WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 561, 23 April 1913, Page 6

WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

CHAIRMAN'S ANNUAL REPORT.

To Members of the Waitomo Countv Council, —Gentlemen, —I have much pleasure in submitting a report of the past year's work. It is pleasing to you aa well as to myself to know we have just completed the most successful year since the inauguration of the County. At the latter end of last season the weather was exceptionally bsd, and very little work was done, especially metalling, the majority of our year's work being done since November.

Metalling.—During the year nearly twenty-five miles of metalling has b'een completed in different parts of the district. Given another fortnight's fins weather, the road will be metalled from Hangatiki station to the Cawe3, and 'he Arapae road out to Marioa wi!i be near completion. The contractor?, with one exception, have made guod progress, and when the present contract* in hand are completed the total will be increased to nearly sis:ty miles.

Maintenance and Re-forming.—A considerable amount of new formation has been done, principally on tho Arapae road, and in the Otoro hanga district. The maintenance has been carried out as speedily as possible, and as far as funds will permit. We quite realise that a considerable amount of maintenance could be done throughout the County; but in many cases funds are not sufficient to do any good and our endeavour is to keep the roads open for tsaffic as far as our capital will allow. Bridges.—Contracts have been let for the construction of five bridges—three on the Arapae road, one on the Otorohanga - Pirongia road, and the bridge over the Waipa at Kawa. Receipts.—Our total receipts for the year, including loans, subsidies and grants, amount to £31,824 6s 2d, or nearly £IO,OOO in excess of last year, the chief items being: Rates, £2975 7s 3d; Government subsidy on rates, £500; dog registration, £157 2s: carriers'licenses. £4O; Receiver of Land Revenue, thirds, £2469 7s 2d; Government grants and subsidies on loans, £10,173 10s 4d; advances made on account of loans, £14,955, Fund Account. —The total receipts from rates, subsidy on rates, dog registration, etc., amounts to £3909 5s sd, out of which cost of administra tion, viz., (salaries, office expenses, printing and advertising, £603 15s 9d; engineering and surveys, £403 8s 4d), is £IOO7 4s Id, or less than 4 per cent, on our total expenditure: £1677 12s lid for maintenance, material and plant, tools, etc ; £617 5s 4d, hospital levy; and £3lO 18s 4d advances on account of interest on loans, has been paid. Government Grants and Subsidies.— While dealing with the question of grants and subsidies, of the amount received, viz.,£10,173 10s 4d, and further liabilities in connection with grants and subsidies incurred £15,067 0s 3d. making a total of £25,240 10s 7d, not one penny has been granted during the past year. The amounts were voted, portion in 1910-11, and the balance in 1911-12, the unexpended balances only being re-voted during 1912 13. It is only during the last month that the Council has been offered any new grants to spend, and those amounted to £3OBI Is 6d. Three of these amounts, totalling £1550, are voted on account of £ for £, leav inhng a balance of free grants amounting to £1531 6s. A further grant of £1670 15s 8d was offered to the Council to spend on the Te Kuiti-Mokau road, under certain conditions. As you are aware, during 1911-12 the Council were asked by the Public Works Department to spend certain moneys on the Te Kuiti-Mokau road, which we ultimately agreed to do. This was in December, 1911. Plans and specifications were prepared covering the greater portion of the grant and submittel to the department for approval, .authority was received to proceed with the work, during January, 1912, after which tenders had to be called. However, on account of the exceptionally bad season the contractors made very little headway. Before commencing again in the spring certain exception was taken on account of the dual control; both the Council and the Public Works Department, were spending money on the road. To get over the difficulty the department asked the Council to spend all available moneys on the Te Kuiti-Mokau road subject to certain conditions, which are wellknown to the Council. On going into the matter very fully the Council decided, in the interests of the district and the ratepayers, to have nothing to do with the spending of any more money on the road. Loans. —During the year applications have been made to the Government for several loans, but in each case they have been refused, pven including a further application for 10 per cent, on a loan of £750. The Advances Department replied pointing out that the Council had already borrowed considerably over the limit. At present we have applications from several defined special rating areas for loans, but we cannot assist them because we cannot get money at anything like a reasonable rate of interest. The Council are only too anxious to assist these settlers who are agreeable to go in for loans where the special rating areas are on an equitable basis. To my mind it is the one possible way of overcoming the present difficulty in connection with roadihg the King Country; that is in caseß where the Government are prepared to assist the settlers to the extent of %for £ subsidy. Unless the Government is 'prepared to give £ for £ on these loans it is impossible for the settlers to pay special rate i in order to. meet interest and sinking fund on the whole amount of the money. In every case these special rating areas include a considerable quantity of native lands. These lands will benefit considerably if the loans are raised and spent in these special rating areas, but although they benefit they have to pay their quota along

