AMALGAMATION OF COUNTIES

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27963, 9 May 1956, Page 11

AMALGAMATION OF COUNTIES

MEETING IN FAVOUR OF RURAL COUNTY SPRINGS, HALSWELL, AND PAPARUA Amalgamation of the Springs, Halswell and Paparua counties to form a rural county was advocated in a resolution passed at a meeting of rate-

payers of the three counties held in the Ladbrooks hall last evening. About 40 persons attended the meeting, which was called by the Tai Tapu and districts division of Federated Fa, fhe e chairman of the Halswell County Council (Mr J. MacKenzie) said New Zealand was overburdened with local government and amalagmation was a necessary step. It would not come until people lost their fear of being “put on the shelf, and became more concerned with the effect of amalgamation on New Zealand and less with their own loss of identity, Paparua was not much concerned with amalgamation for its own sake but would be quite pleased to help the other two counties. It wanted something definite from them and was waiting for them to come into the amalgamation scheme, said the chairman of the Paparua County Council

(Mr J. D. Henderson). Mr E J. Stalker, the chairman of the Springs County Council, said amalgamation was of vital concern to the ratepayers m the Ladbrooks. Broadfields and Prebbleton ridings. Paparua ratepayers had been hard hit by their rating being out of line with that of the other counties. ' Further, amalgamation would provide a solution to the drainage problem. ’ Drainage was the life-blood of the farming community a .s it could not farm its properties without adequate drainage A centrally controlled rural county could ensure that ararnage was handled adequately and at a minimum cost to the ratepayer. It was possible that the Sockburn and Hornby ridings, which had a

capital value of nearly half that of the Paparua county, would merge into Christchurch city. An amalgamated county could stand this loss far better. | said Mr Stalker. If these ridings wished to be rated on the unimproved value of the land, their decision would not affect the rest of the county as they were county townships, he Discussion afterwards favoured amalgamation, particularly as a means of providing better methods of drainage, and of lowering rates. The meeting carried the motion in favour of I amalgamation with few dissentients.