ONSLOW BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 487, 21 April 1909, Page 4

ONSLOW BOROUGH COUNCIL.

REJECTED LOAN PROPOSALS. ' THE MAYOR'S COMMENTS. A special meeting of tho Onslow Borough nwm a3 ' le last evening, to consider: (1) Ihe confirmation of the special order increasing the number of councillors for tho borough to nine; (2) the institution of prooeedings for tho collection of all outstanding rates; and (3) the suggested cessation' of Government. valuations for ' local bodies. There wcro present His Worship tho Mayor (Mr. J. G. Harkness), and Councillors LynneWatson, Plimmer, and Aplin. . special order increasing the representation of ratepayers from six tonino was con.jjrmetL €ach of. ths-.thre©.'/ .wards of the borough to have three representatives. • J. he Town Clerk was authorised; to proceed tor the recovery of all .unpaid rates, there mi? sum .'°f £150 outstanding.,. .' ■i y e s%° r 'tabWVa motion with reference to the Government s proposal to cease valuing for local bodies, stating. that - ho could see no reason for. tho proposed c'hango. The motion, read• ...

' lhafc this council lias heard.with regret through the recent speech of. ;th© Prime Minister at Upper Hutt, that' the Government contemplates making some alteration in tkt valuation of boroughs, and is of opinion that any_ departure from' tho present system will bo inadvisable, and would provo more oxpensive and less efficient "than when done under (jovornment supervision'as at present." ' ilio motion was seoonded by Councillor liynneberg, and carried. . ■\ At -tho _ close of-the'formal business, his Worship took occasion to refer to the work of tho year, and incidentally touched upon tho loan proposals,, which were rejected on Alonday. -It was; ho said, the last meeting of,the present council, and be wished to take the.opportunity of expressing his; appreciation or the assistanco rendered him by the council in carrying out the reponsible duties of The business of the pouncil had been - carried ! out ; satisfactorily, Wn- GV S y rcg:lrd to,the interests' of theM * r g F c t tctl that the ratepayers had not carried at least some of, tho loan } va , s fu ,"y cognisant of thefact that there had been certain influences at work, against which it had been impossible to contend. It had been the express wish of the residents of Khandallah'that a town ha 1 n ' f i"j « )lore ' s'ct tJiat proposal had been rejected by five .votes. ' The drainage ■ScW -proposals- had 1 , also befn 3' tw** .was-mot;largo, opposition, represented! by some 360 ™ln v P , i P - their; full, strength, while 'mrf trnLf Tl m fa ™ u :; o r«io schemes had ntit troubled to record their votes,, He oonsidered that the _l>orough had'-'- suffered a .distincti set-back for a number of years. So far. the water supply, was'concerned, thev committed to, the purchase-, of tho to a w a ' lv - hl ,' was now impossible to utilise. ,Ho pointed-out that if industries' • were established on the. river below 4e catchment area, the drain on the supply would bo prejudicial to the interests of Sie th™"™ a V Ome t turo dat<! - ' His Worship !„!lf i / n solM remarks of a more n„Srfi m i : 'i r - e ' ?°i lcerni!1 g which he requested that Ins statements be excluded from the press reports of tho proceedings.■