Move To Absorb Yarrlumla Shire Territory

27 February 1945 The Tumut and Adelong Times

Between Tumut and Brindabella by Tumut Shire Council.

 Petition To Be Got Up

An important matter contained in a letter from Mr. Lee- Archer, of Tomorroma, was before the Tumut Shire Council at its meeting on Wednesday last.

Mr. Lee-Archer considered the time opportune for the Shire to absorb that portion of the Yarralumla Shire from Micalong to Brindabella. 

This would give Tumut Council control of the Tumut-Canberra road, if it was constructed, practically to Federal Capital Territory. 

The Council decided to in- form Mr. Lee-Archer that it would support a petition, which must comprise four-fifths of the ratepayers in the area con-concerned if it was sent in. Mr. Lee-Archer's letter read as follows; —

"Recently I noticed there was a move to create another Riding in the Tumut Shire. This would be an opportune time to extend the Tumut Shire to the Goodradigbee River at Brindabella.

This would give the Tumut Shire control of the Tumut-Canberra road almost to the Federal Capital Territory.

I have been given to understand by the District Surveyor at Goulburn that a petition, signed by four-fifths of the ratepayers within the area, would be sufficient for transfer of the area.

I am confident that every ratepayer within the area would sign if approached, and I would undertake to have the petition taken round if the Council is prepared to take over the area and include it in the Tumut Shire.

If this area is included in the Tumut Shire it would conveniently connect on to the 'B' Riding, which could then be bounded by the Tumut and Goodradigbee Rivers on the west and south and the Goodradigbee River and Goodradigbee Shire on the east and Gundagai Shire on the north.

The rates from the area would be Consider- able and, as the Tumut-Canberra road should soon be a main highway, the only expense to the Shire would be a few miles of feeder roads.

Trusting this suggestion will receive the Council's approval and will lead to more ratepayers being satisfactorily catered for." 

With reference to the erection of another Riding, Cr. Quarmby said he did not think it would be possible, as the Act states that a Council shall consist of not more than nine or less than six and each Riding must have equal representation.

The only way would be to have single Riding representation. It was strange that, a Municipal Council could have up to 15 aldermen, yet a Shire Council, which controlled a larger area, could only have nine. 

After further discussion it was resolved that the. Council' support Mr. Lee Archer's suggestion and to suggest that he send in a petition to -the Council signed by at least four-fifths of the rate payers concerned.

The 'Tumut Times' is heartily in accord with the move to have this strip of country tacked on to the Tumut Shire, for had it not been for the narrow parochialism of the Yarralumla Shire in refusing a grant of £5000 in 1926 there would, have been at least a good road between Tumut and Canberra at the present time.

This paper had the following to say about the matter at that time:-

"The Federal Territory absorbed the Yarralumla Shire with the exception of a marginal fringe around it.

That Shire Council, with little revenue and big areas of Crown lands within its boundaries, is unable to discharge its functions properly.

The Shire has become a blot on local government and the fragments that remain of it should be tacked on to the adjoining Shires of Tumut, Goodradigbee, Monaro, Gunning, Mulwarrie or Tallanda Shires. Recently the Main Roads Board voted the Yarralumla Shire Council £5000 for the construction of the road from Micalong, the border of the Tumut Shire, across the small strip of country dividing the Tumut Shire from the Federal Territory; but it returned the money, refus- ing to expend it because it would not undertake to maintain the road once t' was constructed.

At the same time it opposes the Tumut Shire Council in its efforts to promote that much-needed arterial connection with the Federal Territory by asking the State Government to take away from it the eastern strip between the Goodradigbee and Monaro Shires and tack it on to the Yarralumla Shire so that the opportunity of securing the road through from Micalong to Canberra is foiled only because of the obstinacy and narrow parochialism of the Yarralumla Shire Council.

The public bodies from the Goodradigbee Shire to the Victorian border should use their weight find every resource they possess to bring pressure to bear on the State Government to abolish the Yarralumla Shire in toto and so give the Main Roads Board and the Tumut Shire the opportunity, so devoutly wished, of carrying on this most important national work."