MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Putaruru Press, Volume II, Issue 34, 5 June 1924, Page 2

MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL.

SPECIAL MEETING. The statutory annual meeting of the Matamata County Council was held in the County chambers, Tirau, on Wednesday, There was a full attendance of members, namely, Crs. J. W. Anderson (Tirau riding, chairman), J. Pohlen (Matamata), E. J. Darby (Putaruru), K. S. Cox (Tokoroa), W. H. Allen (Okoroire), C. A. Stopford (Te Poi), H. Rollett (Peria), S. H. Judd (Maungatautari), and J. P. Keeley (Karapiro). General business was dealt with as well as the statutory business. RE-VALUATIONS. The Valuation Department advised that as some properties in the county hajdi been re-valucd an assessment court was being formed to hear any objections to the new valuations. The county was asked to appoint a representative to the court. The clerk reported having secured the consent of Mr. J. W. Simpson to act, he having acted previously. The clerk’s action was approved. Councillors remarked that there was no intimation as to what were the properties that had been revalued, or as to when the assessment court would sit. ' This was unsatisfactory, and 'they thought the suggestion a good one that a conference of local body representatives bo held in Auckland each year prior to the session of Parliament to deal with any such matters and make recommendation for their adjustment to Parliament. MONEY FROM LONDON. The council’s letter to the Minister for Public Works, the Hon. J. G. Coates, suggesting the “ pooling ” of local body loan requirements and the raising of a comprehensive loan on the London market to cover them, owing to the difficulty of getting adequate money in New Zealand for local bodies’ share < f main highway expenditure, etc., was the subject of a number of replies. The Minister replied that he had roted the difficulty the council was experiencing in raising loan moneys, but the letter was one for the Main Highways Board, to which it had been referred. The board chairman, Mr. F. W. Furket, wrote that the matter would come before the board on May 29, when the question of the powers of local authorities to raise loan moneys for expenditure on main highways would be considered. The chairman of the No. 2 Highways Council, Mr. A. J. Baker, advissed that Mr. Furket had written to him as follows: “ It is* very satisfactory to note that the Matamata County is taking a live interest in the matter of its main highways. Unfortunately there is no provision in the Main Highways Act enabling local bodies to raise loan moneys to be expended on main highways. This question is, however, the subject of a letter from the Counties’ Associationfi which will receive consideration at the next board meeting. The question of purchasing machinery and bitumen outfits, etc., is also one which will receive the attention of tlie board, at its next meeting, on May 29.”

Correspondence was also submitted at the instance of Cr. Cox, and the county engineer, from a civil engineer at Auckland, stating that he was representing a gioup of Sydney financiers prepared to undertake road building and bridge erection on debenture payment for local bodies.

Members remarked that this would only be of use if the local bodies could not get loan money otherwise. It was also stated that a New Plymouth local body had raised £IOO,OOO on the London market recently at £5 9s per cent interest. Cr. Pohlen said that the Power Board the previous day had resolved to refer to the Power Boards’ conference the suggestion to pool local body loan repuirements and raise the money on the London market. The matter would therefore get much more attention than in the past.

During discussion on the proposed £200,000 loan for the county at the Matamata County Council meeting last Wednesday it was decided that the following roads should be added to the list of county main roads in order to be included under the loan: —Putaruru-Waotu, Okoroire-Waiorno junction, Peria road from Matamata town boundary to Gunn’s road, Station road from Matamata town boundary to Maitai road, Richmond Downs road from Matamata town boundary to Gunn’s road, two miles of the Buckland road in the Karapiro riding, 1£ miles of the Springs road, Matamata. It was pointed out that these roads represented an addition of 21 miles to the previous total of 162 miles of county roads, making the present total 183 miles, of which a considerable portion (100 miles) was main highway. The 183 miles as now constituted should ensure a fair proportion of expenditure under Hie loan to each area.

Members emphasised that one of the most urgent works under the loan would be the renewal of the bridges, some of which were already in a precarious condition. If the bigloan were rejected, a separate loan proposal for £20,000 to £30,000 lor the bridges would have to be sumbitted immediately afterward. WAHAROA CEMETERY. The Waharoa Prcguessivo League asked that the following persons, comprising the Waharoa Domain Board, be appointed the Waharoa cemetery trustees: Messrs. A. K. Weeks (chairman), Thomas Thompson (secretary), William Ayers, W. P. Ryan and Seagar Mason. The council agreed to the request. RATES ON NATIVE LANDS. The chairman was appointed the council’s representative to a conference to be held at Te Kuiti on June 10 to deal with the question of the collection of lates on native lands. The chairman remarked that the Matamata county was not greatly affected. ,On the motion of Cr. Judd, it was resolved to sign a petition submitted asking for power for local bodies to register unpaid rates on native lands against the land. NEXT MEETING. It was resolved that the next meeting of the council be held July 4. PETERSEN’S ROAD. The Auckland Lands and Survey Office submitted approval of a plan showing land being given by Messrs. A. A. McGowan and W. H. Bennett, Puketurua, for the widening to a chain the present half-chain road' from the Puketurua factory to the new Arapuni access road near Mr. Petersen’s farm. AN ARAPUNI MATTER. The engineer-in-charge at Arapuni, Mr. T. Rabone, advised that the question of declaring the triangular piece of road at the junction of the old and new roads at Arapuni a road reserve to make the junction less acute would not be decided until it was known whether the contractors would require this land for other purposes. OKOROIRE BRIDGE. At the instance of Crs. Stopford and Allen the engineer was asked for an estimate of the cost of a high-level bridge at the Okoroire Springs.