LOCAL BODIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26746, 15 April 1948, Page 8

LOCAL BODIES

AMENDING LEGISLATION EXPLANATION OF DELAYS Regret that during the war years it was not possible for remits brought forward at annual conferences of the Municipal Association of New Zealand to be given effect to by legislation was expressed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr Parry, when speaking to the delegates to the thirtyfifth conference at the opening ceremony. Mr Parry said that it was now 10 years since the last amendment to the Municipal Corporations Act was passed. In the meantime many remits affecting matters under his immediate control had been carried by conferences. The Minister said that he had intended to pursue a policy of bringing forward legislation at appropriate intervals to deal with the remits, but he regretted that this had not been put into full effect. The Minister added that he hoped that it would be possible in the next few years for a planned programme of local government legislation to be implemented, but the conference would appreciate that it would take a considerable time to overtake the accumulation of remits during the war years. The staffing position was so desperate that it was quite impossible to think in terms of comprehensive Bills coming forward in a short time. “For this reason we will have to concentrate in the immediate future on the main Acts relating to the activities of local authorities,” Mr Parry said. “I regard it as important that these should keep pace with modern trends as far as is possible.” Mr Parry said that he had hoped to introduce a Bill last session dealing with advances and guarantees for housing and the subdivision of land for housing, which the executive of the Municipal Association claimed to be urgent. He regretted that it had not been possible to advance the measure beyond the drafting stage, but he proposed to expand the draft into a general Municipal Corporations Bill and to include in it, as far as possible, those remits which had actually been approved by the Government. He did not wish to jeopardise the passage of the Bill by including in it matters of a controversial nature. The Minister assured the conference that he would do his best to ensure that an amending Bill was passed in the coming session.