NORMANBY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 4 September 1924, Page 8

NORMANBY.

REPORT OF THE COMMISSION.

The following is the text of the report of the commission which inquired into a petition to have certain lands excluded from the town district of Normanby. The commission, which consisted of Mr John Cook, New Plymouth, Commissioner of Crown. Lands, and Mr Oswald Gardner, of Wanganui, District Valuer, sat at Normanby on August 5, and heard Mr Coleman, solicitor for the- petitioners, Mr O’Dea., solicitor for Normanby Town Board, and Mr Houston, solicitor for the Hawera- County Council, and witnesses on both "sides. Mr. O’Dea contended that the commission was not legally constituted, on the ground that the. subject matter of the inquiry did not come within the meaning of section 2 of ''The Commission of Enquiry Act-, 1908/’ and particularly the words in the said section, “to inquire into and report upon any question arising out of the administration of the Government, or the working of any -existing law, or regarding the necessity or expediency of any proposed legislation, or concerning the conduct of any officer of the public service, or concerning the judgment of any courtmartial” could'not include the subject of the enquiry. Your commissioners report:— (1) The Normanby Town District is part of the Ba-wera County. (2) That Normanby was constituted a Town District in 1882 on a petition. No evidence was adduced to show whether the owners or ratepayers of the lands now proposed- to be excluded from the Town District were signatories to the original petition praying far the constitution df the Town District, or that any objection was made ta the proposed boundaries. (3) That the total area of the . Town District is 640 acres, and the area prayed to he excluded is 386 acres 3 roods 5 perches.

(4) The rateable value of the total area, after deducting lands exempt from rates is £40,797, and the rateable value of the area proposed to lie excluded is £24,042. (5) The population of the Town District in the 1922 census was 368 Europeans and 46 Natives. (6) The nearest point of the Town District is If miles from. the nearest point of the Hawera Borough. (7) The area proposed to he excluded from the Town Board consists of /arming lands, and in the opinion of : your' commissioners, there is no- prospect that they will be used for any other purposes. ! (8) The area proposed to be retained as a Town District is 253 aOr 35p., ‘ and the population is fairly e.venly scattered over that area, and a considerable portion df that area is used for grazing cattle aiid .cottage-farming purposes.

(9) The service rendered by the Town Board to the whole area consists of the maintenance of the main iroad through the Town District, of a few chains of footpath about the ' junction roads, north and west, and of the aniiualpayme.nt for 21 electric lights erected and maintained by the- Hawera Electric Light Company, at . a cost’to the Town Board of approximately £54 per, annum. Neither water nor sewerage- is provided. . . (10) In the opinion of your commissioners, the benefits provided by the Town. Board could 'be provided as effectively and more economically by the Hawera County Council, but this applies not merely to the area, proposed to be excluded, but to the whole Town District. (11) No evidence was put before your pqmjqissioners that the ratepayers in thp area- proposed to be retained, as a Town District desire to abolish the Town District, but several witnesses expressed their desire to remain a Town District, and opposed the exclusion of the area, proposed' to be excluded. , - ’ (12) The system of rating, is on the unimproved value., (13) No loans have been raised by the-Town Board, but the Board has a debt to the Hawera County Council, principally for the renewal of the main roads' through the Town District of approximately £428. - (14) Against this may he set, on the 31st March, 1924, a credit balance! in the bank of £137 Os 6d, and cash in hand £26 9s 9d. (15) For the year ending March, 1923, out of a total expenditure of £B2l. 16s 4d the sum of £512 16s 5d was spent on road works; and for the year ending March, 1922, out of a. total expenditure of £921 Os 5d the sum of £3Ol 11s Id was -spent on road works. (16) Of the above expenditure on road works, approximately 75 per cent, was spent on the renewal and maintenance of approximately 95 chains of the main arterial coach road, and approximately 54 chains of the Mawhitiwhiti Road, which is a main road west. (17) By the exclusion of the 'areaproposed to he excluded, the Town Board would be relieved approximately 27,8 pen- cent, but. the reduction in rateable' value would be from £40,707 to £24,043, or a reduction of opproxinmely 4L06 per cent.,, and in the opinion of your Commissioners the burden cast upon the remaining area would be such that either it would be forced to merge iji the Hawera County and cease to be a- Town Board, or the maintenance of the main roads would be seriously neglected to the disadvantage of the whole county. (18) In the opinion of your commissioners, the exclusion of the area proposed to be excluded would be to the advantage of the ratepawers in that area,'but it would'throw upon the remaining ratepayers a 'burden Avhich could not reasonably be borne by them. (19) Your commissioners can see no justification for the existence of Normanby as a Town District, but considering that' your petitioners came into the Toiwn District voluntarily, and that their exclusion would make the burden on the remaining area unduly heavy, we do not recommend that the Town District be dismembered. (20) Your commissioners further wish toi record the- statement of Mr Houston, solicitor for the Hawera County Council, to the effect that the Hawera County Council is entirely neutral in the- matter, hut consider that if the whole or any portion of the Normanby Town District be included in the county, some provision should be made, by legislation if necessary, that a share of the special rates should be borne by the said area.

(21) You) - commissioners are ofythe opinion that the costs of your commission should he borne by your petitioners. and that each side should pay their own law costs.