MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

Greymouth Evening Star, 10 March 1939, Page 10

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

ELECTION OF OFFICERS. [per press Assocr.vrrox. I DUNEDIN, March 9. The conference of the Municipal Association of New Zealand was continued to-day under the chairmanship of the president (Mr T. Jordan). The purely business programme of the conference was completed this afternoon, and the conference will be concluded with a visit, to Waipori tomorrow, and a social gathering in the

evening. The following remits were dealt with: — "That if the present unsatisfactory system of taxation is persisted with, authority be granted to the contributing local authorities for direct representation on hospital boards.”— Adopted. “That in each borough where there is a tramway undertaking that maintains a portion of a street, such tramway undertaking shall receive a share of the petrol tax allocated to the local authority within whose boundaries the undertaking is situated.” —Adopted. “That provision be made in the

Rating Act, 1925, whereby a ratepayer may consent to a charge for rates being registered as a judgment against his property under the Statutory Land Charges Registration Act, 1928, and that section 3 of the Act be amended accordingly to give such charge priority.”—Rejected. “That the Government be asked to enact legislation giving general powers to local bodies on similar lines to those contained in the Wellington City Housing Act, 1938.”— Adopted'. Consideration was given to the question of increasing the subscriptions of the members to the associa-

tion. Ihe scale ot revised subscriptions provided for an increase of approximately 25 per cent... the amount to be computed on a population basis. The new scale was adopted unanimously.

It was decided that the 1910 conference be held in Wellington The 'election of officers resulted:—President, Mi f. Jordan (Mayor of Masterton); vice-presidents, Messrs A. H. Allen (Mayor of Dunedin), R. M. Maclarlane (Mayor of Christchurch), Sir Ernest Davis (Mayor of Auckland) Messrs T. C. A. Hislop (Mavor of Wellington), J. AV. Andrews (Mayor of Lower Hutt), W. Marshall (Mayor of Paeroa); executive, committee, Messrs A. E. Mansfield (Mayor of i Palmerston North), G. L. Page | (Mayor of Nelson), H. A. Anderson (Mayor of Mount Albert), L. J. Kendall (Papatoetoe), W. j. Wesney (Major of Atautau), J. E. Campbell (Mayor of Hawera). H. L. Harker (Wairoa), Dr. G. L. Miller (Ashburton), W. H. Nagle (Auckland Transport Board). ' Messrs Clarke, Menzies, Griffin and Company, of Wellington, were reelected auditors.

’ LICENSING OF HAWKERS. DUNEDIN, March 9. On the first day of the conference , of tho Municipal Association, the following remit, presented by One Tree Hil. was adopted:—"That the Govcinmenl Im requested to enact appropriate legislation requiring all hawkers ami itinerant vendors •-> he license,-| annually, or otherwise, and hat. the Police Department be the sole licensing authority." Disappoint nmm "•is expi-ese(| by Die chairman (Mr '■ ■l"'dani that the eont'oreiue had • s< ' e " !il adopt this remit, which would net react to the benefit of the association, and notice of motion was

given to have it rescinded when the conference resumed to-day. Mr I. J. Goldstine (One Tree Hill) moved the following amendment to the remit: “That for the protection of householders the Government be requested to enact appropriate legislation making it compulsory for all hawkers to wear a numbered armband or other suitable means of identification and for issue, by agreement between the local authorities, of a . license covering more than one local district, and further that the association request the Minister in charge of the Police Department to arrange for police assistance for local bodies in the control of hawkers.’—This was adopted. Other remits were: —

Mcsgiel Borough: “That this conference considers that the maximum fee to be paid for the registration of any dog (other than dogs kept solely for the purpose of herding or driving sheep or cattle), should be fixed at 26/-.”

Lyttelton Borough Council: “That tlie Government be requested to so alter the Noxious Weeds Act that it will be more easy to administer and more effective, and it is suggested that two or three advertisements in local newspapers, together with notices placed on the local body office doors, ■ replace the present method, also that instructions for carrying out orders I

for destruction of weeds, etc., be simplified and less delay allowed in carrying out the order.”—Referred to executive. „J V,r 9’ (Christchurch): 1 hat lor the purpose of simplifying control of domains where a city or borough council has been appointed a j domains board, under the Public Reserves Domains and National Parks Act, 1926, the Minister for Land's be requested to take steps to vest such domains in the city or borough council as city or borough councils and not as domain boards.”—Adopted.

DRINKING AT DANCES. DUNEDIN, March 9. The need for more effective control of the practice of consuming intoxicating liquor in public dance halls '•'as emphasised in a remit presented by the Mosgiel Borough Council to today s session of the Municipal Conference. There was little discussion because the principle of the resolution has already been approved by the Depaitment of Justice. The conference agieed that it should be made the subject of legislation.

It was decided' to leave the remit in the hands of the executive, with instructions to have it taken up urgently with the Department. The text of the remit was as follows:—''That this conference con&idcis that the legislation should be amended with a view to police officers being given wider powers to enable them to deal effectively with the drinking of intoxicating liquors in and about public dance halls."