This PUBLIC BILL originated in the HOUSE OF HEPRESENTATIVES, and, having this dav Passed as now printed, is transmitted to the LEGISLATIVE CJOUNCIL for its COn6161'1'ence. Bows of Representatives, 90 Febyitary, 1922. Hon. Mr. Downie Stewart. WAIKATO AND KING-COUNTRY COUNTIES. ANALYSIS. Title. 1. Short Title and commencement. 10. Boundaries of Raglan County altered. 2. Act deemed to be a special Act, 11. Boundaries of Waikato County altered. 3. Otorohanga County constituted. 12. Boundaries of Piako County altered. 4. Taumarunui County constituted. 13. Boundaries of Waipa County altered. 5. Application of Counties Act, 1920. 14. Taupo East and Taupo West Counties united. 6. Awakino and Waitomo Counties abolished, and 15. Road districts abolished. Waitomo County constituted. 16. Taupo Road District constituted. 7. Antecedent liabilitie:3 of Awakino and Wai- 17. Application of provisions of Counties Act, 1920, tonio County Councils to be antecedent m respect of alterations of boundaries. hability of new Waitomo County. 18. Temporary provision for control of certain 8. System of rating in Waitomo County. districts. 9. Boundaries of Kawhia County altered. Schedules. ·A BILL INTITULED AN AcT to give Effect to the Report of the Commission appointed Title. under Section Ninety-one of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, 1920. 5 BE IT ENACTED by the General Assembly of New Zealand in Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows :- 1. This Act may be cited as the Waikato and King-country Short Title and Counties Act, 1921-22, and shall come into operation on the first day commencement. 1() of April, nineteen hundred and twenty-two. 2. This Act shall be deemed to be a special Act within the Act deemed to be a meaning of the Counties Act, 1920. special Act. 3. The Otorohanga County is hereby constituted, and shall coIn- Otorohanga County prise all that area, being portions of the West Taupo and Waitomo constituted. 15 Counties, particularly described in the First Schedule hereto. 4. The Taumarunui County is hereby Constituted, and shall Taumarunui County comprise all that area, being Dortion of the West Taupo County, constituted. particularly described in the Second Schedule hereto. 5. The Counties Act, 1920, shall be in full force in the counties Applic&tion of 20 of Otorohanga and Taumarunui. Counties Act, 1920. 6. (1.) The counties of Waitomo and Awakino are hereby abolished, Awakino and and the respective County Councils thereof are hereby dissolved. Waitomo Counties abolished, and (2.) The area described in the Third Schedule hereto is hereby waitomo county constituted a new county, to be known as the Waitomo County. constituted. 26 (3.) The provisions of subsections two and three of section ten of the Counties Act, 1920, shall, with the necessary modifications, apply to the said new county in all respects as if the counties of Waitomo and Awakino hereby abolished had been united under the said section ten to form the said new county. No. 109-2. 2 Waikato and King-country Counties. (4.) Sections thirteen and sixteen of the Counties Act, 1920, shall apply as between the Council of the Waitomo County hereinbefore constituted and the Council of any county within the boundaries of which are included any lands heretofore forming part of either of the counties of Waitomo or Awakino hereinbefore abolished in the same 6 manner as if such lands had formed part of the said Waitomo County. Antecedent 7. (1.) Subject to any adjustment of assets and liabilities liabilities of Awakino and pursuant to this Act the antecedent liabilities within the meaning of Waitomo County the Local Bodies' Finance Act, 1921-22, of the Awakino County Councils to be antecedent Council and of the Waitomo County Council, respectively, shall be 10 liability of new deemed to be the antecedent liability of the Council of the Waitomo Waitomo County. County constituted by this Act. (2.) Any rate made and levied by the new Waitomo County Council for the purposes of the Local Bodies' Finance Act, 1921-22, as security for a loan to extinguish, in whole or in part, its ante- 15 cedent liability under that Act, or for the purpose of providing any annual instalment payable under that Act in reduction or extinction of its antecedent liability, shall, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in that Act, be made separately in respect of the portion of its antecedent liability that was the antecedent liability of the 20 Awakino County Council and in respect of the portion of its ante- cedent liability that was the antecedent liability of the old Waitomo County Council, and shall be levied accordingly only over the area originally comprised in the Awakino County or the old Waitomo County as the case may require. 