GREATER NEW PLYMOUTH.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 334, 22 June 1911, Page 2

GREATER NEW PLYMOUTH.

THE COMMISSIONERS' REPORT. | The town cleric lias received from the I Minister of Internal Affairs the follow-1 ing report from the Commission upon Uie proposed annexation to the borougn V :«w Plymouth of tne Fitzroy Town District: — * As requested by your memo. No. 1911-1221, of 20th ultimo, directing us to -enquire into and report as to tho suitability for municipal control of the Town District of Fitzroy, proposed to be annexed to the Borough of New Plymouth, we have tho honor, after inspection and enquiry, to report as follows: We enclose tracing showing tho boundaries of the Fitzroy Town District colored green, also a locality plan. We are of opinion that the portion (edged purple J' comprising the northern part of the Fitzroy Town District is suitable for municipal control, for the following reasons:

This portion of the town district joins onto, has a natural community of interests with tho New Plymouth Borough, and is at the present time fairly well populated, containing a population of about 700. In the matter of cleatric lighting, water supply, drainage, road formation, and proposed tramway scheme, the coßt of administration would be considerably lessened by having this portion of the Vitzroy Town District merged into tho borough. In regard to the southern portion of the Kitzroy Town District (edged red on tracing) we aro of opinion that thig area, which docs not adjoin the borough, is not at the present time suikaWe for municipal control, for the following reasons: This area comprises a block of lanu one and a half miles long, on which at the present time there are erected only twelve houses. The area, comprising approximately 015 acres, is held as follows: Seven owners, 402 acres; native land, 112 acres; New Plymouth Borough land, 41' acres; tho average size of the holdings being from 13 to 143 acres in extent. Four owners hold 4!)0 acres of this area, or an average ot about I'2o acres each.

By this it will be seen that the land at present is held for farming purposes only, and owing to the very large area available for residential sites in Vogeltown and St. Aubyn suburbs (colored brown on litho) and the northern portion of the Fitwoy Town District (colored purple), all of which adjoin the New Plymouth Borough, we anticipate that it will be many years before the area in the southern portion of the Fitzroy Town District is sufficiently populated to justify municipal control. We. are further of the opinion that if merged into tho borough, this area, owing to its somewhat isolated position, paucity of population, and great distance from the centre ot the borough, would not be likelv to participate in any of the. benefits accruing from the expenditure of special loans and public moneys, for which tho ratepayers therein would bo called upon to pay the ordinary and special rates. W. ARMSTRONG, Commissioner of Crown Lands D. CRAIG, District Valuer.