MUNICIPAL MATTERS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 220, 10 June 1908, Page 6

MUNICIPAL MATTERS.

fe , REMITS FOR THE CONFERENCE. , . SOME LIVE SUBJECTS. - , The .following remits have .so far , been •....' received in connection with the biennial ; . conference of the Municipal Association, to be hold in .Wellington on July 13:— . Plumping. - .. That, to avoid plumping at all local , elec'tions, tbo full number of councillors to bo elected ,should, receive votes, otherwise the' ; voting . paper •be invalid.—(From Birken- " head.) • . •

Polling Hours. ; That Section 29 of tho Municipal Corporations, Act, .1900, fixing 7 o'clock for tho . . close of polls/be repealed.—(Miramar.), Elections. , < ■ ~ That the Mayor should be elected'by tho council,' instead of by the electors as. at presont.—(Roslyn.) • ' .That in any future. amending Acts provisions bo made .for Council and Mayoral elections to take place in March,,, and for .: v the installation of Mayor in the first week in April, so,- that' .the council might fully 7f y - control . the expenditure . during their: terms of office. —(Nelson.) j That the following clauses be enacted: ■ In :overy -ward,-. on the' last Wednesday , / of April. in each year; the. "councillor who ■: . has. _been7 'longest.:-in .'office without re- . . election shall retire from office, and a new .' election of a'councillor shall take place on , that day, : but such retiring councillor -shall , be. eligible for, re-election. But, in order to provide for the first election under this 'Bill,. and for tho subsequent retirements in each year of the aforesaid number of councillors, the following: procedure shall be'ob- .. served, viz.: .: The councillors now. in office who were elected under the provisions of the Acts ■governing' elections shall continue to hold . office, but six shall retire, on . the last ,v Wednesday of April in the year one thousand nine hundred and , and six on -the same.'day and month of the year ■ ono thousand nine . hundred ~ and , those first elected retiring, first. If any . two or more'councillors have /, been in office for equal periods, those who at their election received a lesser . 7: - number of votes shall be deemed to have been ■; longer in office than those - . who received/a higher number; and, if . - '-any sach'.'councillors have received an - equal number of votes, or if there has : not been a. contested' election,, or if any doubt, arises, the . question-. shall be determined by the Mayor, by-lot,"in the :- I presence ,of the council.—(Dunedin.) That the. Municipal Corporations Act be altered to provide . that . half;.the .council ' should retiro biennially,'instead of the whole council as at present.—(Birkenhead.) ' That , the present system of all councillors going out •of office every'"second year (Section's 7. of the Act.offl9oo) 'should be , abolished, and the old system (Section 94 f : .of. the Act ,of 1886) restored'(i.e., one coun- % •:-cillor. for', each- ward to retire in each year. ' —(Port Chalmers arid Roslyn;) 7 That Section 57 of-'the. Municipal-Corpora-- - tions. Act, 1900, .bo amended so that after ■ next general election of councillors (April, : 7-1909) ; one-third of retire by ; : rotation yearly; that the term of office be - three years, providing that for, the two years . succeeding the election of 1909 . one-third 7nf , : V the', councillors' receiving the '.'least ' number '■of.-vote's .at that election • retire : each-.year, and where no poll has "been required one- . third retire by ballot ; retiring councillors to ~be eligible for 7 .* . That only ratepayers be eligible for elec- ' .'•'7 ii°n .to Municipal Councils.—(Lower Hutt.), " Account System. . : That the present system of bookkeoping • and accounts sanctioned 'by the Audit Office for public,-bodies is lii many cases -entirely . inadequate to their, requirements, and. that : the .'Government' be urged to so amend- tho 1 Municipal Corporations and; Loans to Local Bodies Acts, so that public bodies can, .when : . :onsidered advisable, keep their books 'upon . the double , account or'-.mbdified double ac- ,. count .-.system,' particularly where publio bodies fare /supplying'their ratepayers with Bither,- gas, water, or electricity,' or are' engaged in other-semi-trading concerns, the' . present .' system / of. merely showing receipts ~ and_ expenditure being altogether, inadequate, .. as it fails'to show the results of such opera- , . itions. Also ,to enable, such local bodies- to .- appoint, or the 'ratepayers to elect) a duly certified public auditor to audit such ac- : , counts.—(Nelson.) .-■

