MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

Evening Star, Issue 18331, 19 July 1923, Page 4

MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT

ASSURANCE AGAINST DEFALCATIONS.

X.OANS FOR LOCAL BODIES

At the Municipal Confe: renca in Christshurch yesterday many important matters vitally concerning municipal government were' discussed. The proposal that murndpal corporations should provide i fund 1 a«v-an assurance against defalcations was cßsmsscxL The subject was introduced by a remit from Pahiatua, which read as fed lows ; —“That the Munideal. Association obtain legislation to enable it to provide a municipal officers’ fidelity guarantee fund, such fund to be provided by' a levy upon all municipal corporations in ’ tlso dominion on the basis of their capital- value, all municipal corporations automatically to come under the operation of the Acu on the expiry of the existing policies, and to bo reimbursed the amount of defalcations not recovered, provided tho corporation has laid an information against the doliinqueut officer.” Mr 0. AT. -C. Pragnelf supported tho remit. Ho stated that sesme time ago a defalcation had occurred in a certain borough. Tho officer had' been insured against infidelitv in an insurance society, but the society was contesting the council’s claim, and tho council was likely to secure only £2OO, whereas tho defalcations amounted to ovar £SOO. The council would have to stand the loss. Defalcations seemed to be in the rur at present, end every time one picked nip -a newspaper one read of defalcations of officers of some public body. Ho intimated his intention to move at the conclusion of the business of tho conference a motion dealing with the matter.

Mr 11. L. Tapley (Dunedin) suggested that the Municipal Associating should approach the insurance companies, tell them that their policies were not of value to tho various local bodies concerned 1 , and ask them if they would ho prepared to amend their policies. The remit was lost on tho voices. RULE OF THE FOOTPATH.

A communication from the New Zealand Automobile Association was submitted, suggesting that there should bo uniform by-laws requiring pedestrians to keep to the left of the footpath. The New Zealand Counties’ Association also wrote stating it was ini favor of tho association’s suggestion. Tho chairman stated that Christchurch had had a by-law requiring pedestrians to keep to the left, but it was one of tho biggest nuisances with which tho council had to deal to enforce tho by-law. The council would require an army of uniformed inspectors. .Mr G, Bail-don (Auckland) said that Auckland had a by-law requiring pedestrians to keep to the right. In Wellington the by-law required 1 people to keep to the left,, as was tho case in Christchurch. He thought there should be uniformity in the by-laws relating to the subject, and Auckland was inclined to come in with Christchurch and Wellington. Mr H. L. Tapley (Dunedin) said as a- conference he thought they should affirm a- principle of either keeping to the right or to tho left. Ho moved—“ That tho conference affirm the principle of a uniform by-law, and that it should be included in the Municipal Corporations Act.”

Mr W. H. Nicholson pointed ont that the Automobile Association had a Tory cogent reason in asking for a mnifonn bylaw to force pedestrians to keep to the left. Besides providing for the safety of the general public, such a measure would relievo motorists of no small amount of responsibility. Mr Tnpley’s motion was carried, and it Was further decided that the rule of tho footpath should bo to keep to the left. POOLING LOA#APPLICATIONS.

On behalf of tho Dunedin City Council, Mr Tapley (mayor) moved—

That the Government bo urged to amend the Local Bodies Loans Act in the direction of (a) State-guaranteed loans affording greater assistance to local authorities by devising a scheme for pooling applications for loan money, and raising the sums required on the London or other market by way of a Stateguaranteed loan; (b) providing for a compulsory sinking fund for such loans, such sinking fund to be calculated to extinguish the total loan at or about the period based on the estimated 1 “life” of tho plant, material, or works upon which tho particular loan money is expended; (c) that the foregoing provisions be in addition to and not in substitution for any of the standing provisions at present available to local authorities. With reference to clause (a), tho Chairman said that the whole of the provisions for raising loans should be revised. ’What was wanted 1 in New Zealand was a scheme such as obtained in Victoria, where, if a loan were approved by a hoard, the authority concerned could go_ ahead and raise the money as it 1 considered best. They should put pressure on the Government, and not bo side-tracked, as they to often were. So long as they were going on safe lines they should l he able to raise money as suggested by the remit. They wanted to be able to raise their money at the lowest possible cost. All clauses of the remit were carried. MOTOR REGULATIONS.

Mr J. J. Holtham (Patea) moved that tho Motor regulation Act, 1908, ho amended by altering section 9 so as to place tho responsibility on the registered owner of ascertaining the name of the driver of any motor car that has been driven recklessly, negligently,-or at excessive speed on any public highway, or has been driven at a speed exceeding that laid down in any by-law properly rnado by any local authority under tho Motor Regulation Act; and that, in tho event of a registered owner not knowing tho name of the driver of his car. ho be held responsible for any damage, expense, or fines that may bo inflicted as tho result of any of the aforesaid offences. Mr Holtham stressed the necessity of imposing some punishment which would lend to eliminate the tendency to drive at a dangerous speed. He instanced a case where, in his own borough, a car had been, driven through the township at forty-four miles an hour. A prosecution had resulted, but the owner of the car said that on the date of the offence his car had been borrowed, hut ho did not know who.had driven it.—.Mr S. L. Tapley stated that the owner of tho car could bo forced’ to state who was driving his car.—The remit was defeated on tho voices.

