MUNICIPAL CONGRESS

Gisborne Times, Volume LV, Issue 6204, 8 October 1921, Page 5

MUNICIPAL CONGRESS

DELEGATES WAIT ON PEE-

MIEE.

CABINET WILL CONSIDER EEMITS.

WELLINGTON, Oct. 7. Delegates from the conference of the New Zealand Municipal Association waited on the Prime Minister io-dav. Mr AVright, the chairman, detailed the more important remits and asked that those which had been passed at two different ocnferences should be given preference by the Cabinet, Mr Massey congratulated the conference upon the amount of work done, Jjiuch work was of great assistance to Parliamenet. He; would not go into detail about the remits, but speaking generally would say that Cab- £ met would take an early opportunity of considering them. He could not promise they would he dealt with by Parliament during the present session, but there might be a chance of attending to the more urgent among them.- He agreed with the conference that the better way of. voting was by striking out the names or candidates not wanted, instead of a cross against the names of those selected. The proposal of the conference that exemption granted in the matter of rating should be confined "to general rates was ont which would cause" a ‘great deal of discussion in the House. Personally he could not express an opinion until he had gone into it. He agreed that the Government should observe the by-laws of local bodies unless there was some special reasons for exemption. The arterial roads proposal would come before Parliament this ' session, and there would -be an opportunity for considering the proposal of the conference that assistance should be given to local bodies to maintain those parts of the arterial highways passing through their districts. Personally he was <not / afraid that arterial roads could corals pete with railways. The latter could | hold their own.—P.A.

REMITS OF LOCAL INTEREST.

INTERESTING INTERVIEW WITH

MAYOR.

After attending the conference of the Municipal Association, which was held in Wellington this week, the Mayor (Mr Geo. AVildish), returned to Gisborne yesterday morning. In speaking of the conference to a Times reporter, Mr Wildish stated that it had been largely attended, anda number of remits pertaining to municipal affairs were discussed. Some of the remits, he said, received careful consideration, and were carried after ranch discussion, while others had been accepted without, difficulty, and some were thrown out. The latter, of course, he said, was the treatment meted out to the only remit which had been sent from Gisborne. This remit was one recommending that legislation be provided empowering local bodies to enact by-laws prohibiting the erection . of one-storied buildings in the main thoroughfares. The remit, it will be remembered, was consequent upon objections made at the Borough Council to the erection of three one-storey brick shops in Gladstone Road. A remit of considerable local interest was one from the Christchurch City Council in relation to the erection of buildings upon sections of less frontage than required, by the by-laws. This question is one which is now before the local Borough Council, as the result of an application made to it for a permit to erect a dwelling on a large section to which access is gained by a 20 foot entrance, this being the only frontage to the street. The Council is at present obtaining from the Survey Office details of all such sections within j the Borough. The Christchurch remit ! provides that no deed, transfer or other instrument whereby any land having less frontage or smaller area than that prescribed by the Borough by-laws, made under section 354 (23) of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1920, is conveyed, transferred and assessed, shall be received without the-consent of the Council of the Borough in . which the said land is situated. The remit, said Mr Wildish, had been well discussed, practically every delegate expressing his opinion on, the matter, and nearly all favoring its adoption. Several speakers referred to the repeated flouting of by-laws through members of the Councils being prevailed upon to exercise their influence to have permission obtained for the erection of dwellings, contrary to the by-laws hut under provisional clauses. It was pointed out that, if the suggested amendment were -enacted, it would be binding upon local bodies, and the by-laws would be inviolate. - Another remit of local interest which was carried by the conference, was one in relation to the charge made for gas. It was suggested that legislation should be introduced to provide that the consumer should be charged for the vol~ume -of gas which was supplied, upon a basis of heat units actually available in that volume, such calorific value to be determined at frequent intervals by some authority independent of the supplying bodies. Another remit which was carried was one advocating that local bodies be empowered to require the removal of any building, or part of a building which, in the opinion of the Council, has been so- damaged by fire or other causes as to render it beyond repair. A remit which might have had far reaching effects if adopted was one which proposed that all voting papers recording votes for less than the required number of candidates, should be invalid. This remit, however, was Ror come time past the Motor Association. has been agitating for legislation to empower local bodies to have hedges on corner sections, which by reason of their height, obstruct the view of persons driving or riding along the street. This matter was discussed at the conference and a remit, asking for power to order that hedges be cut to a height of 3 feet 9 inches, was carried. ’