COUNTIES CONFERENCE.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 2, 18 August 1911, Page 2

COUNTIES CONFERENCE.

STRATFORD REMITS. At tlio meeting of the Stratford County Council on Wednesday the chairman asked members to submit suggestions for remits to bo considered at the Counties Conference to bo held in Wellington this month. Electoral Franchise. Cr Hathaway moved that the chairman (\yho will represent the Council at the Conference) bo asked to oppose any endeavour to extend the electoral franchise to elections for local bodies. Cr Asthnry opposed tiie motion. He said lie believed in the principle that there should be no taxation without representation. Where there were toll-gates ho thought it was wrong for people who paid tolls not to have some say in the election of members of the local bodies controlling the gates. He did not demand that Parliamentary electors should have the right to vote on loans; but. he thought a man who paid £3 in tolls was as much entitled to representation on a local body as a man who paid the same amount in direct rates. The motion was carried. Draining Private Land. Cr. Thomson moved and Cr. Christoffcl seconded that the Drainage Act be amended so as to prevent County Councils using County funds for the purpose of draining private property.

Cr. Walter drew attention to the position which would arise if there w'ero two feet of water on a road which could only'be removed by draining private land. The motion was lost.

Dog Registration, Cr Walter said all dogs should ho compulsorily registered before March 31st. of each year. Unless a dog was registered the owner could have no claim on the dog if it was lost or stolen. If dogs were unregistered the people with whom the dog was domiciled at the time should he made responsible for all damage dpne. The chairman said they desired some enactment which would make it an offence punishable by a heavy fine to keep an v.nregistered dog or to harbour one. Ci - Marfell said he would like to go a step further and make it compulsoi’y that all dogs be tied up at night. Cr Mas well; It would bo hard to enforce it. Cr Marfell said he had been very fortunate in not having his sheep worried, but he could speak for other people. It was decided that a remit embodying the views expressed should be forwarded. I Consolidating Loans. Cr. Astbury moved that it was desirable to have it made possible for ridings of a county to consolidate their loans. Consolidation, he said, might hardly he possible throughout a whole county, because one part of it might be sheep country and the other dairying country; but granting ridings the light to consolidate was a step in the direction of consolidation throughout a county. The motion lapsed for. want of a seconder. Hospital Board Elections. On the motion of Cr. Porritt it was decided to affirm that the present method of electing hospital boards is unsatisfactory.