TWO IMPORTANT BILLS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16585, 18 November 1921, Page 2

TWO IMPORTANT BILLS.

DISCUSSED BY CONFER- j ENOE, j A conference of local bodies and other organisations, called by tho City Council, was held in tho council’s chamber last night to consider the Local Bodies’ Finance Bill and the Motor Vehicles Bill. Tho DeputyMayor (Councillor J. A. Flesher) presided, and other delegates preseut were:—Councillors A. M’Kcllar, C. V’. Ilervey, R.. D. Martin and A. Manj hire. City Council ; Mr J. Gamble | (Mayor) and Councillor Muirson, New I Brighton Borough Council; Mr A. I>. Fora (Mayor), and Councillor A. Fisher, I tic oar ton Borough Council; Mr P. S. Niclxolls, Canterbury Automobile Association; Mr \V. W. Scarff (chairman Fieathcoto County Council); Mr F. AY. Johnston (president) and Mr J. S. Hawkes, South Island Motor Union ; Councillors Jamieson and -Jones, Sumner Borough Council ; Mr W. T. Lester (Mayor) and Councillor J. Gower, Lyttelton Borough Council ; Air Carpenter (clerk), Mount Herbert County Council ; Councillor R. W. Hawke, Waimairi County Council; Air G. Armstrong i (Mayor), and Councillor Wilkins, Akaroa Borough Council. Apologies were received for the absence of Councillors D. G. Sullivan, M.P., City Council. The chairman said that the City Council had passed motions dealing with the two Bills. Tho Local Bodies’ Finance Bill was an effort by the Government to make local bodies live a ithin their means, and it was somei what drastic in some directions. The extent of overdrafts at tho end of the financial year was limited. No local body would bo allowed to have, at the end ot the financial year, a greater overdraft than the total of its out- j standing revenue. Alonev could not be raised for local bodies’ loans as freely now as formerly. Temporary loans j were a convenient means by-whieh local 1 bodies could meet certain maturing i engagements. Tho principal of tern- | porary loans was a very good one. as \ it enabled local bodies to obtain moneys cheaply. It was a retrograde | step iri the Bill to prevent local bodies j talcing advantage of that facility. 1b 1 would force them back on bank over- I drafts at higher rates of interest. Tho j whole system or local bodies loans j should be remodelled. The Government j should raise the loans in globo all j through the countrj*. A board could j he appointed to arrangq^to,.obtain them i for the local bodies. It could charge j the local .bodies a small percentage to j cover expenses. The tirno had arrived 1 when a scheme of that nature very well I might bo considered- He moved- —j That the conference approves of tho general principle that local bodies ’ should so conduct their operations that liabilities contracted and expenditure made on general account should be met by the yearly income.” Councillor Al’Kellar seconded the motion, and endorsed the chairman’s remarks. Mr Lester said that the Bill was designed to compel local bodies to live within their incomes. He thought that it would operate in tho general interests of the public. Air Hawkes said that members of the Waimairi County Council held tho opinion expressed by Mr Lester. Some provisions in the Bill might be hurtful to local bodies, but it was an attempt to keep them within their means. Air Ford supported tho motion, which was carried. On the motion of Air Ford, seconded ! by Air ScarfF. it. was decided to pro- i test against section 3, which prevents a local body from borrowing money from a corporation or persons by wav of tem- j porary loan in accordance with section I 99 (1) of the Alunicipal Corporations j Act. The following motions, after some i discussion, were carried:— “ That section 3 (2) (c) should be so J amended to provide for such cases as i overdraft raised for matured loans, ex- j traordinary expenditure, such as floods. | epidemics, local disasters, collapse of ! roads, etc.. “That provision should be made, in; the Bill for raising loans for public) j works by special order unless 10 per j cent of tbe ratepayers entitled to vote j on loan proposals petition the conn- i oil before the confirmation of the j special order, requesting that a. poll | of the ratepayers should be taken ! “That attention be drawn to the; fact- that no provision is made for liabilities being taken into consideration in arriving: at tho antecedent liability, and that the term in which, the overdraft should be paid bo fifteen years instead of seven years. “ Tit at provision, should be mad© for ; liabilities s.« on March 31, 1922. being j taken into consideration in arriving at antecedent liabilities as defined in the Bill. “ That the Act should not romo into j j operation until April 1, 1922.” MOTOR- VEHICLES BILL. j When <h© Motor \ r ehic!e« Bill was j considered, the; Mayor euiri that the j Alunicipal Conference bad passed the j foil o win g mot ion -“T ha t 11. iv. ~•< >ife r- | euce, while approving ot the general : principles of the Bill, i opposed to : those provisions which provide that thy • registration and license fees are to be 1 paid to the Government, and is of opinion that the Bill should he amended to provide that a due proportion of such fees, commensurate with the actual amount expended on streets and roads within their boundaries, should

