HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Shannon News, 20 February 1925, Page 3

HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. Hie monthly meeting of tiie llorovvnenua Bounty council was help on Saturday, Cr. Monk, chairman, pressing. iyuRUTAROA STREAM FLOOD-GATE. A lower was received from settlers oi Koputaroa pointing put tnat one tne piers oi tne lioou-gate on the ivupuiarqa stream had Been damaged m last flood, and asking that ; repans ne cheated. The engineer pointed out that 'tins was the main lioou-gate on the stream. Cr. Broadbelt said that this floodgate had been erected some years ago, out no provision had been made for upkeep. The Buckley Drainage Board loenented consideratoiy joy tnis, gate but disclaimed any responsibility therefor. He considered that a legal opinion should be obtained as tq wuetner in tiie case of the County having sorrowed money to do work for the benefit qf certain settlers, they shauiu then he responsible for the upkeep foi an time. This was agreed tq- the members oi the Wirqkmq and Tokomaru ridings with the Engineer being appointed to confer with the Buckley River Board regarding responsibility. EXTENSION OF WATER SUPPLY. A petition was received from six settlers on the main Levin-Shannon road asking lor an extension of me Levin water supply so as to serve the farms from Rqslyn road to Mr R. J. Law’s property. The engineer, was instructed to prepare an estimate of the work required. MAIN HIGHWAYS FINANCE. The Kairanga County Council wrote asking for support in an appeal to the Finance Minister regarding raising a loan for Main Highway construction. The chairman stated this 1 matter had been first set on foot by the Horowlienua County Council some 12 months ago and he understood tiiat the Minister even went so far as to insert a clause in the Biff authorising that this be done, but that this clause had nut been carried. Under the circumstances’ there was no question hut that they would support the motion. Cr. Hiarkness doubted ilf the Government could be persuaded to raise the money The Government, had already committed themselves to one-half oi the money and they would not be likely to take responsibility of raising the whole.

’ The chairman said that the main roads of New Zealand were now as much a national affair as were the railways. W(hen the Government would have to raise a loan for their half o.f the money, they might wen extend the loan to the whole anu lend the money to the local bodies, a fact which was to be remembered was that the work would be spread over a period, probably of from ten to twenty years. Every local body would not take up> the work at the same time and if the Government would lay the nucleus of a loan of, say, a million and a-hali, it would work much in the manner of the loans to Local Bodies Act, where the -loans at present were made out of the revenue being received from’ sums previously lent. Tin’ big point was that the scheme ol main high-way construction was economically sound and when 'the money had to be borrowed it did not matter whether it was borrowed in New Zealand or in England. It was still borrowed money. But if every local body m New Zealand were to go pn to the money market in competition one against the other, they would put the price of money up unreasonably. Ihe matter was one which should be pushed ahead as much as possible. There was an election coming on shortly and he felt that it was a case dr now or never. , „ * It was decided to support tiie katranga Council in their representations. ' MOTOR-DRIVERS’ LICENSE,s. The Levin Borough Council wrote m reference to the licensing of drivers uiidGr fltiG Motor Vglhclgs Aot tliut tncy had ’ passed a resolution authorising the Countjr to license drivers resident in the Borough upon the arrangement made that the Borough is to receive 50 per cent, of the fees. ARAWHATA ROAD.,

\ request was received from Messrs Harper Bros, that the Ai'awhata roau should be put in order so that they might continue flaxmilling. They offered to contribute to the cost—Referred to the Engineer fpr consideration. READING AT HEATHERLEA. On the motion of Cr. Monk, seconded by Cr. Broadbelt, it was decided to take under the provisions of the Public Works Act, that portion ot land known as Horowhenua 9B Block 11 Waitohin S.D. containing eighteen, decimal three perches, for roading purposes.

A denial of the contention that the State Advances Office was under any obligation to supply local bodies with £SOOO a year in loans was contained in a letter received from the Minister for Finance, the Hon. W. F. Massey, by the Waitomo County Council on Saturday. In reply to the Council’s representations in regard ta the intransigent method of the office, Mr Massey wrote that, the State Advances superintendent advised him that there was no understanding that a local bodv was entitled to raise £SOOO per annum from the office. The amount ( JentUo any body in any one financial 1 vear depended solely upon the funds ! available from time to time for investment. The applications already in hand would be considered in the order of their receipt. With regard to the particular loans mentioned, the I superintendent advised that the Awakino Valley Road loan had recently / been entertained by the Advances Board, and that he was now awaitine complete documentary evidence of the steps taken to rfpse the loan.