THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1877.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2536, 21 February 1877, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1877.

Opinions seem now to be divided as to whether it will be better for the Highway Boards to join to the Borough or be, as it is termed, merged into the County. Already meetings have been held to consider this matter in the case of Parawai, and other meetings with respect to the other Highway Boards are to follow. The result of these meetings if of no practical value. They do but serve to gauge, and that not in a reliable manner, the current of popular opinion, especially when that opinion is expressed by such, numbers as fifteen in favor of joining the County and thirteen in favor of joining the Borough. We said that the result of the meeting was of no practical value, and it would not have been even had the meeting been unanimous in either direction, that is, unanimously resolved to join one or the other. The only thing really shown is this, that the Parawai people see the necessity of joining one or the other : the question with them is which. We do not presume to dictate to the ratepayers regarding that which they should do, or even to offer advice on the subject. All we would attempt to do is to lay the matter plainly before those who either through disinclination or want of leisure have not studied the Counties Act, especially fts we hsar that there are petitions going the round of Parawai for and against the motion carried on Monday night, (that the Road Pisfnct be merged into the County) which some may be induced to sign without having bestowed any thought On the matter. This is all the more necessary, as there are not so many copies of the Counties Act flying about that everybody can get possession of one when he wants it. First, then, we find that the County Council need not allow the Road Boards to merge into the County if they so wish it, but with this we have not much to do, as the purport of this article has rather to do with the probable action of the Road Boards than the improbable action of the County. The first condition on which the Council can issue a special order for any Road Board to be dissolved and merged into the County' is that a petition praying the County to abolish such district be presented to the Council. The petition must be signed by not less than one-third of the ratepayers, who must possess property which must not be leas than half the rateable property in the district. The wisdom in this provision, viz., that of insisting on a certain number of persons having a certain amount of rateable property signing the petition, is obvious, for otherwise it might so happen that if numbers without regard to property were held suflicient, that over a third might sign such petition whose aggregate rateable property might not amount to a quarter, or even an eighth of the whole; while if property alone were the basis, in some districts one man might be found owning more than half the whole. (2.) This petition ia to be published in the district not less than one month before its presentation. The reason of this is seen in condition (3) which says that if within two months a petition signed by an equal or greater number of ratepayers possesring property not less than one third of the whole amount of rateable property be presented against dissolving the Road Board, such dissolution shall not take place. Supposing, then, that condition number 1 is complied with, and condition number 3 not brought in to nullify it, the district is merged into the County, and its position then is as follows : — (1.) AIL its property is vested in the corporation of the County. (2.) All functions, powers, rights, and duties vested in or imposed upon the Road Board shall become imposed or vested in the County Council. (3.) All moneys due to the Road Board shall be due to the County Council. (4.) All actions, &c, pending by or against Road Boards may be carried and prosecuted by or against the corporation of the County. (6.) The chairman and clerk of the County shall exercise the duties, powers, and functions of the chairman and clerk of the Road Board. (6.) All the liabilities, contracts, &c, of the Road Board shall be transferred to the County. The sum total of these conditions is that the County shall take all the Road Board has and become responsible for its debts, and act as the Road Board had the power to act. In other words the Road Board shall be swept away and the boundaries of the County enlarged to take it unto itself.

Thus much as to how the Itoad Board

may join the County ; next as to how it, may join the Borough. The Governor j must cause a notice to be published in' the Borough, and in the district which it is proposed to incorporate, setting forth the boundaries of the district proposed to be incorporated. (2.) If within two months after the publication of such notice a petition signed by not less than one-third of the burgesses, or by not less than one-third resident householders of such district be presented against such incorporation, the proclamation shall not be issued. Supposing then the Eoad Board joins the Borough, as we assumed before, for the sake of showing how affairs stood if it had joined the County, its position would be this. It would be in every respect part of the Borough. That is, instead of haying rates of its own and spending these how its Board pleased, the inhabitants would still be taxed but the rates collected would be added to the; Borough revenue. On the other hand the inhabitants, supposing the district joined the Borough, would most probably be formed into a ward, and send members to the Council who would have a voice in. ( the expenditure of the whole amount of rates collected, not those collected in the Eoad district alone, and thus might actually have more spent on its wants than it had itself contributed. This, however, is merely a matter of speculation. It would, moreover, have a voice in the Harbor Board, as it has now, but for which there is no provision if it merges into the County. There are also other points to be considered, but for these we have no space to-day, contenting. ourselves with, showing what must be done by the Eoad Boards to join either County or Borough, as well as the position in which they would be placed. .: • ' ■ :