THE COUNTIES BILL.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 124, 24 November 1876, Page 6

THE COUNTIES BILL.

While preparing a digest of the Counties Act passed at last session of the General Assembly to publish for general information, we observed the following compiled by the North Otago '1 lmes and as it is very much like what we intended to produce, we give it instead of our own. The following digest only refers to the first fifty-three clauses :—

The first four are the title and interpretation clauses, and the sth provides ior the incorporation with this Act of the Rating Act, Regulations of Local Elections Act, 1876. Boroughs are not included in Counties. The Counties of East Taupo, Sounds, Fiord, Kawhia, West Taupo, and Stewart's ■Island are exempted from the operation of the Act until brought under it by resolution of Parliament. The Governor is by Proclamation to divide ench County into Ridings, the number of which is not to exceed nine. The County Councils are <<_ be bodies corporate. The County Council may at any time within three months of its first meeting pass a resolution that the greater part of the Act shall not come into force in the County, and thereafter may not hold any meeting, except for the following purposes, viz.,

(Section 30.) Petition for Alteration of Boundaries.

(Sfections 54 and 56.) Election of Chairman.

Nor transact any business, except (Section 58.) Election of Councillors. But at any time after the passing of such resolution, the Council may, at a special meeting holden for the purpose, determine that the whole of the Act shall come into force in the County.

Failing the County Council, within three months of its first meeting, passing a resolution exempting the County irom the operation of the Act, the whole Act will be in force. Subdivision 2 of tbe Act (sections 14 to 24) deals with the mode of constituting new Counties; Subdivision 3 (sections 25 to 29) with tbe union of Counties ; Subdivision 4 (sections 30 to 35) with the alteration of boundaries; Subdivision 5 (section 5) with the alteration of Ridings ; and Subdivision 6 (sections 37 to 39) with the merging of road districts into a County.

The power to effect such merging as in Subdivision 6 is referred to, rests with the ratepayers, and the modus operandi is as follows : — A petition must be presented to the County Council, signed by not less than onethird of the ratepayers of the road district to be absorbed, representing not less than one-hall the rateable property; the petition must he published one month before presentation, and if within two months after its presentation, no counter memorial, signed by an zecjual or greater number of ratepayers, possessing not less than one-third the rateable' property in the district, is presented, the Council may dissolve the Road Board. The Road Board District thereupon is merged into a County, to which its assets, liabilities, and powers are transferred.

Part 3 (sections 40 to 53) deals with the electors of Counties and the provisions for first elections. Every person of the age of twenty-one years, whose name appears upon the valuation roll of any road disirict within a Riding, or an outlying district of a County, or on the list of Miners' Rights, is entitled to be enrolled as a County elector. (This provision, although the pronoun masculine is used in succeeding sections, appears to include females in the franchise). Every County elector is entitled to vote for the election for the Riding in which he is enrolled, according to the following scale : —

(a.) If his rateable property, whether in one or more tenements, is valued on any valuation roll at less than £50, he shall have one vote.

(b. ) Not less than £50, but less than £100, two votes. (c.) Not less than £100, but less than £150, three votes. (d.) Not less than £150, but less than £250, four votes.

(c.) £350 and upwards, five votes, (/.) Miners' Right, one vote.

A roll of the electors is to be prepared for each Hiding ot the County, by the Clerk, on or before the 15th April in each year, and against each name is fo he. entered the number of vot'-s to which each person is entitled; and as regards outlying districts, and districts where no valuation roll is in force, the Council is (on or before the Ist April in each year) to appoint some tit person or persons to prepare and send to the Clerk a list of all persons who, if the area in question were included in a road district, would be entitled to he placed on its valuation roll, and is to assign to each such person the number of votes to which he wou'd be entitled as a ratepayer. The Heeeiver of Gold K'evenue in every. Riding is required to furnish, on or before the Ist April, to the Clerk of the County Council, a list of Miners' Uights issued during the year ending 31st December previous. Section 45 is as follows : — Wh&re the name of any person appears on the valuation roll of two or more Road Districts, or on any such roll and theTist of electors of an outlying district or ''the Hat of Miners' Rights, ; his name shall; be entered in one place only oiiHhe roll of: the Riding • but "Ke "shall (be entitled to as • many votes as he would be entitled to at

a Road Board election if hia several qualifications in such two or more districts were all in one Road District.

Appeals against omission of names or insufficient number of votes may bo made to the Resident Magistrate, on or before the Ist day of May, who is required to appoint a day, on or after the Ist day of June, to hear all such applications and correct the roll. The corrected roll is to be signed by the Clerk, and comes into force on the Ist day of July.

For the purposes of the first elec* tions to be held under the Act, and for every election in Counties in which the whole of the Act is not in force, the following are to be electors : —

(1.) Those entitled to vote nt Road Board elections. (2.) Those entitled to vote at General Assembly elections.

(3.) Holders of Miners' Rights.

The Governor has full power to make all such appointments, and generally to do all such things as may be necessar? to bring the Act into operation in eacL County, and the Colonial Treasurer is empowered to pay all expenses out of the Consolidated Fund, the advance to be deducted out of the first moneys payable to the County under " The Financial Arrangements Act, 1876."