COUNTY BRIDGES POLICY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4728, 23 July 1924, Page 1

COUNTY BRIDGES POLICY

NETHEKi’ON’S OPPOSITION. THE PETITION TO WELLINGTON. Tile Netherton Ratepayens’ Association at a meeting on Saturday evening approved of the following letter, copies of which are to be sent to the Prime Minister, the Minister for Public Works, the leaders of the Liberal and Labour parties, and to the member for the district by the secretary:

"With reference to the Empowering Bill to be introduced by the Hauraki Plains County Council during this session of Parliament, I am directed to refer you to the letter of my association dated December 6, 1923, and presented to the Hon. Minister for Public Works by Mr H. Poland, M.P., on his visit to Paeroa, a copy of which letter is attached. The Empowering Bill, if passed, will make the position even more inequitable from lhe point of view of the Netherton ratepayers. They have paid off a considerable portion of the special loan laised for the erection of the Waihou (Puke) bridge. The effect of the Empowering Bill, if passed, will be to place on these ratepayers a very heavy burden in rates for bridges which can be of no benefit to them. “The ratepayers of the Netherton riding do not wish to place any obstacle in the way of the construction of bridges for any part of the county or district which may require them, but it would be unjust to include in the area rated for payment of (such bridges an area which can never have any community of interest with the district bridged nor any use for the bridges. My association desires to object to the passage of the Empowering Bill mentioned above upon the grounds :

"‘That so long as the cost of constructive work in any defined part of the Hauraki Plains County must be borne by the district benefited, there is no reason why an exception should be made in the case of bridges. Let each bridge proposal be dealt with on its merits.’

“ ‘That the powers contained in the ‘Local Bodies Loans Act, 1923,’ the ‘Public Works Act, 1908,’ and other Acts in that behalf are sufficiently wide to meet the bridging requirements of the Hauraki Plains County, and that the further powers contained in the said Empowering Bill would operate to deprive the ratepayers for all time of their statutory right to be heard on matters affecting their interests?

“My association desires to enlist your sympathetic aid in opposing the passage of the abovementioned Bill through Parliament.”

The letter to the Minister for Public Works referred to stated that the attitude of the Netherton Ratepayers’ Association was that if the Haurakl. Plains County Council proceeded with the proposal to construct Kirikiri bridge under section 119 of the Public Works Act, 1908, and if the Gov-ernor-General-in-Council was disposed to grant his warrant empowering the Council to make all bridges a charge on the whole county, then the Netherton riding should be excluded from the area for payment of the work on the following grounds: “The Kirikiri bridge would be of no use whatever to the settlers of the Netherton riding. Paeroa is their business centre, and all merchandise is conveyed up the Waihou River either to Netherton or to Paeroa.’

“ ‘The settlers of the Netherton riding have constructed a bridge over the river, and are paying for same. They do not look to the county to contribute towards the cost.’

“ ‘The imposition of a rate to pay £pr the Kirikiri bridge would effectively stop for some years to come any effort to better the roads. Even the possibility of such a. rate has been sufficient to cause considerable havoc in thits direction.’ ”

It has been suggested that the-Neth-erton riding under the scheme of bridges outlined by the Council would be compensated for the expenditure in respect of the proposed Kirikiri bridge by the construction of a bridge over the Waihou River near Hikutaia, the whole county bearing the cost. The association stated emphatically that there never would be a bridge at this point. The expenditure involved im the construction of such a bridge could not be justified by itjs utility, and no council would sanction it. The Netherton ratepayers are firm in their belief that the equity under-' lying i their 'policy -would commend careful consideration when dealing ■with the matter In its other aspects. Arrangements were made to obtain the signatures of every ratepayer in the old Netherton riding, and also to collect a small sum to defray the expenses already incurred.