THE PROPOSED NEW COUNTY.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 660, 10 November 1909, Page 3

THE PROPOSED NEW COUNTY.

Sir,—Would you still grant mo,a .'space.in;;.i',.-: your journal to',reply to.a-letter in'your. issuo«. ■.■;. of Novombsf's'bjt'Jlr. M. W.'Welcli rpgordiinj ■;■.;,,...• reduction of the Hutt' County Mr. '■.;':!; ; ; Welch', says that ho s has\:always .distinctly.:,; ; -; -: 6ta.ted:<ithat'.: , hltv l the.:.tinie;pf';lus election,..four::,;:;■' yoars ago, the overdraft stood at;X7OOO, whilo ;-..-.', at April 1 last'it was;i£7op..- This .may be as I Bee.by tU'6 balance-sheet of tnat year, .that:.' , ; on October 1,1805,' it was the.county.':.';v-; election tookplace on November 8, so that,at /, ■.■■'■• that date the county.had been working for over, N'-",. , seven'' months with "practically '■• no rovonue"-:',.>. coming in. Very-few,' rates arepaid till tho ■ .',' foUowing February.-... On ' April . 1,. 1906,-;ave--. .■ niontlis"'afterHhe ;eloctioni--and.after-.tho rfttosfa'i :■!■; had come in,' the' overdraft;had ..been! "redtified" to\£l9iß. 'Mr. Welch might just as well:claiin*'>: "Kudos for this. But'.-sir.'.Vwhinfein that the : only fair aiid: straightforward; wpy.iß. , to. take. >; ; the end-'of b'ne financial ;year;'with another.<to\: jind out what ;.r£ductiony.liss;beenVmado/and :.■;,: not try to :h'oodwink\ tho. ratepayers;:;as, Mr.-;.. :;.y Weloh has done.: '-,''!','■'! :; : ' '-:' ',",'''//-;;'':: ; ■ / Again, I Bay, it i is : the ratepayers with thoir,!'.;- , high valuations "and-Id.,in tho Ji.rato xho'CV ■ have made; , th.6-reduction;,'Whyy. the ; M?ifaira.' j .County'hoe boen;working-for fifteen months ''on .:•-.: one year's rato of jd.. in tho J3. and still, havo" i, .';.■, a credit.balance. If this is.getting from the, _■' ; ; frying-pan;to the .fire/, then:the.fire nrnst be';..-!;., the most.comfortable' place to.livo in.:-: ~:'. ■: r :' ': . But it-.is.not.altogethor-tbo reduction in.the ;'.; rates which we aro; fighting i'6r.. ! , : lt•.is..tho;-,'.V; ■■', community of .interest: which-wo have.;with:-Te ;.,,,. Horo and Otaki: iGeographically,',the Whare- .-',-.. .: roa- riding "is,* entirely,-, cut 'off'from;.: tho, Hutt ..,'..■,.. by the Tararua' ranges.v.So much' so, that, ,w,e ;,.;';■ Bra neither known nor do .we know. ..either y J councillors ~or. ratepayers, in',-'.tho.vremavndpr;. .^ ;, of ! the county. , . •" There:.'would'- bo> ; no.. s m- ::. •"■; crease in the nuinßer of \ local, bodies,-as the ;.;';. Otaki Road Board would be nierged. m v tlio. new V .■; county,- tliereby;^benefiting;.-the;;Horevrliemii',;■ > ■ County as well. :','';•' ■'•'■.. ■-> -.;..: 1 .-. : j :-; u -'i'v.'-r'' ■'. Mr. Welclisaysho-wilUbe .sorry ?to,.seethe ■;■-.: Whareroa .riding go. I amvßorry.l cannot re- ,;;..' .ciprocate, but I can say, this,.'that all:I hav0.,, : ;..: either 'written or ;said tor ■separation, has, been 1 ■■;■;-,. in a straightforward- matuior. The persbnali-.-, ; ■-...; ties thai; have been, introduced at>' the pub1i0..,.;/,. meeting 'held for;: the: discussion. of , severance • .: have been-■ introduced . supporters v ;of ,th 0...- ,-. Hutt County. . Tlwi'bcst. of, .good / filing;-has,: ;,' Vi , always been, 'maintained between the 'present _~,.-, v ' councillor for the. -Whororqa, riding-;'and.-,Wfr self, and whether separation take place, or not, .;; ~ I trust it will always.bo,so';,if,rhave.had..tov:(v; introduce Mr. Welch's name, it is only, because ' ' as chairman he is head of the, Hutt Oountj ~.■,; ; Paraparaumu.-;. ':.:•' v ; .'v'v;,- -'.'V-'.-:-■•.;.;" i':-\^i : ;^:^^W,