TRAMWAY ELECTORATES.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18141, 2 August 1924, Page 7

TRAMWAY ELECTORATES.

OF COMMISSION. BOUNDARIES OF SUB-DISTRICTS ALTERED. A special meeting "or" the Tramway.; Board was held yes'.er.iay to receive ?ji<: report of the Kiectorai Commission w.iica sat recently to consider the rcad-iui-imcr.t or t.;e boundaries of the trum*rav suu-ussfricts. Mr .11. I'e.trce rrt-side-a, and 'here wore also present Messrs J. A. J'lesher. Geo. T. Booth. IX iiyi.es, J. V;. Beaniar.d, W. J. Waite:. S. A. Stanlcs, a;:<] the Hen. <T. Barr, M.L.C. The gei.-crai manager (Mr Frank inoiupson). in forwarding the report of the Commission to tl:« cJssinn&i.. sr.nic-u:— Tne report: makes it. neeess'ivy *j amend the regulations dealing ih preparation of rolls. A draft Ordor-:tt-Council hay already !»ccn s;il>;uitt?d to ellington, but its publication in the Gazette must not precede ♦•he publication of the report. The roil react, be prepared on or before September Ist next. There is therefore little time to be lost if the electoral machinery is to be kept in order. I would be glad therefore' to have the authority of the Board to send the report to Wellington on Saturday next.

Commission's Report. j Following is the test of the import of the Commissioners (Messrs Albert Freeman, A. "\Y. Beaveii, uud A. Dudley Dobson): — We, the commissioners appointed by you, in pursuance of the provisions of Section 3 of the Christchureh Tramway District Act, 1920, and its Amendment, as provided in Section 2 of the Christchureh Tramway District Amendment Act, 1921, for the purpose of (vide Section of the principal Act and Section 4 of its amendment): —(a) Altering the boundaries of all or any of the sub-districts. (b) Naming or re-nam-ing any sub-district; and (c) altering the number of members for any ffcl>diatrict; but so that the total number of members of tho Board shall not ex- j ce'ed nino (vide Section 3 of tho prin- ; cipal Act), do hereby furnish the fo!- ] lowing report:— j The removal, under tho Amendment Act, 1921, of certain restrictions contained iu the principal Act, relevant to rateable value and boundaries greatly simplified the work; the factors which guided the partition into sub-districts, : with their respective quotas of representation being population a-ud community of interest. iShe following schedule gives the population: Christchureh City .. .. 79,318 Heathcote County (pari) .. 3,530 Sumner Borough .. .. 0,400 New Brighton Borough .. 4,500 Waimairi County (part) . - 7,093 Eiccarton Borough .. •. 4,328 Paparua County (part) •• • 1,86!) Halswell County (part) .. 544 j 104,583 Average per member (9), 11,620. We very early came to the conclusion that there was no valid reason why j Linwood should bo separated from tho ! central area, any more than, should, I sav, Sydenham or St. Albans. It forms an integral part of the city proper, and ' as such should undoubtedly be included therein. The settlement _of this question, and its corollary, raising tho i number of members for the central subi district from four to five, facilitated ' our work in no small degree, thus S leaving tho outskirts of the tramway area divisible into four subdistricts, with one member for each. In the fixation of tho 'boundaries of these outlying districts into approximately equal population, compatible .with community of interest, encroachment upontho city boundaries was unavoidable, but as far as possible we adopted natural boundaries or railway lines. The boundaries of the Central Sub-district thus became Sel ThT P fo S llowing schedule gives tho names of the proposed sub-districts and the population in each:

