TAMAKI'S INDEPENDENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 121, 25 May 1927, Page 11

TAMAKI'S INDEPENDENCE.

DISCUSSED BT RATEPAYERS

SOME NEIGHBOURLY ADIVCE.

Tamaki Road district residents -who do not want to join Greater AuckJand were fortified in their objection last j night by two, of the "independent" Mavors "of the Isthmu3. Mr. E. H. Potter," of Mount Eden and Mr. S. Donaldson, of Newmarket, both of whom addressed a meeting hel- in the Peepless Theatre, St. Heller's, presided over by Mr. J. W. Carr. Tamaki is the naoie of the district which includes St. Heliers and Kohimaranuu Mr. Potter who was present by Invitation, suggested that Auckland City was already large enough, measuring about thirteen square miles, and if Tamaki's nine square miles were added, it would make the area too unwieldy. Centralised government would not be Sn the best interests of Auckland, because ■ local government created and tended to keep alert strong public sentiment, and tended to increase the interest of all residents in the affairs of their district. He quoted from reports from London showing that it was very easy to have too much centralisation. From the point of view of economy statisticians shovtfed that the minimum cost per head of the population was reached when the population was 90,000, and that as the town increased in population the cost per head also went up. Mr. Rotter gave an interesting account of the work of the forty local authorities that were assisting in the management and development of Auckland, in a way that would not be possible .with a highly centralised body. Mr. S. Donaldson, who ihad also been invited, gave the experience of Newmarket, which he said had Tefused to join the City, and was now a flourishing borough, the envy of neighbouring districts, which had lose their independence. He pointed out.that Sydney's metropolitan area contained 103.000 of a population and Melbourne 105,000, while in Auckland the population of the metropolitan area was much in excess of the proportion in either of the two great Australian cities. Sydney's ratio being one-tenth, Melbourne's one-seventh, while Auckland's was one-half. Mr. J. H. Han nan said that when Remuera was independent he paid £8 10/6 rates, but since it had joined Auckland he paid £37 9/3, and Remuera today was not getting the same value for its rates as boroughs that had retained their independence. The discussion that followed showed that the meeting was not unanimous in favour of maintaining the independence of Tamaki. Mrs. Ruby Watson said Tamaki's most argent need was finance—a need which could be met by amalgamation with the city. Newmarket had benefited from Auckland city's prosperity rather than from its refusal to join the city. Mr. Glover Clark asked the speakers if they could tell him what was the cost of administration in the city and in the surrounding local body "areas, werked out in percentages against rates. Hβ understood it was three per cent in the city and from twenty to forty per cent in tha majority of the local body areas that had not yet joined the city. No one wa3 able to give the desired information. At : the close of the meeting the speakers were accorded* a vote of thanks.