with other lands towards the repayment of the loan through the medium of a special rate. In the case of a Crown tenant bis thirds are hypothecated to nay the interest instead ot a special rate. The Crown tenants, where they are in the majority, can in that way load any native land within any special roading district to the amount of a special rate for 36$ years. At the same time it must be realised that in many cases the Crown tenants, and other settlers agreeable, cannot undertake the whole amount of these loans, the money required to meet interest and sinking fund being altogether beyond them. These are cases where the £ for £ subsidy would be of considerable assistance. The ■ratepayers in all probability could manage liabilities in connection with half the total amount required. In our County there are quite a number of Crown settlements where leasee are just being issued. If they make a move in the direction indicated, their thirds, instead of being spent from year to yeir in maintenance probably of a track, will be devoted to a permanent use. In fifteen years time when theße thirds oeased, the settlers would than be in a position that the special rate could be met without any difficulty. Further, the metalled road would enable the farmers both on the Crown and native land, to farm their holdings to better advantage, thereby considerably adding to the revenue of the country and thus indirectly repay the £ for £ Bubsidy. The roading of native lands in this County becomes a more merious question every year. Nearly every meeting of the Council some application is made from persons occupying native lands for road access. The Council cannot assist them, and the Minister refuses. In some cases the individual pays the coßt of getting a surveyed road himself to benefit one section; whereas, if some systematic scheme of roading could be devised irrespective of tenure, the roads could be laid off to serve all concerned in each district. Considering the rate at which settlement has progressed in this County during the last two years something must be done very shortly or further progress will be seriou3ly hampered. Much has been said of the amount of unoccupied native lands in the County, but if settlement continues during the next two years to the same extent as in the past two years, there will be very little, if any, unoccupied native land in the County.

As regards the loans already raised, which carry £ for £ subsidy, certain preliminaty expensen and the first year's interest have to be paid from the loans. In that case we lose a certain portion of the subsidy. I would suggest that in every case the Council endeavour to raise an extra 10 per cent, on each loan to enable us, to lift the whole of the subsidy. It means that we are spending one Dound to get two pounds worth of work done.

Expenditure.—Coming to our expenditure for the year, the total amount, £25,471 3s 4d, exceeds last year's amount by over £IO,OOO. The principal items of expenditure are: — Administration, engineering and surveys, £IOO7 4s Id; maintenance of existing roads, giving access, forming and metalling, £21,472 8s Ud; interest on loans, £970 8s lOd; Hospital levy, £617 5s 4d.

Land Fund Account, Etc.—Our expenditure in connection with thirds, amounts to £1693 3s 3d, leaving a balance of £2345 8s 9d, of which a certain portion has been hypothecated to pay interest on loans. Assets and Liabilities. —Our total assets amount to £16,540 18a 4d, and our liabilities to £2787 16s 2d. Public Debt. Our public debt amounts to £27,364 5s 6d, of which £2471 7s 5d has been paid off by way of a sinking fund, leaving a debt on March 31st, 1913, of £27,106 8s Id. Miscellaneous—.Dealing with the report generally, I feel satisfied that the Council and ratepayers are to be congratulated on the splendid progress made throughout the County. Again the thanks of the Council are due to the various departments of the Crown, especially the officers of the Public Works and Native Lands Departments, who have assisted considerably to facilitate the workings of the Council. The Council is extremely fortunate in having an excellent staff, each member having performed his duties during the past term in a highly efficient manner. A. SCHOLES, County Chairman.