® «•« f.* ' !Name. g g ® O-O >oO» Central subdivision . • 5 G0,174 12,0t>'> | Sprcydon-Adding- ] ton subdivision 1 11.245 ll,lot< Riccarton - Fendalton subdivision 1 11,272 11,102 Avon-Brighton, subdivision • • 1 11,205 11,103 Hills-Sumner subdivision .. 1 10,686 11,102 It will be noticed .that the population per member in the Central sub-district is 12,035, as against 11,102 in the outlying sub-districts. Wo have adopted this plan for two reasons? (a)' to obviate disturbing the city area more than is absolutely necessary, and (b) because we believe that the drift of popvlation towards the outskirts will in due course remedy the difference. The wide extension so far north-cast o£-the Riccarton-Fendalton sub-district i 3 practically unavoidable, and the inclusion of this easternmost area with AvonBrighton would not help matters; in the subdivision of an area so widely scattered as the present tramway district, an apparently unsuitable boundary in some part of it. is well-nigh inescapable. We desire to express to you? General Manager our thanks for, and appreciation of, much valuable information placed at our disposal, which assisted us in our findings. We respectfully submit that tho proposed subdivision conforms to tho Act, and do hereby declare that the Ohristchurcli tramway district, as defined in | Section 2 of the said Act, has been i divided by us into five sub-districts, and i we do hereby determine the boundaries of the said live sub-districts to bo those set forth in the schedule hereto, and also determine that the number of members of the Christehurch Tramway Board to represent each sub-district respectively shall be as already set forth in this report. Effect of the Report. i The General Manager submitted tho following report snuimaiiamg tho alterations made by tho Commission as set out in the schedule referred to in the report of the Commission:— The Halswell sub-district i.Mr Sykes) now becomes the Spreydoo-Addingtou sub-district. A small piece of the old Central sub-district lia3 been added to it. viz_ from Antigua street westward. The small detached portion 5a Fend&iton and Paixmni has been fejfeen. £rom I it. , . Tho EiesArton-Sottkburi-' sai>-fiis«.rcct; f'3£r Staples) Mir becomes the Bieear- | ten-FandaAfcasi tsab-district. Its aootkara and western ksandaries remain unaltered. It hsa gained tho area at Papanui farwerly in tito Halswell iis- ! triat, excepting a small triaagls formed by the railway, Laj»g€on'B road, and ?orth road, which goes to OmtrxL It has also gained ft corner rrtwa the old New Brighton gab-district, via, the ares* to west of the railway line. li has also gshml eomo area from tho Now Brighton sub-district to tho Ecrth-ezri of

Papanui township. The eastern boundary- 01 this Litter area is Green's road, which J2 a continuation of Westminster street. The New Brighton sub-district (Mr W. J. "Walter) 33 now named AvonBrighton. It loses to Ra'cnrton-Fendal-;<m the area just described. It also loses to the Central sab-district Papanui township south of Proctor street and south of a line across rural section to MeFadden '3 road. The western boundary of Avon-Brighton is Green's read. Shirley road, Stapleion road, to Xor;a Avon road. It take:; from the Central sub-district the part of North Richmond 10 the east of Stapleton road Jt takes in Avonsiae, North Liinwood, Bromley; also all the territory eastward to New Brighton which formerly was in the Sumner district. 'Voolston-Samner pub-district (Hen. Jona Barr) is now named Tliiir-Stininer. It loses to Aron-Brighlon the Bromley district yr.tl the Wit iaon i district. It to the City the north-western end (;f the old Woolston Borough, the boundary being' the river at Kndley and liargood street. Its north-eastern bour.dnry is rmvr the old Canal Kescrro. It recovers Opswa and <St. Martin V, and also take* Bee'cenham from the City, it retains all the Cashmere Hills settlement. The Central sub-district < Messrs Pearo.c. Loot!'.. Beanland, 'Taylor, and lMesiungauss Papanui and thai part oi east oi the railway, as l'ar socth as Bryndwr railway siaiion. It loses Avonside a:iu parr of North Richmond, but gains Liuwowd, but not North Lir.wcod. It £ains the nyrth-west par!, or' the old Woolston Borough, the City side of Radiey bridge. It. loses St. Martin's-Opawa aad Beckenham. It loses its south-western corner, which former!;.' jutted into Ilalswell district, the dividing-line being Antigua sireet. and Moorhouse avenue. THE DISCUSSION.

Mr Ban- said lie look it that this was 3 matter over vrhich they, had no jurisdiction, llic report being that of sn independent Commission. Ho moved: "That the report be received.'-' .Mr Svkes seconded the motion. Mr Waller said that two witnesses from Pupanui—Messrs Sisson nnd Hswke —had appeared before the Commission iind had given evidence in support of Papanui being represented I>\ - one member. The Commission apparently had ignored this evidence, as Papanui iraa placed part in Eiccarton and part in the city. Mr Flesher said the Commission had proceeded, apparently, on a population basis; if iS had considered community of interests and natural boundaries it would have involved disparity in population. Consequently, the Avoaside district, vrhich should be linked with J-iin-(-wood or the city, had been included in New Brighton. The motion was agreed to. E-eplymg to Mr B.irr, tho chairman said tho Commission's finding would come into effect forthwith. Mr Flesher said that there waa no | provision for objections being heard.