COUNTY CONTROL.

Press, Volume LXI, Issue 18415, 23 June 1925, Page 7

COUNTY CONTROL.

THE BRYNDWR PETITION. Tho Commission continued its adjourned sitting in tho Magistrate's Court yesterday, to enquire into ' the petition praying that certain land in Bryndwr (between 50 and GO acres) bo excluded from the C.ty of Christchurch, and included in the County of Waimairi. The Commission consisted of Messrs "VVyvern Wilson, S.M. (chairman), E. 'H. Bullard, and \V. H. Pullar. The land is bounded by Wairarapa road and traverses (portion of Bligh's road and of Idris road, and abuts on the Bryndwr rai'.way station. Mr J. J. Dougall appeared for the petitioners and Mr C. P. Agar tnd Mr S. E. McCarthy for the City Council, who opposed tho petition. Mary Jan? Kay, of Wairarapa road, said that slio had lived in the locality for over 60 years. She had taken part in previous petitions. Witness interviewed the. occupants of every house in the area. There were only 11 who did not sigh the petition. To Mr McCarthy: The land was only a small part of the Papanui area. She had battled to keep out of the City. She knew that the valuations of the properties in the Papanui area, had been increased. Mr McCarthy: You will have to pa 7 £3 12g lid County rate, whereas it would be £2 5s fid in tha City. The chairman: There will probably b3 a revaluation of Waimairi County nest year. _,..,. G. S. Cowper, Clerk of t.ho Waimairi County Council, said the County was taking no part in the petition. One of the complaints of the petitioners was that in the revaluation the rates were higher thrn in Waimairi. In his opinion, the money ,now received in rates was sutneient to carry on tho work of the riding. The rates were raised for main highways construction, but the money had not been expended. , The chairman: I can quito believe that. Witness continued that additional expenditure wa ß provided for this yoir. A portion of the increase was due to part of the County being severed and they had to pay an amount to the C.ty. TJio area that was out off two or three years ago wtiß compiled, actually, by the Drainage Board for a.n extension area. Cr! D. G. Sullivan, M P., said the records of the Councils Works Committee had been searched, but no traco had been found ot any complaint from tho Papanui aiva as to'neglect by tho Council. No proper representation had been wade to the Council frcm this district in regard to any grievances. The land had reached the stage of development when it was really a residential district and not a ruril area. Mr Dougall said that more than threefifths of tho people' wanted to get tack into the County. Mr McCarthy submitted that the land was urban, not rural. The majority of the peop'io were in favour of coming into the City and it would be meat mischievous to allow the small area to go back into the County. Tho petitioners, forgot the fact of th- revaluation which would have caused a rise in the rates of the County. If they got back into tho County they would still have to pay special ratss. Frequent tinker-, ings with such boundaries were mest mischievous. , . . The chairman said that the Commission would consider the- representations that had boeri made.