THE MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS BILL, 1885, AND THE CAMBRIDGE TOWN BOARD.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2027, 4 July 1885, Page 3

THE MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS BILL, 1885, AND THE CAMBRIDGE TOWN BOARD.

The follow ing is a copy of Mr Thos. Wells.' lettoi to the town board on the above subject, and which was submitted at the meeting of the b laid on Thuiid.iy last :—

To thk Chaikmw, Cambridge TownBo mid. DkvuSih, — In compliance with youriequost, I h.ivo reviewed the draft of the Municipal Corporations Bill, 188.1, more particulaily m its application^ Cambridge, also the Town Districts Act, and the board's proposed amendments of the latter as suggested by it fioin time to time to Mr Whyte, and now submit tlio following to youi considciation. The Municipal Corpoiations Bill, ISSj, being a consolidation incasiue piopated by the Statutes. Revision Committee, and introduced by the Government, will in .ill piobibility, with amendments, become law this session. Although this bill does not lepeal the Town Distucts Act or alter its piovibions, it provides that the 25 towns named in the second schedule constituted under the lattei act shall become boiouphb on the coming into foice of the present bill. Cambridge is one of these, and as the bill is to come into force on the lit January ne\t, its provisions aie of paramount nnpoitanco to the ratepayers. As on that date the operations of the Town Districts Act will cease in this town, I Hhall confine my remarks to the new bill. C'msideiing the giand scope of thn bill, the \anety of plans, things and circumstances it piovides for, it is an admirable condensation of the best features of tho municipal laws of the colony passed during the last 20ye.us, as embodied in the .~>3 acts or parts of acts which it or its piedecessor of 1870 lepealed. The material amendments I would suggest aie— First, as to bringing tho act into force in town distncts pieviously lefeired to, also the majority required to authorise a loan, and .i fovv minor mattei--. Sections 20 and !(3. — The act i-> to como into foice on Ist Januaiy next, on which day Cambudge will become a borough The picsent town board aio to form a council, until the day fixed for the hist annual election, which is the .second Thmsd.iy in September, 188(5, when all go out of office, and si\ councillors aie to be elected. Sections 75 awl !M. — Mayor : The hist election is held on the last Wednesday in November, and tho installation at the annual meeting of the council on the thud Wednesd ly m December. I lead the bill to intend that the chairman of tin- hoaid shall act a-> mayoi up to the ictiicmcnt of the boaid (second Thursday in Septembei), but fioin that date until the thud Wednesday m December no provision appeals to be made for this o#ee. As the easiest way to meet the difhcwlty I would suggest the following addition to Clause 81 .—On the date of the first annual election of councillors in the several town distucts mentioned m the second schedule, .in extiaordinaiy \acancy of the office of mayor within the meaning of tins section shall occui. Majority required to authorise a special loan is heiem made " not leb* than thiee-fifths of the votes which may be given by the total number of bur-ge-ses." This is almost ambiguous (and so are the mtroductoiy notes of the frameis of the bill.) What is intended by the woids "which may be given?" Do they mean thiee-hftlis of the total burgess votes on tho roll ? or tlnee-fifths of the total votes then polled? I think tlie latter is the mteipietation intended, but it ought to say so cleaily, otherwise the bill's loan proposals are unvvoikable. Mr Stout, when last in Cunbudge, expiessed himself m favour of allowing a high pioportion of tho votes polled to authorise a loan, and this, I think, matenally stiengthons my reading of the clause. Section 3211 piovides that hio engines, engine house, &c, hhall be paid for out of geneial account of the borough funds and not out of loan. These, it appeals to me, might well be provided for in connection with water works loans; in fact, unless this is allowed, small boroughs, whose levcnne for rates does not exceed £2">o (this is now one of the boioiigh qualifications) will have to remain without effective hie prevention appliances. I would suggest altoiing this section (32!)) in accordance with the above. Section 18.— Tins clause requires petitions (with certain exceptions), whether to the Governor or the Council, to lie signed by three-Jifth.s of the buigesses. This is piohibitory and absurd The numbei should be reduced to one thiid. Section 22, sub. *.-- Petition to bo signed by 1 "50 resident householder to bi ing the act into force in a new district. Tins is evidently not the intention of the fi tuners of the bill. Its provisions foi bunging the act into foice in small districts aie much moio libeial than those of the I«7<> act, except this clause, which in the old act was 100. Tho l"iO should be leduced to, s,iy, from 75 to 100 to make the clause workable. Sections 33(5 to 350. —Lighting. The term gas wherevei used in the bill .should be made to include electucity when tho latter is used for lighting purposes. Theie aie a number of .small cnois, but they aie manifestly those of the pi inter, and will doubtless be corrected in the ropnnt when the measure becomes law. I should much like t> have seen the proposal of the board "That tho council should consist of five, including its chairman," as now. Hut it is most desnablo for \oting purposes that the numbei of councillors, including tho mayor, should be either five or seven, and I am afiaid it would bo useless to suggest the smaller number.— l am yours faithfully, Thos. Wkt.t.s. On the motion of Mr Lewis it was unanimously agreed that Mr Wolls' letter bo adopted, and that a copy of it bo sent to Mr J. B. Whyte. M.H.R. ; also, that a heaity vote of thanks he accorded Mr Wells for his able letter, and for the tumble he had taken in the mattei.

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