The Waipa Post. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1914. TE AWAMUTU BOROUGH.

Waipa Post, Volume VIII, Issue 373, 8 December 1914, Page 2

The Waipa Post. PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1914. TE AWAMUTU BOROUGH.

THE closing stage in the negotiations for the establishment of the Te Awamutu Borough —so far as the ratepayers are concerned will be marked by the taking of the poll to determine the people’s wishes on December 22nd. With this poll taken little then remains to complete the constitution of the borough, and the procedure is simple. Assuming that the decision of the people will be favourable it but remains for the Governor’s proclamation to constitute the borough. There is much uncertainty in the minds of the ratepayers as to this, but the law as it standsTeaves no room for doubt. The Municipal Corporations Amendment Act, 1913, under the provisions of which Te Awamutu is being constituted a borough, provides “ If the result of the poll is in favour of the proposal the Governor shall, by proclamation, constitute as a borough the area within which the poll was taken, and shall fix the name of the new borough. “The Governor may leave such new borough undivided, and, by proclamation, fix the number of councillors therefor; or he may, by proclamation, divide the borough into wards and fix the names of such wards and the number of councillors for each ward.”

Should desire exist to make representations according to any of the matters contained in the above the present may be a suitable time for action. As to dividing the district into wards, with.a fixed number of councillors from each section of the borough we certainly think that some recommendations should be made. By such full and equal representation would for all times be assured, and the matter is fully deserving of the consideration it will doubtless receive from the Chamber of Commerce and the present Town Board. Looking to the procedure at the poll it is enacted that there shall be no plural voting. The law provides :

“ The voters’ roll shall so far as is possible contain the names of all persons possessing, in respect of the fixed area, qualifications entitling them to be placed on the electors’ list of any local authority/any part of whose district is within the area in which the poll is to be taken, and of no others, and each such person shall have and may exercise one vote and no more.” “ Provided that the omission from such roll of any person entitled to be placed thereon, shall not invalidate either the roll or the poll.” As we have said the taking of this poll practically closes the local steps for the long looked-f.or constitution of the Te Awamutu borough. The negotiations have dragged wearily along since August 29th of last year, when the Chamber of Commerce took the first decisive step in proving, by means of a trial census, that we had the necessary resident population. But we have no wish to harp back upon the past with its many bickerings and deadlocks; rather do we desire to urge upon every voter the need of their active sympathy in the proposals which are shortly to be submitted to them. The constitution of a borough is of some significance, reflecting as it does the prosperity and advancement of the district concerned. The decision at the poll then is not merely foror against the setting up of the borough; it is synonymous of the people’s endorsement of a progressive movement. Whilst, therefore, we do not for one moment suspect that the verdict of the ballot box will be against the proposal, yet we would like to see a unanimous vote in its favour. Furthermore, it would be especially creditable to the community if the polling, in addition

to being wholly favourable, was more than usually representative of the district electors. The indirect value of this needs no emphasis; the result of thfc poll is sure to be made known throughout the length and breadth of the Dominion. Why not, then, make the announcement one in unanimous support of district advancement ? The matter rests with the voters, and we believe they will rise to the occasion.