OHINEMURI COUNTY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4470, 22 September 1922, Page 2

OHINEMURI COUNTY.

ALTERATION OF RIDING BOUNDARIES; SPECIAL MEETING OF COUNCIL. A special meeting of the above council was held in the County Chambers yesterday afternoon. Mr A- R. Robinson (chairman) presided over the following: Crs. J. H; M. Corbett, A. McGuire, W. F. Johnstone, S. H. Morgan, The county clerk (Mr R. W. Evans) and the county engineer (Mr E. Shaw) were also in attendance. A sub-committee, consisting of the chairman, the county engineer, and the county clerk, had been set up previously by the Council to draw up alter no five map s as to the suggested alterations to ridings, and these were submitted to the Council yesterday, together with the following report: "Extract from Section 60 of) “The Counties Act, .1920 : ‘The Council shall, on some day in September pre- ' ceding every general election, hold a meeting for the purpose of copsidering the representation of the different ridings, and shall,, if necessary, adjust the same so that the representation of the several ridings shall, as far as possible, be proportioned to the rateable value and number >f electors in each riding, respectively. ALTERATION OF RIDING BOUNDARIES. “In considering the question of any alteration of riding boundaries a comparison of the map of the county with the valuation roll almost at once shows that owing to the fact that, some areas are entirely taken up and have a high rateable value., while other large tracts of country are, so far, only sparsely settled and have a small rateable value, it is practically impossible to create ridings Ofl even approximately equal value unless community of interest is to be altogether ignored. That this conclusion was arrived at by the Council in March, 1917,. when the County was divided into nine ridings, each represented by one member, will be seen by reference to the attached statement giving the valuation of the various ridings and approximate number of ratepayers. The disparity in the capital value of the ridings as then created varied from Waitekauri with a valuation of £27,360 to Patetonga with £151179.

“Two maps are submitted, No, 1 Showing the county divided into seven ridings, with the elimination of the present Karankahake riding, which has been absorbed partly into Waikino and partly into Paeroa. Kaimanawa riding is divided and a new riding shown, comprising all the properties in the Kaimanawa riding on the upper side of .the Thames Road and that portion of the Paeroa riding to the north of the Paeroa Borough. Paeroa riding includes the portion of Mangaiti riding in the vicinity of Tirohia. A new ridipg is shown fbr Waihi Plains, formed partly from Waikino, but principally from Waitekauri riding. It will be noticed that this division leaves Waitekauri with a very small rateable value, but it must be borne in mind that the area contains a considerable amount of land which is coming into occupation year by year, and that the rateable value will be an increasing one. As evidencing this, it. may be noticed that at the last adjustment the total rateable value of Waitekauri ri < Ub& including the Waihi Plains, was £27,360 (less than the rateable value of the present suggested riding), whereas to-day the rateable value of the same area is £90,095..

“Map No. 2 also shows the County divided into seven ridings, with the inclusion of Karangahake as a riding. The rateable value of the present Karangahake riding is so small (£33,910), with practically no probability of increasing, that an additional area taken partly from Mangaiti riding and a small portion .from Paeroa riding has been added to bring up the rateable value to £44,143. The division of Waitekauri into two ridings is the same as shown on Map No. 1, and Mangaiti riding practically the same. Paeroa riding and Kaimanawa riding remain as at present. “As already said, it does not appear possible to create workable ridings which would conform to the wording of section 60 of The Counties Act. and both of the suggestiphs ■submitted have been based on the principles of community of interest and reasonable facilities for the representatives of each riding to become fully acquainted with all the'requirements of sucir riding so as to bring them before the Council. “All the figures are given approximately, but sufficiently correct for a working basis. Table showing .the capital value and approximate number of ratepayers in the nine ridings a; fixed by the Council in March, 1917:

The present valuations of the different ridings with the approximate number of ratepayers are given below, together with suggested alterations per maps No. 1 and No. 2 : Paeroa. —121 ratepayers, £139,240 valuation. Map No. 1: 166, £139,473. Map No. 2 : 11'5, £139,035. Karangahake.—lBs, £33,910. Man No. 1: Waitekauri, 77, £32,249. Map No. 2 : Karangahake, 198, £44,143. Waitekauri. —174 £90,095. Map No. 1: New riding (Waihi ?), 97, £67,501. Map No. 2 : Waitekauri, 77, £32,249. Waikino.—23s, £52,888. Map No. 1: 339, £58,148. Map No. 2: 217, £43,233. Kaimanawa. —87, £192,889. Map No. 1: 52, £137,707. Map No. 2: 87, £192,889. Mangaiti.—so, £116,678. Map No. 1: New riding (Komata or Maratoto), 57, £82,737 ; or Mangaiti, 46, £107,885. Map No. 2: Mangaiti, 43, £106,650 ;or new riding (Waihi ?), 97, £67,501. After due consideration had been given by the council to the maps and report Cr. J. Johnson moved : “That

the scheme as suggested on Map No.. 2 be adopted, and that riding representation be one member for each riding, with the exception ofl Paeroa and Kaimanawa, which shall be represented by two memberp each.” Seconded by Cr. McGuire and carried. > Cr. Corbett/in supporting the resolution, said he was very glad to see old Karangahake was going tp retain its status as a riding, as it had always been a good one. He considered it was a. comparatively easy matter to cut a big riding rather than a small one into two. Paeroa could not very well be divided into two on account of territory being on both sides of the river. Cr. Morgan said he considered that where a riding is large from a rateable value viewpoint it is better to divide, although he considered it a bad policy to have any riding represented by more than one councillor. It was’ moved by Cr. Corbett, and seconded by Cr. Morgan, that a heary vate of thanks be accorded the chairman and members of the sub-commit-tee for the way in which the work of adjustment had been carried out. — Carried. The chairman, in thanking the Council for its vote of appreciation, said he and his committee had given the matter very earnest consideration, and had debated the various aspects very carefully. The clerk (Mr Evans) had been of great help to him. It was very gratifying tp know thas the riding adjustments had been satisfactory to the Council from all points of view, and he trusted they would also be acceptable and satisfactory to the ratepayers.

Name of riding Value Ratepayers. Paeroa £94,792 134 Karangahake 60,910 331 Waitekauri 27 360 151 Waitoa 178,876 126 Netherton 148,270 97 Waikino 52,973 248 Kahnanawa 115,301 80 Mangaiti 104.077 144' Patetonga 151.179 218