OHAI RAILWAY BOARD.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume XXVIII, Issue 1396, 25 October 1932, Page 1

OHAI RAILWAY BOARD.

COMMISSION'S REPORT.

The report of the Commission, (Mr E. C. Levvey) which was set up by the Governor-General to inquire into the . position of the Ohai Railway -'. Etgard. was presented to his Excellency 'on Wednesday and a local • Bill prepared by, the board was introduced intOv the House of Repres.enta.y tives on Friday by the Hon. A.yHamilton. The Bill will be. referred to the' Local Bills Committee as soon as it is read a first time and as the report of the commission, and the contents of the Bill do not agree m all 'i .details,- ; the committee may •"* amend the measure to some extent. The commission feco'mmended that the coal N owners or. coal: mining interests ''should 'have; distinct and separaterepresentation on the boardy ysuch--represehtation" to consist of three memibers elected as provided m the Bill ;'• that the total number of members on the board should, be (Seven, in-y eluding,.. three representatives of the; coal mining interests, the election oT members to the board to be as follows:— .- .-;•; . ' .. (a) By : the coal ; owners or coal, mining .interests, .5---(b) By the .electors of the. electoral ward of the subdivision of Wairaki, I(cj By the electors of the electoral ward of the sub-'divieioii: of Waiaii, 2. '(d) By the . electors v of ,-. the electoral .^rard of the sub-division of Oh'ai, ; 1— total; ii -. .-,.._•: ,'■'. 3 A ..' • ; y ;'- The commission also recommended that for the purpose of election ; by th^ electors of the - district, .the -district should be sub-divided into three* elect- i oral districts or wards known rqspecttively as the Wairakly Waian and Ohai r .- >y .' ';.'"'.'■" : ; A-

-".. The, objects of' the Ohai RailwayBoard Bill- are:— ;Y V ! '\\ '■ : --.'.- (1),- To require the; board '". to repay , •its existing special loan of y£3o,doo and thus relieve the ; district from liability m respect of, ; the existing! special rate. .s ' .=• (2) To provide that no. further rate ; shall be levied by the board and '." \ (3) To provide means, \y hereby: coal owners may get direct representation on the. board. V The effect of thg first and second' : proposals will mean that land owners m the district will be relieved from the existing rate and the -possibility- . of any rates being levied on them m "future. There are a: number of sub•^sidSry psw&vMia, Yap &&&& oi' ihftse being provision providing for the method of electing coal, owners' representatives and representatives of theelectors and provisions' . enabling the board to borrow yto repay its existing special loan and other liabilities.