GREATER CHRISTCHURCH.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 14326, 11 April 1912, Page 10

GREATER CHRISTCHURCH.

IO THE J-DITOI* OF "THE P„ES9."

Sir.—-There is a proposal to extend the boundaries of Christehurch to include Avonside and Bromley ridings of the Heatheote County an<l the Borough of New Brighton.. This proposal will have my heartic-st support on two-con-ditions- first, that, tho system of rating is.on. the-capital, and not.on the unimproved, -value: -and. secondly,-* that the .above- districts have lair" representation on the City Council. Rating on the* uninip'oved value would be, riiinou*- To the whole of Bromley and a large portion of Avonsido. A* glance at the map will show that the area of theso two ridings is just about the same as the area 1 of the city. The capital value ol the ridings is about; £300.000, but there has been no revaluation for about- four yearn. The number of-ratepayers on the two colls is about 630. There is absolutely no community of interest between Bromley and Avonsido jind the re,*-t of Heiitli<ote. as they ore shut off from the southern ridings by \A 7 ools>ton. .It-.wiiuld la> far better to include Avonside proper and East Lin wood, with the city. Bexley with New Brighton, and Bromley proper with AA'oolston, instead of their being in Heatheote County. I hope that the two candidates for"the City mayoralty will state whether they favour the extension of boundaries, and if so. what they suggest should be the system of rating and representation. If it is proposed to have rating on the unimproved value, then ". '<*"■() Bromley ratepayers w ill almost "to a man vote against the proposal, and so will n j huge portion of the 260 Avonside j ratepayers.— Yours, etc., ! GEO. K. BUUTOX. Bromley. J