ALTERATION SOUGHT

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXI, Issue 98, 25 March 1941, Page 6

ALTERATION SOUGHT

RIVER BOARD MEMBERSHIP. Criticism of the balance of representation on the Palmerston North River Board of the two bodies concerned (the City Council and the Kairanga County Council) was expressed by Cr J. T. J. Heatley at a meeting of the City Council, last evening, when ho moved that the council approach tiie Department of Internal Affairs requesting that a commission be set up to report on tile advisability of reconstituting the representation on the hoard on a more equitable rating basis as between the two councils.

Or Heatley explained that the length of the banks of the Manawatu River under the board’s control was approximately 16 miles, 4f miles being within the City Council area and the remainder in the county. On the board the county had the same number of representatives as the city, with the exception that the Mayor of the city was the chairman, thus giving the city a slight advantage. However, from 1930 to 1940 the city had found £25,311 in rates and the county area £1397. The total annual revenue, including subsidies, was about £SOOO. Some adjustment of the representation was required. In the present year about three-quarters of the revenue would be spent in the county area, and the hoard was not very happy about the matter, as it would be spending about £SOOO to save property worth about £3OO. The motion was seconded by Cr D. F. Smillie. The Mayor (Mr A. E. Mansford) said that either two or three commissions lias considered matters connected with the River Board. In the first place, the City Council (then a Borough 1 Council) endeavoured to protect its, own banks but was unable to stop the erosion. Attention was given to the Fitzroy bend and the old board was abolished and a new one set up about 1920. The concern then (this bringing about the sitting of the Commission) was the inability of the board to protect the city side of the river. The Fitzroy bend and Mcßae’s bend had now been attended to and the speaker thought tile time had arrived for an alteration to be made in the constitution of the board. The motion was carried in the form stated as suggested by Cr AV. G. Black.