BREAKING UP COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1922, Page 5

BREAKING UP COUNTY.

A PROPOSED SECESSION. OPPOSED BY EGMONT COUNCIL. The question of the proposed secession of a portion of the northern end of the Egmont County, which proposes to merge into the Taranaki County, was the subject of discussion at the meeting of the Egmont County Council yesterday, when a letter was received from the council’s solicitors detailing the steps necessary to fight the petition. This could be done by counterpetition. providing there was time before the commission was set up, or by bringing evidence./ The chairman stated that thirty two of the forty ratepayers in the proposed area had signed the petition in favor of merging, and it would be necessary to get a counter-petition signed by one-third of those to nullify I its effect. He had obtained three signatures at the Okato sale the previous day and understood that others would sign as they now wished to remain in the Egmont County. Finances of counties were now becoming a fairly heavy _and important matter and it was very wrong for any”3ection of the county to be able to break away and endeavor to join another county, thus causing additional expense and work. He thought the Government should be asked to bring in legislation to stop this unnecessary changing, which considerably disorganised county affairs. Cr. Tosland considered there should be provision to permit of the formation of 'new counties where necessary, but he was against the law permitting counties to be broken to pieces.

The chairman said that nearly half of the petitioners were natives, who were led away by a couple of agitators. Tn fact, the whole thing was engineered by a few people. He was not opposed to their leaving the county if thev wished, but he objected on principle. He therefore moved that the council requests the Prime Minister to look into the question of what might be called breaking up counties, which confuses the financial position of two counties, and 'that the Government,, be requested to bring in such legislation as will put an effective stop to this kind of thing. Cr. Tosland seconded. Cr. Gibson considered that they should go a little further and ask the Government to defer in the meantime consideration of the petition. The motion was carried. On the motion of Crs. CamnlM’H and the chairman, it was resolved to telegraph the Minister of Internal Affairs asking him to hold over the appointment of a commission until further enquiries had been made.