25 System of rating in 8, (1.) The Governor-General may by Order in Council make Waitomo County. such provision as he deems necessary for the taking of a poll of rate- payers of the Waitomo County as hereinbefore constituted upon a proposal to determine whether the system of rating on the capital value or the system of rating on the unimproved value shall be in 30 force in the said county. (2.) The system of rating declared to be adopted pursuant to such poll shall be in force in the Waitomo County as if the same had been adopted pursuant to the provisions of the Rating Act, 1908. B6undaries. of 9. The boundaries of the Kawhia County are hereby altered, and 35 Kawhia County the said county shall comprise all that area described in the Fourth altered. Schedule hereto. oundaries of 10. The boundaries of the Raglan County are hereby altered, and Raglan County altered. the said county shall comprise all that area described in the Fifth Schedule hereto. · 40 Boundaries of 11. The boundaries of the Waikato County are hereby altered, Waikato County and the said county shall comprise all that area described in the altered. Sixth Schedule hereto. Boundaries of Piako 12. The boundaries of the Piako County are hereby altered, and County altered. the said county shall comprise all that area described in the Seventh 45 Schedule hereto. Boundaries of 13. The boundaries of the Waipa County are hereby altered, Waipa County altered. and the said county shall comprise all that area described in the Eighth Schedule hereto. Taupo East and 14. (1.) The counties of East Taupo and West Taupo are hereby 50 Taupo West Counties united. abolished, and the area described in the Ninth Schedule hereto, being the area comprised in the said East Taupo County and a portion of the said West Taupo County, is hereby constituted a county, to be known as the Taupo County. Wa;kato and King-country Counties. (2.) The Counties Act, 1920, with the exception of section six thereof, shall not apply or be in force in the said Taupo County, and the reference in that section to the counties of West Taupo and East Taupo shall be construed as a reference to the Taupo County 5 constituted by this Act. (3.) The reference in section twenty-seven of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, 1916, to the Counties of East Taupo and West Taupo shall be construed as a reference to the said Taupo County. 10 15. (1.) The Road Boards of the Kakepuku, Parawera, and Roto- Road districts abolished. 0-rangi Road Districts are hereby dissolved, and the said road districts are hereby merged in the Waipa County as defined in the Eighth Schedule to this Act. (2.) The Road Boards of the Mangaorongo and Wharepapa Road 15 Districts are hereby dissolved, and the said road districts are hereby merged in the Otorohanga County as constituted by this Act: Provided that the said Road Boards shall continue to exist for the purposes of section eighteen hereof until the first elected Councillors of the Otorohanga County come into office. 20 16, (1.) The area described in the Tenth Schedule hereto, being T:up. Road District constituted. portion of the Taupo County, is hereby constituted a road district, to be known as the Taupo Road District. (2.) The Board of the said district shall consist of five members. (3.) The provisions of subsections four, five, and six of section 25 twenty-seven of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering Act, 1916, and section one hundred and twenty-two of the Reserves and other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Em- powering Act, 1917, shall apply to the Taupo Road District as if the said road district had been constituted under such first-mentioned 30 section. 17. Except as hereinbefore otherwise specially provided, the Appl)cytion of mona of provisions of the Counties Act, 1920, shall apply in respect of the proviCounties Act, 1920, alterations of boundaries of any counties or the merger of any road in respect of districts made or effected by this Act in the same manner in all respects of ttlnaries 35 as if such alterations or merger had been made or effected under that Act: Provided that where, consequent upon the alteration of boundaies of any county, any area is declared by the Governor - General by Proclamation under section twenty-one of the Counties Act, 1920, 40 to be included in any existing riding of such county, it shall not be necessary for an election of councillors to be held for such riding pursuant to paragraph (c) of section sixty-nine of that Act. 18. Notwithstanding anything in the foregoing provisions of this Temporary provision for control Act or in any other Act, the local.authority which immediately before of certain districts.