THE COOK COUNTY'S RIVERS BILL.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1321, 26 June 1883, Page 3

THE COOK COUNTY'S RIVERS BILL.

We have on more than one occasion adverted in these columns to the necessity and urgency of a Bill being passed to enable the ratepayers in the parts of this district interested in the question, to take the necessary steps to protect their property. Meetings will be held at Makaraka this evening, and at Ormond on Thursday evening next, to consider the Bill already drafted. A brief synopsis of the Bill may not be out of place. The Bill consists of forty short clauses. The first sixteen clauses relate to the constitution of River Boards, and provides that the number of each Board shall not exceed seven or be less than five ; the mode of election, retirement of members, how vacancies arc to be filled, the appointment of Chairman, the mode of “conducting the business of the meetings, and the appointment of the necessary officers. “ The Public Works Act, 1882,” and “The Regulation of Local Elections Act, 1876,” are to form part of the Bill. As the “ Public Works Act, 1882 ” already provides how compensation for land Ac., required by River Board Conservators throughout the Colony is to be awarded, further provision under that head is not deemed necessary in the present Bill. Clause 5 provides that upon petition of not less than twothirds of the ratepayers of any district specially defined any part of the County of Cook intersecled or bounded by any river or rivers from the overflow of which danger is apprehended ,ja river district may be constituted. Each district so constituted is to have

■ a separte board of River Conservators 1 Clauses 17 to 2.1 provides for the levying of general rates for the purposes of carrying into effect the proposed Act, hut in no case are the total amoont of rates so levied’to exceed three farthings in the £, on the rateable value under the “Property Assessment Act, 1879.” All lands within a River Board district are to be annually classified by the Board or some person appointed by them into the following classes : (I) lands liable to actual damage ; (2) lands liable to less actual damage ; (3) lands not liable to actual damage. Land in class one shall be rated at twice as much as class 2 ; class 3 shall be rated at one fourth paid by class 1. (It is already noted that the maximum rate in any one year is not to exceed three farthings) Clauses 22, 23, 24, and 25 provide for dealing with eases of appeals. The 26 clause is au important one. It provides that the rates of all lands rated under the proposed Act, shall in the first instance be paid by the occupiers, but that under certain circumstances the actual owner is to pay, that is when years of the lease remains unexpired. The number of years will, of course, have to be defined. Clause 27 gives the Board power to borrow. Under clause 28 a special rate for the payment of interest may be struck, at the request of the majority in number and value of the ratepayers in the River district. Clauses 30, 31, and 32 relate to the carrying out of works, and actions at law. Clause 33 provides for the number of votes each ratepayer is to have in the election of Boards; for payment of rates, under £2 one vote ; above £2 and under £5 two votes ; above £5 and under £l5, three votes ; above £l5 and under £3O, four votes. The remaining clauses relate to the administration of the affairs of the River Boards re accounts, auditors, debenture-holders, &c. The Bill is clearly worded, easy of comprehension, and is devoid of cumbrous legal ambiguities.