REPRESENTATION OF BERARD RIDING.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 231, 4 October 1878, Page 2

REPRESENTATION OF BERARD RIDING.

To the Editor of the Akaroa Mail. Sir, —As one who took a prominent part in trying to obtain increased representation of the Berard Riding, I think it is but fair that some of the reasons why I did so should be placed before the public. It is well known that the Government returns through representing the rateable value at the time they were sent in, cannot be taken to mean anything in regard to the amount of rates collected, for the simple reason that the different road districts do not all levy and collect at the same

time, otherwise there would not be such a disparity in the amount of rates collected at the date the returns were sent in to Government between the Little River and Akaroa and Wainui Road districts, as the bulk of the rates of the latter, amounting to upwards of £200, collected were immediately,,afterwards,!: making a total for the year of-about £400. There was also another reason for moving in the matter. The. Little! River Road Board have for soiue'years past been collecting rates in an outlying portion of the Akaroa and Wainui district, which went to swell the returns furnished by the Little River district, this has, however, been recently remedied. It has been a notorious fact ever since the County was constituted, that the representation bore no analogy or proportion to the nnmbers or valurs in the different ridings, and was decidedly unfair. From the following return, taken from the public prints, and to which I have added the number of ratepayers and rateable value of the Akaroa and Wainui district for the current year:— Pigeon Bay Riding, 41 electors; rateable value, 4929 ; Little River Riding, 138 electors ; rateable value £14,326 ; Okain's Bay Riding, 42 electors; Le Bon's, 48 ; and Raupo, 37 ; total rateable value of Okain's road district. £4652 ; Port. Victoria, 57 electors ; rateable value, £3092. Port Levy, 24 electors ; rateable value, £3053. Berard, 144 electors ; Wainui, 41 ; total rateable value of road district, £10,825. From returns made up to 31st March last—For Akaroa and Wainui Road District, for the. year. 1878-79 the totals are 220 electors; rateable value, £18,474, of which 167 electors, and a rateable value of £14,7.46 belong to the Berard Riding, and 53 electors and a rateable value of £3728 to the Wainui Riding. It appears that Wainui has more ratepayers and a higher rateable value than either Port Levy or Port Victoria, and an equal number of electors with Pigeon Bay and other ridings that are at present returning members. Then why propose to alter the boundaries of the Wainui and Berard ridings. Would it not have been fairer to entertain the broader question of a readjustment of the representation of the whole county ? In conclusion, I beg to state that the public meeting was not called in a spirit of antagonism or hostility to anyone, but for the purpose of discussing generally our position and laying before the ratepayers such information as we possessed for the purpose of obtaining an expression of opinion on what undoubtedly is a question of great importance to the Electors of Berard Riding.—Yours, &c. JOHN DUXBURY.