COUNTIES AMALGAMATION

Wairarapa Daily Times, 3 May 1937, Page 5

COUNTIES AMALGAMATION

STRONG DISAPPROVAL. WAIPUKURAU, Sunday. At Saturday’s meeting of the Waipukurau County Council, councillors in no undecided manner expressed the jopinion that the Government’s proposed amalgamation proposals did not meet with their approval. The chairman, Mr A. C. Russell, said: “The Government says that if the counties don’t take voluntary steps for amalgamation, commissions may be set up to tell them what to do, and that they may be -worse off. However, I do net think under the decision of a commission we would be worse off than we w$M& be under a voluntary agreement. go l to put our backs to the wall and fight for our little county.” “The whole idea to-day seems to be vthat if a man possesses something, "iTeveryone else should have the right to share it with him,” he continued. “If there is to be any amalgamation it should be only by a vote of our ratepayers. The present Government is a democratic party and has always professed to believe' in referendum. If they stand by that' we have nothing to fear, but the trouble is that any Government looks,where the votes are coming from, and unfortunately at present the towns are ruling the country. All the agitation 3s .coming from the towns and the chambers of commerce, but we know more about our counties than anyone else.” It was resolved to support the action of the Makara County Council in the matter of asking for a vote of those affected. —(P.A.) r