NORTHLAND AND KARORI.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 416, 27 January 1909, Page 5

NORTHLAND AND KARORI.

. THE RATING' ;QUEST] ON. ; . Northland ratepayers recently objected, to pay rates 0n... a special'loan raised by the Karon Borough;-: Council.: They held that, as they were now included in .the city of Wellington,., they were not liable. They wished to wait until an adjustment had been made between' the City, Council and tho Karori body.. , At. last night's meeting of ,the .Karori Borough Council the subject was introduced by a communication from the' NorthlandRatepayers' ■ Association. A motion by Councillor .Cathie .that the. matter be con--sidered in was not favoured. sa that it was nonsense to: that the., rates- could not be demanded until an . adjustment . had • been . arrived at. No adjustment oould bo allowed to interfere with the. collection of the rates which- were due. If judgment were given in the' Courts for the, Northland ratepayers,_ the debentureholders would appoint a receiver and collect the money. A mortgage for these loans was held over, the land, and tho - Karori Council was the body that .had borrowed the money. To his mind the Municipal Corporations Act stated plainly 'that; a severance, had no effect on the payment of the rates on special loans./ He thought that if a member of the council, had been .invited to;attend the meeting of the Ratepayers' Association the whole trouble which arose from a- misunderstanding would have been cleared up. The Town Clerk (Mr. W. F. England) said that he had been advised'by the city solicitor that this loan;. was on the same lines as the Wndestcwn one, - and therefore th© Karori Borough Council would have to' collect'the rates. No power was possessed 1 by the City Council to interfere with the loan. ....... A motion was Wrought forward by Councillor'Wedde to the effect that the chairman of the of ratepayers (Air. Finlay M'Leod) bo 'invited to meet the Mayor, and discuss the. matter with him. It appeared ,to Councillor Wedde. that the meeting: had not been aware of the fact that .the rate was to go to the payment of the loan and, sinking fund. Already; a .number of Northland ratepayers, had paid, the .rate. The motion was " seconded by Councillor Lissington. - Councillor Cathie was .of opinion that the trouble, had arisen- because the Northland ratepayers had expected , to; get. something which they could not now have. He thought that no' adjustment was 'necessary.- Most or the debentures were held by the City Council. The best course to adopt, would be .to reply' to the letter stating, .that ;the ; council, did not admit' the statements made.by the meet-! ing.'Councillor Hammond said that it was the Northland .people who had brought on this tram - debt, and now they objected to . pay. ! The first ho had heard of the grievance- was from'-the- newspapers. -, He thought ' the council should issue its notices just as usual. They, .were the. body -that ■ had issued the eebentures, and. . they were - liable for the interest. : ■. . The Mayor said that the funds.were paid 1 into the district fund, but were booked to different sections of that account., Councillor Smith, thought that when the poojils got a summons for the rates it would straighten them up alright.-. - Councillor .Raine did not quite like the motion under discussion. .He thought they' should write, saying that the books of the council were' open' for! inspection by- any ratepayer. . ... . . • . ..' Councillor Wedde agreed with Councillor Hammond that.-the agitation' had been raised by a .few; but' they: had to assume that'the mooting was a fairly representative one and act accordingly. - , r 1 : ; - The motion,was then amended to read that the letter be replied to,' asking any representative of the meeting to-meet',the Mayor, and stating : that the booksVof the coiincil were .open for. inspection.' This was carried. The Mayor said ho was quite agreeable to give any ratepayer an explanation of the caso. He .did ,not think that it, was at all undignified and. felt certain that ho could explain away the' whole, matter, in a .few minutes.', The : special rates were very small in' amount, and not worth any, ratepayer's ■while to bother about from a ■ business :• point of view. . ; ■■ v .. ,

- .Councillor Bradiiock.thought .that-' what the Northland people .wanted-,was-to'have ..the whole of (the.: liability- spread: over; a larger, district'. ~ :