MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

Southland Times, Issue 19395, 8 November 1924, Page 5

MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE

MR F. BURWELL’S IMPRESSIONS. REMITS OF LOCAL INTEREST. While generally satisfied with the manner in which the 1924 New Zealand Municipal Association’s Conference held at Auckland, was conducted the Town Clerk (Mr F. Burwell), who was one of the Invercargill Council’s delegates, stated to a Times reporter yesterday that there were, in his opinion, several directions in which the work of the conference could be facilitated while at the same time allowing for a more careful consideration of the large number of remita which come up for consideration. DEALING WITH THE REMITS. At the present ime, stated Mr Burwell, the remits come before the conference in their original form, but if carried are redrafted for submission to the Government. If remits were re drafted in this manner before being considered by the conference it would enable the delegates to have a clearer understanding of their intention and so they would be better equipped to deal with them intelligently. The work of the conference might also be made more effective by appointing committees and dividing the remits into sections which could then be considered in detail before were dealt with by the full conference. The Chairman could then move the adoption or the rejection of the remits according to the findings of their committees. It had frequently been the experience at such gatherings that a few did all the speaking, while others no less qualified refrained from doing so because of the large amount of business to be gone through. These could do good work on the committees, which would be able to give the remits closer attention than was possible under the present system. AN INVERCARGILL REMIT. Of the remits, which came before the conference, only one came directly from the Invercargill Council and that sought to have the regulations amended so as to allow limbless soldiers to be granted a free pass on the tramways. This was regarded in a favourable light by the conference, which decided to widen the scope of the remit so as to make this concesson available on all passenger traffic services conducted by any local authority. In view of the recent formation of a Fire Board in Invercargill and the building of a new fire station, a remit urging the Government to increase its maximum contribution of £5O, by basing its contribution in proportion to the value of Government buildings within the Fire District was of local interest. This remit was carried and in due course the Government would be asked to amend the Fire Brigades’ Act 1908 accordingly. Several remits in regard to the local Election and Polls Act were also brought forward and it was decided to urge the Government to have the Act amended so as to provide for a uniform system of voting in connection with electoral and loan polls. A similar remit had been passed at the 1919, 1921 and 1923 conferences, but had not been given effect to by the Government. It was further decided to request the Government that clause (6) of the regulations gazetted in November 1915 and rescinded by the regulations of 1920, directing that the names of persons who had not voted< at the last general election should be omitted from the following electoral roll, should be re-enacted as there was at present no proper method of purging the district electoral roll. AUCTIONEERS’ LICENSES. A matter discussed at a recent meeting of the Invercargill Council was also considered and the remit was carried. This asked that power be given to the Mayor to consent or otherwise to the holding of an auction sale by persons whose licenses had been issued in another centre. The object of the remit was to afford the public greater protection than it had at present. While in Auckland, stated Mr Burwell, the visiting delegates were shown every courtesy and excellent arrangmenta were made for their entertainment.