be paid tc the local bodies.” The fees the Government intended to take, the Chairman continued, w ere “pretty stiff.’’ 1 Mr ScarfF : They will make nice, fat J billets. ; The chairman said that some dis- j tricts would have to maintain the j whole of their streets and roads, while the bulk of tho revenue from the fees would go to the Government. Air Scarf? said that the money spent on main highways should be expended by local bodies. Mr Lester said that be did not see why the Government wanted the revenue from fees. Ho moved that tho motion carried at the Alunicipal Conference* should be approved. Air Armstrong seconded the motion. Air Hawkes said that some change was necessary. Alany people whose businesses were in Christchurch lived in tho Waimairi and other putlying districts. They had motor-ears and used them on the roads in those districts, but the city had a lion’s share of the fees on the cars. Local bodies that had long stretches of main roads largely used by cars should be helped to a greater share of tbe fees. Air Johnston said that motorists did not approve of tbe tinkering, piecework methods of legislation now proposed. The lack of provision for some of the fees coming back to boroughs and counties was ill-advised. A flat tax was objected to. In any case, there •hould not be one class of taxation under the Alotor A"chicles Bill and another class under tbe Alain Highways Bill. The South Island should be out up into about half a dozen counties worthy of the name. There were too many local bodies controlling main roads. The counties should be co- ! terminus with the police districts. Councillor Martin 6iud that the conference should bring pressure on the Government to hold uw the Bill. AG Johnston : It will he held up. The motion was carried. Air Ford moved and Air Hawkes seconded-—“ That this conference emphatically protests against the proposals in clause 34 of tho Alotor Vehicles Bill in relation to license fees for ve- j hides being paid into the Consolidated ; Fund of the Dominion.” Councillor Al’Kellar said that many ! Government vehicles, conducted for | business purposes, used the roads, but were exempt from the fees. They should pay the samo fees as other vehicles paid. The motion was carried. The Following motion, moved by Councillor Al’Kellar and seconded by Mr Scarff. was carried:—-“That tlie threatened loss of this revenue without any relief from the heavy and increasing costs of road maintenance, due to the large and steadily increasing volumo of heavy traffic, particularly in the cities, which is most destructive to the roads, is so inequitable that this conference urges the Government to reconsider the provision in the Bill j objected to and restore the provision for continued payment of ’icense fees to local authorities.” Tt was decided, on tbe motion of All* Scarff. seconded by Councillor TTcrvey. that ihe funds required for the eon- i struction and maintenance of highways i should be provided by means of a tyre tax on motor vehicles and a wheel tax on other vehicles. Air AATlkins moved able distribution of such funds be made to all local bodies controlling highways. having regard to the mileage and the volume of traffic thereon, provided that tho distribution of the funds shall only be made amongst the local authorities whose highways are constructed and maintained in accordance with the standard laid down by the Highways Board.” Councillor Alartiu seconded the motion. Councillor M’Kellar said that several Highways Board should be set up to carry out a wide and extensive policy of road construction and maintenance instead of a small and petty one. but there must be local control of the expenditure. On Councillor AT’Kcllar’s suggestion the words “ arid classification made by the Highways Board ’ 1 was added to the motion, which then was carried The following motion, moved by Mr Johnston, was carried: least two Highways Boards, one for the North Island and the other for tbe South Island, should be const!tut- j ed, and that- funds available for those j boards should be apportioned in accordance with the number of vehicles registered in each island.” It was decided that the scale of fees ! for licenses should be fixed by the local j bodies concerned, and that only arabu- j Lance vehicles should be exempted from | the tax. Councillor Af’Kellar said that j the cars of Ins Excellency the Gover- j nor-General should be exempted, and ] the chairman said that the Government could afford to pay those fees.