MERGING OF ROAD BOARDS.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 643, 21 June 1921, Page 9

MERGING OF ROAD BOARDS.

OPPOSITION FROM PAPAKURA OPPOSITION FROM PAPAROA AND MOWICtG SPECIAL ORDER TO BE GAZETTED* At the monthly meeting- of the Manukau County Council a letter was received irom the Under Secretary, Internal Affairs Department, drawing ; the Council’s attention to the fact j that the Paparoa and Howick Town- : shpi Road advised,, that the ! Council proposed merging these dis-«j tricts into the county. The boards I concerned were not in favour of such ! a proposal. The department asked for the Council’s views on the matter and whether the Council proposed merging these Boards and if so under 1 which provisions^of the Counties Act was it being done. 11l reply thereto the clerk pom tec! out that when th' Council wa 3 first constituted in May, 1912, there were eleven Road Boards in. existence in the county. At that time the Council was only concerned in the control auci upkeep of the mairt roads, and collection of Hospital and Charitable Aid Board rate. The Boards merged one by one, and as this took place the Government subsidy . on rates gradually decreased until it was estimated that the, County would' lo£e in Gvernment subsidy this year approximately £ISOO. This loss has to be borne by the Council until the existing. ,Boards merge. He pointed out that the Boards concerned were written to and the position fully explained to them, and pointing out 'that the county" was suffering through their remaining obdurate to the wishes of the majority of the county ratepayers. As the Boards 5 refused to give way, or to submit to their own ratepayers the proposal for their opinion, the Council made representatins to the Government for legislation whereby County Councils could find a way out of the difficulty and were successful in having a clause inserted in tthe Counties Act, 1920, This was welcomed by County Councils all over the Dominion and many councils were ; at the present time taking steps under the Act. In the Manukau County case the capital rateable value of the merged districts amount to £2,048.134 and those who have not merged £617,805, therefore the Council, has a margin necessary over the necessary • two-fifths required- The ratepayers who reside in the

areas controlled by the above Boards are freely conversant with the facts and have strongly expressed themselves in favour of merging* —It was stated that, the rate levied by the above Boards last year was: —Howiek Hoard %d in the S £232 6s ..d and Paparoa Road Board -jd in the .£ s'Ji 12s 3d. The clerk reported that Sir . redk. Ring had proceeded to Wellington on Wednesday last and had interviewed the Minister concerned. Cr, House lim.| been informed that the special ci’uer merging' all Road Boards would he inserted in the next New Zealand Gazette. The clerk’s actign was endorsed'.