ANNUAL MEETING.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1250, 10 May 1884, Page 2

ANNUAL MEETING.

Rangitata. The annual general meeting of rate- * payers of the Rangitata Road District was held at Ltsmore on Wednesday last. The minutes of the last ratepayers’ meeting were confirmed, and the Chairman (Mr E. G. Wright) submitted a statement of accounts and balance sheet, showing a debit balance, which together with other liabilities he thought the small rate struck would be sufficient to meet. He moved the adoption of the balance-sheet, which was seconded by Mr Sutherland and carried unanimously. The Chairman stated that notwithstanding the Board had no salaried officers, the incidental expenditure amounted to ten per cent of cost of works. In other Boards having officers, it amounted to about 30 per cent, on an average, and that bearing on the question of expenditure, the Board has just passed a resolution in reply to a letter from the Mount Hutt Road Board in reference to the question of abolishing one of the rating bodies. He felt strongly that something must be done to curtail expenditure, and considered the best means was to place the control in the hands of the County Council —as it was, the ratepayers had to apply to the Council for all works of importance, such as bridges, river protection, water-races, etc. —there was little but road metalling for Road Boards.to attend to, and as this required no particular engineering skill lie failed to see the necessity of their keeping a surveyor to attend to it. In dealing with the more important works referred to, twelve months would probably see the Road Board- in trouble amongst themselves and with the ratepayers generally. It might be somewhat out of place at this meeting, but there could be no harm in those present endorsing the resolution which he would read as follows “ That in the opinion of this Board it is desirable that the whole of the Road Boards within the County should be abolished and the works entrusted to the County Council, each road district being constituted a separate Riding or Ward—and the fund required in each Riding raised by a separate rate. This district had already separated from another to protect itself from undue rating and expenditure of its funds in other places, and without the protection afforded by the Ward system, named in the latter part of the resolution, he would most strongly object to the Road Boards being merged in the County Council. With this provision he considered the works could be more efficiently carried out by the officers at present m the employment of the County Council than by some half dozen less qualified Road Board clerks and surveyors, and the rates could be levied to meet the requirements of the respective Vvards. With these remarks he would put the resolution, and be glad to hear any other person’s opinion. Mr 0. Harper heartily seconded the resolution. If the Road Boards were to exist rating must be continued, as there were no funds to be had from the Government. One body must go, and it was impossible to abolish the County Council. The required signatures of three-fifths of the ratepayers could not be obtained on account of the number of absentees. He had experienced great difficulty in this respect in obtaining the | separation of this riding, although the residents were unanimously in favor of it. It was not likely that the County Council could suddenly relinquish the management of works they had constructed, and the water-races were only in theit infancy. Where there was now one race he hoped to see ten, and the system eventually extended so as to afford a supply of water for irrigation. They had not foU-the--want <-'t it this exceptionally wet season, but necessity would be felt in drier times, such as they had experienced in the past. He trusted people would think seriously of this question. He agreed with the Chairman in his remarks as to dispensing with the Road Board staffs, and also as to the saving of expense in advertising, which was necessarily very heavy. The ratepayers would have the same chance of getting at the County Council as they had at the Road B tards. He regretted the reduction of the number of Council members to seven, and considered it should be increased to nine. Mr Wright said with reference to Mr Hr.rper’a remarks as to extending the water supply, he ( tr Wright) had strenuously opposed the multiplication of races for the present with a view to protecting the seaward side of the country from absorption of the water inland, and numbers of applications had been refused until such time as the coast had been supplied. Even now the water had not quite reached the end of a race towards Coldstream.

The resolution was then carried unanimously, after which a letter was read from the Returning officer, stating that Messrs 0 Harper and D. Morrow had been elected as members of the Board, and the meeting dispersed with a vote of thanks to the Chairman