RATEPAYERS' BURDEN.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5069, 24 December 1926, Page 3

RATEPAYERS' BURDEN.

A RATES IN THAMES COUNTY. DEPUTATION TO OHINEMURI. A special meeting of the Ohinemuri County Council .was held on Tuesday, the chairman (Or. H. M. Corbett) presiding 'over full council. The chairman read a letter from ; certain ratepayers in the Thames County asking the council to receive a deputation that afternoon. The deputation comprised Mr E. J. Smith, secretary of the Puriri Ratepayers’ Association, and Mr F, B. Burkhardt, . secretary of the Hiktuaia Ratepayers’ , Association, representing the ratepayers in those ridipgs of the Thames . County. In receiving the deputation the -•> chairman explained that the council was prepared to hear, it, but pointed out that it was not desirable that any - reflections should be cast upon the ■ Thames, County officials, Ps they were •unable to refute such statements. ■ There \yas a certain'code of honour among local bodies, and it was desirable that anything personal should be deleted from the discussion. THE PETITIONS. Mr Smith accepted the remarks of the chairman and presented the following petition, signed by 59 ratepayers in the Puriri riding:— -“Your petitioners ,are of .the opin- • ion that in the interests of the Puriri \ and Hikutaia ridings of the Thames County an alteration of the bound•l' aries oE the Ohinemuri County to’include therein the whole of the said ’ ridings is advisable. “That the said alteration w°uld also be of advantage to the ratepayers of the Ohinemuri County. -■.?“That the present burden of rates on the ratepayers of the said ridings ■ - —altogether excessive—is to. a great extent attributable to the fact that f’ the rateable value of the Thames ; ‘ County is small and a very large a ( rea , - • of the..county comprises land which is of little value. Separate administratiqn for so small, a rate,able value : is not. warranted, and it is advisable, r 'in the opinion of youi- petitioners, thAt the said ridings be amalgamated ‘ with Jhe Ohinemuri County and the remaining ridings of the Thames county be .amalgamated with the, Coromandel County. Wherefore your < ; petitioners pray that your council - will use its best endeavour, to have . the .boundaries o® the Thames and Ohinemuri Counties altered as out- ’ -.-lined, and that your council will ac-■-’cordingly a resolution, as; providbd. in section 14 of the Counties : Act, 1920; proposing such alteration .• of. boundaries.” • > Mr. Burkhardt presented a petition worded, on beha.lf of the 54 i : Hikutaia riding ratepayers. SUPPORTING REMARKS. i ; 'ln-support of the petition Mi- Smith ■'" explained' that the valuation of the i Hiku‘tai,a’ridin|; 'was, .£BB,OOO, and that df th.e Puriri riding £90,500, making a, total valuation 'of £178,500, while the valuation, of the whole of the .;' Thames County w, £333,000. .By the suggested amalgamation administra- : tibn cpsts would be considerably re- , duced. As evidenced by the petitions - the ratepayers were unanimously in ?. favour, and those who had not signed were absentee owners. With the. completion of the Paerqa-Pokeno. line; the _ - ratepayers’ community df interest ■ i with Paeroa would undoubtedly be increased. ~ The subsidiary roads in the ridings were in fair order, and in : : most cases required only maintenance. It was considered that the • administrative staff at present em- • ployed by the Ohinemuri County could ’ carry out the supervision of the extra ’ work epitailed by amalgamation. • There was also ample loading material in: both ridings. Mr Smith explained that out of a sum of £1329 collected by way of a general rate in the Puriri riding only £319 was left ‘for expenditure on r.oads after .administration and Highways Board charges had been paid. About - 12 years ago he and his brother had ' taken up a block of land of 822 acres, . the whole rates;, at that time being • just under £9O ,a year. At the ; present time. he was paying ovqr £9O year on a portion of the same latan. ■ comprising 161 acr.es. In the event ... df amalgamation the rateable .value ./■ of .the Ohinemuri County would be increased by nearly £200,000. The • , Ohinemuri County was not asked or expected to carry the burden of the . ratepayers in the two ridings, but the J petitioners prayed for relief from any increase on the present rates. THE HIKUTAIA RIDING. 'ln support of the in the ’.Hikutaia riding Mr Burkhardt endorsed the remarks of the previous speaker and added that in the event of amalgamation Ohinemuri would be receiving the two best ridings in the Thames County. In giving an example - df the burden of rates in the Thames t ' . County he instanced how, on his Wm .of 50. acres,, he was paying £1 an acre rates, which was equivatentjto a.mort- ' gage df: £l6 an acre. Such a bur de,n was. well-nigh unbearable, and yet it was" obvious that the rates would go ' higher still this coming year. The Thames County -was , apparently too - small to maintain itself, and the ad- ■' ministration expenses were out of all /. proportion to the benefits received. The position had become intolerable and the settlers could not possibly ’ carry on. - REPLY OF CHAIRMAN. The chairman said .that the petitions •would' receive the council’s “ cardful consideration’. The dOput : ■ tations must, realise,, however, •.< that the councillors had a duty to • perform, and that the interests of . their own ratepayers were of para-r-mount importance; AEter,consideration the petition would be forwarded • to the Thames County Council, and ". the next step would be for that counsel! to confer , with the two ridings ■'concerned. In the event of the Ohine?muri County agreeing to accept the -ridings; and the Thames County raising objections, a Royal Commission Would be necessary to determine the matter. He and his colleagues sympathised fully with the .'and they could re,st assured .that the matter would receive careful consideration.