PLAIN'S MACHINERY LOAN.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4666, 25 February 1924, Page 2

PLAIN'S MACHINERY LOAN.

(To the Editor). S j r _Al the ratepayers’ meeting held at Turua on Monday. February 18. Mr Miller, chairman of the Hauraki Plains County Council,, stated that he considered the last machinery loan was turned down because the ratepayers had no confidence in the Council or its officials, and theie is no doubt he hit the nail on the head. Why have they no confidence in the Council ? Because., after four years in office the query is: What has been accomplished ? What are the results ’ The answer is : Nothing ! Our roads are no better and the rates are creasing. Their wonderful bargains turn out failures. Where do our rates go ? Mostly in administration charges. We have an engineer at £5OO per Ws annum, an assistant engineer at £320, clerk at £4OO, assistant clerk at £200.. inspector £3OO, and a foreman on the South Turua road scheme at £350 to show us how to make roads—a grand total of £2070 per annum. This money 1 is spent on professional services alone. Can our Council show us any other county the size of the Hauraki Plains « that is spending as much money on administration purposes ? No wonder metal is scarce. Last winter the Huiran Road became almost impassable, and our riding member did his best > to get some metal. At last a puntload was secured, and we were informed that we would have to spread the metal ourselves as there was no money to pay for spreading. Yet at the next county meeting an assistant • engineer was appointed at a salary of £320 without a murmur. What a lot of metal could be spread for £320. What are the functions of a county council ? I always understood that the matter of roads was the chief function of a council, but in our case it is the last thing to be considered. Bridges, noxious weeds, dog taxes, etc... come first. What is the position in pur county to-day ? Tahtma has seceded. Netherton is in open rebellion. Turua is growling like blazes, Patetonga say they won’t pay anv rates, Kcrepcehi is very restless, and other portions of the county will wake up when they realise what a good * guardian they,have lost in the Lands Department. Mr McMillan argued on Monday night that we should support the machinery loan, whether we have confidence in the Council or not. That ■ argument is too thin for 'consideration. I am quite sure the bulk of the ratepayers recognise that machinery is necessary, but after the experience of the last four years they are naturally frightened to trust any further money with our present administration. Cutting out part of the county from the machinery loan is establishing a bad precedent. However, there is time yet to regain the confidence of the ratepayers by seeing that we get value for our money in the future. j|L A. H. S’JTTON.