FRANKLIN COUNTY RIDINGS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 255, 2 March 1917, Page 3

FRANKLIN COUNTY RIDINGS.

New Boundaries Fixed

At yesterday's meeting of the Franklin County Council the matter of adding to the existing ridings or of altering the boundaries of the ridings as now deiined came up for consideration. It may be mentioned that at the council's meeting in December Mr J. Batty, chairman of the Karaka Road Board, waited on the council and made a suggestion that if the Karaka Road District merged Karaka should form a county riding whilst last month a deputation of Bombay residents similarly put forward an application for Bombay to be made an additional riding in the event of the Maungatawhiri Road District merging (Karaka and Maungatawhiri being the only Road Boards in the County that have not merged). At the close of last month's meeting the council went " into committee " to consider the proposals. When the item on the agenda was yesterday reached Cr Lyons formally moved that two additional ridings should be created, viz., Karaka and Bombay. The chairman (Cr Flanagan) seconded " pro forma." Cr oppjsad any iacreise in the number of ridings, remarking that the Engineer practically did all the work and it would make no difference to the Council's working whether they had as many as 20 members or nine as now.

Cr Henry stated that he could not support the motion unless )t was accompanied by an equitable rearrangement of riding boundaries, j It' his (Mauku) riding was divided 1 in two to give representation to j Karaka it would mean chat instead j of it bt-ing the second highest in j importance in the County it would J be reduced to being the lowest. Cr was of opinion that I big complications aould arise by the j prmiosal being given ellect to. The motion was thereupon voted on but was lost, the chairman and Cr Lyons alone supporting. It was then decided, on the proposition of Cr Lyons, seconded by Cr Lockwood, that the respective deputations from Karaka and Bombay should be informed that as the revaluation of the ridings had not been completed and as the Karaka and Maungatawhiri Road Boards had not uioige l the suggested new ridipgs could not be formed. The chairman next moved that, as agreed upon in committee, the ridings, subject to alterations of boundaries, should remain as at present, with the exception that the existing l'ukekohe riding with two members should be divided into two ridings, vi/ , l'likokoho East and I'ukekoho West, witli one member apieco, l'ukekohe West comprising the whole of the lato I'ukekoho Weat Road District excepting the

smail portion of tho same on tho Tuakau side of the bridge oa the Buck lan d - Tuakau road The new Puk' kohe Eist riding to comprise the late Fuhekohe Ea.it Road District, excepting a portion at ttie Kama Kama end transferred to Drurv, and also t> include tin Maungatawhiri Road' District transferred from Mercer The alter itions iof b undaiios, th * c airman explained, wHie that to the Mercer riding was to be added a portion of " Maungatawhiri Outlying," now in 1 Hunua riding and part of the | merge 1 Paparata R 'ad District now in Drurv; that the Hunua siding should include a portion of the m.'rg. d Op ihcku and Pap.iif.ta Roid Dis'.rics. now both in Dniry, the Drury riding being curiaded accordingly. The Awliitu, Waipipi, Waiuka and Mauku ridings to remain in th°ir present form. Cr Lyons seconded. Cr Lo.-kwood stated that although he recognised an amendment would be usele.-s he c m-idered that the p irtions of the Hunua Gorge road to Papakura and ot the Ponga road to Opaheke station should be transferred from the Drury riding to the Hunua riding. He was aware, he said, that when the owners in the former district waited on the Council they expressed a wish that they should be included in Drury instead of in the Hunna riding but they did so under the belief that they would be more heavily rated if they were in the Hunua riding. Conditions of rating had, however, changed and he believed the owners were now agreeable to an alteration being made. The people of Hunua, he argued, were als > desirous of being able to control their outlet roads to Papakura and < Ipaheke stations. The Chairman claimed that with respect to the Gorge road he had spent considerably more of his riding money on the road than was collected in rates

Cr Lockwood : Although " The Times" recently said that the Hunua riding is the smallest in the county it is the largest in area and in revenue producing but if altered as suggested it will be the smallest. Cr Wilcox gave it as his opinion that the Council was bound to respect the wishes as voiced by the deputation that had previously waited on them and suggested that if opiuions had changed the Council should have been notified according]y' . ' The Chairman objected to any further alterations being made in the Drury riding having regard to the fact that the riding was likely to suffer reduction by the creation of a borough for Papakura. Cr Lockwood mentioned that if his constituents moved in the matter he would certainly support them in endeavouring to oppose the retention in the Drury riding of the districts he had mentioned.

The motion was then carried by five votes (the Chairman, CrsLyon', Wilcox, "Henry, and Higginson) to three (Crs Lockwood, Eenall and

Woods), Cr Mo'ion being absent a*. the time.

Cr Lockwo >d at t biter s'age in the proceedings made complaint that uo meeting had b eu he! 1 <.f the sub-cmimittee appointed to make adjustments between the ridings of money spent on boundary roads Li is (Hunua) riding, he claimed, would have a considerable sum to recover from tr e Drury riding, for works executed on the Papakura end of George road and also on Boundaiy road, Paparimu, as the cost had keen wholly charged to the Hunua riding instead of being shared, according t> an old agreement, by the Drury riding.

The chairman stited that he agreed to a finaucitl adjustment in respect of boundaries to be alt-red but he could acc-pt for the Drury ri ling any liability in regard to works authorised by Mr Campbell, the late member for the Hunua riding, as to which he (Cr Flanagan) was not consulted The discussion closed with the understanding that a meeting of the sub-committee would be convened at an earlv date.