GEAR ISLAND.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1678, 19 February 1913, Page 9

GEAR ISLAND.

■'.'.' N . ■ "'■':'.■ A QUESTION OF CONTROL. PETONE VVANTS HALF. TEE HON. H.D. BELL INTER"..,,,yviewed.;.■;.,';_ ■ Representatives of the various local bod- , 'ics interested in.tho control of Gear Island, which is at present in dispute, interviewed tho Hon. H. D.Bell (Minister for Internal Affairs) yesterday afternoon. . Mr. J."W.'il'Ewan'(Mayor; of,Petono) stated that: Petone desired to have tho' southern; portion of Gear Island added to; its area; In asking this tho borough, was only askin» that the recommendation of the commissioner appointed by a lato: . Goyernnient, to inquire into the disposal of the .island, .should bo given effect to. ■: -It was nearly-;. four years, Mr., M'Ewan' . added, since ihis matter'first cropped up, and it was about time that some settle-, ment was arrived at. In the.past Ministers had.: "dilly-dallied" with',tlie matter. Mr. E..'P.; Bunny,. (Mayor of Lower ... Hutt) ;said '.that; ho .appealed for the 'Lower Hutt., Borough ana tho,Hutt River Board.and thai at the inquiry. bcfPro'the commissioner (Mr. W. ~S., Short) ho had appeared for the,'tenants'bn. tho island. Tho Petono proposal\had always- been •tenuously, opposed. .'There was ; no instance'jon record, he. claimed; 'In- wbich e. borough had been allowed to annex an. area in face: of practically unanimous objection' by .'the.,electors concerned.;", It was true thatione'tenant had signed the "petition; which: led,-to |the.. inquiry, but ; ho did so, three weeks beforo giving up his tenancy; and' at the' inquiry; explained that ho r ; had been niislckl.'- :if-the transfer to ; Petone. wore" effected' tho: tenants on . the island would have .their fates doubled without'receiving any benefit-in return. Dno tenant,, Mrs.. Strand,; would havi to pay. : £76 ; .a-'Vycar/iiustead 'of f £86.';','. The. island : was v pra'ctically aifarm, and. any ;-idea of ; 'subdividiug! it"had:beeii given, up for ;the-time-being., It. produced-£360. a . year in 'frents. - As-to' what Mr.. M'Ewan had;'said' about' "dilly-dallying," ; Petono. did not' apply to - have'- tho report of the commissioner .'carried: into -effect: .until 1911, two years after'tho report was pre- '■.'; sontod. , In 1911 the. Minister heard .the' , Petono' application, and also objections,. and 'decided,,.that, the; time, was .not. op-; 'poftune fon-ranking the proposed ,'tfans-'' Jet.'i Petono claimed that .it had, built a' ■'■■'■Dridgo'tb the island, ; but the Hutt' Road . Board (had : .'spent. £10,000 -in.: acqnirin« and improving the island. ':The whole'of i this' amount ,tad. been ,'providcd by. the Lower.Hutt'borough, except £58 a year from Petone -and £83 a year ixam iho • Huttcounty.'!: ; ' :: ' ■ - : ,',-.' ■- . R«presehtative3 of the Hutt County and of tho River Board supDort-cd what Mr. Bunny 'had' caid. '■ Mr.' H. Baldwin, for. 'the latter.'ibody,- said that'neither tho . -board nor'.tho-renants .wanted to be;disturbed'in their present position.;- He saw ■/ no'reasonwhyithe island should go either : , to Petone .or. to 'Lower Hutt but urged that if any change were considered neccs- ; eary ;,the island should ,be,transferred to :. Lower Hutt.',:.;;:.;': .;vV.;,: ! .. : " ■-..:■ ";."■•

