"NOT SUCH FOOLS AND ROGUES."

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1507, 1 August 1912, Page 4

"NOT SUCH FOOLS AND ROGUES."

MR. niNDMARSII ON' MUNICIPAL CAPACITY. Tho Municipal Conference manifested a good deal of interest in the following Wel- , liiigton remit, which was brought before it yesterday That the Municipal Conference bo urged to _nsk for power to enablo ' local bodies lo resell land dedicated to widen streets under Section 117 of the Public Works Act, and which land ; is not necessary for such a purpose, > subject to a condition that buildings 1 must b? set back 33 feet from tho ' centre line of suchWreet. ' The Hon. J. Burr, who represented _ .Sumner, expressed an opinion that it was dangerous, lo give an unlimited power to municipalities lo sell land which liml , been used, or even dedicated, to be a thoroughfare. . Jlr - A. 11. Hindmarsh, Wellington, said {.'"'t "'I'M had been n certain type of legislator, which was even to bo found in tlm j I pper House, who tried to cut down tho J powers ot municipalities. According to tills type of legislator tho municipality 1 was not to bo trusted with this, and not 5 to be trusted with that; but iu Mr. Jtinds marsh s opinion the municipal council- _ lors were us much to be trusted as Parliu- ! in en t was. Some pjoplc would have as much done by 1 the Governor-in-Council" t l,s P 0 , "W* are hero to protest - nst kind of thing," lie continued. . N " ' ll '° hero to enlargo the powers o( . City Councils. J'hey arc.not such fools . ami rogues that thev cannot lw trusted Tho object of the Act has been open ) spaces or wido streets —wide principally . to ensure fresh air and prevent slums , Who would think of making some of tlio back streets of 'Wellington (iG feet wide? t It would be simply absurd. Let peoplo . make gardens of tlio unnecessary space. It would relievo tho council of'the expense of clearing gorso aivay. What wo want lo say is Ulat a person can liavo this land if he will improve it, and not put his house forward to it. Yet we are told that the Wellington City Council has not tho capacity to deal with this i 9 mutter. The motion was carried by 20 voles to 1!). • v Subsequently it was resolved that Seelion 117 of-the Public Works Act, 1008, should be repealed. ) lliis fection provides for the dedication « on sub-division of lands of strip's of such 1 land sufheient to widen the .streets to an a extent that 33 feet will bo provided bot tween the middlo line of the streets and t tho frontage of the subdivided land. Tlio provisions, it was slated, have been in * f"V co twelve years, but they have not i afiocled any street-widening in Wellington. t It .was also resolved"That for tho r purpose of connecting blind streets with S other streets the provisions of Section 178 o of tho Municipal Corporations Act lie i) extended with a view to authorising tiia Issue of an Order-iit-Council to lay oft such connecting street hy a width* less than (iG feet, providing the length of such connecting street bo not greater than 10 chains."