MANGAPAPA.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14927, 3 June 1919, Page 4

MANGAPAPA.

PROPOSED MERGING WITH

BOROUGH

THE COUNTY PETITION,

Considerable interest is being evinced by Mangapapa residents m the present agitation respecting the abolition of the Mangapapa. Toavii Board and the proposed amalgamation Avith the Borough. Recently a petition bearing about 400 signatures m favor of tho merging was sent m to the Government. Formal objections were later on invited by the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the following counter-petition, Avhich is being signed by ratepayers (including a number avlio signed the first petition) is now being prepared for submission to His Excellency the Oovernor-Gen-eral: —

1. Your petitioners are of opinion that the grounds alleged m the Petition forwarded to Your Excellency m favor of the merger 'of the Town District with the Gisborne Borough are insufficient and a-re based on erroneous premises, and m answer to the said grounds your Petitioners .desire to draw your attention to the folloAving matters: —

(a) A comprehensive system of sewerage is at present impracticable on account of the scattered nature of the Town District. The houses are for the main part comprised m groups separated by considerable distances of comparatively vacant areas. The cost of a comprehensive system of seAAerage would prevent the work being at present undertaken even though the district Avere merged into the Borough. The District maintains a good sanitary eervice and m every respect its. record as regards public health both m connestion with the influenza epidemic and otherwise compares faA'orably with other similar districts „nd with the Borough of Gisborne.

(b) Your Petitioners deny that, there is any serious damage or inconvenience occasioned to inhabitants of the to\A m district byHhe lack of a comprehensive system of storm water drainage as alleged m the said petition. The town district has undertaken the construction of certain drains which ha\*e

greatly improved the matter of stormwater drainage, which is at present m an extremely satisfactory position. Your petitioners would point out that m the borough of Gisborne itself there is, -with the exception of certain small areas^ no system .of storm water drainage, but merely the same type of open drain as prevails iii the said town district. Your petitioners are informed and believe that the cost of the installation of a comprehensive system of storniAvater drainage would be such as to .prevent its adoption for very many years, even though the said town district merges Avith the borough of Gisborne.

(c) Your petitioners desire the adoption of a proper system of water supply, and for some time negotiations have taken place between the Mangapapa Town Board and the Gisborne Borough Council with reference to the matter. The Gisborne Borough Council is prepared to arrange for a proper water supply to be made available for the said town district as soon as the said Borough Council can obtain the necessary water supplies. The said Borough Council is unable at present to obtain a sufficient supply of yater for the said purpose, and the merging of the said tswn district into the said borough will 411 no Avay assist or facilitate such supfly. ■ * ' r (d) Your petitioners are informed' that, the Mangapapa ToAvn Board is prepared to work m conjunction with the Gisborne Borough Council m extending the tramway system to the sadd town, district, and your petitioners are informed and believe that proposals m that direction have already been considered by the said Toavii Board. Your petitioners *>re informed and belieA r e that there will be no difficulty m extending the paid tramway system provided that the "Gisborne Borough Council ds agreeable to such extension, but at present no steps to • that end have been taken by the said Borough Council. (2) The-system of ratiinr adopted m the sadd Through is that of rating upon unimproved value, Avhereas m the said town district the system of rating is hnped upon 'the capital 'value. The conditions prevailing m, the' said town district are Avidely different f-'om those m the said borough, there being large •sreas of unoceup'ed land (tlie land is not unoccupied, but occupied by dairy farmers, poultry farmers, and ' market gardeners, and some hill country only suitable for crazing purposes, c-n whom rating on unimproved A-alues Arould entail a yerv hea<vy burden* -m the sadd aoAvn district, for which there is ab liresent, no sale. Your netit ; oners believe that it Arould be a' hardship upon the owners of such land if the proposed merger took place, the opinion, of the said tpAvn district both as disclosed a.t a poll arid otherwise- being strongly adverse to the said system.

C*») Yom* petitioners believe that it is undesirable ■wt the present timr* for the sa-'d . town district to incur the heavy liabilities of the Borough of Gisborne. and your petitioners consider that the advnntaees of the said merger are not anffinientlv preat to warrant such town district incurring its share of such liabilities.

(4) Your petitioners feel that the administivti'on of the ' affairs of the said town district has been succpssful from every* point of view, and that public facilities have been -provided reasonably commensurate with the means and re"uiremeuts of the so,'d town district. Your petitioners feel that a' continuance of the existing arrangements will he to the advantage of the inhabitants of the said town , district.