THE MAIROA LOAN.

King Country Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 106, 5 November 1908, Page 2

THE MAIROA LOAN.

(By RJS.T.)

The present position taken up by a large majority of the ratepayers in the Mairoa Special Rating Area might at first make it appear to the general public that those persons who signed the petition presented to the County Council at their last meeting are neither progressive, nor appreciative of their member for his efforts. Far from such being the case it is the endeavour of the writer of this article to place before the readers of the K.C.C. how the case stands from the point of view of those who signed the petition. The object of the petition is to have the loan put on one side for the present time, as the ratepayers consider the matter to be in a mostj unsatisfactory state, and no project, however good, unless carried through in a proper and businesslike footing, can hope for success Let us now review the case, from its initiation. Nearly three years ago, at a meeting held at Maioa, it was proposed that a loan of £7,000 with a £ for £ subsidy should be raised for the purpose of forming and metalling the following roads, Arapae, Mairoa, Pungapehu, and Ngapaenga, with certain allocations, for each one. The poll was aftenvads ilaken which was easily carried in favjir of the loan and subsidy. It was afterwards found that no subsidy would be granted,consequently the ratepayers were then not in favour of the matter being proceeded with, and at another meeting a resolution was carried to have the loan hung up for twelve months. Notwithstanding that, the matter has 'besn continually pushed forward, a proceeding which has so incensed some of the ratepayers that they would like to see the loan dropped entirely. The main objections may be stated as under: —1. The cost of making roads fit for metal is unknown. 2. The position of native lands with regard to rates. 3. Portion of the road IS not in Mairoa riding, leaving about 5 miles, nearest to the railway, unmetalled. 4. The present scheme isnotsufficiently comprehensive.

Regarding the points noted the following remarks may be made: —1. It is considered highly necessary that some disinterested, competent person s should form an estimate of the cost of the road owing to the differences of opinion existing. Moreover, the ratepayers' views, that the present £IBOO grant is quite insufficient to prepare the road for metalling have been overridden, be3ide3 which they consider it the duty of the Government to make the road, and when so completed it would be soon enough to take it over and metal it. Another point has also been raised that it is inadvisable to place metal on a newly formed road until it has had time to consolidate. 2. There being a considerable amount of Native Land along the Arapae Road, some of which has been rented to Europeans, the ratepayers are not aware whether it is possible to collect rates from them and naturally they do not intend to make roads to benefit those from whom no rates can be claimed. 3. The first portion of the road from the railway to not being in the riding, it is entirely out of the ratepayers jurisdiction. It has been said that the riding boundaries have been altered so as to include it, but even so it is still outside the Special Rating Area; therefore this 5 miles of road would be unmetalled and impassable for a greater portion of the year, while beyond it lay a metalled road practically useless through this fearful oversight. 4. The present scheme not being carried to the boundaries of the rating area does not meet the views of those on the outskirts, as they contend that some day they may have to complete these blind ends, and to which naturally those ratepayers who have the metalled road to their door will not contribute. Thus those on the outskirts will have to bear, not only the rating for the present scheme, but also for these roads contiguous to their sections to which the general body will not contribute.

At the last meeting held at Mairoa it was staled that we now practically had the £7OOO subsidy, which was mads up by totalling up the present grants on the Arapae, Maroa, Punga-' rehu, and Ngapaenga Roads. In the first placed this amount is only about .£"(000, which is still £2oooshort of the subsidy, and it will be shewn that there is considerably less than £SOOO for roads in the Special • Rating Area. Some, and in fact most roads, as is usually the case, over-draw their past grants, and carry forward a deficit. It is therefore only reasonable to assume that this will considerably reduce the £SOOO. Agaii, these grants have to do the whole lengths of the roads, and not portions of them as was expected of the subsidy. Hence the amount really available pro rata would make the so-called subsidy fall very far short of £SOOO. It is in view of these main facts that the ratepayers consider it the best thing to 'drop the present pcheme and to re-construct a new loan in order to put an end to the chaos which now exists. »•