(Parliamentary Reporter,)

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7663, 25 June 1896, Page 2

(Parliamentary Reporter,)

Wellington, to-day. A deputation from the Municipal Conference waited on the Premier, presenting the resolutions which had been passed by the Conference. Replying, the Premier said that, as to the Chinese difficulty, 'the Government was already moving in that direction, and was pleased to be strengthened by the opinion of the Conference. He thought the local authorities should have special powers to deal with Chinese quarters. Referring to the request for power to order the isolation of contagious diseases, he thought they should go further and take steps to insist on the isolation of all cod-. tagious' diseases, which should be reported ' by medical men to the Board of Health. The Government, he said, could not drop the Local Government Bill to take up a Municipal Corporations Consolidation Act, as members wera desirous that the Local Government Bill should be perfected and put before the paople. The existiog system of representation of boroughs was .highly - unsatisfactory ; in faot there was sparoely - representation at all, and Government was determined to have it altered. It was also, he thought, necessary to reduce the number ' of boroughs by the amalgamation of small r municipalities. Mr Seddon promised to;, carefully consider the resolutions, and promised to give effect to them where consis-, tent with the wish of the people.