THE MUNICIPALITY QUESTION

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 359, 23 May 1884, Page 3

THE MUNICIPALITY QUESTION

;., The. following is a copy of a letter received by Mr Wm. Henderson, secretary to the Municipality Committee, from Mr G. ; S. Cooper, ITnder-Secretary, Wellington:— . . • I am directed to inform you 1 that the' difficulty which prevents the proclamation dissolving the" two Town Districts and that constituting a ; municipality consisting of those districts, being made and gazetted the same' day is this : — Until tho proclamation dissolving the Town Districto'had taken effect the • inhabitants . thereof ; ■ could i not petition for iTiporporation as a- borpugh under the " Muaicipal Corporations Act, 1876," for until the Town . Districts are dissolved the inhabitants could only petition: as householders in a Town District, ,and that would -set 1 the. pro visions of section 358 of the Act of 1876 in motion, and,; the county would take possession of all the' properties of the Ttiwn Boards and hold them until incorpor,atipn ensued, which: could not happen till 'after thd expiration of two months from the presentation of a petition under section 17 of : the Act of 1876 from the householders of the district, made after .the Town Districts had been merged into the county.

* " ■ ,i ; Yesterday afternoon a deputation con sisting of Messrs Green, W. Henderson, Canning, Beattie, Smaill, and Dolainore, waited; on Mr Driver to secure his aid in pressing. on Government the necessity for creating Gore a Borough. The whole of r the correspondence relating to the sub- ( 3^<^t was laid before the hon. gentleman, and..after Mr Green.and. others , had furtlier explained tke Mr Driver said that as far as he could see' redtape ,was the only thing to blame. li b.e were supplied with all the correspondence re^ lating to the matter he would approach the Government and other authorities. on the subject on his arrival in Wellington, \ where he would probably be within a [ I week of the opening of the' session: If he failed in other things he mignt secure I an amendment of the Town Districts Act to meet their case.