GREATER NEW PLYMOUTH

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 219, 14 March 1912, Page 7

GREATER NEW PLYMOUTH

ST. AUBYN'S PETITION. COMMISSION'S FLNDINGS. .' A copy of the report of the commissioners set up ,to enquire into ,tlie,petition of .residents of the St. Aubyn, towjjji district, i praying for inclusion in the borough of New Plymouth, has been received by the town clerk (Mr. F. T. Bellringer). In it the Commissioners (Messrs G. H. Bullard, Commissioner of Crown Lands, and D. Craig, District Land Valuer at Wanganui) recommend, that the prayer qf the .petitioners be acceded to, with the exception that the .allotments 9, Fitzroy district, and 3, Grey district, be not included in. the area proposed for municipal, control. The reason given by the commissioners is that the areas referred to were of too rough a nature to receive any benefit from being so included. They are, it is stated, practically land farmed with adjacent lands also outside the borough.

In stating that the remainder of the area mentioned in the petition should go into the borough, the commissioners point out that it is already mostly subdivided into small areas, has a community of interest with.the borough, and is nearer the centre thereof than areas already recommended to be included. It was also noted that the majority of the land owners affected have signed the petition in favor of the proposed inclusion of the. St. Aubyn town district in the borough.

THE EXCLUDED PORTION.

The excluded portion referred to by the commissioners comprises that portion of Marfell's farm which lies within the area proposed by the petitioners. If the poll of ratepayers proves favorable to the proposals, New Plymouth borough will extend to within half a mile of the breakwater, Bayley road being the line of demarcation. The idea of those behind the Greater New Plymouth movement is to carry the boundaries of the Borough' light down to Paritutu. That accomplished, the Greater New Plymouth scheme will be completed. It is not anticipated, so a News reporter was given to understand, that there will be any opposition to the last-mentioned proposal, especially as the borough is able to hold an inducement in the shape of greatly reduced cost of transit to and from town with the advent of the electric trams. According to the views of the advocates of the proposal as expressed to our reporter, what little opposition there was to the merging of Vogeltown and St. Aubyn into the borough has now died out, consequent upon the proposals of the Ttiranaki County Council to raise the sum of £210,000 for expenditure on the Main South road. The ratepayers in the localities mentioned would under the county's regime, it is pointed out, be liable for a possible rate levied in connection with the loan proposals. The Minister of Internal Affairs has notified the parties interested that he will shortly fix the date of the poll of the ratepayers of St. Aubyn on the subject and appoint a returning officer.