PROPOSED MUNICIPALITY OF CRANBORNE.

Evening Star, Issue 4034, 31 January 1876, Page 3

PROPOSED MUNICIPALITY OF CRANBORNE.

This morning two deputations waited upon the Superintendent in reference to the above, both being introduced by Mr A. Ji Bums, M.H.K. The first was from the Nort-Ea-t VaUey Road Board, and consisted of Messrs I. Green, M’Fayden, N. Hart, D. Miller, A Watson, H. Parsons, J. Fcrqnbarson, and Ross. Mr Green mentioned that the deputation that waited upon Ids Hdnor the other day had waited upon .the North-East Valley Road Board on the 22nd inst, when they were "given to understand that certain liabilities had been incurred. by the road district. Those liabilities having been incurred, this deputation thought his Honor would admit it was inadvisable to grant the memorialists’ request for their part of the district to be declared into a municipality unless there was a way of those liabilities being met. Those liabilities, which were not incurred by the Board's own free will, but from pressure brought to bear upon them from outride, we e secured oyer the general rate sof the district. No objection being urged the Board took it'that the ratepayers were agreeable to the liability, which amounted- to L3,ii9l. being incurred. .The deputation in favor of the proposed municipality had urged that their comer of the district Lad not been justly dealt with by the Board, bat it could be proved that the reverse was the base. Since 1873 the rat-s within the proposed municipality amounted to L 386, and me Road Board had expended L 731 18s 3d there during that time. His Honor ; There is nothing to complain of there. At what rate of interce de youget the 1i3,000 ? and for how long has the liability been existing?' . •. . Mr Green : The iniierest is 8 per cent, and the liability is about two years old. L 1,600 of it is for cash received j the rests consists of contract*. i

His HoNob : I may say that I put the question 'to the .other deputation ix there were any obligations, because if there were they would have to bear their share of them before thev could be erected into a municipality * and the law provides that the Superintendent shall have power to allocate the rates They thought they could arrange amicably with the Board , as to their proportion. Mr Green said the deputation considered they were only liable for LSO, and they treated the' Board with anything but courtly. His .Honor: They are clearly liable for their share of the L 1,600. I don’t think the deputation laid any great stress on not having received justice at the’ hands of the toad boards. _ I understood them to be under the impression that they could get laiger powers wider the Municipal Act than under the Road Boards Ordinance j though Ido not think the power* are much larger. Of course the mat *r will have to be taken into consideration before anything farther can be done.' What proportion of ttiy whole rote does the proposed uiunicipality bear? - % Mr Gbeb * : Ll9O, er about one-third. If a municipality is to be declared it should include West Harbor and Pine Hill. A few people should not be allowed to pick out the eyes of the district. , # BHore retiring, the deputation brought under his Honor’s notice that the P/ovincial Government refused to allow a portion of the £250 vote for.the West Harbor road to be used for the payment of compensation for the acquirement of that part of the road hire near M‘Curdie and Curie’s, and asked that the Board’s inspector of works might be furnished with a railway pass. In reference to the first, his Honor said he was under the impression that the money would not be forthcoming, and as to the second, he replied in the negative, remarking that the officers of the Government -had to pay, it being considered only fair that the railways should show what theyrealiy earned.

MessrsCampbell, Mitchell,Talbot. Cameron, Pinkerton, Todd, and. Jackson subsequently presented the following * memorial >to hi« Bptior We, the undersigned resident householders in the township of Linden and the districts adjoining the same, hereby declare—l. That we are strongly in fewer of the formation of the Municipality of Granmore, with the original boundary, including Linden, 2. That when we signed the original petition we were fully aware of its object. 3, That by far the greater portion of the inhabitants of Linden are in favor of the proposed municipality. 4. That it is quitenntrue. as stated to your Honor on Friday last, that there was any secrecy observed as to the signatures, terms, of presentation of the said petition.

It was explained that not only were the signatures of those who signed the original memorial attached to this one, but there were also nineteen fresh names ; and in reference to the wleged secrecy of the movement, it was- stated that the movement had been in existence for over .six weeks; the meetings had been advertised from: time to time in the Stab ; and by the first advertisements the resi /ents of Maori hill, Newington, Nevada, Epdyn, and surrounding districts were invited to attend. One of the deputation asserted that it was an insult te the intelligence of those who signed the original memorial to be told that they were not aware of what they did. .The residents of Maori mil were not sroing to be hoodwinked. Mr Buens thought it but fair to say he had seen another memorial, and on both petitions—for and against—there was a lot of the same names.

Hjs Honob, after reading a letter he had received, from one of the sub-districts protesting against the proposed division of it, remarked that aU he desired was to give effect to the ascertained and unquestionable desire of the majority. It would not have been a bad thing for all to have joined on to Dunedin, in whose largo endowments they might have particlpatea.

One of the Deputation ; It would be bettor for us to join Dunedin than the North Harbor, but we think we wtuld be better by ourselves.