ONSLOW CATCHMENT AREA

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 240, 28 June 1918, Page 4

ONSLOW CATCHMENT AREA

, - 4 ACTION BY RATEPAYERS. Yesterday,'before His Honour Mr. Jus*. ..-•.■ tice Stringer, in the Supreme Court in Chambers, tho Attorney-General, by relation of Mr. P. Holdsworth, ratepayer and termer member of the' Borough of Ons- ' low, asked for an injunction against the Onslow Borough Council to restrain tho latter from letting for the object of grazing sheep an area at Khandallah acquired by the borough for water catchment purposes. This area was taken under the Public Works Act about ten years ago, money being borrowed for tho purpose, No waterworks had actually been constructed, polls which were submitted to tho ratepayers for the raising of money for waterworks having been lost on two occasions. The area consisted of partly bush and partly grass land, arid the Brass land was planted with pino trees. Tho Borough Council decided to let the land for a year for grazing sheep, giving as a reason that the ungrazed grass laud, by reason of its liability to fire in dry weather, was a danger to tho bush and to tho adjoining domain. The ground of the motion was that tho council had exceeded its powers, and that in any case its action was not bona fide, as it had for its object the prevention of the execution of tho waterworks 6oheme. A majority of tho members of tho council had been opposed to the waterworks 6cheme. After hearing argument, His Honour decided against the plaintiff, and held that the granting of the land was within the power of tho council, and that there was nothing to 6how that it'had not licted bona fide. Mr. M. Myers appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr. P. Lovi for the defendant council.