LOCAL BODIES

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 29 July 1922, Page 7

LOCAL BODIES

LOANS AMENDMENT BILL

ANTECEDENT LIABILITIES.

(BY TELEGRAPH —PRESS ASSOCIATION J I WELLINGTON, .July 28. | In the House to-night the Hon. VV.: Downie Stewart moved the second reading of the Local Bodies' Loans Amendment Bill, whicn, amongst other provisions, gives power to raise money ior expenditure outside a local body district on such work as a road giving access to that district. Clause 6 giv«._, facilities for raising loans for the puipose »of the extinction of antecedent liability by limiting the liability to definite areas. !

j Mr. R. A. Wright "(Wellington Sub-i urbs) protested that there was no proI vision in the Bill for permitting a local j body to pay the flotation expenses ot loans raised for extinguishing antecedent liability. The Premier intimated that tins would be done. t Sir John Luke (Wellington ]\orth/ commended the Bill because it was impossible to carry on municipal work without increased powers, and this Bill would assist them in this respect. . Hon. J. A. Hanan (Invereargill) pleaded for decentralisation of public affairs by enlarging the powers ol local bodies. What we would probably come to in ten years' time would be some modified form of provincialism which would, leave Parliament more time to; discuss' national matters. i Mr. W. D. Lysnar (Gisborne; supported the Bill. He suggested raising a Joan outside the Dominjon to enable local bodies to pay off their antecedent liability, otherwise local bodies would absorb all the local money that should go to help settlers to increase * production. '

The Minister, in reply, said that local bodies were istAadily getting dnto a good po&itioft with .regard to the>'r antecedent liability, and if they only stood by the Act for a few years~ahd did not whittle it away the result would be most satisfactory. ! The Bill was read a second time. The House rose at 9.40 p.m., until! 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. ' I