COUNTY COUNCIL AND AKAROA AND WAINUI ROAD BOARD.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 607, 9 May 1882, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL AND AKAROA AND WAINUI ROAD BOARD.

Two correspondents in our issue of Friday are severe on the action proposed to be taken by the members of the Akaroa and Wainui Road Board in connection with meeting the petition advertised for some time now, having for its object the merging of their road district into the county. As we have before pointed out, the steps required by law to be taken before any road district can be merged into a county ire of such a nature that neither side can possibly be taken by surprise. After the petition of the merging party has been laid before the Council—and this petition requires the signatures of not less than one-half of the ratepayers or the district, representing not less than a half of all the rateable property—a period of two months is allowed for enabling objectors to lodge a counter petition. During this period the anti-dissolving party have the opportunity of procuring the signatures of their frien Is. These require to be equal, or exceed, V.'c number of signatures on the first-named petition, and must represent in the aggregate not less than a third of the rateable value ot the property in the district. In counting heads a bare majority have in this way a fair chance of thwarting the wishes of holders of large properties, and consequently large ratepayers. After all the preliminary skirmishing of petitions and counter petitions is gone through, the Council can only act by " special order," an operation which takes time, and is hedged round with a considerable number uf legal formalities.

Our correspondents make merry over another class proposed to be scheduled as signing under protest. We are no more in the secrets of the promoters of the counter petition than are our correspondents ; and this brings us to our own suggestion, viz., that a public meeting of all concerned should be held at some central place, where what is a most important question can be discussed in the manner suggested ; and this action, we have little doubt, would tend considerably to enable all parties to arrive at clearer conceptions of the matter.