Municipal Corporations Bill.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7398, 13 September 1902, Page 3

Municipal Corporations Bill.

Somo New Provisions,

The Municipal Corporations Act Amendment Bill, which was brought down by Sir Joseph Ward yesleidiiy, meets certain recommendations made In the recent Municipal Conference

Under this Bill, it shall not be necessary for the Town Clerk to make out annually a district, electors' list or roll, but such roll shall be made out on or before the sth March in every yrur in which a get.eral election or the Council is to he held All corrections and additions sba!l be made on it su.iple-mc'-tary roll Section 13 of the Act of 1900 is amended so as to proyide that a district elector shall be any pers m whiiie name app.-ara in tho " occupiers'" column on the valuation roll, iho words "valuation roll " b- ing substituted for ' rate-book " in tbe Act oj

900, It is also provided that the meeting held to confirm a resolution [ ssr.d by a Borough Council shall be neld no sooner than tbe twenty-niotb day after tbo special meeting at which snch resolution was passed; tho Act of 1900 fixes the limit at tho twenty-etgh-h diy. Tho Bill contains a clause declaring the minutes of proceedings of a City Council or of any committee to be prima facie evidence of such proceedings.

Section 89 of Ihe Act of 1900 is amended so as to enable the annual Government subsidy on rates levudfor theycar ending March 31st to be pud on rates collected b"fore the 30lh June in the following year, instead of in the same year, as ur.cer the existing law. To this is added the following proviso : —"Provided that subsidy shall not be payable on any amount exceeding the sum which would be actually collected from a rato of -jd in the i>omul on the capital value, where the rate is levi d on the capital or unimproved value of flip ratable property in the borough, or of Is iv the pound on the annual value where the rate is levied on the annual value; provided also that subsidy shall not be payable on any part of snch general rates expended in contributing to the funds of any other looal authority."

Oia.se 7 requiros all money raised hy special loan to be paid into a separate account at the bank ; whilst nil o'lnr moneys belonging to tbo district, fund shall bo paid into tho district fund account. Clamo 12of iho Bill doUs with petitions for tho constitution of a uru'ed borough, and provides thot beforo an> such pedtioo can be pre?ented to ihe Governor, thro must be a separate poll of the ratepayers in oach borough on the the question. This poll shall be taken sixty days after a petition in its favour signed by not less than 15 per cent, of the ratepayers has been presented to the Councils of the boroughs affected. By clauses 13 and 14, it is provided that where the ward dividing a borough are abolished, iho Council shall fix the number of Councillors for such undivided borough ; and a fresh election of tke whole Council shall take place. Clause 15 stipulates that when a Mayor is elected uhinn two months of the time for the annua! election, he shall hold office until the following year.

There is a clau.se regarding tlie width of streets which needs explanation. Section 236 of the Act 1900 as originally brought down by Iho Legislative' Council, provided that where it was difficult and inexpedient to lay out streets of 66ft, the Govcrnor-in-Couiicil could permit streets ot less width to be laid out. The House disagreed with the amendments made by the Council, and in a conference between the two Chambers the clauso was mutilated, so that it applied to the construction instead of the laying-ol_ of streets. Tho amendment now proposed brings the measure back to its original form, viz, to "lay oil" StrJ- Is ol less width than 60ft in except.unal eases. Tlie powers already C'inferred on a Borough Council In regard to the removal of a ruinous ouilding is extended to apply to any ruii ous wall.

A provision of considerable importance in crowded cities, in reference to air-space, appears in clauso 20, which requires that every new dwelliiighouse in a borough shall havo an open space of 300 superficial feet at its side or_ rear. Any addition put to a house must not li.'iiiinsh this air-spt.ee For Ihe purposes of this clause, '•dwelling-house" shall include a lodging-house or hotel Under clause 22, places of public worship arc required to be licensed, but no license fee shall be charged. Clause 23 gives power to a Borough Council to appoint medical oflicers.