THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1907. DIVIDING THE BOROUGH INTO WARDS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8542, 24 September 1907, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1907. DIVIDING THE BOROUGH INTO WARDS.

On more than one occasion recently the suggestion has been made that it would be to the advantage of the Borough of Masterton if it were divided into wards., Exactly what is embodied in the proposal may not be generally [.known, and, therefore, "it should be of some interest to our readers to outline what the proposed change implies. In the first place the Borough Council may by resolution decide to have the Borough divided into wards, the number of which shall not exceed five, and can determine, under the Act, the'num-' ber of representatives which each ward shall have, but the total number of Councillors, however, may not be less f.han six nor more than twelve. The general rate may be struck separately in the several wards, and may vary according to the requirements of each. The general rate made cannot be higher than l|d in the £ of the capital value, but separate general rates may be [levied for any particular work, or | works, such as the acquiring of land or buildings, or for any underj taking for the benefit of any particuj lar ward, or wards, on a petition I signed by a majority of the rateI payers. Such rate, or rates, however, would not exceed f d in the £ on the capital value in any one year. Ward accounts would be kept, and each ward would, of course, contribute a certain amount to general expenditure. There is good reason to suppose that better representation, and, consequently, more [efficient administration, woulJ be obtained if the ward system were instituted. The success of the scheme, no doubt, depends to some extent upon the manner in which the Bjarough is divided into wards, the principle that should be observed in the division being that of community of, interest. To our mind the strong argument in favour of the ward sys-

tem is that the ratepayers could largely control the expenditure in their particular wards. For instance, if the ratepayers in a certain ward were desirous of having a special work carried out, the method of raising the necessary funds would be simple, and the debt could be liquidated by means of an annual recurring rate. More equitable rating than that at present obtaining would be one result if the system were instituted, while, possibly, the outlying portions of the Borough would derive greater benefits and pay less in the way of rates than they do at the present time. Masterton is now a fairly large town, and is rapidly growing. There is no reason to suppose that the marked development of recent years will not continue, and, in our opinion, the time has arrived when it would be advantageous to the community as a whole to have the Borough divided into wards.