..Lower -'Hutt/Vr.; ;;.V-.';■'- ;vt.;,;,;" ■-..:■ ";•■'■ Mrs. - Strand, a tenant Jin tho, island, • Jtaitl that-.thetenants.wo'uld'like things Jo. stand 'just; as' they were.'\' They; did "'hot .want.to'pay more .'rates'., Mr.. E,; C- -Kirk, .Petone',,Borough Jioitor, said that.his argument was summed .up '-hi tho' report • furnished.by Mr. , W. S.; Short. ; : Mr.', Buriny'a argument re-; garding, tho electors had been dealt with ■by; Mr. : ,. Short.; It, was the'publio interest that, had to. bo considered and not any interest;,that" jnight. happen,'• to;'bo'''pre■'.'JHWW'at''the/moment: ;In- connection ! ; jrith the rconstriictiott'of the bridge,' : tona had /incurred a. liability of as against .8162 by the Hutt County, and *325 by Lower *Hutt Borongh.' ''Petone bad-taken.all, theiresponsibflity. of acquiring land and building tho bridge and approaches. ;;an;«ew f 'fif; m ;wTiioh.;-%'.s;Wfißa , d-d&'^'?fe 3 S uch :m A^il>\^it h 6'-;past\liis , '-'r«p6rt'''Bn6yd ■■^.W'JMly-set aside in'this''ihstan'oe^ :; .' ? i^^'iM'W.i^ i^h^&hi3;;:::T, emark; aDo^nfc;. , been "- based ; upon a, fuller knowledge of the facts than was possessed;by; : Mr;Bilnny. •:■'." The', Minister, in reply, said "that'the' .-; comndssioner,in his.report had said- that on^phaseW .the'subjeefhad not dealt ; with in-the argument'before him. This ph !?!'^ as ''°/.'«wnt. importance referred to t£at day! ,1 he - Minister-; went ■ on",to -•'ex'plain that the ...matter; he; referred to' was one.'-of boundarie S .;-^:Petone .-bordered, , so . far-' 'as' :'thf" { "river ; the; Hutt, borough was bordered' by '< the eastern branch ,;Behveen these two «f a fvH l! l? th ?-Wind, an,isolated part- : of, tho Huft :• county... Ho, Commissionor; was of .opinion that what reallyl,oved ; S|^'- to ; ft 4 *"?* in the matterwaHhat the-Jaw did', not: permit Hho extension of its own boundanei -So., long as, Gear Island, lay on the margin d Petone .borough, s 3 par«ting it from.tho,land. which the bridge now served, that area which 'the bridgeserved •^w'" 1 ' n? 111 the ■ Commis-' T f W ct ' Mr V P ell said'.that the present ..Government had'ns much confidentin Mr.> Short's justico,arid his dc-cisipns-as; any previous Government, but in-this particular- question'it was imposBible>to ignore tho fact that' tho condi- , tions e wero. no longer those upon which' Mr. Short ha<i reported.;. .llio land lay in a; peculiar-positittu",-tho Minister con-' tinued,.and.oTmously,' if .they were to ■ itart j.to-day to. forro.borqughs out,of tho Hutt : Coanty,' Gear'lsland would be put into .onoborpugb or ftho other. • They had itin the ..county, now, and the boroughs had'-.ta.mako .put-a -case; for taking it out of.;the county.,. Each, borough-had made out a .very, strong cose, bu't tho Hutt borough, apparently' to-day did not want £.V!!» R d i*ni ali " iF&V i b P VO «Sb- wanted half of it. Ihowholeposition would have •.! to bo reconsidered. , Ho was not prepared , to _bo guided by.'Mr:, Short's .previous Vc- • Pwt.as^conclusive,: although ho did not sayihat he. ignored it.,'He was inclined / to novo >'. commission inq'uiro into the new stafer of -things/which had arisen,; ; and would call.tor another;roport before advising his. Excellency.; Ho had a Very ;tr. on S.opinion of ; his .own, 1 but did. not ■i k &. W01llt l■:»> «01l to express it that : j y ; '■ % : to bo obtained woulddeal with thoVmtitter, entirely, from the 1 point ;of .view of tho right- as it appeared in the present accessibiliy; of tho island -and the-present,bridge to the'island from ...both-.eads...vln--doing tMs,< he was not ..■ throwing: tho slightest shir upon Mr Short,; whom; ha, believed, to; bo as competent a' man.as thore was in theDo-1 vmimpn. .'■;:■ •':; i, ;'.'.... .:■; ■'-~;-': ..',.;.