Alterations of Boroughs. i .That, subsection : 4 "of. Section 176 of the' Municipal Corporations Act, 1900,' be amended to read, as Mows :—"After receiv- . ing 'the original • petition and the objections so lodged,; if any, the Governor-in-Council .shall appoint a commission to deal with such original .petition and with such objections, and shall delegate .to : suclr>"commission the make or > rejectthe ■ .-alteration'' prayed .for .by the original, petition or any 1 other _alteration involving the severance from" one- district and inclusion in the 'other of part or parts, only of the area 1 mentioned in {J® original petition. I —(Ha&tings.) V

Btrects. That .to Section. 225 of the Municipal Corporations Act,. 1900, shall \be . added the - words: "The charge imposed upon owners . ior the construction of footways or chan- .... nels shall be deemed to be, and may be recovered as, a separate rate,?'—(Palmerston 'North.); ■ ' •A , ? ha L? e \ lion of the Public Works .... Act, lyuo, be amended so as-to be brought into lino with. Section 227 of the Municipal ■ Corporations Act, .1900, . and that a clause . bo, inserted that allstreets laid ; off in a 7 -borough limist be-laid off under- Section 227 ; /of the said Act— (Palmerston'North;) ■ Subdivision of Land. That the proviso to-sub-section (IV of Section 117 of "'fho Public Works Act, 1905," be amended so that the, approval of the Gover- ••••>. nor-in-Gouncil shall not bo in tho case of i streets'that-aro-.'not likely t 0 : become important: thoroughfares .—(Roslyn.) Llshting, That adjacent municipalities be compelled to bear-half the cost of lighting a Tboun- ; dary road, m/similar terms- to those rclati ing to-construction and maintenance of such roads.—(Dunedin.) / That the Municipal Corporations Act, 1900. be amended so as to allow Municipal C0r- .... porations owning and working,gas works to ®?'J. c ° a ., to'- the burgesses- apd others.— (Woodville.) , <

Markets. That hv the event of a. Municipal Market by .any -borough,: the salo of fish at any other place witlyn the bor6ugh be prohibited.—(Christchurch.) . By-Laws. That Borough Councils be given express legislative authority for making by-laws to provide that no premises shall be used as tea, dining, or supper rooms unless licensed ihcrefor by the Council.—(Christchurch.) .That Section' 432 of the Municipal Corporations/Act, 1900, bo amended so'as to render property of any kind vested in or belonging to His Majesty the King subject, to the bylaws of the ; Borough in. which such property is situated. . (Christchurch adds "especially in matters relating to public health," and instances the case of tho re-erection of old buildings; on Tailway land). —(Hastings.) That the Government be urged to-frame model by-laws for use of municipalities — (Mosgiel.) , ! j, Remits under tho Rating Act. That authority ho given to the District Land Registrar to make judgments for rates a first charge on land, and that a simple method of registering the charge against the land be dovised— (Cnristchurcu.) That Section 5 of tho Rating Act Amendment Act,. 1895, bo amended so that in boroughs which are rated under the Unimproved Value Act, 1906, the refund of rates on unoccupied dwellings shall only apply to -water . and. • sanitary, rates.—(Palmerston North.) . :

That sub-sections- 3 ( to '8 of Section 2of the Rating Act,-1894,'b0 amended so as to make, Convent, schools rateable. —(Port Chalmers.) Remits under the Local Bodies' Loans Act. That the Local Bodies Loan Act, 1901, bo amonded to allow, loans, secured by Special Rates over, portions of a borough to bo consolidated in one loan.or:to permit ono rate to be struck over, the whole area to provide all the interest.,on such loan. Arbitration Act. ■ That local bodies be.exempt from the provisions, of The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 1905.—(Miramar.) Hospital and Charitable Aid. " That this Conference strongly opposes the Hospital, and Charitable Institutions . Bill which has been circulated by the Govern-ment,-on the ground 'that in reducin" subsidy by one-half the Government will'be unduly taxing tho ratepayers or the i<o-minion.-^(Christch'urch.) ■ That the present system of. allocating tho levy for (charitable aid purposes in tho Wellington and Wairarapa Charitable Aid District is unsatisfactory.—(Lower Hutt.) Motor, Cars. That the Government, be asked to promote, a Bill defining the limit of the speed at which motor cars may be driven —(Lower Hutt.) - •: . . That powers bo obtained from Parliament by Borough: Councils | to regulate motor cycle and motor car traffic.—(Petono.) Slaughtering and Inspeotlon Act. ' That] a Bill bo passed to admit of Local Authorities setting apart a clearing-house, or some such similar provision, for meat inspection.; (Under the above Act thero is no, such power vested in tho Local Authority, and, as ■ a consequence; experience has shown that carcases ,are on the market which are infectcd and unfit for human consumption.)— (Duii'edin:) '7.