LOCAL BODIES OF EGMONT

Hawera Star, Volume LI, 9 April 1932, Page 6

LOCAL BODIES OF EGMONT

EFFECT OF NEW BOUNDARIES. NO POLL FOR POWER. BOARD. The alteration in Ridings in the Egmont County, arranged, this year, lias created a curious position in regard to the County and the Power Board. The alteration nesessitated an extraordinary general election/ because the councillors thereby all went out of office automatically. The county clerk is for the time being in control and will arrange an election on April 27. The Act provides that the new ridings come into force on March 31, on which date the councillors went out of office. Apparently the Counties Act makes no provision for such a situation and the county clerk is therefore in complete charge of operations until the election of a new council. Ordinarily that would have taken place on May I 11, as the second Wednesday in May j of this year is set down for the ordin- I ary election of county councils | throughout the Dominion. As the date i fixed for the election, April 27, is so j close to May 11 there will be no [ necessity for an ordinary election, the j councillors .elected on April 27 holding I office until the next ordinary election { three years hence. The council normally holds an election of five to represent it on the Power Board and six on the Harbour Board.

MEMBERS TO HOLD SEATS. It was notToreseen that as the result of the extraordinary election, there can be none for the Power Board and consequently members hold their seats until 1935. At the Power Board .meeting yesterday the clerk (Mr J. N. .Stephenson), .stated that he had communicated with the Public Works Department and had been advised that under the circumstances no power board election could bo held until the ordinary general county election in 1935. He understood legal advice had been taken by the department, which had also referred him to the Department of Internal Affairs for further information. He had written that office but had since been informed by the county clerk (Mr G. W. Rogers), the returning officer, that such was the ease. Mr J. ! S, Tosland said some of the' ratepayers would consider an injustice had been done them by not giving them the opportunity of putting in a new hoard for three years. He regretted the position had not been known last month. The board could then have resigned in a body so as not to deprive the. ratepayers of the opportunity of having an election. It was pointed out, however, that the,} would not have given the ratepayers an election as any vacancies, whether by death or resignation, could be filled by the Egmont County Council making the appointments.

HARBOUR BOARD POSITION.

Some discussion took place also at I the _ Harbour Board meeting and the | chairman and 'Clerk were deputed to I interview the returning officer (Mr G. AV. {Rogers). He explained later that Section 1G ol" the {Electric Power

Boards Act, 1925, refers to the day appointed for holding the ordinary gen- ! oral election of the members of the contributing local authority and fix that day for the holding of the subsidiary election. In the case of the Egmonth county, the election to be held on April 27 is not an ordinary general election to fill extraordinary vacancies in terms of section 42 of the Local Election and Polls Act, 1925. The holding of the extraordinary election will dispense with the necessity to hold the ordinary general election.

The position therefore null he that there will be no ordinary general election in the Egmont county this year, and therefore no day on which to'hold the subsidiary power hoard election. The position is different as regards the harbour board. Section 26 of the Harbours Act, 1923, fixes definite dates for subsidiary harbour hoard elections by reference to the days appointed for electing members of borough councils or county councils as the case may be, and not to the day appointed, for holding an election in the case of a particular contributing local authority. It is clear that the harbour board election must be held on May 11.