AMALGAMATION POLL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18994, 16 April 1925, Page 9

AMALGAMATION POLL.

MOUNT ALBERT POSITION.

REQUEST TO THE COUNCIL

THE REJECTED PETITION. DECISION OF RESIDENTS. A well attended meeting of Mount Albert residents in favour of amalgamation with the city was held last evening in tho Jubilee Schoolroom, Kingsland, under the. auspices of the Mount Albert Ratepayers' Association. The Hon. George Fowlds _ presided. 1 he chairman said the meeting had been called to place before ratepayers tho position from their point of view, in'regard'to tho recent petition presented to the Borough Council asking for a poll on the amalgamation. Although present as a,muiral, speaking generally, be believed he personally was in favour of amalgamation, although that depended to a large ("\tent on conditions and circumstances.

Mr, M. o'Cn.llaphau, president of the Ratepayers' Association, said he desired to give a dear indication why thn petition had been turned down bv tho Borough Council. The association received a deputation from a body of ratepayers asking if it would be prepared to support a proposal for amalgamati'V. The association agreed to assist in taking a petition to have tho question threshed out. A deputation waited on Sir James (Unison, and afterwards the Borough Council was interviewed. To the council it was made clear that the, deputation did not pledge itself to support amalgamation. Hie council gave a reply in writing, setting out its reasons against amalgamation. Signatures on the Petition.

The petition was then put forward, and in a little over a week 738 names were subscribed. Thev hud acted in the best of faith, and heiieved tho signatures obtained were all of genuine ratepayers, people entitled to sign the petition. Howover, ho found that unless a resident's name appeared on tho roll he had no status as an elector. The Borough Council knew that, and the petition was declared tf, he informal, owing to its containing a ceriain number of names that were not correct.

He contended the Borough Council had not treated them fairly. It was officially stated at the council meeting that no action should bo taken by tho council, and yet members had attended a meeting of the'opposition. The council had every to submit the important question of amalgamation to the ratepayers and dec

tpis for a final decision. Ife had heard the town (;lcrk say they had no roll) at iin- council office, and if that was so, where were the ratepayers to get them to check the names? The Question o! Rates.

Mr. O'Callaglian said the suggestion 11 iiit. rates would increase 50 per cent, mi amalgamation was wrong. The city vainer had been to Mount Albert and had valued certain premises,,and only slight differences were shown between the Mount Albert'rates and the city figures. Would it not be better to pay £ls a year and know they were going to get something done rather than pay £lO a year and get nothing done'' (Hear, hear.) Mr. G. Clark said he had been in Auckland 50 years, living in Grey Lynn a great part of tho time. Grey Lynn today, amalgamated with the city, was an entirely different place from Grey Lynn before amalgamation. He wondered now •Aether he was living in the back blocks or in Mount Albert. In his street tho grass grew higher than his knees. < Two Resolutions Passed. •Another ratepayer said that if they agreed to amalgamation, Mount Albert might find itself without a single representative on the City Council. Ho asked if they considered the city fathers to lie wizards of finance, and referred to the Civic Square scheme and loss of rents. If the present Borough Council did not suit them they could turn out tho members and vote others in. But if they were in the city they would be only a small part, of a huge community. Mr. Clark .moved that the meeting ask the Ratepayers' Association to take legal .steps to request Use Borough Council to take a poll on the subject of amalgamat ion.

Mr. J. Rood seconded the motion, which, on a show of hands, was declared carried, 5.8 voting for and 38 against. Mr. O'Callaghan moved, as an alternative, that the meeting request the Borough Council to take t'ie necessary steps to cause a poll of electors to be taken to decide the question of amalgamation, and to provide facilities for both sides of the question to be thoroughly discussed at the same time.

Mr. 0. W. F>ell seconded the motion, which was declared carried.