COUNTY COUNCILS-

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19971, 4 July 1930, Page 20

COUNTY COUNCILS-

BIENNIAL CONFERENCE. (run association th-mbam.) WELLINGTON, July 3. The biennial conference of the New Zealand Counties' Association was opened by the Hon. P. A. d© Perrelle. He mentioned that be had addressed a letter to the president of the Association on the subject of the franchise in combined districts for Electrio Power Board, Harbour Board, and. Hospital Board elections. His proposal was to make a slight alteration in the «ounty franchise- for all elections by adopting a provision in the Municipal Corporations Apt to the effect • that in the case of a husband and wife any qualification possessed by either for enrolment as an elector should be possessed by each, of tkeni. Thus both husband and wife would be always on the electoral roll. He suggested also that the Acts ■hould bo amended by providing for plural voting instead of the restriction at present existing whereby each elector had one vote. He thought that this would help to equalise the position as existing between town and country areas. He assured the Conferonce of the value set by the Government on the remits passed afc such Conferences, and of the great assistance it was to the Government to have the various points of view which arose out Cf the discussions. , » In his presidential address Mr A. 15. j u ll made the suggestion that the Conference might consider carrying out what he thought was the original intention of giving assistance in respect of rural roads, by retaining* for the Highways Board administration the original scheme of main highways, all other roads, including the present secondary highways, to ■be uniformly assisted out of the petrol tax in proportion to the expenditure thereon, to in amount that would give a reasonable relief to the rural taxpayer. A remit was carried enteruig a most •mphatic protest against the proposal that a direct levy should be made on »U local bodies for unemployment relief contained in tho report 'of the Parliamentary Committee which recently reported on the problem. The conference, by a large majority. adopted a proposal that an extra vetrol tax of 3d a gallon be imposed to be devoted entirely towards expenditure by County Councils on roads other than those declared to be main highways.