KIWITEA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Feilding Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 232, 27 March 1905, Page 2

KIWITEA COUNTY COUNCIL.

» . . . A special meeting of the Kiwifcsa County Council was held at Kimbolton on Saturday to discuss the advisability of doing away with the present boundaries of Ridings, and dividing the County into three Ridings with three representatives for each Riding. Cr Guthrie, the proposer of the resolution to hold this meeting, gave his reasons for doing so, viz. : That under the present Act the County was divided into nine little Counties, and that he considered the word « General " in the Act of 1904 f referring to General rates might I almost be construed to be a mistake \ and to mean " Separate." For in- t stance, in the Hautapu Riding the ' roads had to be kept in repair to carry the Rangiwahia traffic, andl under the pew Act the Councillor for that riding had his hands tied, and was not able to help as the general rate had to be spent in the Riding in which it was collected. Cr Guthrie produced a map showing a division of the County into three ridings with the outlets that were most used by each of the pro- j posed Ridings, the Northern Rid- j ing boundary being from the Oroua i River, Gorge Road, along the Peep- - o'-Day Road, Kiwitea Tapuae Road, and thence to the Mangamako Gorge outlet. The middle and southern boundaries divided by the KiwiteaTapuae Road from the Peep o-Day Road to the southern end of the County past Beaconsfield township. The valuation of the new Ridings would not show a very great discrepancy, roughly being — Northern, L33O,00O ; Middle, L 358,00 0; Southern, L 343,000. The mileage of roads would be roughly— Northern, 148; Southern,' 72 ; Middle, 75. The extra proportion in' the Northern is accounted for by the smaller sections m samr j needing more roads. Cr Hookley said that although, ie was m • favor of the division into three ridings, the matter bnstlod with difficulties as it was quite possible for three Councillors to ba elected in one portion of a riding , the rest being unrepresented. Cr Mitchell thought that as Hautapu seemed the principal Riding in trouble, why should not the Rangiwahia and Hautapu Ridings be formed into one. The Chairman stated that if the County was made into one riding with nine representives he considered this would comply with the Act an.d get over the difficulty. Cr Short considered it would "be better to have two ridings as the northern end had its natural outlet, and the southern had its outlet. Cr Alford said that as Hautapu complained of carrying other ridings' traffic, the Kiwitea Riding had to carry Peep-o'-Day and Kim'oolton traffic, and would get no help from them. Cr Meads said he was quite agreeable to help Hautapu maiu. loads, but could not see that th® rates from his riding should ga mk> the back blocks of Hautapu. Cr Guthrie, replying, stated he was sorry to see the Council were not in accordance with the the proposal, the divisions as laid on the table were not permanent, but only as far as he could see the best that be could define. The following resolution was put to the meeting and lost : That, in the opinion of this Council, it is adviaable to alter the boundaries of present ridings bo as to divide the County into three ridings, with three Councillors for each. The following resolution was carried on the casting vote of the Chairman : That a Committee be set up to thoroughly consider the question of the redivision of the County as coon as possible. Mr Guy wrote asking if he could cart a a sawmill plant through the County, and forwarding LI to pay for license fee. The Clerk, was instructed to write Mr Guy that before doing so he must indemnify the Council from any damage that be may do the roads of the County while doing such catting. The meeting then closed.