25

H—2B

The Wellington City Council expressed its agreement to the inclusion of Johnsonville, together with certain adjoining areas in the Makara County, in the city, and indicated that its policy would be to maintain city standards wherever constructional works were undertaken, while improvements designed to bring such services as water, sewerage, storm-water drainage, street works, recreational facilities, and a library up to city standard would be carried out over a period of years. The areas adjoining Johnsonville would similarly benefit from their inclusion in the city. These areas had in recent years developed considerably, and in our opinion it was desirable that they should be controlled and developed by an urban local authority. The Commission decided that the area to the west of the Ngahauranga Gorge State Highway should also be included in the city. This area has been partially developed for industrial purposes, and we are of the opinion that it would be more effectively controlled and services could be better provided by the City Council than by the Makara County Council. As far as possible, properties which were being used for farming purposes were excluded from the areas which we considered should be brought into the city. In areas where such farms have been included in the city, however, we recommended that the City Council should make provision for the preparation of an urban farm lands rating list to provide rating relief to the occupiers of this particular class of property. The areas adjoining the Johnsonville Town District included in the city approximated 565 acres, while the total accretion to the city, inclusive of the Johnsonville Town District, was approximately 1,407 acres. The final question which we were called upon to determine as the result of our decision to include Johnsonville and certain adjoining areas in the City of Wellington was that relating to the future control of the supply of electricity to these areas. The Hutt Valley Electric-power Board commenced supplying these localities in 1927 when they were what is commonly known as " thin " areas. Considerable development had taken place, however, and the areas had become self-supporting. The Hutt Yalley Electric-power Board is charged with the responsibility of supplying electricity where settlement has taken place over an area of some 550 square miles. On the other hand, the Wellington City Council, which has been supplying electricity for a much longer period than the Power Board, has a compact area of supply approximating 26 square miles. The supply areas of municipalities in various parts of the Dominion are not confined to their territorial districts, while Power Boards are, in several instances, the supply authorities in portions of the districts of a number of municipalities which are also supply authorities. As indicated previously, the position regarding electricity distribution generally is a most complex one, and wherever we have had to consider adjustment of the boundaries of territorial authorities who are also supply authorities, similar problems have arisen. On consideration of all the factors, we concluded, for the reasons set forth in the report accompanying the provisional schemes, that there should be no alteration of the boundaries of the power district. Two provisional schemes were promulgated on the 12th December, 1949, providing for the following : (1) That the locality comprising the Tawa Flat-Linden areas, approximating 719 acres, should be excluded from the Makara County and constituted an independent town district. (2) That the Town District of Johnsonville should be merged in the City of Wellington. (3) That upon the merger of Johnsonville in the City of Wellington, certain adjoining areas, comprising 565 acres, should be excluded from the County of Makara and included in the City of Wellington. (4) That statutory provision should be made providing for a form of control by a single Commissioner for a limited period of the Porirua and Titahi Bay areas, approximating 2,660 acres.