Meeting of Ratepayers at Shannon.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 4 February 1892, Page 2

Meeting of Ratepayers at Shannon.

A meeting of ratepayers was held in the Shannon Bchoolhouse on Saturday afternoon for the purpose of considering the proposal to merge the Wirokinb road district into the Horowhenua County. There were

about twenty ratepayers present, and Mr John Davies, Chairman of the Wirokino Road Board, occupied the chair. The Chairman, having stated the object of the meeting, said the proposal had been made in the interests of economy, and in considering it the ratepayers would have to judge whether their interests would be as well or better served by the County Council. He did not wish to express auy opinian on the matter, for if he did, some people would at once say he had an axe to grind. He had no axe to grind, however, and he would express no opinion, and he could not then be accused of advising them in a wrong direction. With regard to the saving which was to be effected, Mr Kebbell, Chairman of the Horowhenua County Council, would give them all information on the matter, but he might say that the Clerk of the Horowhenua County Council had agreed to carry out the collection of the rates throughout the whole of the enlarged district at a reduced commission. It was only in the office expenses that the saving would be effected, for the whole of the other work done for both bodies, including the engineering work, was carried out by contract. Mr Mein asked if it was not a fact that the costs incidental to the preliminary arrangements for carrying out work had cost the Horowhenua County Council 38 per cent while the •cost of the Wirokino Road Board had been only 7£ per cent. The Chairman said he believed that was the case until some months ago, when the Council had engaged another engineer, who was giving every satisfaction, while the cost to the Council was just the same as the Wirokino Road Board. Mr Kebbell said the question before the meeting had been discussed for a considerable time, and now that the Road Boards had practically finished all their loan expenditures, and had been left very little to do, it was deemed advisable to bring it forward definitely for decision. With regard to the saying to be effected, at the present time the County Clerk was receiving £120 a year and 5 per cent commission on the rates he collected, which amounted to about £80, bringing the amount to over £200. At the same time the clerks to the two Road Boards received the same percentage, and received the salaries of £35 and £30 respectively, though he might remind them that were Mr Davies to retire from office on the Wirokino Road Board, the latter body would have to pay a very much higher salary to their clerk, who was at present assisted to a great degree by Mr Davies. Now the Clerk to the County Council was willing to do the whole of the collection at 3 per cent commission, which meant & saving of £64 and the savings in salaries amounted to £65, representing a total of £129. With regard to efficiency, he pointed out that by merging the one ganger or County Inspector could supervise the whole of the work dove by the roadmen, while at present the three roadmen in that riding were without supervision. He remarked that the merging of the Road Boards in the Manawatu County had been attended with beneficial results. The Chairman pointed out that it would be necessary, in the event of the merging taking place, for the clerk to have extra clerical assistance at a certain time of the year, when the rate notices were being issued. Mr Eebbell said the assistance required would be very little. He might point out that it was proposed to readjust the representation on the Council, by which means another representative would be elected for that ward. The carrying out of the proposal would result in a distinct saving in expenditure, and in the time of the representatives. He moved, That in the opinion of this meeiing it is desirable that the Wirokino Road Board be merged into th« Gnunt/y.

