PROPOSED NEW COUNTY.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2574, 7 August 1909, Page 5

PROPOSED NEW COUNTY.

PETITION TO PARLIAMENT.

The following is the text of the petition which the ratepayers of the Tologa, Waimata, and part of the Whataupoko Ridings intend to present to Parliament, praying for the passing of a Bill during next session to constitue a new county:— “To the Honorable the Speaker and Members of Parliament of the House of Representatives of the Dominion of New Zealand, in Parliament assembled.

“The memorial of your memorialists, ratepayers in the Ridings of Tologa, Waimata, and part of the Whataupoko, of the County of Cook, sheweth: “1. The Ridings of Tologa, Waimata, and nart of Whataupoko Riding of the County oßCook comprise about one-half of the area of the County of Cook, and have a present rateable value of £1,403,875, which must, as settlement proceeds, rapidly and materially increase. “2. The said Ridings are, with the exception of a very small area to the west, situate to the north and northeast of the Borough of Gisborne, to which port the produce of these Ridings lias to go for export. 1 “3. There is little or no community of interest between the said Ridings and the remaining Ridings of Cook County, as the main roads from the various Ridings all converge upon the town of Gisborne, and the remaining Ridings are situate almost wholly to the north-west, west, and south of the town of Gisborne. “4. In the said Ridings there are very few main arterial roads, and the ratepayers of the remaining Ridings have no interest in the development of any roads beyond the boundaries o) tHeir own Ridings.

“5. The County of Cook as now constituted is quite unsuitable for government by one Council, owing to the varied conditions and requirements of the portions situate to the north and south of the town of Gisborne. “6. The Cook County Council is unable to keep open and maintain the roads now existing in the said three ladings, and is unable to extend such communications or to afford relief to your memorialists. “7. In the said three Ridings there are about 33 miles of poorly metalled roads, and about 164 miles of partlyformed unmetalled roads, and at the northern end of the proposed new Pakarau County, and to the westward and away from the seaboard the roads as a whole are in a very bad state, and for rnanv months in the year are quite impassable for wheeled traffic. • “8. In the proposed new county, and in particular in the Tologa Riding, there are large areas of country about to be opened up for settlement. “9. As at present constituted, the centre of Cook County is the town of Gisborne, and from the sea coast to the boundary, between Cook and Waikoliu Counties, is' only about 8 miles, and the said county stretches in a northerly direction about 50 miles, and in a south-westerly direction also about 50 miles, and by a division of the Cook County your memorialists believe that the cost of management would be lessened, and the advantages to all ratepayers would he largely increased. “10. Your memorialists are desirous of forming a new county, to be called the Pakarau County, to include the whole of the two Ridings aforesaid of Tologa and Waimata, and part of the said Whataupoko Riding, and respectfully submit: “(a) The formation of such pew county will be for the best interests of all the ratepayers of the Countv of Cook, as now constituted. “(b) It will conduce to and effectively aid the settlement of Crown and Native lands. “'(c) lb will minimise, if not remove, the hardships your memorialists are now suffering, and will enable your memorialists to share in and increase the general prosperity of the Dominion.

“Your memorialists therefore humbly prav that your honorable House will take this their memorial into its favorable consideration, and will be pleased to approve of and pass into law a B l 1 to be promoted by your memorialists in the ensuing session of Parliament to constitute a new county, comprising the whole of the two Ridings aforesaid, and part of the Whataupoko Ridings, and will give such other or further relief to your memorialists as to your honorable House shall seem meet. “And your memorialists as in duty bound will ever pray.’*