TOLL-GATE QUESTION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 75, 19 March 1914, Page 7

TOLL-GATE QUESTION.

* FURTHER DISCUSSION. At yesterday’s meeting of the County Council further discussion took place on the toll-gate question, which, until overshadowed by events, bid far to be the chief question agitating the minds of Councillors and ratepayers. Informal Discussion. Regarding the toll-gate meeting .at Midhirst, the, chairman reported that about fifty ratepayers had attended. Eighteen voted in favor of toll-gates, and nobody voted against the motion. I Since the meeting ratepayers had given it as their opinion that milk traffic should be exempted and that there should be no gate between Mid- j hirst and Stratford. If, however, 1 there was a gate a mile from Strat- j ford, in the vicinity of the Abattoir, 1 only one supplier to the Midhirst fac- j tory would be affected. The Engineer | proposed to widen the metal on Mountain Road by four feet at a cost )f £llOO. He estimated the annual ost of upkeep of Mountain Road at i.OOO per annum. j In reply to Cr. Ghristoffel the chair-

man said that if a gate was erected al ( the Waipuku bridge it would only Jffect two or three suppliers. Cr., dbristoffel gave it as bis opinion that the gate should be erected at the best point to catch the through traffic. | Cr. Walter said the County should ;ry to get tolls from the pleasure raffic going out of Stratford. This as increasing yearly and the nowlyormed Motoring Club was sure to inrease it further. Even if settlers id to pay tolls they would receive heir money back by means of the screase in rates following on the ..illection of tolls. The best way to get •venue from the gates was to place icm as near Stratford as possible, t was certain that fhose who used be roads for pleasure would demand letter roads.

Cr. Ghristoffel thought the gates -bould be placed so a.s 'ta catch the hrrough traffic. If there were four ,ates round Stratford it would lie a ardship to settlers desiring to do usiness in Stratford. Tlie Chairman asked Cr. Walter if i e would be willing, to put the dis-1 fission iu order, to move that four ;ates he erected. Cr. Walter said he would do so. Cr. Smith said' notice should he riven of such a motion, and the in-1 ormal discussion was continued for a short time. A Ratepayer’s Views. t At "crepuTatron time” Mr S' Pitt .vaited on the Council. He said he did not know how far the Council had rone in the matter of toll-gates, but is a big ratepayer he desired to place his .views on the matter before the Council. He was not sure whether the Council desired to imise toll revenue ‘thfougli ! traffic 'or'Troth' ratepayers. A gate in the North Riding was necessary, but be thought the proposed four gates would not last ! twelve months—he thought the settiers would tear them down. If the four gates were put up the milk carts would have to be taxed—no exemp- ‘ tion was possible. There were a, large number* of residents in the Mahoe and Lowgarth, •listrict who could get down Stuart Road to Eltham without pay- | ing toll, and if they had to pay toll to get to Stratford they would take all their business to .Eltham. The 1 North Riding was heavily in debt, j but was also very heavily rated. The j gate at Waipuku would probably be j in existence for two years and pull | the Riding out of debt. j The Chairman thanked Mr Pitt for j expressing his views, and Mr Pitt then withdrew Conference at Eltham. The Eltham County Clerk notified that at its last meeting his Council decided that the conference on tollgates arranged by them should be held at Eltham on March 21st.—The chair-

man and Cr. Ghristoffel were appointed the Council’s delegates.'

A Little Premature.

J. Coupland, Midhirst, wrote applying for a position as toll-gate keeper.—Received. V