CONTROL OF AVONDALE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 16013, 3 September 1915, Page 3

CONTROL OF AVONDALE.

ROAD BOARD RESTRICTED.

MUNICIPAL POWERS WANTSD,

COMMISSION OF INQUIRY.

The question whether the Road District of Avondale should be constituted a borough was .the subject of an inquiry opened before a Royal Commission, consisting of Messrs. C. C. Kettle, S.M., H. M. Skeet, Commissioner of Crown Lands, and B. J. Esam, district valuer, yesterdayafternoon. The commission was instructed, under the Municipal Corporations Amendment Act, 1913, to inquire into a petition presented to the Governor asking that the area be formed into a borough.

Mr. W. Vallance appeared on behalf of the petitioners. Messrs. E. E. Copsey and W. H. Wyman were elected to represent the opponents to the petition. Nineteen ratepayers who were present applied to be joined as parties opposing the petition. Mr. Vallance opened the case for the petitioners, and called Benjamin George Hall, clerk of the Avondale Road Board. Witness said that the capital value of the Avondale district was £450,931. The unimproved value was £266,295, while the improvements were stated to be £184,636. There were 801 ratepayers in the district. The general rate levied for the current year was £2818; the hospital rate £291, and the special road loan rate £704. There were in the district 34 miles of roads, of which 25 miles were metalled and nine miles unmetalled. The Road Board's last balance-sheet showed receipts to be £2295 and the expenditure £2670. A loan of £15,500 for road purposes was raised some years ago.

I A Progressive Township. John Potter, chairman of the Avondale Road Board, said that the present population of the district was 3000. The general rate had been Id in the £ on the capital value. The full limit rate, l£d in the £, was recently struck to "meet the extraordinary expenditure the hoard had had to meet. The board joined the Auckland Drainage Board some time ago. In the town itself there were nine churches, no hotels, a town hall, post office, and a police station. A branch of the Bank of New Zealand was recently opened. There were bowling, croquet, and tennis clubs, and two domains. Twenty-two gas lamps lighted the streets. The district was urgently in need ,of drainage and sanitary conveniences, and a proposed drainage scheme had been put forward. The board could go in for drainage without the consent of the people, but it could not go in for a water schen- e without their consent. An extension of the franchise, which a borough would give, was desirable. The tram; service, terminating at Mount Albert, went within a mile of the Avondale boundary. The board had under consideration a scheme to run s motor service to meet the trams at Surrey Crescent. Special legislation was necessary to complete the scheme as the district was now constituted.

Woiklngmen'fi Quarter. Proceeding, witness said that the Railway Statement of 1910 showed that the number of tickets issued from the Avondale station exceeded that of any station in the Dominion, outside the largest towns. This did not include the rac* traffic. Nearly all were second-class tickets, showing that the district was essentially a residential quarter for working men. Plural voting obtained in the district, and the franchise was restricted to actual occupiers on the valuation roll. In witness's opinion, it would be to the interests of the people to have municipal control. The district was in need of power to regulate the milk, meat, and bread distribution, and of powers for dealing with matters concerning footpaths, surface water, trees, noxious weeds, and ruinous and unhealthy buildings. These powers were provided under the Municipal Corporations Act. At this stage the inquiry was adjourned until 11 a.m. on Thursday next.