AMALGAMATION PROCEDURE

Press, Volume LXXXV, Issue 25970, 25 November 1949, Page 6

AMALGAMATION PROCEDURE

MAYOR’S REPLY TO MR W. R. CAREY

“Mr Carey commences his statement by saying the very thing I have said myself and that everyone knows: that none oi the recommendations can be given effect to until the Order-in-Council is passed,” said the Mayor (Mr E. H. Andrews), commenting yesterday on the views of the chairman of the Metropolitan Electors’ and Ratepayers’ Association (Mr W. R. Carey) on amalgamation procedure. “I am aware that the Order-in-Council will not be passed until after the General Election, because the Prime Minister (Mr Fraser) has promised consideration of the request for a poll in every district,” continued Mr Andrews. Mr -Andrews denied that he said, as Mr Carey quoted him as saying, that “unless the Local Government Commission Act were amended the recommendations for amalgamation as from April 1 would be put into effect.” The only way to alter the decisions was by an amendment to the act, which could only be done by Parliament itself, said Mr Andrews. “That I did not give evidence before the commission is beside the question. I purposely refrained from giving evidence, as Mr Carey knows, because

I felt that it would be out of place for me as Mayor of Christchurch to advocate the assumption of other mayors’ or local bodies’ territories. “In brief, my contention is that no poll can be taken in the county areas until the act is amended to provide for it.”