The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1832. THE NEW ROAD BOARD ACT

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 662, 17 November 1882, Page 2

The Akaroa Mail. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1832. THE NEW ROAD BOARD ACT

.. o If not one of the most ambitious, at least one of the most useful acts of the last session of tha New Zealand Parliament was the placing on tho statute book "The Road Board Act, 1882." There is nothing specially new in the law as it now stands, nor does it differ materially in nny way from the well known and much thumbed " Canterbury Roads Ordinance of 1872," under which we, in this part of the country, have for so many years made and mended our ways. When it is stated that the Acts of the General Assembly and the Ordinances of the several provinces in connection with the roads and bridges of the colony footed up to tho respectable number of 41, of which the modest number of 3 has only to be credited to our own Provincial district, it will be pretty evident that something was wanted in the ■shape of the consolidation of the law on the subject. For some years there has been a general feeling that-this important matter should be the subject of legislation, notably Sir John Hall, who takes a warm interest in, and has a large personal knowledge of boad Board matters, some three years ago introduced a bill into the Council dealing with the question, but unfortunately it was still— 'born. On several subsequent occasions the subject has been attempted, but always abortively until last session, when the whole of the above 41 acts and ordinances referred to were repealed, unci the single act now before us, consisting of 162 sections, which comes into full operations throughout the colony on the first day of January next, substituted in their stead. As already indicated, the new act contains no novelties, but follows pretty much tho lines of our Provincial Ordinance of 1872.

We shall endeavor to gi c a brief resume' 3f the Act, so far as is possible within our narrow limit of space. In the first pine*, all existing districts and officers are to remain as they stand at the coining into operation of the Act, and the whole of the existing boundaries of districts will be re-gazetted shortly after the Act coming into force. By-laws, valuation roll:', and sub-divisions are also resp.'ctecl. A number of provisions are made for constituting new districts, for altering the boundaries of districts, ancl for sub-dividing districts. The former is to b.} regulated by the County Council,and the last by the Boards, subject to the prov sions that every Board must be wholly within one County, and that all descriptions of di-tricts and subdivisions, before being gazetted, shall b verified by tho c icf surveyor of the provincial district in which they arc situated. Sections 10 to 22 deal with the important matter of petitions. It must Ira within the knowledge of most of our readers what a simple matter getting up a petition to any local Road Board was, and how easily any number of signatures could be found for any purpose. The new law looks very properly unjn the matter as a very serious one. and requires a solemn declaration as to the genuiness of the signatures, in tho form of a schedule appended to the act. Persons infringing the law arc liable to a p .oviHy of £300, aud imprisonment for Avel/e months. The County Council has the power of appointing commissioners to enquire into the truth of statement-? in petitions ; and also as to the genuineness of the signatures, who have power to order productions of person/; and books, and examine an oath in tho same <(janner, as Justices exercising suwim ,ry jurisdiction. So tha. I Al tilings considered, wo fear we shall be shorn of *.i large number of petition.-; to tho Br.rd. Boards shall con-ust of not less i'iian foUi- nor inoiN) than nine wm ci-3—to Lo elected by the nAopavers, 'Tho .ib-anA have the power by special order to increase or diminish the /■•.miA.'r of mem.-- j bers with the above limit,-: One ot iA: j new features of th act is that a ;:;/.<:**•• A j election of members sh-ili take pi -j.- ••>>--.v. j every three years. The first ■,!.-.•e i *.*.l j election mv.it be heki on some A;/ uur-j ing the llrrA week in 'May, IABS, ••o tej fixed by the Board, and t-neh, d-y vA-i in i all time coming be the day ot the triouial j election. The Board have, hovvv.vcr. j power to make rogulavion.-? as ; ;c !.:/•>, j and in whr„t manner 'membor', may retire]

by rotation between one general election and the next. In the case of tiny failure of election, the County Couticil has tho power of appointing any person or persons to the office. Another novelty in tlio not is the new scale under wli'ch ratepayers shall be entitled to vote. Every person of twenty-one years of age, whose name appears on the valuation roll, ancl who has paid all rates then due by bim shall be entitled to vote for members of th*-* Board. Tbe -valuation roll is defined, as the roll supplied to each local body by tbe Prope ty Tax Commissioner, under the provisions of "Tho liftt'ng Act, ISS-2. If tho value of a person's? properly appears on the valuation roll "at not more than £1000 bosh-ill have one vote, if at more than £1000 and under £2000 two votes, over £2000 and nnd-r £8000 three votes, over £3000 and under £7500 four votes, over £7500 the maximum number of ti\~e votes. Without a careful ■malysis of the rolls, it would not be for us to say what effect this new arrangement will have in the voting powers of the county. All elections arc to take plsco under " The Rating Act 187G," unless tho Board resolves to the contrary, which they have ths power at any time to do undtT spcci-il order. There arc- a largo number of provisions regulating the conduct of officers;, of the proceedings of the Board, the making of bylaws, and tho regulations as to special orders regarding collectors and accountants of tho funds and accounts of B jaids of audit. All accounts of Boards must now be made up to the 31st day of March in each year. The whole of sections relating to which are almost verbatim copies of the corresponding sections of The .Counlies.mul The Municipal Corporation Acts of 1876. One very important new provision in the act is that Boards may in anticipation of their current revenue borrow; moneys from the Bank by way of overdraft, equal to ths amount of their previous year's income ; but s ction 113 protects the General Go\ eminent against any claim for any Road i card's liabilities.

The Board are authorised to levy genera', separ.ite, and special rates. The first two in no case to exceed three farthings in the pound on the rateable value under the new Eating Act; the latter may amount to another three farthings in the pound, and must be spent on special works, of the making of which thirty days' notice must be given, ancl backed up by the petition of not less than two-thirds of the ratepayers, repre-senting.one-half of the rateable property of the district.

The whole Act is simple, and can be understood by the most ordinary ratepayer. We feel quite sure that the Act under consideration w'll be found of great advantage to the Colony, and will be one of those measures that will go to form what every true colonist so much desires—the unification of the serveral parts of the country by tho adoption of a general law for the benefit of the whole.