MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 181, 30 July 1912, Page 2

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

SANITARY REGULATIONS. LOCAL BODIES' LOANS. (By Telegraph.— Association.-) WELLINGTON. Monday. At the Municipal Conference, opened this afternoon, there was considerable discussion over the motion by Mr. Baildon (Mayor of Grey Lynn), to ask the Government to amend the statutes governing local elections and polls, so that touting for votes should be abolished. The motion was lost by 20 votes to 23. A motion by Mr. Raildon to tax theatre tickets in aid of hospital and charitable aid funds was defeated. Mr. John Fuller, jun., strongly opposed the remit, aa likely to damage struggling shows, and to do more harm than good It was resolved to recommend that the Motor Regulations Act should be amended to make borough and county councils, town boards, and road boards registering authorities under the Act. Also that Sections 14 and 15 of the same Act should be repealed, and a provision should be substituted that any motor shall be registered, and a fee of £2 may be charged by the registering authority in respect of a motor having not less than four wheels, and 10/ in the rase of a motor with less than four wheels. Some suggestions in regard to more stringent sanitary regulations were made by Mr. R- T. Michaels (Auckland), one being that councils should have power to charge for the removal of trade refuse, or refuse in excessive quantities, in lieu of demanding a rate. The suggestions were approved. A motion by Mr. E. P. Bunny (Lower Hii'tit), that the expenditure on town clocks on Government buildings should be made legal under the Municipal Corporations Act was supported by Mr. .T. Nash (Palmerston North), who said that for the past six years they had paid for the winding of the Government clock at Palmerston, and now the Auditor-General refused to pass the payment as not in accordance with law. The remit was carried. It was resolved to ask that an amendment should be introduced into the various Aots dealing with Government inscribed loans to local bodies in the direction of directing the Advances Office to supply local bodies each year with a statement showing how much has been paid off -the original loan, and that thi_ amount should be shown in the statement of the public debt of the city or borough as set off against the amount of inscribed loans, and also that the honorarium paid to a Mayor should be exempt from the income tax, on the ground that it is chiefly used for purposes outside personal requirement. ADDRESS BY THE GOVERNOR. PLEA FOR TOWN-PLANNING. (By Telegraph.'Press As_oci_itJo_.) WELLINGTON, this day. Before the Municipal Conference today Lord Islington addressed delegates on the future of civic government, with special reference to the urgent necessity for introducing a system of town-plan-ning in New Zealand. He expressed the j opinion that these ct/.ferences should not |be confined to routine work. They would find the utmost advantage in endeavouring to obtain tbe last and best information on some of the scientific methods pertaining to m-inicipal administration, j They could call into their councils the. best engineers and best --architects, and best scientific men. His Excellency j strongly emphasised the importance of town-planning, which ltad not accom-! panied the progress made by New Zealand in other directions. He referred to housing as {_"!- very foundation of the social fabric. "Try," he said, "to urban-! ise your rural districts; try to ruralisc your towns." He would liko to see | garden cities. The Governor was frequently applauded and heartily thanked.