MANCHESTER HIGHWAYS BOARD.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4902, 7 December 1876, Page 3

MANCHESTER HIGHWAYS BOARD.

; . A 'meeting' of the J Manchester Highways Board re the distribution of representation In the council of the Manawatu county,-was held at Feilding on Saturday; the 2nd inst.' There was a full'..attendance of the members. "Present—Messrs. Holcombe (chairman), Maysmore, Linton, Macafthur, Gumming, and Bailey. ■, •. After the ordinary business, of the’Board was disposed ’ of, it was! resolved that the following protest , against the distribution of the members for the County Council of the Manawatu'be forwatded by the' chairman to : the Hon. the Colonial Secretary : ? - 1 To the 1 Hon. the Coibriial Secretary, ’VVelllrigtOD.. - The Manchester ; Highways Board desires' respectfully to protest against the distribution of members for the County Council of the Manawatu,. whereby the Manchester Highway District, which is almost,conterminous with the Manchester riding, is to be represented by one member "only, while tho ridings of Taonui and Awahou return, two members each to the County Council. . , - , . , The Board desires to point out that the Manchester riding has a larger available area and a larger population than either the.:Taorinl,or,the; Awahou ridings, and the papulation is necessarily, increasing, in consequence of the operations ,of the Emigrant .and Colonists Aid Corporation; far more rapidly than that of cither of the above named ridings.:,/ / !'i The Board also desires to call attention to the, fact that for the last four years, before our soparation from ; the Manawatu Highway District, tho Manchester riding has paid fully .one-third of the rates collected in’what is now the county. and it. is therefore manifestly unjust that it should only have abinth share of the representation in,the County Council. ■ The Board, supposing that the riumber’of voters on the electoral roll may have Influenced the distribution , of members for the. Council, beg to remind .the. Government of the fact that nearly the ‘whole of the electors in the Manchester riding were disqualified by ' the'Revising 'Officer because tho Clinirman 'of the' Manawatu Highways Board had omitted to sign the roilpfratepayers-seut in to,the Revising,,Officer.for; the purpose of having their names placed on the elec-1 toral roll. But for this omission the Manchester!: riding would have shown a larger number of electors : than either of the ridings above referred to, the number of ratepayers who would have been qualified a.s electors being at the present time five hundred and ten (510). : ■ i •• The. Board fails to see on what basis the representa-, tion has been distributed; because; whether the, present population, the area and quality of the land, | the number of qualified electors, or the amount of rates collected in the ridings be taken IntolconSidera-; tion, the Manchester riding is, even now ( superior to (usyof the others, and should therefore have at least: as' large 'a sbare.ih the representation;:"; 1 ' I The Board, therefore, respectfully requests that the! distribution of the representation;; as, now: published, be reconsidered.before.the coming, election.' ' (Sighed) A;' Follett Halcombe, Chairman'Manchester Highways’District. Resolved, —That 'a' copy of the above pro-! test be forwarded to W. .Johnston, Esq.,, as, member for the Manawatu. ; !