PAPARUA POLL ON AMALGAMATION

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28614, 17 June 1958, Page 11

PAPARUA POLL ON AMALGAMATION

County Chairman’s Statement

“As far as the Paparua County is concerned, Mr Stalker is outside looking in while I am inside looking out and consequently we view the position from different angles,” said the chairman of the Paparua County Council (Mr J. H. Weaver) replying yesterday to the recent statement of the Springs County chairman (Mr E. J. Stalker) on £he Local Government Commission proposal to amalgamate part of Paparua county with the Springs and Halswell counties. “In my previous statement I referred to the fact that there had been no suggestion by the remainder of Paparua County that it wished to see that part of the county (proposed to be joined with the Springs and Halswell counties) leave the Paparua County, unless the people of. those districts felt that such a move was in their own interests,” said Mr Weaver.

“The resolution, which Mr Stalker correctly quotes, was a resolution of the full council—not of representatives of the part proposed to remain as the Paparua County—and .it was passed at a time when the representation on the council was four to one in favour of the rural district in spite of the valuation and population of the urban area at that time exceeding those of the rural.

“It has since been established that the part of Paparua not included in the amalgamation proposals could, if desired, remain the Paparua County and a resolution to the effect that the urban districts of the county would so remain was passed at a special meeting of representatives of the urban group,” Mr Weaver said. “It was then not long before the Yaldhurst riding—whose representative (Cr. W. F. McArthur) had always been a strong advocate for the merger of the three counties as a whole—decided that it would be better served to remain part of the Paparua County rather than join the proposed Lincoln County. The Islington riding soon followed suit and it now seems that many Templeton electors are doing their utmost to bring about a similar result,” said Mr Weaver.

“I would again emphasise the importance of every elector of the district affected by the poll voting on this issue next Saturday,” said Mr Weaver.