FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 1, Issue 93, 16 May 1913, Page 2

FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL.

Special Meeting

A special meeting of the Franklin County Council was held at the County office', Pukekohe, en Wednesday; present—Messrs W. C. Motion (Waipipi, in the chair), R. Higginson (Waiuku), IJ. Wilrox (Pukckohe), J. Flanagan (Drury), G. Campbell (Hunua). . The special order for the proposed Hunua loan wes confirmed on the motion of Mr Motion, seconded by Cr Campbell. ANNUAL MEETING.

The annuai report anu balancesheet were presented by the county clerk (Mr Stembricige*. The re ceipts were shnwn at £1695 3s lid, and the expenses £sll 13s 1 Ud, leaving a credit balance of £llß3 10s Id. Ihe a3sets wore £1640 17s 9d, and the liabilities £76 5s Id, showing a cre:it of £1564 12s Bd. The report, which traveled the wcrk done Ly the Council up ti March 31st, 1913, pointed out that for this V;"ar it would be out of place tu make any compariso-s with other rountie?, either ait) the amount of rate received, or the coat of administration. The <irst meeting of th2 Council was held on July 4th, 1912. On Septemhet 7th a general rate of id in the £ was levitd over the whole county. Ihe sum of £1652 7s 8d was collide J up to March 31st, 1913, having a balance of rates outstanding of £457 7s Bd, whicn includes a number of rates on Maori laari, aho a large number of email raits upon small sections, the owners cf which are unknown. In the matter of tha rates on the Maori land, as these cannot be recovered at law without authority of the Minister of the duy, the question whether these names should remain upon the books is one that should receive the attention of the Council." Referi'irg to ratepayers the report stated Very great inconvenience has been experienced by the clerk and by some ot the ratepayers from tha fact that the valuation rolls did not contain the proper owners' names and addresses This in a new county is inevitable, and whilst no effort has been spared to notify every ratepayer there may be instances where the notice has not reached the right person; and in a great many instances the rotice was rot treated seriously and when tl'.e not'ce from the Road Board was r.ceiv.'d there appears to have been confusion. This should not happen after this as the defaulters' roll and electors' rcll w.ll be op:n for inspection, and advertised, after which they will go f irward to the Stipanciary Magistrate who will hear and deal with nil alterations and objections and sign the roll as altered and emended. These rolls then become the ratepayers' roll and the electors' roll fo? the current year, and r.o alteration can be made in them, and any person who3e nau.e dees not appear upon the electjrs' roll for a riding, when signed by the Magistrate, will not have a vote at any flection cf members of the county."

f!r Flanagan said he ha] heard a good many people say the Council was more expensive t';an lha Road Boards, tha administration c:sting 28 or 29 per cent, of the receipts.

Mr Motion said he did not ihmk tha expenses would have any greater if the Council had been in working order, instead of just meeting as they had to discuss affairs and get thEm in order. Cr Henry asked what the average cost of each Road Beard woyld tie; h 3 supposed it would be £SO. Mr Motion pointed out that if you took the special loans in any year there would b: an increa:e of expenditures. It was compulsory to i?o through t:rms, do advertising and so on, in connect on with ths ha is and special orders. These costs woulJ not crop up in tie expenditure of ordinary rates, and for th 3 first year they had had a Lt of this clas3 of expens?, which would not. be recurring.

Cr Flanagan; Of cou;se the expenditure would be as great if we were only collecting one-sixteenth of a penny rate. Mr Motiou said that in the first place it was held that the Council would be considerably cheaper than the Road Boards; personally he did not ses how it would be cheaper. But if they got better work for the money expended that was where the saving would come in. Cr Henry: And as a county we can go in for more comprehensive schemes than was possible under the Road Boards. Mr Motion said he thought Lr Flanagan might v:ry well explain to any objectors that taking up this county work was like taking up a piece of undeveloped country. For the first two or three years there would be all work and cost and little return, but when it was got into working order it would not cost so much and give batter results. Farmers would understand an argument like that. Cr Henry said he thought that those ratepayers who took exception to the expenditure were those who would object to any existing conditions. DEFAULTERS' KOLL. Cr Flanagan mentioned the names of several people who had complained of being put on the defaulters' roll, and so od, hut in the different cases the clerk's explanations were accepted a3 satisfactory. OFFICE SITF. Mr L. C. A. Potter, architect, attended with a rough pbn for County Ccuncil offices. Ater seme discussion it was decided to ascertain if the Horough Council would take municipal offices, etc., from the county if they were incorpoiated in a building scheme. It was d:cidcd to pay the money for the land acquired from Mr Kouiston over to the county solicitor, to he handed over when the deeds are approved.