LOAN PROPOSED.

Shannon News, 18 June 1929, Page 4

LOAN PROPOSED.

WIROKINO DISTRICT ROADS.

ESTIMATES TO BE PROCURED

FOR FIVE CASES.

As the result of the carrying of a motion which had been moved by Cr. Catley, instructions were given to the Engineer, by the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday, to prepare an estimate for forming and metalling McGill's, Saint's, and -Kukutauaki Roads, Lindsay Road Extension, and Hokio-Waitarere Road; and it was decided that application be made to the Government for a grant of £1 for £1 for construction, and that the balance be raised by a loan to be struck over the Wirokino riding. The motion was seconded by Cr. Jensen. A PRESSING MATTER. Cr. Catley said that the roads mentioned in his motion had been before the Council for some time, and it was absolutely, necessary S<n One or two cases that something be 'done. If the Council Wanted to keep men on the land, it must give them the best access at its disposal. He had discussed the matter with his colleagues. While they were quite in sympathy with the applications for the roads, there was a difference of opinion as to the means by which the money should be obtained. It was for those councillors, if they differed from him, to offer an alternative. He did not see that there was any other course except raising a rate lo cover the cost of these rqads. • The 'Council Would have to raise a very considerable sum, even if it got a Government grant. The Engineer (Mr Brewster) stated that applications for grants had been posted in respect of all the roads named except Kukutauaki. Cr. Catley: That must be put in: it has to be renewed. The Engineer has instructions to do Saint's Road. I have not included Ohau West Extension, because, if this has to go to a poll, the inclusion of that would damage the proposition. The others are necessities. AMENDMENT FAVOURS CO-OPER-ATIVE SCHEME.

Cr. Gimblett: We have an alternative. He then moved, and Cr. Oolquhoun seconded, as an amendment that the Engineer prepare an estimate for forming and metalling McGill’s, Saint’s and Mark's Reads, Lindsay Road Extension, and Hokio-Waitarerc Road: that application be made to the Government for a grant of £1 for £l, and, that"£2so be provided out of the riding funds, to be supplemented by assistance from the settlers, to be expended this year provided that the Government grant is obtained. Cr. Gimblett said he was in sympathy with Cr. Catley's proposal up to fj, a certain,.point, but he aid not think, that the loan could be carried. The time had come when the Council had to move in some direction that would give a practical result. His own proposal would strain the resources of the riding to the utmost, but the riding must be prepared to support those men who had no reasonable means of-access to their homes. Mostly short pieces.of road were concerned, and the people in their vicinity had been paying rates for years. In one case the property holder had been paying £BO a year and had not an inch of metalled road to the property.

RATING POSITION. The Chairman (Mr Monk): I presume there are no properties that are without a road? Cr. Gimblett: I said a metalled road. Between two and three thousand acres arc paying a general rate in Lindsay Road Extension. There are other roads which, though not paying the same amount of rate, have to be considered, to give the settlers some relief. If I thought we could carry Cr. Catley’s proposal, I would support it, but I think it would -jc wasting time. I hope the Council will not shelve this question any longer, but deal with it in such a wav that we can carry on. ' OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE. Cr. Gimblett then referred to .two letters which on the order paper and which had been held over pending Cr. Catley's motion. lIOKIO-WAITARERE ROAD. Writing on behalf of settlers on the Hokio-Waitarere Road, Mr T. G. Vincent made application to have the road metalled, and formed where necessary; and 1 suggested the following method of finance: —The settlers to find £SO in cash or its equivalent; the Council to find £100; and application to, be made for a Government grant of, say, £l5O. During the past three years, he stated, the settlers had found roughly £ls0 —£130 in cash and £2O odd in labour.

KUKUTAUAKI ROAD. Messrs G. A. Koberstein and W. E. Kilsby wrote asking if the Council would metal the unmetalled portion of Kulcutauaki Road. The writers would undertake to re-construct the unmetalled portion to the value of £25, or, if this amount was above the estimate, would assist in spreading the metal to the stated amount. Cr. Gimblett went on to say that the settlers on the Hokio-Waitarere Road were seeking a little more in a year than the riding could stand, but they might accept less if the Council could help them at all. If his proposal were adopted, then the County would have, with the Government subsidy, a sum that would form the beginning of a programme that would complete the roads in question. Mr McGill had previously offered to form his road. If the Council raised a loan to complete these roads, it would be no time before a request was received to metal other roads. He wanted to see the expenditure he proposed carried out this year, and perhaps next year the Council could see its way to carry the- programme through. TOTAL COST MAY BE OVER £2OOO. The Chairman: Supposing that tiro arious settlers find £2so— Gimblett: Net that much. The Chairman: I am going to sup-

pose that they do. That will make £SOO. The programme you have got is probably goiug to cost well over £2OOO for the .five roads. If you are going for a £l* for £1 subsidy and have it granted, then you have to be prepared to put that up, and you have to finance it till the completion of the work, to got the Government grant. You have to,submit plans and specifications of the job, and they would not pay.up until it is completed; they might pay some of it, but. the work would have to be completed to get the whole of the :money. Suppose you did half the work and got 75 per cent., you would find your finances wrong, and you might -find next year that they would net renew the grant.

