"NOT A FUNERAL"

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10546, 24 March 1920, Page 5

"NOT A FUNERAL"

KARORi AMALGAMATION SUPPKR TO CELEBRATE COUNCIL'S LAST MEETING. At the close of the final meeting of the Knfori Borough Council last night a social function was held. Tho Mayor (Mr li. G. H. Burn) presided, and besides a full attendance of councillors there were also present: Deputy-Mayor of Wellington (Councillor <ji. i'Yost), and Messrs \V. T. Hildreth, Cyril Dasm'ic, and C. Cathie (ex-Mayor of tho borough), W. F. Jilngland (town clerk) and Or. ff. Brigham (borough engineer). Tho Mayor said that they- were met to celebrate, not the funeral of the borough, but its "amalgamation _ with tho city. Tho borough of Karori. was founded in October, 1891, so that it was '2D vears old. Its first Mayor was Mr S. Lancaster, and of. tho members of *he first borough council, the only survivor to-day was Mr T. W. Lower. How the borough had progressed was shown by the fact that whereas its capital value was £90.000 in 1891. it was now £492,289. The town- clerk entered the emplov of tho borough council in May, 1894. and thus hnd been connected with tho council 26 years. (Apnlause.) In him they had had a loyal and able servant, who Trould now be transferred' to the service of the citv. . (Applauds.) Their caretaker. Mr Georße Ernie, had also been in the of the council 21) roars; but their oldest employee was tho roadman, Mr B'-ndnoek. who had Wn with the rounc'l 9S years. (Annlnuse.) H« ir.r"«ted tV,t when the came for the?© old employees to retire, th« Citv Council would <lo the r'-vh*-, thinjr bv them. (Apptaus'O T\\c\r hnmnsh engineer had been T "i f h them thi-tcen -<"<«i.rs. he -wonl' l ■*•>. ... ~!,lnnW» to +he ritv *t»ff. M.noln««i«0 T * 'I I "»*V«- emWln-PP* n' +ho borough would be transferrec! to Hie citv. NOT EMPTY-HANDED. They were not, he added, going into tho oitv empty-handed. There was the Karori tramway, laid by it-lie borough and now practically ■at paying point. It had not made a. profit under tho boroußh, but ho believed (that « would under thd city; and there was their park—the best, he ventured to say, Ahis side of the line—and a. beautiful nuarry from which the city could get nil metal required. They had also 24 miles of formed road to hand over, accrued sinking funds of £l7 •- 850 and a depreciation fund of £4788, making a total of £22,638. (Applause.) THE BCmOUGH'S PROGRESS, j Other statistics were given by the Deputy-Mayor (Mr J. W. Henderson), 'llie borough rates in the first year totalled £293, he said; this year they were £2986. So .'that the rates had multiplied themselves -ten times cm half tho area. (Applause.) in 18So ■ their assets totalled £BS: this year, with sinking funds, their assets amouirfed to £63,000. (Applause.) ..The ■ex-Mayors' present and Councillor Burns* (oneof tho representatives of the borough and the Welling-, ton City Council) also spoke, conpatulatinc the borough upon the fact tba« it. would shortly form part of the metropolitan area of Greater Welling* °The company then drank "Success to the united city, Greater Wellington," coupled with tho nanus of tho Acting-Mayor. CITY WELCOMES KARORI. ,In .■■"■responding,' Councillor , George. ■Frost complimented tho Karori Boruugb. Council upon the good work it uad done, and congratulated them and she city upon the amalgamation«o shortly to take place. Tho City Colinoil would wolcomo the representatives of" Karori on the council, and would welcome the able services of then town clerk and the borough engineer. He -was sure that the city would da the right thing by the old employees of the Karori Council when the titna came for them to retire. Tho Citj Council would value the quarry, though the Karoil roads would soon make a big holer in it, and it would also greatly value and maintain to the best advantage their fine park. The' addition of Karori to the city area would bo a help to the city in raising tho big loan of practically £1,000,000 for necessary improvements, that wa* contemplated. In tho loan schedule vas for water supply, and of that Karori would get. it* share, us also of the ■ amount allocated for drainagii. Water was one of the essentials for a borough, and without tho amalgamation Karori could not have looked for a water supply for many rears to come. Ho believed that be. fore many years had paßsed Karon would look-upon' tho nmalgamajJlßSi as the best step, and tho biggest stop, forward that they had over taken. (ApplaußO.) Ho believed, that tho people of Petone were looking anxiously forward to' amalgamation with the city, and he believed that it would be to their interest ns to the interest of tho other boroughs which had been taken in, though some people did think that tho' Wellington city was an octopus. (Laughter and applause.) Ho assured them that they had all to {rain on<l nothina to fear when they became, citizens of Wellington on April Ist. , .. Ho fravo the toast of the Mayor and councillors, of Karori, which was drunk with musical honours.

In reply, the Mayor said that ho wished to thank tho Press representatives for the courtesy they hod always shown him vnco ho b«<cnm«> Mayor of tlip borough.