Vincent County Council.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 353, 12 February 1903, Page 5

Vincent County Council.

PEOIA L REPORT BY THE CHAIRMAN. BE FEBKIES ON THE CLUTHA RIVER. The following is the special report by the Chairman, re ferries on the Clutha River, submitted to the above Council at its meeting held at Clyde, on 28th January, 1903 :• "As you are aware, we have four punts on the Clutha river. The cost to the county in maintaining this line of communication open for the year ending 31st March last, was,£s44 lis, or about equal to one-tenth of the ordinary revenue. " I thought it might interest the council to have -a table prepared, showing the number of persons, vehicles, and stock car ied by the punts in the course of 12 mouths. Taking the months of March and April, 1902, as an average turn, we find the following as a yearly result:— / FOOT PASSENGERS. Lowburn ... ... 9524 Luggate .. ... 4188 Albertown ... ... 3246 Maungawera ... ... J 030 Total ... ... 17,880 PERSONS»ON HORSEBACK. Lowburn ... .. 2526 Luggate ... ... 4728 Albertown ... ... 2196 Maungawera ... ... 1608 Total 11,058 PERSONS IN VEHICLES. Lowburn ... ... 8804. Luggate ... .... 3744 Albertown ... ... 1744 Maungawera ... ... L6B Total ... ... 15,360 Total of pasaengers crossed in the punts ... 44,408 The number of vehicles crossed by the punts is as follows: Drays Wag- Bug. Spring Coaches gr>ns gies Carts Lowburn 1044 162 616 1692 Luggate 432 642 942 6f-6 210 Albertown 444 264 276 432 208 Maungawera 84 36 420 35 The number of stock crossed is as fol. lows:— Horses Cattle Sheep Lowburn ... 9330 54 2736 Luggate ... 1'944 144 3390 Albertown... 3772 246 77"4 Maungawera 14'B Total ... 25,474 444 14.326 "In considering the matter of replacing the punts by bridges, councillors should note the fact that the cost of the up-kpep of the punts, (one-tenth of the ordinary revenue of the county), is a heavy item in the finances, "To my mind- the above figures conclusively show that the time has arrived when the old-time ferries, which have done duty for the past 26 years, should be rep'aced by modern bridges. "In order to do so, the matter of ways and means has to be faced. Taking £20,000 as an estimate of the cost of replacing the punts by bridges my opinion is, that out of ordinary revenue this council cannot possibly "undertake the work, and to show this plainly, I have arranged the following table of our average receipts and expenditure for the past five years. RECEIPTS. General Rates ... £2299 Goldfield's Revenue ... 2433 Various Licenses ... 558 Total £5290 Annual Government subsidy on rates collected £SOO Total annual revenue ... £5790 EXPENDITURE. Roads, bridges, punts, and general maintenance... £3686 Hospitals' and charitable aid 776 Administration and miscellaneous ... ... 1016

Total expenditure ... £5478 Surplus balance of receipts over expenditure ... £320 ; "It will thus be seen that with the u'tnost economy we have been able to effect a saving of only £3OO a year—just sufficient to alter our bal -nee sheet from an overdraft of £459 in 1896 to a comfortable working surplus of some £2OOO, 1902, thus saving bank interest. It is hoped that if our income keeps up for a few years that we will be in a position to bridge 6ome of the smal'er streams such as the Nevis, Lindis, Fraser, Spottis, Poolburn, <fcc I may point out that the goldfieids revenue is on the down grade, and likely to continue so, claims being worked out, and consequent reductions in values taking place.

" You will observe that in the above tables I have om ; t*ed Land Revenue and grants from Government, those sums being earmarked for special purposes, we having little or no control over them, and they cannot be applied to aoy other purpose than that for which they are granted. " There are three courses open to the Council should i*i desire to proceed with the construe ion of bridges. (1) —To raise a special loan for the purpose. This would mean that a vote of ratepayers of the whole county woald be necessary and that a majority of those voting should favour the proposal. Should this be dore and the vote be carried in favour of the proposal, we could then arply to the Government for a loan of say 420,000, under the "Loans to Local Bodi(8 .Act, 1901," such loans *o be repayable in 41 years, (6ee sub-section C, section 59, part 2 of 4ct) or clearly, the Council would have to make an annual payment of 4700 towards the payment of interest and sinking fund for a period of 41 years, after which the debt is extinguished or wiped out. (2)— To apply to the Government for a subsidy of 4 for £ on 420,000, and raisd the other 410.000 by special loan ; this amount repayable in 41 years, would cost the County 4350 per annum to cover the period mentioned. (3)— To appy to the Grverrment for the full amount to erect the four bridgea Of the three, I f aver ifee ktt«* j»«|*sal tectt, M X

consider that this Council has a claim ou the Government for this particular purpose, therefore I would recommend you to carefully consider the following statement. " Annual amount paid into the Fublio Account as Consolidated Revenue from rents of Crown Lands situated within the County of "Vincent:— Deferred payment, perpetual leases, and leases in perpetuity ... £ 867 .Small giazing runs ... 1049 . Pastoral leases ... ... .9680 Total annual rentals ... £11,496 " This amount, for the past 26 years, or since the Counties' Act came into force, calculated on the above returns, reaches the large sum of £298,896. «• The bridging of the Olutha river is really roading Government lands, and consequently must enbance their values. I may also point out that our boundary, at the locality where the bridges are - required, is close to the Lake County, where valuable pastoral lands exist, and this portion of Crown lands wou'd also greatly benefit by the erection of the bridges. " No doubt you are aware that this county receives ' thirds' of rents from deferred payment, perpetual leases, and leases in perpetuity; and * fourths' of rents from small grazing runs, which sums we have to spend in roading the several blocks where such lands are situated ; but we do not get a single penny from rents of pastoral leases or licenses in the whole of the northern ridings. In the Hawea, Clutha. Lindis, and Carrick ridings, thevo is not a single grazing run, consequently ! we have been roading out of our | ordinary revenue, Crown lands, for | which the Government have received over a quarter of a million of money in ( rents during the past 26 years; and those lands are likely to retain their valu» for all time, we are only asking the Government to open up their own estate. We have dor e our share} for at the rate of £554 per annum, it has cost this county £114,144, to keep communication open over the Olutha river." The report was adopted.