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The physical area of boroughs varies from 112 acres in Naseby to 18,253 acres in Auckland City. Eight boroughs are below 500 acres ; thirty-six are between 500 and 1,000 acres ; sixty-two are between 1,000 and 3,000 acres; fourteen are between 3,000 and 5,000 acres; four are between 5,000 and 6,000 acres, and four are over 12,000. All the boroughs of over 5,000 acres, with the exception of Brunner, which has an inhabitant to every 6 acres, are large towns. In each case (with the exception of Brunner) the area has been extended from time to time either by the absorption of adjacent urban areas or by the inclusion of urbanized sections of the adjoining counties. Boroughs existing in 1876 were formally constituted under the Municipal Corporations Act, 1876. Most of the boroughs which have been established since that time have graduated from town districts. There has been frequent progression, first to dependent town district, and then to independent town district, and, finally, to borough. B. TOWN DISTRICTS Town districts are urban areas which normally are too small to be constituted boroughs. Before an area can be created a town district the following conditions must pertain - (a) An area not over 2 square miles and no one point in such area distant more than 2 miles from any point therein : (b) Not less than 50 householdersf 1 : (c) It must be wholly within the geographical area of a county. Town Boards may be constituted on the petition of not less than two-thirds of such " resident" householders( 3 ). (1) Independent Town Districts Independent town districts are autonomous, and although their powers arc less than those of boroughs they are of the same character. A town district may be proclaimed an independent town district when the population exceeds 500( 4 ). There are now 32 independent town districts, which vary in population from Mangaweka, 380, to Papatoetoe, 2,640. Three independent town districts have a population under 500; twenty-four have populations between 500 and 1,000 ; seven are over 1,000( 5 ). Four independent town districts have an area below 500 acres ; fifteen between 500 and 1,000 acres; fifteen between 1,000 and 1,600 acres. (2) Dependent Town Distkicts Dependent town districts are for general administration deemed to be a part of the administrative county, and as such are subject to certain county rates and county control, except for the specific purpose for which they are constituted. They owe their origin to the desire in urbanized areas to provide amenities not required by the county as a whole. There are 20 dependent town districts, varying in population from Kawhia (240) to Kawakawa (530). They vary in area from Havelock, 210 acres, to Te Kawhatu, 1,290 acres. C. COUNTIES New Zealand is divided geographically into 129 counties. In four geographical counties the Counties Act is not wholly in force. ( s ) Because of their territorial position there is no area or population qualification. In the 1876 Act, which divided New Zealand into 63 counties, provision was made for the creation of further counties, stipulating that the area of the new counties should not be less than 200,000 acres, and have not less than 100 electors. The provisions relating to area and population were repealed in 1885 by section 2 of the Counties Amendment Act, 1885. Due to causes related to Government subsidies to counties,( 7 ) many new counties were formed, chiefly between 1900 and 1914. This process led to the creation of some very small counties. The areas of administrative counties is as set out in the following table :— Table showing Number of Counties of various Areas in the Year 1941-42 Square Miles. Number. Under 50 .. .. .. .. 4 50- 99 .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 100- 199 .. .. .. .. .. .. 15 200- 299 .. .. .. .. .. ..16 300- 499 .. .. .. .. .. ..26 500- 749 .. .. .. .. .. .. 17 750- 999 .. .. .. .. .. ..18 1,000-1,999 .. .. .. .. .. ..16 2,000-2,999 .. .. .. .. .. ..5 Over 3,000 .. .. .. .. .. .. 4 Total .. .. .. ..125

I 1) Section 4of Town Boards Act, 1908. (*) Gf. Municipal Corporations Act, 1933. ( 3 ) The insertion of the word "resident" here is of interest. Cf. section 135, Municipal Corporations Act, and vide page 000. ( 4 ) See section 3, Town Boards Amendment Act, 1908 (No. 2). Certain town districts in existence at date of Act were proclaimed independent town districts. ( 6 ) Including Papatoetoe. (•) These are : (i) Eden, practically wholly covered by Municipal Corporations or bodies with substantially the same powers; (ii) Taupo, sparsely settled and largely undeveloped; (iii) Fiord and Sounds, almost uninhabitated. C) See page 121.

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