Kamo's Decision On Amalgamation

Northern Advocate, 20 May 1949, Page 4

Kamo's Decision On Amalgamation

The result of the poll of Kamo ratepayers 'upon a proposal that the Kamo Town District should ,be amalgamated with the Borough of Whangarei poses some interesting questions.

The ratepayers, only 50 per cent of whom exercised their right to vote, turned down a decision made by the

Local Government Commission that amalgamation would be in the interests of Kamo ’and Whangarei. The commission, which sat nearly a year ago, made a searching examination of all the evidence presented by advocates and opponents of amalgamation, and it might have been regarded as likely that a decision reached by a judicial body specially set up to deal with local government

in the Dominion would be endorsed by the ratepayers. However, a minority of the ratepayers vetoed the commission’s decision.

This suggests that another legislative example of putting the cart before the horse has been provided, for it may well be asked why a judicial investigating body should have been required to deliver a judgment subject to confirmation or rejection by ratepayers. Apart from this aspect of the question, the failure of 50 per cent of the ratepayers to go to the poll suggests indifference to a democratic privilege which, if it had not existed, would no doubt have provided loud complaint by some who did not go to the ballot-box.