ST. AUBYN MERGING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 168, 3 December 1912, Page 8

ST. AUBYN MERGING.

BOARD REFUSES TO DIE

REMA ii K ABLE POSITION'

Hie St. Aubyn Town Board, which has been olhcially "dead" for some few weeks past, apparently still refuses to consider that to all intents and purposes it lias ceased to he u local body, it is determined to die hard! Notwithstanding that section .*SO of the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, 1012—which came into force on .November 7—whereby the St. Aubyn town district and town hoard were absolutely abolished, it has apparently been currying on works and .mines* of the old board. Color is lent to this suggestion by the fact that oil W vcmber, 27--twenty days after its abolition—notices. headed "The St. Aubyn Town Board," were issued to ratepayers requiring the rates to be paid betore Wednesday, December 11, 1912, otherwise a ten per cent, .penalty would be added. It is also stated that the, Board has made payments by cheque since November 7. and an interesting position musfc doubtless eventually arise as to who is going to be liable for the cheques. The "alleged" Board. paid them, and the Bank met them, but, ipso facto, there is no St. Aubyn Town Board. It is understood that the Borough Council ' will not be able to accept any liability ! for anything done after November 7. That section of the Act previously referred to which deals with the matter runs as follows: —(1) "The town district of St. Aubyn js hereby abolished and the corporation of the St. Aubyn Town Board dissolved; (2) the aTea comprised in the said town district on the passing of this Act is hereby included in the borough of New Plymouth and so form* ! part of such ward of that borough as I the Governor-in-Council directs; (3) on the issue, of such Order-ih-'Council, the I properties, liabilities, contracts and engagements of the St. Aubyn Town Bonrd I shall become those of the New Plymouth j Borough Council." The Order-m-Couricil has not yet been issued, and it is suggested that possibly J the Town Board labors under the misi apprehension that this Jias the effect of I hanging up its abolition. This is not | so, as a telegram yesterday by I the Borough Council from the Department of Internal Affairs makes quite clear.