THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22656, 10 March 1939, Page 11

THE MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

LOCAL BODIES AND HOSPITAL BOARDS REPRESENTATION SOUGHT Cmlxsi ahocutiox - tblxgbak.) DUNEDIN.- March 9. The conference of the Municipal Association of New Zealand was continued to-day under the chairmanship of the president (Mr T. Jordan). The purely business programme of the conference was completed, this afternoon, and the conference will be concluded with a visit to Waipori to-morrow, and a social gathering in the evening. The following remits were dealt with:— . ■ “That if the present unsatisfactory system of taxation is persisted with, authority be granted to the contributing local authorities for, direct representation on hospital boards.” Adopted. . “That in each borough where there is a tramway undertaking that maintains a portion of a street, such tramway undertaking shall receive a share of the petrol tax allocated to the local authority within whose boundaries the 1 undertaking is situated.” Adopted. "That provision be made in the Rating Act, 1925, whereby a ratepayer may consent to a charge .for rates .being registered as a judgment against his property under the Statutory Land; Charges Registration Act, 1928, and | that section 3 of the act be amended accordingly to give such charge priority.” Rejected. ' , . “That the Government be asked to enact legislation giving general powers to local bodies on similar lines to those contained in the Wellington City Housing Act, 1938.” Adopted. Consideration was given to the question 'of increasing the subscriptions of the members to the association. The scale' of revised subscriptions provided for an increase of approximately 25 per cent, the amount to be computed on a population basis. The new scale was adopted unanimously. It was decided that the 1940 conference be held in Wellington. The election of officers resulted:—President, Mr T. Jordan (Mayor of Masterton); vice-presidents, Messrs A. H. Allen (Mayor of Dunedin), It M. Macfarlane (Mayor of Christchurch), Sir Ernest Davis (Mayor of Auckland),_ Messrs T. C. A. Hislop (Mayor of Wellington), J. W. Andrews (Mayor of Lower Hutt), w; Marshall (Mayor of Paeroa); executive committee, Messrs A. E. Mansfield (Mayor of Palmerston North), G. L. Page (Mayor of Nelson), H. A. Anderson (Mayor of Mount Albert), L. J. Kendall (Papatoetoe), W. J. Wesney (Mayor of Otautau), J. E. Campbell (Mayor of Hawera), H. L. Harker (Wairoa), Dr. G. I. Miller (Ashburton). W. H. Nagle (Auckland Transport Board). . Messrs Clarke. Menzies, Griffin and Company, of Wellington,.. were ' reelected auditors.