready to be laid before Parliament till Friday, and be could not furnish the Conference with a copy of the Bill, Mr Seddon expressed tho hope that he would bo able to pass tho Bill during tliej present session, but the Premier added that ho hoped almost against hope. Mr McKenzie, M.11.11. (Clutlia), expressed the opinion that it was to be regretted that Mr Seddon had not extended to the Conferenco the same facilities for perusing the Local Government Bill which had been afforded to Labour organisations last year by the Minister of Labour. Mr McNab, M.H.R. (Southland), moved the following" That with a view to affording immediate relief to local bodies, tho Governmont bo requested to amend during the present session of Parliament tho Local Bodies' Loans Act, 188G, tho Government Loans to Local Bodies Act, 1886, and tho Counties Act, 1886, so as to empower tbo following things to bo done ; (1) that a local body shall be permitted to borrow money under the Government Loans to Local Bodies Act, 1886, in order to pay off its overdraft; (2) that, asrsoon as any localbod y shall have paid off its overdraft in tho above mauner, it shall not be lawful for such local body to incur now liabilities as overdraft which shall at auy time exceed the amount of uncollected revenue at that particular dato." Mr Mackenzie, M.H.R, (Clutha), seconded the motion. Mr E. Edwards (Ohinemuii), as a member of a goldlield County Councif, opposed the motion. His reason for doing so was that tho motion would prove irksome and oppressive to Councils like his own, because the population was a floating one, and their principal revenue was dorived from miners' rights, On tho motion of Mr Grimmond, seconded by Mr 0. Phillips (Wairarapa South), the dobate was adjourned, by nine votes to six, and , the Conference then adjourned till Tuesday at 10 a.m.—K Times.

In Persia, when a railway train kills a man, the natives pull up the track for miles and boycott the trains,