NETHERTON RATEPAYERS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4743, 27 August 1924, Page 4

NETHERTON RATEPAYERS

MEETING OF ASSOCIATION. A meeting of the Netherton Ratepayers’ Association was held in the hall on Saturday evening, Mr T. Vowles presiding over an attendance of about twenty. The county engineer, Mr J. Higgins, and Crs. F. J. Mayn, T. McLoughlin, and H. Hare were present by invitation. COUNTY EMPOWERING BILL. The .chairman reported that the petition protesting against the inclusion of the riding in the rating area for Kirikiri Bridge had been sent for : ward and replies had been received from the Prime Mniister, the Minister for Public Works; and Mr H. Holland, M.P., promising that the matter would receive careful consideration. A letter had also been received from the Patetonga Ratepayers’ Association statin? that it had decided to oppose the Bill and steps were being taken in that, direction. Continuing, Mr Vowles said that he was glad to see the other end of the county was supporting ■ the association. It was now necessary that a man be appointed to appear before the Local Bills Committee to give evidence if necessary.

It was decided that Mr S. J. Laughlin be the association’s representative. Mr Considine urged that Mr H. Hare be also appointed, as it might be advisable to have a councillor to give evidence against the Bill. Cr. Hare said it was unlikely that anyone would be required to give evidence. Parliament was tired of local Bills and was likely to throw it out if there was any opposition. Mr Considine said it might be very advisable to have a councillor handy for Mr Poland to bring before the Local Bills Committee if he thought it necessary.

Mr Hare said he could not spare the time to go to Wellington. RIVER PROTECTION.

The matter of river protection was brought up by the president, who said that it was necessary for something to be done to expedite the completion of the stop-banks. Unless this- work was done the district would be worse off in time of flood than during the past winter. Mr Potter thought it would be preferable to have the around Tirohia completed as early as possible. In reply to a question Mr Hare said that there was no chance of the Waimarie Bend cut being made. The Public Works Department had stated that a big dredge was being constructed in Tauranga and would probably arrive about January next tb commence operations in the .river. Mr Considine said that, as Mr Barnett had withdrawn his opposition to the stop-banking on his section the association should take steps to have the work pushed on. He moved that the chairman, the county engineer, Cr. Hare, and Mr Wilson wait upon the Resident Public Works Department Engineer an endeavour to have the siop-banking completed between the H, Drain and the factory. Seconded by Mr Hare and carried. METALLING OF ROADS. The chairman asked Cr. Mayn if he v?ould let the meeting have his views on the metalling of the Aw’aiti roads. Cr, Mayn said that Cr. Hare had brought the matter before the Minister for Lands while in Wellington but had to leave before the matter was brought before the Minister of Public Works. He (Cr. Mayn) had therefore taken the matter up and had been led to expect a favourable reply. Cr. T. McLoughlin said he was plpascd to meet the Netherton Riding ratepayers. He had discussed the metalling of roads with the Undersecretary for Lands on many occasions, but at no time had Mr Thompson said that the roads should not be 'metalled. The matter was one of finance, and when grants were forthcoming the work would le put in hand. COUNTY BRIDGE POLICY. In reply, to the chairman Cr. Mayn said that the Bridge Policy was a delicate subject in the council, but he was pleased to give his views. He had been opposed to the Kirikirj bridge, but the motion had been carried. The council had hen agreed to have a bridge built at Patetonga, and to have- the, Maukoro deviation opened. Cr. Whitechurch had disagreed, and had since left the council and taken his riding and joined the Piako County. However, the council had agreed that Tahuna -should pay half the cost of the West Road bridge and the Maukoro deviation. When the Pipiroa. Bridge proposal came up he did not say' anything, as he knew that an Empowering Bill was necessary, so that certain areas would not be double rated, The • Patetonga Ratepayers’ Association had discussed the mattei and' had come to the conclusion that the riding, while getting the benefit of the whole county paying for the West Rqpd bridge, would liavss-to, pay much more for the other bridges- I'm the county if the Bill became law. It Was therefore opposed to the Bill, but he personally .was neutral, as he acknowledged the benefit received through having the West bridge and the Maukoro deviation. Cr. McLoughlin said that his riding would not receive any benefit from the bridge policy, -as would Patetonga. However,- unless .it was brought into operation it might be necessary to cut into the Puk.e bridge rating area for Oder bridge js. The Puke bridge area was out of proportion to the benefit He had opposed the erection of/ the Pipiroa bridge until the Empowering Bill was through Parliam.ent. !He did not think it worth while , discussing Kirikiri bridge, as the (sbuncil had already promised the Minister tb contribute its share of the exist. . / Mr J. A; Reid asked why a bridge was necessary at Kirikiri when the railway was -coming. Cr. McLoughlin said that the railway would be of no assistance whatever -to the longer end of the Plains. He had looked ’on the bridges as outlets for the whole district. Mr Potter said that the Plains

County had been persuaded by the Thames local bodies to contribute to the Kirikiri bridge to give Thames an outlet to the Paeroa-Pokeno railway and a short road to Auckland, and had done it in such a manner as would let the Plains think it was building the bridge for its own benefit. Cr. McLoughlin said that the matter could not now be altered. Mr Considine asked why the Ohinemuri County was not asked to contribute, as its ratepayers would use ths bridge more than would the Awaiti settlers. It was obvious that I the Plains County had been persuaded by the Thames Borough to build the bridge, not to benefit the Plains but | to benefit the business firms of Thames'. The council was going in for luxuries when settlers were cry-1 ing out for metalled roads. ' Cr. McLoughlin said that within a ' mile of Kirikiri there was unlimited 1 metal, and the settlers of Orongo desired this metal. j Mr J. A. Reid said that the Puke J bridge had been the only outlet for ! the Plains, yet it was practically im-1 possible to get any metal for this main road and the county was going j in for expensive bridges. ] Cr. McLoughlin said that his riding 1 had, within the last few months, con-' tributed towards part of the roads in the ola Netherton riding. Mr S. J. Laughlin proceeded to ask Cr. McLoughlin further questions, whereupon Cr. McLoughlin said that Mr Laughlin probably knew as much about the matter as he did. WILSON’S ROAD. Mr Chester asked when the road from the Puke bridge, and also Wilson’s Road, would be blinded. Cr. Hare and the engineer said that there was no money in hand at the present time, “ but finance would be available probably at the end of the month, when the work would be commenced. A ROADSIDE DRAIN. Mr Considine said that the drain on the eastern side of the main Neth-erton-Awaiti road had been neglected. The County Council or the Lands Drainage Department should be .asked to improve the drain. Cr. McLoughlin stated that the council had unsuccessfully endeavour-

ed to acquire a strip of land to enable a drain to be dug so that the present drain could be filled in and the road widened. If the riding representative brought the matter up the council would consider it. It would, of course,<Bave to be paid for out of the riding funds. MOTOR VEHICLES BILL. Mr Whisker urged that the council take up the matter of the license fees charged for motor-cars and credited to the Highways Board funds. He did not think it right that ratepayers had to bear the major, portion of the cost of. the roads should have to pay the same license fees as non-ratppay-ers. Cr. Mayn said he had found that the law did not allow discrimination in other cases, and he did not see how an exception could be made in this. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks, moved by Mr Laughlin, to the councillors and engineer for being present.