BOROUGH BY-LAWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 20 March 1919, Page 4

BOROUGH BY-LAWS.

The burgesses will probably have seen a notice published by the Borough Council on Tuesday calling attention to proposed enactment of new bylaws. The notice is necessarily in skeleton form, and does little more than indicate the subjects on which the Council is legislating, so that if people really wish to know what is proposed they must gp to the Council office and study the draft of the proposed new by-laws. Though if a man does So we fear he will find that it will need a good many hours "to get the hang of things," because more often than not amendment is made by setting forth that such and such a clause in an existing by-law is altered by such and such a correction, addition or deletion. This is beyond the opportunity of the average ratepayer. Of course the policy and purpose of the Council and its officers may be relied on } and we understand that very long and serious attention has been given to the by-laws, but nevertheless the fact that public notice has to be given of amendments shows that the public is not free of its responsibility for scrutinising the Council's work. We have looked through the proposals, and see a great deal that immediately commands assent. The noise nuisance in respect especially of motor cycles, the speed menace in respect "of all motor traffic, and better provision in respect of lighting and so on have received muchneeded attention, and so have several other subjects. But we are bound to say also that many of the proposals abound in technicalities that only experts can understand. This is particularly so in respect of the drainage and plumbing and building sections. Then we also find clauses which give the Council and its officers powers capable of being used oppressively. Here is an !instance: "168a. No person shall allow i any pipe, tap or other apparatus on his premises connected with the waterworks to be out of repair so that water is wasted, and it shall be lawful for the engineer or other officer appointed by the Council in that behalf to cut off and stop the supply of water to such premises until repairs shall have been effected. Whenever the water supply has been cut off from any premises a fee of ten shillings shall if demanded by the engineer or other officer of the Council be paid by the occupier of the premises before the supply is again turned on." We have no consideration for people who habitually waste water, but carelessness and accident may be expected to occur, and it is going pretty far to give an officer power to not merely cut off the supply, but to charge 10s to turn it on again. Then there is a set of provisions dealing with the keeping of poultry which ratepayers might like to consider, for if these were rigidly enforced they would make it impossible to keep a few fowls to eat up household scraps, except on the condition of first incurring serious expense. It is, of course, necessary in the interests of public health to see that poultry-keeping is not a menace, but the Council is taking to itself, or rather is endowing its inspectors, with great powers in the way of requiring new buildings. Probably it will be pointed out that the powers taken are to. be held as in terrorem to keep peoP& UP ."■*? the mark, but there are the powers, and it is quite possible that they might be1 enforced by an "engineer or otherV officer of the Council" preferring to disclaim the exercise of discretion and say, "there are the bylaws, they mast be obeyed." We call attention W the matters so that persons likely to be concerned may have effective notice of what is proposed.