WAIKATO BOUNDARIES.

Waipa Post, Volume XXI, Issue 1194, 19 January 1922, Page 5

WAIKATO BOUNDARIES.

LEGISLATION TO KEADJUST J* THEM. OTOROHANGA'S TEMPORARY POSITION. (By Telegraph. Press Association.) WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The Waikato and King Country Counties Act. introduced this afternoon, gives effect to the commission which considered the readjustment of boundaries in these districts. The Act is to come into operation on Ist April, 1922, and sha'll be a special Act within the meaning of the Counties Act, 1920. It constitutes the Otorohanga county, comprising portions of West Taupo and Waitomo counties, and the Taumarunui county, .being portion of West Taupo county, in both of which counties the Act of 1920 shall be in full force. The counties of Waitomo and Awakino are abolished, and the respective county councils dissolved, and a new Waitomo county constituted. Provision is made for the taking of a poll of ratepayers of Waitomo county upon the proposal to determine whe- , th«r the system of rating shall be on 'capital or unimproved value. The boundaries of Kawhia, Raglan, Waikat, Piako, and Waipa counties are altered, and Taupo East and West counties are united, to be known under the appellation of Taupo county. Only section 6 of the Counties Act. 1920, shall apply to the latter county, and reference in that section to "East and West Taupo counties shall be construed as a reference to Taupe county, as shall the reference in section 27 of the Washing-up Bill of 1916. The road boards of the Kakepuku, Parawera ,and Rot-o-Rangi'road districts are dissolved, and are merged in the Waipa county. The road boards of the Mangaorongo and Wharepapa road districts are dissolved and absorbed in the Otorohanga conntv, provided that the said road boards shall continue to exist for the purpose of section 17 of the, Act until the first elected councillors of the Otorohanga county come into office. A portion of the Taupo county is constituted a road ; district, the board of which shall con- j sist of five members. The provisions ' of the Counties Act, 1920, shall apply in respect of alterations of boundaries of counties or 'road districts affected by this' Act. Section 17 makes temporary provisions for control of Otorohanga and Taumarunui counties. It states that notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this Act in any other Act.the local authority which immediately before the coming into operation of this Act exercised jurisdiction over the area or any part thereof constituted in each of the Otorohanga and Taumarunui counties, and in each of the Mangaorongo and Wharepapa road districts merged in the Otorohanga county shall continue to exercise such jurisdiction during the period between the coming into operation of this Act and the date when the first councillors of the Otorohanga county or the Taumarunui county as the case may be come into office. A sub-clause provides that it shall not be lawful for any such local authority to enter into any new contracts or engagements. The boundaries of the newly-constituted areas are defined in the schedules attached.