CIVIC GOVERNMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXXX, Issue 5, 6 July 1910, Page 2

CIVIC GOVERNMENT.

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE. DETAILED BUSINESS.

The Municipal Conference, under the guidance of the president (Mr. T. M. Wilford), put through a large number of its remits yesterday afternoon with great expedition. Following are the minor remits adopted or rejected without much discussion :—: — CHARITABLE AID. Collection 01 Rates and Representation on Board- — That the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act, 1909, be amended to enable the Charitable Boards to strike and collect the charitable aid rates, or that every distributing body be given representation on the Gharitable Aid Board of the district. — (Ross. ) — Rejected. LICENSING. Town Boards. — License Eecs — That section 4 of the Licensing Act, 1908, be amended so that the term "borough" shall include "any incorporated town." (Featherston Town Board.) — Adopted. That the Licensing ' Act, 1908, be amended so that Town Districts shall be able to collect £40 license fees from hotels within their boundaries. — (Kamo Town Board,} — Adopted. LOCAL BODIES' LOANS. Boundaries. — That the Local Bodies' Loans Act, 1908, be amended so that when it is required to describe the boundaries of a borough it will be sufficient to state the. date of the Gazette containing the proclamation defining the boundaries of such borough. — (Petone.) — Withdrawn. Thai section 122 of the Local Bodies' Loans Act, 1908, bit amended by inserting after the word "rate," in the first line of such section, the words "has been," in lien of the word "is." — (Petone. ) — Adopted. Sinking Fund. — That the provisions of section 25 of the Local Bodies' Loans Amendment Act, 1908, be amended so that they shall only apply in the case of loans to local bodies guaranteed by the Government. — (Auckland, Dunedin, Napier. ) — ('Withdrawn) . Gazetting of Special Order. — That section 17 of the Local Bodies Loans' Act, 1908, be amended to make it clear whether the special order therein Teferred to be gazetted before or after its confirmation, it being ambiguous in its present form. — (Hastings) — Withdrawn. Advertising Loan Proposal. — That section 8 of the Local Bodies' Loans Act, 1908, be altered to make clear tho meaning of the section. — (Petone.) — Adopted. Nofee. — The New Zealand State Guaranteed Office requires this to read "once in each week for four successive weeks" (on the same day in each week), and this reading the statute in its present form does not give. Interest on Sinking Funds. — That the Government be asked to introduce legislation t to enable the Post Office to pay interest on the fall amount of sinking fund deposited by local Sinking Fund Commissioners. — (Palmerston Norfn.) — Adopted. That section 12 of the Local Bodies' Loans Act, 1908, be amended by deleting the words "three-fifths majority" and substituting the word ''majority." — (Featherston Town Board.) — Adopted. Consolidation of Loans. — That the Government be urged to introduce legislation to enable the New Zealand State Guaranteed Advances Board to advance moneys to local authorities to pay off existing loans lawfully raised, so as to enable individual loans to be consolidated. " — (Palmerston North. ) — Adopted. LOCAL ELECTIONS AND POLLS. Verifying Results Given by Deputies. — That the Local Elections and Polls Act, 1908, be amended by adding further clauses for the purpose >of .giving tho returning officer an opportunity of verifying the result of a poll vas given by his deputies. — Adopted. Mode of Voting.— That section 24 of tho Local Elections Act, 1908", be amended so that voters strike out names of candidates for whom they do not intend to vote. — (Boss, Richmond, Invercargill.) — Withdrawn. Announcing Result of Poll. — That section 36 of the Local Elections and Polls Acl> be amended so that a returning officer may be permitted to announce the result of any poll after the votes have been made up without waiting until tRe "public notice" has been given. — (Birkenhcad. ) — Adopted. Voting (Plumping. — That the Elections and Polls Act, 1908, be amended as to the instructions printed on the form of voting paper enacted in thb second schedule, and as to section 24 subsection 1, so as to provide that unless the voter's paper shows that he has given a vote for each of the requisite number of candidates to be elected, his paper shall be deemed informal. — (Picton.) — Rejected. Offences at Elections. — That the Local Elections and Polls Act, 1908, and amendments be so amended as to comply with section 149 of the Electoral Act, 1908, as to offences at elections. — (Grey Lynn.) — Rejected. MAORI COUNCILS ACT, 1900. Exemption. — That boroughs may be exempted from the provisions of the Maori Councils Act, 1900.— (Petone.)— Adopted. The motion was carried.