THE NEW COUNTY.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13363, 3 March 1909, Page 3

THE NEW COUNTY.

+ MEETING AT EE-NDALTON.

A mooting was he'd at Fendalton last evening in wimection with the proposal to term a now county. The ;r.eetin£ j was call' _ ior 7 p.m., lc.it at that turn; tii-re K'uj no a ir: iencv. It was 7.10 p.m. | whet? & dozen ratepayer, put- ni an aj>- J pearance, and elected Mr Dougall as i ciiainuun of ike meeting. At a later I stage; tho attendance wa_ mvre.;__.d to j .seventeen. llu- case for t!ie new county was .-t.H-d by _\ir S. A. Staples. lie point- j oil out that tbo- a_vant:i_;i.s to bo gain- 1 cd were that tho new county would | have jxiv. or to make by-laws controlling i the roado. and that it Would have tho | expenditure <jl an extra L'i'icU with- j out extra rat my. Ho explained that ! lie hail not .stated that tlie .-.noydon ; Koad Board '.."a_ in lavetir ut the new county. What he mid .-aid was that he had di.-o::.-.-ed ;t \\i;h t l-.o Hoard, and '■ that they iiad .seemed favourably di.sto it. 1 ney hail not then time '■■ to discuss tin proposal, but whoii they ' had tiny would call a public me-eiing. I Mr Staples pointed out that in thy j event ot a new county being formed, ' lhe_ I'ldlug system would be adopted, ! . each riiling being rct>you_ible lor its own Bur,_ and nuance. I In reply to i_uiv>nons, Mr Staples su:d that in the event ot Spreydon , , and other district* not coining in Kitcarton could _till go <m, but he thought there, was more, tuance ot the Government consent in-' to the lormatiou o. ; tho now county if it absorbed a few of the smaller local bodies. The method ol voting, cumulative or one-man one-vote, would depend on the wi-lie.-, of the ratepayers, as it could be em•- --• bodied in the ncces&ary Kill. i Mr Kougali, on being appealed to, ! I said that he was under the impression j that a county was formed by proelama- < tion on a petition ol two-thirds of tho : ratepayers of a district. Ho did not j think that a Kill was necessary. Mr Staples said that he had been | iniornml oy the member for I'iccarton I that a Kill was necessary. On tne ■ question of tho inclusion of the Avon j Koad Koard District, he- pointed out ' | that under the riding system Avon I would be responsible lor its own fitiauc '. Tho inclusion oi Avon, would not make ; any difference as far as the amount of : subsidy on rates was concerned. \ On the motion of Mr Wilfred Hal! it was resolved:—"That this meeting approves of tho proposal to form a nev j county of tho districts of Riccarton ! and Spreydon, and in tho event of Avon wishing to como in the meeting sees no objection." The motion was carried without aissent, and Mr Staples wis accorded tho tha nits c-f the meeting for tho energy h* had shown in bringing tho matter before the ratepayers. Th© Chairman expressed his hearty sympathy with tho object Mr Staples had in view. fie l>elievod that its consummation, would be to the advantage of the district as a whole.