DEPUTATIONS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1243, 25 September 1875, Page 10

DEPUTATIONS.

A deputation, consisting of Mr Peter Paxton, Mr William Halligan, Mr Robert Mitchell, Mr William Eagar, and Mr William Allan, waited on His Honour the Deputy Superintendent on the 20th inst., to present to him a petition from the householders of the townships of St. Kilda and Musselburgh. Mr Paxton explained to His Honour that the petition was signed by 58 of theC4 householders in the two townships, and that it prayed that the two townships, Muaselburgh and St. Kilda, be excluded from the proposed Municipality to be proclaimed on the Flat, and notice of which had been given in the Gazette of August 25th. The petition also asked that the townships of St Kilda and Musselburgh be proclaimed and incorporated into a separate Municipality, as, after due consideration, the inhabitants were of opinion that the requirements of these two townships would be much better attended to by themselves than if incorporated with" Forbury, South Dunedin, &c. They requested that the Municipality which they asked for be bounded by Anderson's Bay road on the east, by the Ocean Beach sandhills on the south, by the Bay View or district road on the north, and by the Forbury road on the west. Every householder in the two townships who could be got at signed the petition. 58 signed. There were 64 houses, but some^were empty. He mentioned that the owners of the Forbury racecourse, or the proposed township of Forbury, were willing to have their rates handed over to the proposed municipality of St Kilda and Musselburgh. These townships had each their church, market, and school reserves ; their streets were formed and drained, and only needed metalling, so their requirements) ari a municipality were pretty well supplied.

His Honour: Do you think it would be better for the whole district that there be two municipalities instead of one ? Mr Paxton thought so. It was the wish of the inhabitants,

His Honour asked if it were the case that some of the signers of the petition for the other municipality had "repented" and signed the present petition. Members of the deputation assurod His Honour that was the case, and mentioned some names.

His Honour quoted section 3 of the Municipal Corporations Ordinance, 1875 :— " It shall be lawful for the Superintendent of Otago, with the advice of his Executive Council, and he is hereby authorised and required, on the petition of not less than 50 persons, comprising the majority of the householders resident in any township or •in any two or more townships distant not more than two miles from a common centre, within the Province, to extend the provisions of the Munioipal Corporations Ordinance, 1865, to such township or townships." He (the Deputy Superintendent) was not very clear whether the section meant the majority in any one or two townships, or the majority of the whole of the townships. It was a point whether the majority in one township could stand out against the majority of the others auplying. He would take legal advice on the point. Mr Paxton spoke on the merits of St. Kilda and Musselburgh to show these townships should have their own municipality. His Honour : With plenty of corporations out there, I dare say you will be all mayors and councillors. i

It was mentioned that the opposition to being included in one municipality was the money question. The majority on the Flat lived along the Forbury road. The deputation described that road as a bye-street, and said that the South Dunedinites wanted to expend £30,000 in widening that road. The majority would not spend any money on Mussleburgn and St. Kilda. By-and-bye these townships would take the leading positions on the Flat, and it would not do to have South Dunedin improved by money for which the future leading townships would have to pay. At present, the vjtiug powers would be decidedly against them, His Honour promised to take the matter into consideration, mentioning that he would not do anything till he had taken legal advice.

A deputation, consisting of Mr James Adams, Edward Johnson, John Mitchell, Edward Dounes, Adam Bell, and Walter Park, representing settlors in the Blueskin district, waited on His Honour the Deputy Superintendent on Tuesday, to ask the Go* vemment to take action in the matter of the forming of a branch road near the Hound Hill road, leading, in conjunction with other roads, to the heavily timbered land at the north side of Mt. Cargill. The deputation mentioned that some of them had long, been settled in the district ; some for many years, and they were not yet able to get timber from their properties to market. The timber was heavy timber, of fine quality, and if it could be got to market there would be a practically unlimited demand for it for railway purposes. The deputation represented that the opening up of proper road communication would not only benefit the settlers, but also the Government, adding as it would to the value of the unsold Crown lands. Settlers now cleared this land by burning off valuable timber — timber of various sorts, and as good as any in any other part of Otago, whereas with a road it could be sold, and would give the settlers money with which to improve their properties. The deputation mentioned that £1200 had been voted by the Provincial Council last sess on to be expended on the road. Mr Mitchell asked that the money be ex* pended on the north side of the Saddle, and so as to give communication with metalled . roadp. The deputation feared that the engineers would expend the money in suoh a way that, while a large portion of the road would be formed, it would be of no practical use, aa it would not be joined to a metalled road. What was wanted for the district was a road which would give an outlet. His Honour promised to bring the matter before the consideration of the Executive.