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Star (Christchurch), Volume LXIV, Issue 940, 9 December 1933, Page 28 (Supplement)

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Municipal Corporations Bill Amended. AMALGAMATION OF BOROUGHS. (“Star” Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, December 8. . The clause of the Municipal Corporations Bill providing for compulsory amalgamation of contiguous boroughs has been deleted by the Local Bills Committee, which reported the measure back to the House to-day, and recommended that it should be allowed to proceed with the amendments made by the committee. As the Bill now stands it is essential that a poll shall be taken before a petition for amalgamation is presented to the Governor-General. The clause which has been struck out provided for amalgamations taking place without a poll, after a favourable recommendation by a commission. Another amendment made by the committee is designed to give municipalities the right to lay out grass plots or flower beds on any street, and to prohibit traffic in the whole or in part of these plots or beds. An important alteration has been made in a new provision relating to the setting back of the building line in streets. As the Bill was drafted there was provision for payment of compensation for both buildings and land taken for this purpose, but the committee has removed the provision for paying compensation for buildings, and has confined compensation to land taken. Material changes have been made to the provisions requiring the construction of private drains. The amendments lay down that no owner shall be required to lay a private drain to connect with a public drain or the sea at a point more than 100 ft from his land. He shall not be required to construct a private drain for the drainage of a building of a length of more than 200 ft. The original Bill, and the Act which is being consolidated, gave authority for municipalities to order the destruction of ruinous buildings, but the clause dealing with this subject has been amended to limit the power of councils to ordering the destruction of dangerous buildings.