TURNED DOWN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 164, 14 July 1938, Page 22

TURNED DOWN.

BOROUGH PROPOSAL.

PAPATOETOE DECISION.

POLL OF RATEPAYERS. By a decisive majority tho ratepayers of Papatoetoe yesterday rejected a proposal to form the town district into a borough. The poll resulted: For the proposal 320, against 424; majority against 104; informal 14. The 872 votes cast were 42 per cent of the roll.

This was the second occasion on which a movement to form a borough had boen unsuccessful. When an sittonipt was made 1(! yeara ago a. commission was set up to hear evidence on the question, but before tho sitting was held ;i biennial town board election resulted in the return of u "ticket" opposed to the change. No evidence was therefore submitted to the commission, and no recommendation was made.

Since then many changes Oiavo taken place in the district. A water supply system was established nine years ago, a cemetery park had been "developed, important improvements have been carried out ou the principal recreation reserves and parks, the majority of the streets and footpaths have been formed and paved, and the population has been almost doubled. The Town Board last year obtained Government approval of a town development plan, being the lii'ot local body in New ZeaLuul to comply fully with the requireinents of the Town Planning Act.

The town district was formed in 11> 1 i>. Papatoetoe is included within tire boundaries of the proposed Ai'cklaml metropolitan drainage area.

The estimate* for the current year provide for a total revenue of about £13,000 and are bam'd ou a total rate of B.[d in the £ ou the unimproved value. This rate has been maintained unchanged for the past .six years, and the board jnoposes to meet an increase of £320 in the recent hospital levy by economies ill other direction*.