PAPAKURA.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 770, 26 September 1922, Page 6

PAPAKURA.

PROGRESSIVE LEAGUE. (Own Correspondent''). A meeting of the Progressive League was held to discuss the balance sheet of . the Papakura Town Board. Mr Johnston was elected chairman of the meeting by a unanimous request of all present Mr Johnston introduced Mr Wood (president of the Progressive League) to speak first. Mr Wood : Ladies and gentlemen: I am speaking here in two-fold measure. firstly as president of the Progressive League and then as a candidate for the Town Board qlecbion. I would Ijke to state that with the improvement of general rates one would think there would be an improvement: in streets and ! roadways, but I do not think .iti is so in this town. The senerlal rates were : £3OB in 19 r ls ; £1025 in 1920 £1024 in 1921; £1277 in 1922; £1496 in 1923. This last Town Board had general rates equal to three times as much as a Town Board had five years ago. but showed nc*:hing" fqr it. Out of the general rates this is shown : Streets and footways £875; metal £495 ; wages £123, making a total of £1496. Then to find the amount the Town Bokul spe.il: on roads last year you must add £2668 spent out of the £4500 road loan. This is to say, the Board spent £4164 on ljoads and footpaths last year and have nothing to show a good road. The deficiency of rhe general rate . account at the beginning off the year was £794 ; at the end of the year it was £2149. This means they over-drew on theiV general rate account £1355 for one year, and everybody would see that they must ncp. have tilled to keep within their bound's. The office expenses were £377 18s, consisting of salary of clerk £243, petty cash £25 8s rent £45. stationery £6l 10s. (This stationery i’tern seems ho be very large. Ido not know why some of the overhead expenses - jvefe not charged ip the wake’r lo.dh - account and the Park loan account and the roads loan account. .Alili Qf these are liable to be chargefl a smalt working cost instead qjf taking ah of these expanses out ojf general rate* In the £4500 road loan the schedule of works was : Borrowed £IOOO Ggeat South Roajd; spept '11533; £IOOO Settlement Road; spent £750. £950 M-apfne road ; spent £9lB. £SOO Queen street; spent £560., £4OO Stock road; nothing spent; £250 for curbing ; spent £ll6 ; £l5O Wairoa road ; spent £145. £l3O Chapel ; spent £125, £IOO for Railway Street; spent nothing. £6O for Street ; spent £55. The chairman of the late Town Board tokl -us we had £294 le|flt out of the £4500 loar», but in its promises if. has £425 to spend on some toads 'Ahas not spent enough, and two roads equal to £SOO not touched at all This means theqe is ai deficiency of £924, so really the next Town Board have to find £630 to even Things up. 1 muSt congratulate the Town Board on its being able to turn, on the water in the Township to-morrow. I must state that the scheme was begun the wrong way and the pipes that have f been laying in the ground for two yqar.s could have been purchased at half cost now. besides all interest and interest on wages also. A dam was also erected at a cost of £BOO where the engined" said a weir would do thapi would cost £2OO. The Domain Fund is nearly paying its way now. I a'iso thjink that no

Board should do its own supervising, I thank you all for your attendance this evening* and, may say -:hat if Progressive League candidates get on the Town Board we will do our utmost to help the township. Mr Rea explained how it was he JqS: 'the Town Bodtd last year and said it was because of the exchange of* sections belonging to the Town Board for sections of Mr Holt’s, as he has the power to supervise architecture of all buildings and they must be of his consent. Mr Walker explained that the town to have good roads must have good metal, and sgid how a good road should, be made . He said give him £2OO and he would tar and sand 100 chains of footprph. Mr Young and Mr Weir also spoke and outlined a few ideas, and l -he meeting was closed at 10.30 pm.. Mr Wood moved a vote of thanks to the chairman (Mr Johnston), We congratulate flhe following on being elected to the Town Board J. Walker 253; D. Weir 243 ; W, Rhind 186 C. F. Young 166; S. Evans 164 ; Rev. W C. Wood 157 ; B. H. Bates 143. Unsuccessful : HP. D. Nicholson 142 J. Rea 135 If. Hislop 117.