Poamgina Coanty Election Contest.

Feilding Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 109, 5 November 1896, Page 2

Poamgina Coanty Election Contest.

Mr W. Vicary, the retiring councillor and a candidate for the ilaß-rapikopiko riding seat in the Pohnn^ina County Council, addressed qbo ratepayers of the riding in Mr Gay's Hall, Apiti, last evening. There were some thirty ratepayers present. Mr Guy was voted to the chair, and explained the object of the meeting. Mr Vicary, in his introductory remarks, said that he had not met the ratepayers at a meeting to discnss the position of affairs since his election two years ago last May. In the first place he came forward as a candidate tor the riding because be thought they could manage their affairs better than an outsider. Be referred to the 14 chains of metalling on the main road which cost £79, and which he thought was excessive. This was one of the reasons which induced him to come forward. If the ratepayers were not satisfied with what he had done during his term of office they should have called a meeting and placed the complaint before him. Since he took office and in the old road board, a loan for £2000 had been carried, but when the road district was merged into the county they were unable to get more than £1500, which amount was provisionally approved prior to the merging. There was only one small contract on the loan schedule yet to be finished bat of the loan. Other small works were being done but would be paid ont of the rates and a portion of the Main Cross road was being made oat of the Ll2O loan. He thougnt they were justified in making the pieces of roads referred to oat of the rates as the Bet' tiers interested paid interest in the L 4060 loan and derived no benefit from it. If they had been able to get the remainder of the loan (L 500) they could have completed these works and done with a penny rate in place of l|d. The Main Road cost L 362, 12s lOd, the Apiti. Norsewood road formation L 54 16s, bat he had not the cost- of the .metalling ; Uppermost Cross road west L 122 7s, Mangapikopiko road about L9O, Uppermost Cross road east L 56 15s, Main Cross road east (contracts not yet finished) contract price L 325 and extras about L4O ; Main ridge road formation L 76 but ha did not know the amount of tender price for metalling. T. Thornsou's contract for 26 chains on Main Ridge road was paid out of general f and, the price being Ij7'2. These amounts did not include engineering and overseeing. In looking up the cash book he found that L 1466 9a 5d of the LISOO loan had been expended. JL7OO of this loan had been deposited on account of the loan, returning LlO 10s as interest, making LlslO 10s, of which amount there should be L 44 0s 7d to their credit, but the bank book only showed a credit of Is 6d. There was something wrong somewhere and would have to be seen into. The estimates for the loan only in 1 case exceeded the amount for which the work was done. When he went into the old road board the riding had an overdraft of £60. The estimate of revenue for the present year was— two f d rates, £339 17s 2d ; licenses and dog tax, about £12 ; subsidy on rates collected before June 30th, £75; total, £426 17s 3d. Estimature of expenditure—office,expenses, including engineer, £35 ; clerk, £24; advertising, £15; repairs and contingencies, £200 ; to pay off overdraft or for new works, £152 17s 3d ; total, £426 17s 2d. With reforence to the increased cost of management he said that the rates and licensing fees over the whole county amounted to £2078 ; subsidy 1895-96 on general rates, £419 0s Id ; loans, £6000 ; grant to Apiti bridge, £1367, Kiwitea County share of bridge, £496 10s; total. £10,260 10s Id. They could not administer this expenditure without some expense. The Engineer was paid £175 a year, and this came out of the loans for which he worked, while the clerk was paid £150. The total cost of the Apiti bridge was £2857 11s, leaving a balance of £130 9s. It was first intended to spend this in patting a concrete base to the wooden truss, bat they thought it best to take off bad comers on the road leading to it. They had asked Mr Seddon's advice as to the legality of this being done, and he advised them to get the work done and send in the vouchers. He thought they might spend ±30 on the Apiti side of the bridge, and the balance on the Kiwitea side. The riding accounts had not been properly kept owing to the changes in. the clerical staff, bnt this matter was being attended to. The riding was very little in debt at present, but when all the work was done there would be an overdraft of about £230. In reply to questions, Mr Vicary said he employed his son to cart metal because at the time there was no other team uvailable in the riding, and he was paid 15s a day for one horse - and 20s a day for two horses and two drays, the same as any other carter. That the work which Mr McConnell thought he was underpaid for was a contract, and that he was paid according to the Engineer's estimate of the work. That the loan referred to by Mr Fieldj viz, the L 929 loan for the Apiti Norsewood road, had been provisionally approved, and the clerk had been instructed to apply at once for L2QO on account of it and that as soon as this amount was to hand tenders would be called either for forming the whole piece or doing whatever the settlers suggested. He expected to call tenders for this work before Christmas. The pro rata share of the £120 loan was L3O and he had made it LlO6 to complete the road to connect this riding with the Coal Creek, thus reducing slightly the pro. rata shares of other loans. Within another two years they would 1 have to collect the special rate on the 1.4060 loan. They received interest on sums deposited in the bank on account of the hypothecated thirds which returned L 46 4s as interest, and when this was set against their overdraft they only paid L 2 3s to the bank as interest on the overdraft. The interest was. credited to the " thirds" account which earned it. The total indebtedness of the riding was — overdraft L3O or L4O, loans of L4O6T), LISOO and a portion of tae L 992 loan tot the Apiti bridge. He hoped, as the roads were improved to reduce the rates by about half. They have only paid about L 6 towards repairing that portion of tho road within the Coal Creek riding leading to tho bridge. He did not think they could satisfactorily let the road maintenance by contract, bat if the settlers desired it he was. prepared to give it a trial. Resolved, on the motiongof Mr Dick and seconded by Mr Arnott, That Mr Vicary be accorded a vote of thanks, and confidence. Mr Nix then addressed the meeting m support of his candidature for the riding. He thought thjey should reduce their expenditure seeing they would soon have to collect special rates. He believed the maintenance of roada eonlcJ be let by contract and done cheaper than at present. That s&etlers should be given a schance to gel roads by making the contracts, small. That the clerk should visit Apiti at intervals, say, once a quarter, to collect rates. Mr Vicaity replied there was * stands ing resolution on the minute book of «the Council that preference should be given to settlers, bn,tj so far- they bad not displayed any desire to seouro the ivnall contracts. He had taken a lot. of rates to the clerk and was always willing to do so, bat was sot opposed tothe clerk coming to Apitt He asked for an explanation from Mr Nix as to 21's> which, was alleged to have been paid ioexcess to M.r Nix by the Council ia

' error, a refund of which had been applied for. Mr Nix explained that he was not aware he was overpaid 21s, bnt that an application had been made tor the refund of 80s. If be was overpaid anything he was willing to refund on being ■applied with the particulars. He was in favour of a pound at Apiti. Mr Yicary, in reply to a question, said it was not necessary to pay this year's rates before a ratepayer conld vote, bnt the defaulters from last year could not vote. A vote of thanks to Mr Nix and the chairman closed the meeting.

Pohangina, This Day. PFBOK OtTB OWN COB RESPONDENT j MrW. Stanton baa withdrawn from the contest of the Pohangina - riding in favor of Mr Wagsuff. There are only Cornfoot, Bolton and Wagstaff now. j