LOCAL BODIES.

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20772, 4 February 1933, Page 17

LOCAL BODIES.

PROPOSALS PLANS IN SOUTH CANTERBURY.

The movement in South Canterbury fet tb® »ma]ga ination of thc counties of IftekeMiC Levels. Ocraldinc, and Waiu, „ r ,j( Levels and Mackenzie Coun\t *>£ Mackenzie and Gcraldinc l ,' a j,(,rtioa of Levels, drawa attention to u« urgent problem, the neees■jr fjr a reduction in the number of ]*oc*aJ bodies. In the caso of the proposal merger in South Canterbury substantial economies are likely to materUdiW if the major proposal is agreed ' t« and the lesser schemes also would Salt in appreciable .savings. The area af the combined counties is 5098 square miles as compared with Ashburton Omiv (the largest in Canterbury) 2542 1 Mtsarc miles, and Amuri, 2362 square sifts. The new county would have a nopulaUon of 20,804; and the ratepayJn would number 5375. At its latest acting the Mackenzie County Council approved of a schema to amalgamate wiiit Geraldino County, a portion of iav*!* County, and to consider thc linking op of Waimato County with the area, if so desired. The other counties jsttreutcd have not yet considered the proposal*. Metropolitan Board of Works. Suggestions for the unification of jeeal bodies in and around Christchurch «rifinally took the form of a proposal r ' to set up a Metropolitan Board of "Works tad this was discussed at a conference, |e!d on April 11 last year, attended by jeprcsentatives of the" Christchurch City (frUß<*il, the New Brighton and Eiccarftm Borough Councils, the- Heathcote, Panama, and Waimairi County Councils, $© Christchurch Drainage Board, the Cfcrwtehurch Tramway Board, and the {gwistchurch Domains Board. The out«jB8 was the formation of a committee rf «eren "to investigate and report upon the financial and general aspects <rf the question." The local bodies interested were asked to supply copies a! tbeiT most recent balance-sheets and »y other information that would be of BW, The committee has hold several weetiaga, and at present Mr James Anderson, formerly City Treasurer, who is a member of the committee, is preparing a report on the statistical information that has been supplied. Or. M. B. Lyons, the chairman of the committee, told a representative of "The press" yesterday that it is hoped to call the committee together towards the end of the present month. Position of Counties. The principal objection to the amalgamation of surrounding counties, or portions of them, with the City is the rating question. The general rate in th« City is levied on the unimproved value and the adoption of that system in counties, or portions of counties, it is contended, would result in great hardship. Until the City adopts rating an the annual value there is considered to be little likelihood of amalgamation proposals finding favour in the eounties is the vicinity of the City. As far as the residents of the different ridings of the Heathcote County are concerned there is no apparent general desire for amalgamation. This is particularly so in the ease of the Cashmere riding, which in many respects, might bo considered readiest for amalgamation. But because the riding is well provided with public services, and | because its affairs are well and econm omically looked after on the County % Council, the residents appear satisfied Hwith things as they are. The publicn- • jj tion of a report of a special committee [I of the Mount Pleasant Eesidents' Asso- ':' elation, setting out some alleged advan■j< tnges of amalgamation as far as a por- '; tion of the riding is concerned, might ''J seem to indicate dissatisfaction with 3. County control, but actually, according '. t# Cr. A. W. G. Williams, the member t' for the Biding, the supporters of amaljj gamatioa ara few. That the special roramittee did not consider the mat- - t«r «ne of great urgency seems plain . i from the fact that the committee was 1 ■ *et up in "March or April last, and Cr. ViWams states that when the report ; , va» submitted recently to a general insisting of the Association, members, of f&# special committee complained that they had not been consulted in its prelunation. In moving at the meeting «f the County Council last week for a «6<nßUttee of the Council to be set up, Cr. WUliaina'a object was that the comMttee should investigate amalgamation wth the view of obtaining authoritative information on the subject to which wsaeillorh eoald refer for general in- , formation, as required. It is interesting to recall that for a period the -.Mount Pleasant riding was amalgamated irit» thc Borough of Sumner, but this y~4W not prove successful.