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Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1921, Page 2

Thk County meetings held in the south I'ast week seem to suggest that the loan proposals in regard to Kakapotahi bridge will he favourably viewed when the poll is taken on the 22nd' prox. The loan is for the purpose of erecting a bridge which will span the Little Waitara river close to its junction vith the Big Waitaha. The river will gi\e access to the route for the Bold Hoad road and the Waitaha- Beach Settlement. It will in the first instance give an outlet for vehicles from the Beach settlement, where milk is taken daily to the Waitaha Dairy Factory. In the second place it will be a useful stock bridge for traffic moving north and south. In the third place as it will tap Bold Head road line, it will he an immediate lever for the completion of that road. As soon as the sawmill tramway of Stuart and Chapman Ltd. reached that locality, the bridge will afford a direct connection with the line, and give facilities for the transport of goods to and from the main railway head at Ross. The bridge will he, therefore of great service to the settlers and traffic generally. It will hive an immediate use, and) in point of fact as it is required so urgently it can hardly he erected too soon. The loan is to he spread over fifteen years, -and the rate is less than at farthing per pound of capital value. For one shilling per £SO of capital value for the period mentioned, the settlers can acquire the bridge which will he of such service at once, and lead up tri greater utility in the future. The proposal is so promising that it should not need special pressing, hut only the reminder to the settlers to remember the day of polling and exercise their privilege freely on that occasion.

While the Couitty party was in the south last week the question of rating on unimproved value was raised. Th ( . advice tendered the ratepayers concerned, was to await the new valuation, been use it was stated the existing valuation was inequitable, not lading on a uniform basis throughout tho whole County. The current valuation was compiled ns for rating on capital values, and tho apportionment for unimproved values was not made with any serious concern for Its effect in rating. Tho consoouenoe was that to revert to ratine on unimproved values now would ho to Intense on unfair hurfkn on some pjogv. find the Settlers b' ••vrinul'.*. would have to entry a greater burden of

the rates, while in centralized townships the rates would be diminished very considerably. The system of rating on unimproved values has come to be regarded as the most equitable in theory. Its success however depends on the equity of the valuations. If the basis of valuation is uniform then the application works out satisfactorily. But it can ho well understood in a large district such as a. County, uniformity of land valuation is of some difficulty, particularly where more than one valuer is employed. The advice which was given to the southern people on the subject is under the circumstances the best which could be tendered at this stage, ft was to wait and see what was 'the general character of the valuation now being made which it was intended to bring into force next rating year. When the figures are available the matter can he considered in its direct application, and it will then ho possible to say how far it will apply equitably over the whole range of the district.