The Ohinemuri Gazette AND UPPER THAMES WARDEN. SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1892.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume I, Issue 26, 11 June 1892, Page 8

The Ohinemuri Gazette AND UPPER THAMES WARDEN.

SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 1892.

" I will a, round unvarnisft d tale deliver," —Othbllo, Act 1, Scene 3,

We believe that this journal was the 1 first to comment" upon the advisability of enlarging- the borders of the Ohine.muri County. Ifc is not. the desire to " add field to field" that has incubated this idea, but the fact, inter alia, that

peculiarly situated, geographically, ..as the County is, it should have connection with the harbours of the Katikati eastern coast, and also of the Hauraki Gulf To (Jo this it is necessary that the Kalikati Riding of the Tauranga County and the Totaira' Riding'of the Thames County should be added to Ohinemuri. Strange to say, both our Thames and Katikati correspondents allude to this matter in to-day's issue, and from what we hear oil both sides, the proposal is favourably considered. With regard to the Thames- one proposal haY it that the Totara Elding should jnin Ohinemuri, and the Waiotahi, together with Parewai and Block 27, should be merged into the Thames Borough,—-Hastings joining Ooromandel County. This would dismember the Thames County, of which there would be nothing left but its debt'; and of course when the Auditor-General sat to make his award (presuming that an agreement had not been arrived at by the parties) the debt would be duly divided among the seceeding districts. 1 Each district woald then be made ai special rating district, and rates wonld be struck in each such district, topay back by means of interest and- sihking :ifund the debit awarded' to it. Of course the Thames water race is an asset of the';whole county (a. fact by the way iniquitbusly ignored on the separation of this County from the Thames), and if the Thames Borough takes it over it would have to tafce over a-" moiety of the: County debt. With Totara in this County, Ohinemuri could easily 'be constituted a Harbour Board under sec. 242 of " The Counties Act, 1886," which provides that a County bordering on an estuary or arm of the sea may ; be so constituted. At present we i; do, not, border; on the sea. There is no doubt'but,that our navigable watery will, never be properly managed until they come under the Har.bour Act, In taking over the Totara hiding this County would take over a great liability! in the long stretch of road, certainly^ but it must be remembered tha.fr there is also,a good asset in the rateable value of the riding and that the PaerqaHikutaia road ' is in very .goocl repair while' there are beside very few bye - roads to/ maintain. So far as regards Katikati, that district has more in common with Ohinemuri than it has with Tauranga. The Waihi field is its market, and Paeroa will some day become its emporium, and if the Katikati people 5 desire amalgamation we here should not object. The whole, movement is one that accords with the spirit of the times, and we say candidly we should like to see the proposal carried; into effect.