The Short Title of this Act is “The Canterbury Rivers Act 1870 Amendment Act, 1881.”

The provisions of “The Canterbury Rivers Act 1870 Amendment Act, 1880,” (herein called “the said Act,”) save and except sections three, five, seven, eight, nine, and ten thereof, shall, mutatis mutandis, hereafter be deemed to extend and to apply to the constitution of the Board of Conservators for the North Rakaia District constituted under “The Canterbury Rivers Act, 1870,” (hereinafter called “the Board”): Provided always that as regards the Board the word “five” shall be substituted for the word “nine,” in the first line of the fourth section of the said Act, and the word “Governor” shall be substituted for the words “Mayor of the City of Christchurch” in the eighteenth section of the said Act.

The members of the Board shall be elected by the persons who, at the time of the election, are on the ratepayers’ roll of any borough or Road Board in respect of property within the district of the Board, and who have paid all rates due in respect of such property up to the date of election.

Each of such electors shall have, for the election of each member of the Board to be elected at any election, the number of votes to which he is entitled according to the sixth section of the said Act.

As soon as conveniently may be after the passing of this Act, the Governor shall appoint some day, not exceeding thirty days after the date thereof, for the election of the first members of the Board, and by warrant under his hand shall appoint some fit person as Returning Officer to conduct such election.

The qualification for membership of the Board shall be the possession of the right to vote at an election for the Board.

The members of the new Board shall decide by ballot, at their first meeting after election, which three of their number shall go out of office on the first Tuesday in the month of January, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-three, and the two members so remaining shall hold office till the first Tuesday in January, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-five.

On the first Tuesday in January, one thousand eight hundred and eighty-three, three members shall be elected to supply the place of those vacating office, and every second year thereafter successors shall be elected, either two or three, as the case may be, to fill the vacancies that may arise.

The Board shall not exercise any of its borrowing powers without the consent of two-thirds of those of the persons entitled to vote for the election of members of the Board who are so entitled in respect of a freehold qualification, which consent shall be obtained by a poll of the same.

The poll shall be taken in the following manner:—

Notice of the intention of the Board shall be given by the publication for at least once a week for four successive weeks, in some newspaper circulating in the district, of a notice showing the amount proposed to be borrowed, the purpose, and the term for which it is to be borrowed, the amount of any rate required to be levied to provide the interest and sinking fund (if any) thereon, and the day on which the poll is to be taken, which shall not be less than one week from the publication of the last of such notices.

The Chairman shall appoint a Returning Officer, and give him seven days’ notice requiring him to take the poll upon the day appointed.

The Returning Officer shall, upon the day so appointed, proceed to take the poll in the manner hereinafter provided.

The voting papers shall be printed in the form in the Schedule hereto, setting forth the notification mentioned in this section.

The voter shall erase one or other of the said lines, and his vote shall be deemed to be given according to the one of the said lines which he leaves unerased.

All the provisions of “The Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1876,” as regards taking a poll, shall, so far as they are applicable, and except as by this Act otherwise provided, apply to the taking a poll on the proposal mentioned in the said notification.

Whenever any such resolution is carried, the Chairman shall send a notice thereof to the Colonial Secretary, who shall publish the same in the Gazette; and such notice, so published, shall be evidence that the raising of the loan to which it refers has been duly authorized under the provisions of this Act.

As soon as conveniently may be after the result of the poll has been ascertained, the Returning Officer shall give public notice of the number of votes recorded for and against the proposal as above provided, and shall declare the proposal to be carried or rejected, as the case may be.

“The Canterbury Rivers Act 1870 Amendment Act, 1877,” is hereby repealed, so far as relates to the Board of Conservators for the North Rakaia District.