MEETING OF RATEPAYERS AT LITTLE RIVER.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 680, 19 January 1883, Page 3

MEETING OF RATEPAYERS AT LITTLE RIVER.

♦ A meeting of the ratepayers of this dis- i trict was held in the school room at Little River on Saturday evening last, the 13th instant, to take into consideration the abolition of the Road Boa.rd District. The attendance was not large. Mr A. D. Allan was voted to the Chair. The Chairman said he was sorry to see such a small attendance; the residents ought to take more interestin local matters. Tbe meeting had been called by the Liitle River Road Board to obtain an expression of opinion from the ratepayers as to the abolition of the Akaroa County Council and also as to the subdivision of the Road Board District. He would call upon Mr Wilson to address the meeting. Mr Wilson said he thought the County Council ought to be abolished, as it had done nothing, and to be reconstructed by the election of the Chairmen of the various Road Boards in the County, and the Mayor of Akaroa. As to the subdivision of the Little River Road Board district, it was proposed to divide it into wards, as it were, each ward returning a member. It was for the meeting to give an expression of opinion as to these matters. MrW. Coop said thereweremany reasons why the Little River Road Board district should now be vested in the County Council. It might be true that the Council as yet had not done much, but this was because it had nothing to do. It was altogether out of reason that it ehould now take seven local bodies to expend the funds, likely to amount to about £3000 in future. He was opposed to reforming the Council out of the Chairmen of Road Boards, as there was no doubt but the Council as at present elected, that is, by the ratepayers, was a superior body, and there was nothing at all to prevent it from carrying out the worus of the Peninsula to the satisfaction of all. There were plenty of cases where two h'oad Boards clashed and could not agree, when settlers had to be left in the cold. This could not happen if the Council took over all. With a view to elicit what the cost of the Road Boards was he would ask the Clerk a few questions. What balance waa in the hands of your Board at the end of the year ? Answer : About £200. What will be the amont of the rates for the current year with Is rate? Answer : Did not know the valuation, lut might reckon on £800 or £900. What was the amount of the rates last year? Answer: £412. How much will ihey have to spend during the current year, with a rate equal to Is in he£? Answer: About£looo,

Will the Road Board be able to carry out the works required during the next 12 months with £1000? Answer: No. Mr Wilson referred to the County Council having spent £400 in the allocation of £1000, and wanted to know how long this state of things was to continue. Mr Anson said that the question before the meeting ought to be looked at in its widest sense. The Council was as yet only in its infancy, and had not had an opportunity of distinguishing itself. In a few years time he had no doubt good men and true might be found who would do the work without any travelling allowance. Il was all very well to ask what the Council had done, but he would ask what the Road Boards had done. He was in favor of the Road Boards being done away with and the whole Act adopted. Mr Joblin said, though a member of the Council he would rather see the Council abolished than the Road Boards, the members of the Road Boards being local men who were acquainted with the various local wants, and this the members of the Council never could be. Mr Coop: Do you think it wise to have seven different bodies to spend £3000 ? Mr Joblin : The County Council could not supervise the work like the,,; Road Boards A general conversational discussion was here entered into, when the following resolution was proposed by Mr Coop and seconded by Mr Stanbury, viz.:—" That this meeting is of opinion that it un desirable that the Peninsula be inflicted with the expense of seven local bodies in the expenditure of some £3000 in all on the varioue roads in the district, and would recommend that the various Road Board Districts be invited to take a poll of the whole county to decide whether the County Council be abolished, or take over the whole of the main roads and adopt the Act in its entirety." Mr Joblin thought it rather undesirable to come to any conclusion that night, there being so few present. Mr Coop said he thought a better representative meeting could not be got, a very large quantity of land being represented. The resolution was put to the meeting and carried. As to the subdivision of the Little River Road Board District into ridings, after some discussion, it was proposed by Mr W. Coop, seconded by Mr J. Watkins and carried—"'lhat this meeting disapproves of any alteration in the Little River Road Board District, in the shape of its being made into ridings, until the end of the district is further advanced in the formation of roads and bridges." The following resolution was proposed by Mr J. Watkins, but not finding a seconder, lapsed, viz.:—"That as the whole of the Road Boards on the Peninsula are almost bankrupt, it is time they were done away with, some of them not being able to pay their workmen after tbe performance of their work." A vote of thanks to the ; Chaiiman terminated the proceedings.