CITY AND KARORI.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 833, 3 June 1910, Page 3

CITY AND KARORI.

ADJUSTMENT OF ACCOUNTS. TIDE COMMISSIONER'S FINDING. The City Council received last evening tho report of Mr. W. E. Haselden, S.M., who sat as a commissioner to adjust accounts between the City Council and the Karori Borough Council, in connection with the severance of Northland from Ivarori and its junction to the city. The commissioner stated On the whole matter I beg to respectfully advise:— That the real and personal property of the Borough of Karori shall be, and remain, the property of the said borough. That payment of the special rates shall continue as at present to tho Borough of Karori. That the debts, liabilities, and engagements of the said Borough of Karori remain as at present. That the interest and sinking fund of the loans raised by the Borough of Karori prior to the exclusion of -Northland shall continue to be paid to and administered as at present. That no order be made as to costs of the parties. That the costs of the commission amounting to .£l6 lGs. be paid in equal shares by the City of Wellington and the Borough of Karori. The Mayor explained that in connection with the collection of a rate for a special loan, which the Northland people desired to be collected by the city and not by Karori, the position was the same as before tho commission was set up. The rate would be collected by Karori arid not. by the city, v Councillor Fitzgerald said that tho basis of the ; commission covered more than the collection of this special rate. The commission was set up because the City Council had considered that the time was ripe for a proper adjustment of all acconnts between tho Karori Borough Council and the City Council. The Mayor: I quite agree with that myself. Councillor Fitzgerald said it seemed rather strange that the position was left the same as before. He did not agree with the commissioner's report. Tho Mayor: I don't think any of us do. Councillor Fitzgerald said he had been led to understand that there was some very valuable property which the Northland people had assisted to purchase. This land, they contended, belonged to 'the city, and the Northland people wanted their share of it. The Mayor said it appeared to him that there was a legal position to be considered quite apart-from the commisreport. It might be necessary to obtain a declaratory judgment to find out what that position was. Councillor Fitzgerald urged that. tho commissioner's finding was not consistent with other commissioners' findings in similar disputes. The Mayor said that they could not have the commissioner's judgment reviewed, but if thej obtained » iW-elarato-v judgment on the legal position, he thought there was a possibility of getting- a readjustment without a ret'iew. It was decided, after further discussion, to refer the matter to the city solicitor with a view to getting a declaratory judgment. ■