COUNTIES CONFERENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 18, 21 July 1926, Page 7

COUNTIES CONFERENCE

REMITS PASSED YESTERDAY.

The conference of delegates of the New Zealand Counties' Association was continued yesterday, Mr. A. E. Jull presiding, when the following remits were passed:— Moved by Mr. G. O'Halloran (Waitemata): That councils may contribute towards the erection of wharves outside the county and be empowered to raise a special loan for such purpose under the provisions of the Local Bodies Loans Act, 1913, and that such erections be included in the definition of "public work." Moved by Mr. A. E. Jull (Whakatane): That section 131 of the Counties Act, 1920, be amended so as to allow any council to declare by special order that in apportioning the general account expenditure, only the following described rateable native land valuations be included, viz.: Native lands which havo paid rates or portion of rates for a period of three years ending, 31st March prior to the annual estimates being approved. Moved'by Mr. R. Were: That the association take up with tho insurance companies the question of the conditions of fidelity insurance policies. At present the policy makes the company liable for any defalcations during twelve months subsequent to the receipt of the premium: Under present conditions it would seem that local bodies, owing to the fact that audit inspectors now have so much to do that audits cannot be completed until well after the twelve months, would have no claim on the company should anything be found amiss. Moved by Mr. L. Webb (Whangarei): That the Counties Act and Motor Vehicles Act be amended so as to empower county councils to impose a license fee on all motor vehicles, under two tons laden weight, used for hire and for commercial purposes, in return for their use of county roads.

Moved by Mr. F. M. Waters (Manukau) : That the powers conferred on borough councils by section 335 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1920, relating to the subdivision of land, be conferred on county councils, and be made to apply to all subdivisions of land in a county, and in all cases plans shall be supplied to the council in duplicate and one copy thereof shall become the property of the council. It was decided to Tocommend that power boards refund to counties the cost to the county of holding power board elections.