RIDING BOUNDARIES.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 290, 30 May 1929, Page 7

RIDING BOUNDARIES.

ALTERATION SUGGESTED. Method of Demarcation. The matter of the unsuitability of certain riding boundaries was menl tioned by Cr. Dee (Te Poi riding) at Wednesday’s meeting of the Matamata County Council. Cr. Dee stated that he had been approached on the matter, and he pointed out that 12 or 15 ratepayers, including himself, were naturally in the Okoroire riding, but voted in the Te Poi riding. Te Poi was self-cen-tred and there was little community of interest with his end. Hinuera. was in a similar position, being cut up between four ridings. However, with regard to the latter, the engineer had pointed out to him a matter which had never struck him, and that was the fact that Hinuera had

got a lot of main roads running through it, and the settlers were let off light in rates. The speaker then asked for information as to how the riding boundaries were decided upon. The chairman replied that in former years each riding had two members. So far as was possible they had been cut up on a valuation basis with close regard to natural boundaries. Practically all the roads round Hinuera were either county or main roads. Each riding so far as was possible was cut up to include a

portion of good country and a portion of poor country. Cr. Dee remarked that a letter which had been reported in the press as having been read at a meeting was a private one and not intended for publication. Continuing, Cr. Anderson stated that he did not know how those who wanted a change proposed to cut up the ridings, but they could not take in all the good land and leave out the poor. He would oppose that strenuously, because each settled area must keep up a block of poorer country. The engineer pointed out that years ago Te Poi raised two loans, which cost Id in special rates for part of Hinuera in the Te Poi riding. Now these roacls were county roads, and the special area did not pay the loan rates. In reality they were the luckiest part of the county and it was quite incorrect to say they had not had fair treatment.