THE MERGER QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 47, 16 July 1914, Page 6

THE MERGER QUESTION.

OiTOSITION WITHDRAWN. | Sl'l-A lAL OltDKil I'ASSEL). j Al 11 special meeting of t-lu' J'aran i'u i Cminly Council ,osterday, a sjn-(- ! ;\} order merging into t!ic county a portion ul' lie- \lna "Rduil di:,trie;. Has passed ai'trr a oriel uis.-ussion. 'Jin- e\pcil..i diil not uriiv.', rani oppe-iliou wa . pie.' ticaily withdrawn. Tii'' ■.•'...i.-mun moved: —"That in cm-; ciso ul' tiir powers conferred on it ey Stliihi i!.' ul' tin- lioad Districts M{, USDS, ami .Section :tl of the Counties Aiiiiiiiiiiiciit Ait, l!!l;i, the Council it tolvi liv v,ay oi' special older that the portion of the Moil Itoad district las already advertised) bo annexed 1.0 tiio outl,. ii;,u- district ct Llio Mangon-i i cling of tiir Connie, and cease ui In- pari. of'tho Mini liuad district as from Srp. tcmber S, lull." Cr. Iluji. .hi quoted tiio newspaper ad vi-rU-i'i'i, , I oi tile t'.Hindi'.-, iiiteiiti.ni ilo create a merger, which, lie poiioed lout, read as though llie merged |ioi'ioi; I'"'""" '"' '"'""'. Cr. Sie\> ns seconded Lie motion. Cr. -i'- Alliiin said tiiat -hnilar ;-.'is'ni had in-ill taken with regard to i'e Oakina Hiding. Tin' eliairman agreed. This action was i|iiite a common one. Cr. llopson said the lirst iiitiniation oi the ■. oaiu'ii's inteiiiion iiad been 11, • advertiseiueiit, and he had taken tin- if.tion lie did merely to safeguard Hie County, lie iiud thought it was u <i'.e-.->- ! lion of iranstorriug one riding into aiij other, lie had been misled as far as it was possible, to he misled. The chairman said he thought Cr. I liopson had taken on himself to answer | charges which were not made apaiif-l I him or am oilier Coinieillor. Cr, Mopson would'douieh i aib.iit tiiat in had I been mistaken. Cr. Mnpson repeated that he had been working merely in tin: interests of the County. Cr. .Morton said he was pleased to : hear Cr. llopson admit that he 'had ben 'misled over tho proposal by tiio advertisement, lie had told the ratepayers that In' knew nothing about the proposal to merge the land into the Mangorei riding, and he had not seen tie advertisement. If that were tin: only ©hiccti'Ol it was easily settled, lor there was no intention to bring the laud into 'the "Mangorei riding. As far as tin' charges, ui misrepresentation wol'o concerned. Cr llopson had said that only two persons obtained signatures to the petition. The chairman would remember that ratepayers 'had stated publicly that they had been given to understand that I they wire signing a petition for the for--1 mation of a new county. ! Cr. llopson: It was their own mistake. Cr. Morton added that the ratepayers still persisted ill that statement. He believed the merger to he in the best inter. -Is of all concerned, and he hoped that oilier parts of the road district would follow suit. Cr. Hill suggested that/the niisundvrslaudiug n-jght have arisen because of the talk some years ago of forming a Moa Countv. Cr. llopson asked if the .proposition was placed before the < '..micil beio.e thi' advertisement was ie-.'i'ted. Cr .Morton referred him to a letter from the ratepayers of the merged area, a-.king if the Council were la kin:; an; stops'to further their previous !'oi|imst now t'nat the legislature had h"en amended. I Cr. llopson said there was no resoniJ tion on tin- matter. The chairman raid that there was no need for a fre-h resolution. He had told the Council recently that stem were being tak. n under the amended law to cut, out the long-standing request for a merger. Cr. liopsoe.: We should have gone lor the whole district. I The chairman: 1 agree with you. J The motion was carried '.maniinousl;..