THE SIX-MILE LIMIT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 77, 1 April 1913, Page 8

THE SIX-MILE LIMIT.

REMTJERA AND THE CITY. AN EXCHANGE OF AREA MOOTED. TO DEFEAT GREATER AUCKLAND OPPONENTS. The Greater Auckland question was again before the Remuera Road Board last night, this time in the shape of a communication from the Under-Secretary for Internal Affairs to the effect that it was understood that an obstacle stood in the way of Remuera being joined to the city area by reason of the fact that under the Municipal Corporations Act no borough could embrace an area which from extremity to extremity in a straight line exceeded six miles. It was pointed out, therefore, that before any further steps could be taken towards gazetting the union of the district with the city further inquiry would be necessary to determine the position. The chairman (Mr. J. S. Dickson) remarked that the position after all was a trivial one. As a matter of fact, the land which apparently blocked the movement for union with the city was an area of about five acres at a point on the Ladies' Mile, where the Ellerslie and Remuera boundaries met. Some time ago the matter of effecting an exchange of this piece of land for another area more suitable for the Remuera: district was left in the hands of the chairman to negotiate with the Ellerslie Town Board. The Ellerslie Board were agreeable to exchange at the time, and if it could be effected the six mile restriction would not be any block. "I should like to make it clear," added Mr. Dickson, ''that this does not constitute a deadlock, because the Minister has the power to bring in the whole of the district. Mr. Paterson expressed some doubt whether the five acres would settle the difficulty, as he had heard it declared that the excess was a-quarter of a mile. Mr. Moore-Jones: In any case, it only requires an amendment by Parliament to put the whole thing right. The Chairman: But the Minister has power now. Mr. Herrold expressed the opinion that the opponents to Greater Auckland .were seizing every paltry little point to block the fruition of the scheme, "i think the Board should take the matter up," he declared. After some further discussion, it was decided to enter into negotiations 'with the Ellerslie Town Board for the exchange of land necessary to bring Remuera within the six mile boundary, subject to the verification of the measure-