REEFTON COUNTY REPRESENTATION

Greymouth Evening Star, 18 September 1946, Page 3

REEFTON COUNTY REPRESENTATION

CLAIMS OF REEFTON RIDING (0.C.) REEFTON, Sept. 17, The question of the riding representation of the Inangahua County Council, and the fixing of the number of members for each riding was the principai subject considered by a meeting of the Inangahua District Progress League at Reefton last evening, a sub-committee reporting that on a comparison of the riding’s rateable values and populations the Reefton riding should have greater representation on the council. It was decided, after hearing the report of a sub-committee of the league, that the committee confer with members for the Reefton Riding and decide as to the best method of placing the report before the County Council at its September meeting. The president (Mr. J. K. Patterson), in reviewing the work of the executive since the la,st general league meeting, detailed the findings of the sub-committee set up by the executive to consider the riding membership of the council, and in particular the Reefton Riding, which as the council is now constituted has only three members in a council of nine.

The report of the sub-committee showed that the Reefton Riding had a population of 1212 persons eligible for a county vote —ovei' 50 per cent, of the voting population. The Antonio’s Riding had the highest rateable value on unimproved values, but as certain property in Reefton was also rated on capital value in addition to the usual rates on unimproved values this gave the Reefton Riding a greater total rating value than the Antonio's Riding. The chairman explained that the fixing of the number of members for the ridings entailed consideration of two factors, the rateable value of a. riding and the population. The whole matter was one for the discretion of the council, and the Act laid down that the question should be considered by a council meeting m September of the year prior to a county election. This would therefore be a question that the council would attend to at its September meeting.