The Counties Conference.

Colonist, Volume XLI, Issue 9281, 20 September 1898, Page 2

The Counties Conference.

At the last meeting of the Wainiea County Council, the Chairman, Mr Joshua Bird, made a shori report regarding the Counties Conference at Wellington, to which he was a delegate. Want of space forbad the publication of this at the time, but it is due to the County ratepayers that Mr Bird's report should be placed before them. Mr Bird said that there were present forty delegates from all parts of the Colony, many of them men with large experience on all kinds of local government bodies, and a great deal of information was to be gained by the interchange of ideas, both privately and during the discussions. He was certain that the periodical conferences of the New Zealand Counties Association were calculated to greatly improve County Government, more especially if politics were left out of the discussions, which he was unable to say was the case at present. A large proportion of the delegates showed themselves antagonistic to the present Government, a fact which Mr Bird deplored, as the Government were inclined to look to the Association for assistance and advice upon local government matters, but of course did not care to be dictated to. It was found that the meeting of the Association at Welliugton during the session was unsuitable, especially as there were so many conferences and deputations on all manner of subjects, the result being that members and Ministers could get little rest, and, as a matter of fact, the Counties 'Conference had difficulty in getting the matters they had to bring before the Government attended to. While in the Empire City, he attended to several matters of consequence to the Waimea County, and others he left in the hands of the members for Nelson and Motueka, Mr Graham kindly undertaking to do anything necessary, whether in his electorate or not, while Mr Mills also would help as in the past. In the face of Mr Wilson's report, he could make very little headway with the question of reclaiming the Waimea mudflats. With regard to the Local Government Bill, Mr Bird despairs of seeing any measure for local government reform placed on the Statute Books for a very long time, as it seemed impossible in an ordinary session of Parliament to devote the necessary time to the question. The vexed question of charitable aid was also referred to by Mr Bird, who did not quite agree with the recommendation of the Conference, namely, to abolish the £500 exemption on Land tax, and reduce the exemption on Income tax to £100, with the idea cf paying charitable aid from the Consolidated revenue instead of from local rates. Mr Bird thought that lowering tht.'exempiions one-balf, to £250 and £150 respectively, and increasing the graduated Land tax by beginning at £2,000 instead of £5,000, would be more equitable. This, he contended, would relieve the small settler, though still paying something to charitable aid by the exemption being reduced. The large owner would pay more Land tax but less rates, and many would be reached who have large incomes but pay no local rates, charitable or otherwise. The Noxious Weeds Bill was generally approved by the Conference as more reasonable than the old one, but was regarded as still too drastic by some of the delegates, and, if passed in its present form, would be the means of many people throwing up their land. On the other hand, it was contended that if the spread of blackberries was not checked people would be compelled to abandon their land on that account. The present Bill provided for clearing by degrees, and the provisions being carried out by local bodies. Mr Bird also referred to several other matters of less importance, and he was thanked by the Council for his services as delegate and for his report.