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The Municipality of Marrickville (1861-1867) Borough of Marrickville (1867-1906) Municipality of Marrickville (1907-1948) was a local body constituted under the Municipalities Act, 1858 (22 Victoria Act no.13) and subsequent legislation. It was established in the parish of Petersham, county of Cumberland.
The Municipalities Act 1858 provided for the establishment of a municipality on receipt of a petition signed by at least 50 resident householders of a city, town, hamlet or rural district, requesting the status and giving the boundaries of the intended area. The petition was required to state the population of the area, although no minimum was given in the Act. The proposal was to be gazetted, and if no larger counter-petition was received within three months the Governor could proclaim the area a municipality and define its boundaries. (1)
The governing body of a municipality would consist of six or nine councillors, depending on whether the population was above or below 1000. (2) One councillor was selected by the council to be chairman. An alternative was to have aldermen and a mayor, which required a proclamation; although no practical difference was expressed in the Act. (3)
A petition of 76 signatures to establish the Municipality of Marrickville, population 600, was gazetted on 27 May 1861. (4) A counter-petition with 37 signatures argued that the area was 'small, thinly inhabited, without much traffic, unimportant, unadapted for the purpose of a municipality, and unable to support one'. (5) This petition was unsuccessful, and the new municipality was proclaimed on 5 November 1861. (6)
A returning officer was appointed to organise a meeting of electors for 9 December 1861. (7) As there was the same number of nominees as positions, they were automatically declared as the six councillors, as provided for under the Act. (8) The petition had asked that the council consist of councillors and a chairman, and this structure was included in the Marrickville by-laws. (9)
As of 30 June 1862 Marrickville reported the collection of 151 pounds in rates, 30 pounds of which had been spent on the valuations. (10)
Under s.2 of the Municipalities Act, 1867 (31 Vic. No.12) all pre-existing local government areas became boroughs, whether or not they met the population and size requirements of the new Act. Thus the Municipality of Marrickville became the Borough of Marrickville from 1867 to 1906. Under s.7 the councillors and chairman became aldermen and mayor.
Under the Local Government Extension Act, 1906 (Act No.40, 1906) the terms Borough and Municipal District ceased to be used, and on 31 December 1906 the Borough of Marrickville became again the Municipality of Marrickville. (11)
In 1907, Marrickville was listed in the Government Gazette as having 12 aldermen, three per ward. (12)
The boundaries of Marrickville were altered in October 1909 with the transfer of 60 acres of the West ward to the Municipality of Canterbury. (13) Consequential ward changes were published the following month. (14) In September 1919 a further 97 acres were proposed for transfer from Marrickville to the Municipality of St.Peters (15), and proclaimed in November with new boundary definitions of both municipalities. (16) Eight acres of Canterbury was proposed for transfer to the West ward of Marrickville in August 1947 (17), and proclaimed with boundary and ward alterations the following May. (18)
The Valuation of Land Act 1916 (Act No.2, 1916) was applied to Marrickville from 1 February 1923 (19), and the first valuation list was supplied before 15 January 1924. (20) From this time the assessment of land values was no longer a function of the Municipality, which now used values assigned by the Valuer-General when levying rates.
The Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 (Act No.30) amalgamated many local government areas. As a result, the Municipality of Marrickville was dissolved and amalgamated with the Municipalities of St.Peters and Petersham on 1 January 1949. The new amalgamated body was also named the Municipality of Marrickville. (21)
Endnotes
1. An Act for Establishing Municipal Institutions, 1858 (22 Vic. Act No.13) s.2.
2. Ibid., s.8.
3. Ibid., ss.31-33.
4. NSW Government Gazette No.138, 27 May 1861, pp.1189-90.
5. NSW Government Gazette No.199, 20 August 1861, pp.1801-02.
6. NSW Government Gazette No.245, 5 November 1861, pp.2361-62.
7. NSW Government Gazette No.263, 27 November 1861, p.2547.
8. NSW Government Gazette No.279, 13 December 1861, p.2676; An Act for Establishing Municipal Institutions, 1858 (22 Vic. Act No.13) s.13.
9. NSW Government Gazette No.79, 5 May 1862, pp.853-56.
10. NSW Government Gazette No.125, 25 July 1862, p.1357.
11. Local Government Extension Act, 1906 (Act No.40, 1906) s.3, Sch.1, s.9; NSW Government Gazette No.286, 31 December 1906, p.7019.
12. NSW Government Gazette No.146, 20 November 1907, pp.6309-10.
13. NSW Government Gazette No.131, 13 October 1909, pp.5513-14.
14. NSW Government Gazette No.140, 3 November 1909, pp.5944-45.
15. NSW Government Gazette No.229, 26 September 1919, p.5284.
16. NSW Government Gazette No.257, 14 November 1919, p.6245.
17. NSW Government Gazette No.100, 29 August 1947, p.2001.
18. NSW Government Gazette No.59, 28 May 1948, pp.1281-83.
19. NSW Government Gazette No.135, 2 November 1923, p.4908.
20. NSW Government Gazette No.12, 25 January 1924, p.486.
21. Local Government (Areas) Act 1948 (Act No.30) Sch.1.
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