MERGING THE ARAHURA ROAD BOARD.

West Coast Times, Issue 2773, 20 February 1878, Page 3

MERGING THE ARAHURA ROAD BOARD.

(To the Editor.)

Sir, — The letter of Mr Griffiths in this morning's Times, would lead one to believe that the County Council' have proceeded iiregulaily in the matter of the petition to merge the Arahura Road Board district into the County o( We&tland. But vciy little has at yet been done at ull tuwanis merging the Board, and no step ha 1 - bun taken without proper legal advice and assistance, although such advice would appear to have bc-.u almost unnecessary, ko far; for nothing can be clearer than the course of procedure laid down in the Act, if it is deshed to merge a Board on a memorial of the ratepayers. The 37th section of the Counties Act declares that the Council may, "if it thinks fit" by special order, declare the Road Board of any Eoad district has been dissolved, subject, however to three conditions. The first condition is that a petition is presented, signed by not less than one third of the ratepayers. The second condition is that " such petition is published in the district not less than one month before presentation," and the third proviso, is to the effect that no counter petition is presented to the Council within two months thereafter. Mr Griffiths says that the second condition has not been complied with, inasmuch as the petition has not been " published." Well, this depends on the interpretation put on the word " published" i and here the Act itself cornea in, and gives ' us the meaning to be put on the word. It says (dUuse 4 : ) — " When anything is required to be published, it is meant that a notice thereof shall be published in some newspaper circulating in the district." Now, so far back as November last, such notice was given, by publishing the petition itself in several issues of the West Coast Times (which is a " newspaper circulating in the district,") and in the Kumara Times ( which is also a " newspaper circulating in the district.") Mr Griffiths thinks that the intention of the above publication referred to, is to allow the ratepayers to discover the authenticity, or otherwise, of the signatures to the petition.

Nothing of the kind. The object is simply to let it be publicly known that steps ore being taken to abolish the Board. The ?u '^enticity of the signatures is a matter «" in- r wise provided for in the Bill, and if :cy one questions their genuineness, he lias ample remedy under the Act. Each signature hal to be initialled, and a solemn declaration at foot attests them, everyone, to be what they purport to be. It is quite | certain that the whole of the names of the memorialists were not published. Two ; rcr.»ons "xi^t for thi"— first that the Cc mcil were aJvihcd tha.'. it was wholly iifiuecesgary to pi hli'-h anything except th petition itself, -md thi« seem< be* ond qt' n vvon on re ( rrina .0 the interpretation clause of the \',\\. Next, the petition is such a p"'cantic htfnir, that the co*l of ] uMisLin., all tnc names ami particulars would he something Rtartling ; and I «m sure tbe West • 'oast Times would rfq"i'e to issue a supplement to give them all. The oocume'it is availuhle to any one nt the office of the Council. Mr ariffitb's semi to think that the Council are oo.snmcd by a burning desire to merge the Board. There is no eviHpnce of such desire, but there ia ample evidence that the Council :<*-e in no undue hurry to merjie the BoarJ. I am, &c, 11. R. n. Hoicitika, February 19