TRANSPORT BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20115, 28 November 1928, Page 13

TRANSPORT BOARD.

CHANGE IN NOMINATIONS.

THE POSITION OF PANMURE. QUESTION OF VOTING POWER. A change has now been made in tho five nominations for tho two seats on tlio Transport Board yet unfilled, the Mount Wellington Road Board having rescinded tho resolution previously passed nominating Mr. It. G. Clark, of tho Ono Tree Iliil Road Board, and nominating in his stead, Mr. Jaines Wood, its own chairman. Tho other nominations arc those of Mr. 11. B. Dobbio, chairman of the One Treo Hill Road Board, Mr. E. F. Jones, chairman of tho Mount Roskill Road Board, Mr. F. S. Morton, of the Onehunga Borough Council, and Mr. A. Milliken, 01 tlio Ellerslio Town Board. As the'number of nominations exceeds the seats available to represent the combined district of One Treo Hill, Ellerslic, Onehunga, Mount. Roskill, Mount Wellington, and Panniuro, as provided by the Transport Act, an election will bo necessary and will bo held on a dato to be fixed by tho Minister, to whom each board is required to forward certified copies of tho resolutions making tho nominations.

An interesting situation has arisen over the position of the Pan mure Township Road Board, which desires to vote at the election. Section sot the Act specifically includes Panniuro in the Auckland Transport District, whilo it is enacted in section 5 that two members shall be elected by tho electors of Onehunga, One Treo Hill, Ellerslie, Mount Roskill, Mount Wellington, and Pun mure. On the other hand, section 6, which governs tho election of tho first board, omits the Paninure Township Board from tho names of tho local bodies empowered to nominate members to represent tho combined district.

Lower in the same section the clause making provision for holding the election, if icquircd, reads: "Should two persons only bo nominated, they shall be deemed to bo elected, but should more than two persons bo so nominated the Minister shall thereupon direct an election to be held by the members of the local bodies concerned. . ."

This provision is taken by members of the L'anii.ure Board to include their board, which is included in the district. They hold that the Panmure Board has been inadvertently omitted from tho list of bodies empowered to nominate representatives, and that the intention was for the Panmure Board to have the same rights as tho other boards with which it is included in the district. It is considered the Panmure Board is one of tho bodies concerned, and as such should possess the right to vote.

The voting will be carried out by members of each board concerned, the voting strength being in each instance the same as the numerical strength. The number of members on the six local authorities is as follows: —Onehunga, 10; Mount Roskill, 9; Ellerslie, 7; One Tree Hill, 7; Mount Wellington, 5; and Panmure, 5.