PUBLIC OPINION.

Patea Mail, 14 April 1882, Page 3

PUBLIC OPINION.

Contributions, Le-ters, Inquiries and Answers thereto, are invited on Farming. Commerce, Politics, and matters of interest to the Patea district. Names of writers need not be Printed.

REDUCING COUNTY EXPENDI-

TURE.

Will you allow me space for a few remarks upon “ County expenditure,” and your article thereon in your issue of Bth inst. I will refer to your article first. I hardly think the new Council can be blamed for the delaj' in attempting to reduce expenditure, but rather the Road; Boards. The first meeting ot Council was held on November 23rd, but as by an oversight no resolution was passed that the ordinary December meeting should be held on that day, nothing could be done but elect a chairman. On December 7th I believe little business was done. I was unable to be present at that meeting, as the Waverley school was examined on that day, and I considered it was my duty as Chairman of theiComrnittee to be present. At the January meeting I moved that the Road Boards should be requested to take over the repairing of the County roads, the Council finding funds as far as possible. This resolution was carried; and a circular letter was sent about January 15th to the Boards within the County, covering the resolution. A reply came from the Wairoa Board during the month, that they would do the work on certain conditions, but would accept no responsibility. At the April meeting, nearly three months after the letter was sent from the Council, we received a reply from the Patea East Board asking bow much we could give them. There has been no reply received from the Patea West Board.

You can readily understand that until we heard from all the Boards, we could hardly discuss whether we should hand over the road, for what would bo the use of getting rid of that portion in the Wairoa district and having to maintain the rest ? There would be no econom}' in that. Yon may perhaps say that I, as mover of the resolution, should have asked at the Council meeting about replies. I should have done so at the April meeting if we had not heard from Patea East; and I hardly think it was my duty to direct the Clerk to* jog the memory of dilatory correspondents. You say “ no determined effort has been made in this direction.” Perhaps not ; but I was in earnest, and I think from the above statement you will see that the Eoad Boards have shown great hesitation in assisting us to carry out what, from the results of the public meetings, seemed to be the wish of,the ratepayers. You approve of the Hoad Boards declining to take over the road with responsibility. If by that they mean finding of funds, I agree with you ; but if they mean that they decline to accept responsibility for damage through neglect, I cannot see bow the Council could agree to those terms ; for in order to protect themselves it would be necessary to keep an experienced man to look to bridges &c., and see .that they were properly looked after. This would not be economy. I have not the least doubt that Eoad Boards would spend the money allotted to them by the Council “ properly and to the best advantage but unless they would accept a certain amount of responsibility, I do not see how it would work. The Council might at any time have to pay heavily for, the neglect or oversight of an irresponsible body. i Unless the Boards will accept some responsibility, it would bo better for them to, merger in the County, provided (here: was an amendment made in the Counties l Act to which I will refer presently. As argument, in favor of merging (provided the Act was amended) I may briefly state what I have already said at the meeting of ratepayers re merging. The Patea County is now really a large road district. The Clerk &c. could do all office work ; the Engineer could do all work in his department on both County and District roads. (On the latter a practical profes-

sionnl man would be found very useful and also very economical.) There would be only the time occupied of the members of the Council, instead of members of Council and Road Boards.

There is (o my mind one objection to merging under the present law : ie., Council have not power to levy the Road Board rates. They have power to levy a separate rate upon petition for works in a particular district (Secs. 108-110 Counties Act 1876). This power they should have without petition where road districts are merged. The County rate, with licenses &c , is only sufficient to maintain the main road ; and if there is no other source of ■revenue, there will he nothing to spend An district roads. But you may say the maximum rate is not levied now*. True ; but it would be unfair to increase the County rate to spend in road districts. During the time the subsidies were being paid, some Boards levied the maximum rate so ns to lake advantage of them ; others again were satisfied with a very small rate. ■

Now it would be manifestly unfair to levy a rate for district purposes equally all over the County, as you would be taking the money of those who have been previously high rated to make roads for those who bad not the same foresight. The old Wellington Road Boards Act, which was in force previous to 1871, left the power to fix the amount of the rate in the hands of the ratepayers. My experience of the working of this system was not encouraging. Those who had roads to their land attended the meeting and passed a rate sufficient for, maintenance only, out-voting and leaving without roads -settlers who had paid rates for perhaps 12 or 14 years. I fear if the Road Districts are merged without the amendment I suggest,-those who want roads would find considerable difficulty in getting tho x-equired number of names on the petition for a separate rate. On account of the special knowledge of the requirements of the district which members of Road Boards or County Councils have—they are in many cases the same men—they are better able to judge what rate is required than individual ratepayers who perhaps only know of the wants of their own immediate neighborliood. My few remarks have become rather lengthy, but I must plead my interest in these matters and my wish to place my views before the public as my excuse.

Geo. S. Bridge.