CITY EXTENSION.

Evening Post, Volume LVIII, Issue 72, 22 September 1899, Page 4

CITY EXTENSION.

Tho Mayor of Melroso has called a serins of meetings, the flrat of which is to Lo held lit Brooklyn, to-night, to discuss tho provisions of tho City Extension Bill now being promoted by tho Wellington City Corporation. Tho Bill in question is tho outcomo of two movement* tint have been gaining ground in our civic politics. For various reasons, which have from timo to timo boon laid before our readers, an influential section of tho rcwidonla of tho City and its suburbs havo strongly advocated tho extension of tho city boundaries by tb* Absorption of certain neighbouring boroughs and districts, or at least portions of such boioughs and districts. It is folfc by many that iv order to Carry out effectively tho municipal undertakings contemplated, the area of the City should be mado conforniablo to geographical conditions rather than to tho tubitriiry limits now imposed. The subject has for a long time been discussed in a more or les.i desultory way, and thro is reason to beliovo that tho" change would ultimately benefit both city ancf suburbs. Ono of tho objects of tho City Extension Bill is to obtain Parliamentary authority for a scheme of onlurgem&nt. The other object is to abolish ward* and replace tho local %.eprcsentation on tho Council by a genoril representation of tho whole city. Tho original intontion of tho municipal authorities was, we believe, to create aho a body of aldermen consisting of such citizens as had pu&scd the Mayoral chair. With such a continuous body, ouch alderman, for instance, Holding ollico for seven yours and the retiring member belne; in each ca«e replaced by tho immediate past Mayor, it would ha\e been sible to hold general elections of Councillors without destroying tho confnmity of the Council's work. Tho majority In tho Council would then icpresent the wishes of the citizens, M'hUe thero wouKl not bo a complete broach in municipal administration, such i\a would result from holding general elections of Councillor* without uny permanent factor in reserve. Tho Bill, however, contains nothing in this direction. It does, indeed, provide for tho creation of nlduunen, but the ofllco is iv no wine distinct from that of Councillor. (Senior Councillors me dimply to havo tho titular rank of Aldorlnon. The term as employed in tho Bill is almost mcumnglcas, aud if no power or priv'iluge whatever is conveyed by the litlu it can matter* very littlo whether some of our Councilloi. s are called Aldermen or not. The AldcimtMi clauses of tho Bill "seem, therefoie, to bo. a hoinewhnt ridiculous concession to the popular love of oflicial title*, a love cairied to such absurd lengths in the American Republic. Tlio new aioas it h pi opened lo add to tho City consist of (1) i lie Borough of Melroso; '(2) the Roitd District of Scatoun , (3) part of tho Borough of Kaiori j and (4) a portion of the Hutt County, nutbide the Seatoun Road District, and (ommonlv known as tho Peninsula. The cxiicl dimensions of No. 3 can only bo understood by Roing over tho ground, or

by consulting a survey map ; but the port'Utim of K.nori to bu absorbed, toughly hpeaking, extend to thu watershed of the huiwarru SUoani, and include the Upland Farm, now known a a tlio Kelburno Eututo. Thu property and liabilities of the new jncas would bo transferred to the (Jit y Corporation according to the provisions of the Municipul (Jorporutioiia Act of 1886, rosorvtitioiiH being mudo in the ciiKe of special loans anjd special or sepanite rates itijklo previously in respect of only a poilion nf the extended City- Immediately upon th« coming into operation of the mcivsure, tAvo now wards would bo created out of the added districts — one on tho east nnd one on the west of the present Oily, There would bo three Councilloia for each ward, this making eighteen Councillors in all far tho enlarged Cily. Tho Chairman of tho Scatoun Road Board and the Mayor, of Melroso at tho time of ausorption'would be e$ officio first Councillors for the new wards. On Ist January, 1901, all tho wards of tho extended City, however, would bo abolished, and a general election would Ihcroupon be held for tho whole Cily. Aftor that,, six Councillors would retire yearly, and^tho aainual olections would bo for the wholo City and not as now one for each ward. Such are tbe main provisions of the proposed Bill, and they will need to be 'considered, practically by all the local bodies conoQiyied. The Mayor of Mclrose hgs done wel} to bring tho measure under the notice of his fel-low-burgesses, and it is to be hoped that an intelligent interest In the proposal will be taken, not only in the City, but in all the suburban distiiots concerned. If tho wards are to be abolished, it would bo well to devise under the. Bill some means for the adequate representation of the minority. This is an important point i that we propose to make the subject of a further ailicle.