Mr H. L. Tapley (Dunedin) moved—- “ That tho Government be asked to expedite the passing of the Motor Vehicles Bill, providing for the dominion registration of motor vehicles and tho drivers thereof.” In doing so he said a Bill had been before Parliament for a considerable time, and local bodies had tho right to know what was being done.—Tho remit was carried. ELECTION OF MAYOR.

A proposal that municipal councils should have the right to elect their own mayors without a separate election provoked a good deal of discussion. Mr H. L. Tapley (Dunedin) said ho was opposed to tho remit. It was not a democratic proposal, for people had the right to elect their own mayor. It might happen that there would bo a party-on tho council which could elect anyone it liked. ’ It did not follow that the mayor need he an experienced councillor, for councillors were out for the benefit of their city, and they would see that any good measure brought forward by the mayor was adopted. Ho agreed with tho mover that it was regrettable that tho services of a defeated mayoral candidate should bo lost to tho council. Tho only way to get over the difficulty would bo to allow a man to bo a mayor and council candidate at the same time.

A Voice:' They can do that now. Tho Chairman (Mr J, A. ITcshor): Yes, but it is dangerous. Mr Tapley said that seemed to be the only way out of the difficulty. Ho would oppose the remit, as it was undemocratic. A member said it should be made mandatory that the councillor who topped tho poll should be elected mayor. (Cries of h phi “i

The Rev. J. K. Archer (Christchurch) said if the councillor v?ho topped the poll had been appointed fnayor at the last election tho citizens of Christchurch v. ould have greatly benefited. (Laughter.) There was no doubt, however, that people preferred to exercise their vote in regard In a mayoral election. "What he would like to soo was a man with the moral courage to stand for both positions. Mis' Melville (Auckland) supported the remit. She said that a New Zealand mayor had to he a sound business man, and she was glad to say that in nearly all cases the mayors had good business qualities. Auckland had a perfect mayor, but she maintained that the existing principle of election was wrong. All other local bodies from school committees upwards elected their own chairman. Tho Chairman said that if a mayor were elected by the majority of the electors there"was a greater honor about it, and it gave him more confidence. Ho had thought at ono time _ that the principle of a council electing its own mayor was a good one, but in England, where the system obtained, it led" to political control, and they did uot want politics in their council. He had come to the conclusion it was best to leave well alone. The remit was defeated. The next remit which came before the conference was from Devonport, and it also referred to tho election of a mayor and council as fallows;—“That in order to assist continuity of policy provision be made for one-third of the councillors to retire annually, and that the council be elected for a period of three years instead of two years as at present.” Tho Chairman moved an amendment that it bo a recommendation that there should bo a triennial election for mayor and council. The amendment was adopted. OTHER REMITS. With regard to the payment of councillors, Mr A. Leese, cm behalf of Taumarunui, moved that councillors he paid a reasonable feo for tho time occupied on the council’s business.—This was carried on the voices. Mr F. J. Nathan, on behalf of tho Palmers ton North Borough Council, moved that local bodies bo empowered to classify any of their workmen who are well on in years, and who are incapable of performing a fair day’s work, and to pay such workmen n wage commensurate with the nmouno of work performed.—Tho Rev. J, K. Archer (Christchurch) said that the remit was one with which they all sympathised, htlt there was a certain amount of risk against which they had to safeguard themselves. He understood that under the Arbitration Court there was provision for undcr-rato workers. Tho principle was recognised, and they should , bo able to carry it out under tho existing law.—The motion was carried by 23 votes to 11. A number of remits were dealt with in regard to voting and polling booths. Air 0. N. C. Pregnall moved that tho voting at borough elections bo 'similar to (hot in parliamentary elections —by striking out the names of candidates on tho voting paper /or whom tho voter does not intend to vole, instead of placing a : cross opposite the names of the candidates for whom the voter intends to vote as at present.—Mr 11. L. Tapley (Dunedin) moved that, in connection with the above remit, tho method of voting he uniform at all polls, cither by marking out or making a cross.—Tim Auckland delegates favored the cross system.—Tho remit was carried.

Mr A. Bain (Invercargill) moved that, owing to tho fluctuating dates of tho Easter holidays and to tho fact that Anzac Day occurs so near tho dates fixed for the municipal elections, it ho a recommendation to the Government to make rhe said election fall on tho second Wednesday in May instead of the last Wednesday in April.—Tho remit was carried. Masterton submitted the following remit : ‘ That this conference strongly urges the Audit Department to arrange an audit of all municipal body accounts within three months of tho end of tho financial year, otherwise that it be asked to appoint an independent auditor.”—The remit was adopted.