Cr. Gimblett: We would have to make fresh application ? The Chairman: Yes. Any unexpended amount at March 31st each year has to be re-applied for. I think that, if you find out the cost of these roads and then thrash the matter out, you are going to carry one or the other of these methods. If it is going to cost £IOOO, probably your scheme is feasible. Had we not better have an estimate?

Cr. Catley: That is the crux of the whole thing. Can we find £250 if the estimate is satisfactory? Our estimates for this year are already framed. The Chairman has previously stated that we could not find £l5O for McGilHs .Road. How are we going to find £2so*? Over what term \Vould Cr. Gimblett propose to spread the work? My proposal could be gone on with, and it would take four years. Under his scheme the man of to-day would have to pay the whole lot. 1 believe that the loan would be raised for 20 years, at 5f per cent, interest, plus 3 per cent, sinking fund. The interest on our share, at £IOOO, would bo £55. There are 35 roads in this riding; we could cut 30s off each road each year, and it would not be felt. Cr. Gimblett said he was not quite prepared to admit that the scheme would cost £2OOO.

The, Chairman:, Whether, you do it by capital levy or by loan, it amounts to the same thing. The weak part, of the whole business is what these jobs are going to cost and what subsidy we should apply for. The thing most necessary is the estimate.. Cr. Gimblett: I am agreeable to hold it over, provided it is not held over for another year. In the past we have missed the opportunities of getting the Government grants. Either carry Cr. Catley’s motion or put mine in order and let us do something. URGENCY OF WORK ADMITTED. Cr. Jensen said he had thought that these matters would perhaps come to some finality. Considerable time had been given to discussing them, not only in the Council, but in its committees. It seemed to him that the scheme outlined in the motion was the most feasible. It would not be of much use allowing the Engineer to obtain particulars before the councillors agreed on a proposal. The Chairman: They are in entire agreement that the work wants doing. The question is one of financing. Cr. Jensen: Why can they not agree on that? I feel that, when the estimate is brought down, they may be astonished; they may find that it will cost twice as much as they have bargained for. Unless they agree as to whether they are to go one way or the other, the Engineer -will be wasting his time. Cr. Colquhoun: It does not altogether lie with the Engineer’s estimate. If we are agreeable to spend £SO on each of those roads, could we not apply for a subsidy for that? .1 don’t see how we are going to carry a loan. These are not the only unmetalled roads in the County. As soon as we apply for a grant for these roads, or raise a loan, what is going to happen in respect to the other roads? Applications will come. We have at present these five roads before us, and I think we should do something, even if it is. only a small amount that we agree to spend on them. If we agree to expend a certain amount on them, I don’t think it is altogether necessary for the Engineer to worry about it till we see if we can get the Government grant. Cr. Gimblett: I take it that we could get a grant of £SO or £75 on each of these roads if we are prepared to put the money up. The Chairman: If you are going to do a job and have in view the finalising, it would be very much simpler for the Engineer to get out an estimate for the work as a whole. I think that, whether it is through the medium of your rate or by a loan, you should make arrangements whereby the plans and specifications can be submitted at the time to the Department. That being the ease you would not apply for £SO if £IOO was required; you would apply for fthc w|tole amount. You might, by arrangement with the Department), however, get the District Engineer to put £IOO on account: they do that.

Cr. Catley: If it is going to be done piecemeal, who is going to get the first bite?

, The Chairman: Jf it is £250, it will be £SO a job; but if you are going to vote it this year, you will have to find it out of something that is already provided for and that is off some other job. That is the only way you can do it this year Cr. Gimblett: I and my colleagues got into a row because there*was nothing on those estimates for maintenance. Are they not entitled to relief?

AMENDMENT LOST. • The amendment was put to the meeting and lost, those voting in favour of it being the mover, the seconder and Cr. Barber. Cr. Gimblett asked if the offers contained in the letters would hold good if the works were done with loan ■money. Or. Catley said he did not know. The motion met with an equally divided vote, as follows: Ayes: Cr 3. Catley, Jensen, Bryant and Ryder.

Noes: Crs. Gimblett, Colquhoun, Barber and Whyte. The Chairman gave his casting vote in favour of the motion and declared it carried. Cr. Gimblett: That means that we are to take a loan poll in the Wirokino riding, to see if it goes through for a given amount? The Chairman: You have to pass the test of the Loans Board first. Cr. Catley: If-anything is to be done this year, the estimate of cost should ie got out as quickly as possible.