$.t Whiley seconded the motion. Mr Haseidefl said that the allegation as to the proposal being an economical one was a myth. The clerk, like other clerks, as soon as he got extra work, would require extra assistance, extra pay and so forth i To have local body work properly attended to, it was necessary to have the maha^Jniettt localised a3 much as possible. In those flew districts they cou'e. not get' work attended to if the loca^ body was at a distam-e. What they really wanted was a Road Board at Shannon. As to Mr Eebbell'9 statement that the Road Boards had nothing to do but maintain the roads, he wished to point out that there were many miles of roads yet to be formed so as to give settlers access to their properties, and if the road district were merged into the County, the rates would be absorbed in the County fund, and this very necessary work left undons. He moved, as an amendment 41 That instead of the proposed merging being carried out, it is ad visable that a Road Board be formed for the Shannon district." " Mr J. Richardson seconded the motion. Mr Liggins said if Shannon wanted its own road district, he would propose that another road district be formed at Tokomaru. Mr Venn seconded the motion. Mr Gascoigne said he was very much surprised at the weakness of Mr Kebbell's arguments in favour of the proposal. The extra travelling expenses which would be entailed by members having to go. to Otaki to attend the Council meetings would be almost equal to the small saving which would to effected in the office expenses. Then they had no guar - ahtee that the present < lerk would be always available. He failed to see, too, why the County .Inspector could not, as things existed now, supervise the district roads as well as the County roads. There was no question that 'the way in which the Road Board funds had been administered was highly creditable to that body, and unless some strong argument was advanced in favour of merging, he saw no reason for altering the present state of affairs, because if there had been any discontent, they would have attended the meeting that day. Mr Liggins said he had interviewed the majority of the Tokomaru settlers on the matter, and they were decidedly in favor of merging. Mr Kebbell wished to point out that if the Road Board was merged into the County, the rates would be kept separate from the County fund, as provided by the Act, and expended only in that riding, so that there need be no fear of the County fund absorbing all their rates. The saving, it was true, was somewhat small but it would be muphmore when the new \ aluation came in to force. When separation from the Manawatu County took place the idea was to have only one local body, but as it was found impossible to abolish the .County Council, though attempts had been made to have the Act amended, and it was therefore proposed to abolish the Road Boards. As to work being neglected by the Council, nobody could say that that body had paid no attention to requests' made by them. ' ' Mr Venn said it appeared to him that one central body could surely manage affairs of the County better and more economically than four bodies. He was in favour of merging on the conditions that the County office was removed to a more central position in the County and that a fresh election take place. In answer , to 'Mr Gascoigne, the Chairman said the Wirokino . Road Board was now in the happy position of having every one of its bank accounts in credit. While the Board had managed to pay the interest on loans and working expenses and carry out necessary works, they had succeeded in three years in paying off a bank overdraft of £700 on their general account, and have a credit balance of £^0 The amount of rates outstanding too was £100. The County Council was not in that same happy position, but as a member of the Council, he must explain that that body had two or three •' white elephants " to contend with. For instance, they had to pay a hospital and charitable aid contribution to the amount of £360 a year, of which he did not shppose £20 was spent on the paupers in the district, and another " white elephant " waa the interest on the loan. He had pointed out at the annual meeting of tbe Council that, after making provision for necessary charges this year, there would be a sum of about £180 available to metal roads and to meet any contingencies. The bank overdraft of the Council was now about £1000. The finances of the r O uncil have been crippled by the action of the Otaki members in voting' a sum of £800 for a certain thing. Mr Gascoigne said, as to the amount of rates increasing, the road 3 were in fairly good condition, and he saw no reason for them being increased. Mr Macdonald took exception to the statement that the road 3 were in fairly good condition. . Certainly they were fairly good at present, but when the winter season came, the most of them would be almost impassable He was averse to the Road Board hping merged into »,ta« County Cnwo«

oil at present in view of th^tate of the finances of the? two borises; let the County Council first get ftseu out of the mire, and then the question might be given serious consideration. To ask a financially potential body to join a greatly hampered body wou T d surely be a most disastrous fina: tcial arrangement. The alleged ecor jray was, in his opinion, merely cha ie paring, and the carrying out of t c proposal would result in cod.s:d< ab'y more loss than the £100 o ' so vhich, it is said would be' saveo . i\*r Kebbell remarked that tho merging had been carried out with very good results in Manawatu. J he Chairman said there was this to be put forward in connection wiib the merging in Manawatu, those districts were more settled districts than these, and the work of roadmafcing .had been finished before merging took place. In answer to Mr Liggins, the Chairman said he could not say bow much of the Eoad Board funds had been expended at Tofcomaru, but he might point out that instructions had been given by the Board to have any work required by the settlers at Tokomaru carried out. The Chairman then put the question as to whether the meeting was in favor of merging or not, and tie voting was as follows :— For, 7; against, 11. Mr Whiley said that, taking into consideration the amount of work dqne by the County Council he thought its financial position was comparatively better than that of the Road Board. On the motion of Mr Haselden, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the Chairman and Mr KebbeU, and the meeting then terminated.