MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 235, 3 October 1924, Page 3

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE.

SOME OF THE REMITS. MOTOR TRAFFIC STREETS AND LAND. POLLS AND COMPULSORY VOTING. The seventeenth conference of delegates of the Jluniecpal Association of New Zealand will open in the Auckland Town Hall on Thursday, October 23. The order paper already contains well over a hundred remits, and before the conference opens this number will be considerably increased. Many of these aro of the hardy annual variety, and others wkf.ch appear have been adopted at several previous conferences, but are still in the wilderness aa far as Icgislat-on is concerned. A number of remits deal with the matter of local elections. Nelson moves that defaulting ratepayers be disqualified from voting on loan proposals where the rates are in arrears at March 31 prior to the taking of the poll, and Mosgiel urges that plumping be made a reason for considering a ballot paper at all municipal elections informs,' — that it be made compulsory for an elector to vote for the full number ot candidates required. Masterton wants legislation enacting compulsory voting at municipal elections. A remit from Foxton urges that the Mayor he elected by the council instead of by the electors, while Ohakune suggests that in the event of the mayoralty becoming vacant six months before the end of the term, the successor be elected by the electors. Taihape, on tho other band, considers that if the mayoralty becomes vacant after the expiry of a year from the date o." election, the succeeding mayor bo. I elected either by the council or by the electors, at the option of the council I Dargaville suggests that the muniefpai i elections be triennial instead of bienl nial, or as an alternative, that tho general election of mayor and councillors be every three years, with provision for the annual retirement of one-third of the councillors. Thame i urges that the section dealing with contracts wtth the council be amended to increase the sums of £5 and £10 lat present mentioned substantially, tn i remove the disqualification from busi- ! ness men whose integrity and abklity would render them acquisitions to local bodies. Ashburton suggests the increase of the limits to £10 and £30 respectively. Remits dealing with motor regulation include one from Christchurch to the effect that the Government b i urged to amend the law to enable l_t_: bodies to make by-laws prohibiting an;' person from driving a motor car or motor cycle in a city or borough unles i he holds a certificate issued by th local authority concerned. Pahaerator North desires it to be made compulsorfor all drivers of private or license motor vehicles, irrespective of place c:' I residence, to hold a competency cert;I ficate proving his or her ability t<> handle efficiently a motor car of an ~ description. Nelson urges legislation whereby the granting of competencycertificates and the licensing of all motor drivers, and the suspension an-1 cancellation of such certificates an.l licenses by one authority of any ono district be applicable to the whole oi the Dominion. In the matter of streets a remit from Nelson urges an Act fixing and regulai'ng road and street alignment?. , Thames desires greater power* for loca' authorities in fixing the alignments o' buildings, and Wairoa considers tha. owners of properties should be heM responsible for damage to footpathf, electric lines, poles, meters, and any other property of the local authority, in the event of fire. A rent't from Dunedin on the stibjec", of the purchase and sale of land i i interesting. It reads: "That the law ; be amended in the direction of givin;; . munieipa_"-ies wider powers than they possess at present in the matter of tlm 1 purchase and sale of lands, this council being of the opinion that municipalise i should have the power to buy and sub- • divide land for general purposes much lin the same manner as the privat/i • owner.''