THE COUNTY OF MAKARA.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 92, 11 January 1908, Page 2

THE COUNTY OF MAKARA.

A NEW LOCAL BODY. : ITS INCEPTION,' EXTENT, AND :> OBLIGATIONS Mi . W. H. Field, M.P., is' the 1 godfather of the infant County of Makara, and it;was,; thoioforo, to him that b Dominion reprosentatno >voiit. for information about tho new local governing body that will soon bo exercising its,powers and;functions;justj-outside, the City of -.Wellington':' -.- .-■■■: " The reason why. iho Makara people wanted. to.havo:a\county of their own,", said Mi. Field, " was,that they-were contributing £800 a year ■to the;. Hutt County, ofwhich it-heir.' district! was 'ia' part;.;and ' they got very little benefit .from-that' money'. ■ It was spent in other, pjirts of the County op roads , which; tliey. djd ! not use. There wpro no County, roads in the Makara. Hiding,--which was connected with. the - outsido -world by !he road through Karon with -Wellington. The r district, .roads wereniaiiitainetl : '.by i sepf aiato ratos, which werp paid to the Makara Road Board. ' \ '.. .; Not Cetting Value for Money. : r : '': Naturally the- Makara people did not like, paying '£800 a yeai' and having, it spent in the Hutt '-Valley or,.beyond. Porirua,; but that: state - of-, affairs continued for a /good many, years;:-.-Sometimes :the County/Councili-gave; a bonus of £100. or so to the .Makara Riding, as'-, a, sort of compensation, and,: pf course;; the .'County /paid ;the ,Charitablo! lAid.?.coritrabutioh for Makara- as well ;'as-. the -other; ridings, Members of the Hutt County Council used to. argue, with some reason, thattho Council Was the loser by .-the existenceof tho Makara Rood' Board,' becalisc tho vGovcrhment gives larger,.subsidies Ito counties that have: no road boards within- their, bountlaries. The Council was getting the Makara people's money, but it would have got more if there-.'had not been such a mcasuro .of-self-government as there was in Makara. ■ History of the Bill. ..... : . "The ■ ratepayers - of, Makara applied to have .their : riding/'which -was' coterminous with the Road District,- -formed 'into,*,a County, ~ahd the Makara ..County Bill, was introduced in the year 1906,. with currencc of the late Colonel Pitt,• Attorney Uonoral.-. The Local Bills Committee was, however, so'.busy.', that; the meauro, never l 'gotto its' second.:readingV:--:Last 'session-we-tried. again, and the- Hon;' Dr. Findlay, ■wh'o'ihad' becomo Attorney-General,' declined; [o'li behalfof tho Goyernmeht,''to , support ; a Bill 'for. creating a . County., so;: small , 'iiv area;'j 'the' Alakara Hiding being only . 25,000. acres." The Government ■ did not object to an extension of the area, , and, therefore, the (Jliariu: Val-' ley, which was a part of the Porirua Riding of the Hutt County, was added-to thoischeu-' ulo of. theißill.-.-This'was .the more readily accomplished because the position of Ohariu with ;regard ; to county l roads and rates-was. somewhat similar to ' that >of Makara; •, I' moved .the Bill in the House of Representatives, but; the' Hutt Countyi then' raised - .objections.. They- said that;.if .a. part' of the' 'Porirua ■ Riding was; taken -from them; the whold-should be taken; with all. the'attendant obligations. Finally, '. as •a • comprbmiso, the whole iof the Porirua and Makara Ridings were included -in-'the new County-, and tiie'Bill was passed. '>• Separate; District.'Expenditure. "Qfj course, .thp.-inclusioii of 'the * Porirua' Riding brought' liaek .to some ' ;extent- the question of .the' Makara people paying'for the order, to get "over thatVdiiliculty; a ''clause -was in- , tro'duced in'tlie Upper House, providing that each of tho two ridiiigs ; should spend own general rate, separate'- accounts .being' Kept, , oxeppt. as, regardst.tho ' expenses of general' management;' wbibli"' wore to Tie providod;'!pr&i!ihrti6ndl]y_ '•t\j;t.|i6 l! 'ji''iteg l -|i®d- 'by' by ; tho ,Government,'- --h'pwever,', thtere was ' a clause Which'"'answered' ' this :' purpose, 'fairly, well,"'and'l.therefore moved'that the House disacreo with the amehdni'ont made'- by ' the Council. The -now clause was "accordiiffrly struck-' 'out; tho. Bill'-- passed in its ' original forni, and.' t-ho Counties- Amendmentßill was! also passed. • : J Extent of tho New County. •; ".The new county. thereforo: : extends almost, as far north as-Paremata.-The boundary runs, from, that. point, east, and south .to the western .'.boundary of. the .Borough of PetonoV Its other boundaries. are. those of the Jolmsonvillo.:. '.Town District, !■' the..;Onslow: arid, Karriri. Boroughs,'. ,the '.City, of ■,"\Voil ington, the sea and-the harbour;' 'It colisists, as it were,; of''■ a.' finger cut oft from : the _Hutt County.'; The boundaries of, tho two: ridings remain.-as ibeforo;. ,and" .the total rateable . value, qf .tho ,'ne.w' county,is £712,000. .It is a compact area, - and tho ratepayers will bp able' to watch the expenditure in all parts' of it;-';'lt. also leaves tile Hutt County in a more compact and convenient shape. Its Obligations. " The new county has"to. assume rather sorious obligations. It includes tho whole of tho Hutt'lload botween tho Onslow" and' Peton&, .boundaries, hut, as a consequence ofrecent legislation, other local bodies will have to contribute to tho upkeep of that highway, and at present nothing can bo done to it, owing to; tho railway straightening works. -It is understood that tho matter will bo specially dealt with by the Legislature, and' tho road will take a, now line along the'edge; of tho water. Another -obligation of -some magnitudo is the maintenance-.of -the.-Nga-hauranga' - Gorge" road and the main road to the West Coast. Tho.ratepayers will;■.however, havo thoir money spent.comparatively close to tlioir own doors, and will know just what-is being-donov \ ■ ■■:■"' Tho First Election. • - . . .... .. ■ " The first election will take place on' the 28th of this month, 'and tho iirst meeting of tho Council' on the 29th. Mr. George Hislop, Clerk to tho Makara Road Board, is the returning officer. Four Councillors are to be elected for Porirua Riding and two for Makara." , • . . j''