The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATS THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1919. MUNICIPAL MATTERS.

Taihape Daily Times, 27 March 1919, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times. AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATS

THURSDAY, MARCH 27, 1919. MUNICIPAL MATTERS.

{With w&ieli is incorporated Th*> Tai-

hape Post. t.nd News)

The chief regrettable feature of yesterday's polling was that so few ratepayers thought it worth while to recioi<d itheir votes. Those who did show that they were interested in the progress of the town seemed to be limited to two distinct one that desired conditions as they are to remain, and. by far the larger party that were in favour of getting out of the old-time ruts on to more modern made ground for levying rates for administration iand all other purposes. There is cause for congratulating ratepayers on having cast off the old, unfair, uneconomic system of rating on capital values. In. this progressive age it is time that all recognised the danger and disaster that might occur in continuing to heavily penalise everything of a progressive nature. But Taihape ratepayers seem to have fully grasped the importance of this.

f and only some twenty voters thought I it worth their while to record their protest lagainst ithe change. Bate- ■ payers also seem to have recognised i the itcal situation into which the town : has drifted, anjd that whatever proj gross in town or district resulted in 1 the employment of additional labour, ! it would be exceedingly difficult to | get that labour until some provision I for housing accommodation was first j maido. Even with the little addition- ! al labour required in out the • proposals of the £17,000 loan consideri able difficulty is going to be experien-

ced; men will not be allowed by a mere militant Health Department to

live and sleep anywhere, packed in

rooms, creating hotbeds of infectious diseases, as they have hitherto done. Of course .a resort may be matde to the use of fonts, but it will be found that prescnt,day labour will not, take kindly to the life our pioneer settlers were compelled to lead, and it is not wise to assume that they will in this stage of the country's life and advancement. There are no grounds for

thinking that the highly productive quality of the huge areas of land in the Taihape district will not have to contribute their qfciota (towards the immensely increased production crusajdc this country must launch upon; but Taihape is in no way prepared to deal with an increase of population either in the district or in the town, for, of course, an influx of settlement in the district involves to a lesser extent, perhaps, a demand for more labour in town. Mo-rc labour cannot be induced to come to Taihape because Taihape has got no room for more labour, an)d the first step essential to providing that room was the adoption cf rating on unimproved valtoe, thei abandonment of that method of community suicide, the taxation of progress. This reproach has now been re-moved, and the man who builds a house will not be taxed twopence every year on every sovereign the house has rost him to erect. That twopence in the pound will help to mal-o honsc-building a riC-munrro '"*'••'" inv'.'stmenf: but If

that does not render building sufficiently attractive to investors, it must uot be assumed that Taihapc or New Zealand will ever' become houseless ;as present structures fall into decay. Xiy" must it, be supposed that if local governing bodies prove incapable of conducting the business of the community the people will go houseless. No body of ineapables will be allowed to follow a course which if generally permitted would lead to national ruin and bankruptcy. It'is as fatal to a town for the .local body to omit to provide houses for the workers in the town hive as it is for a sheep breeder" or farmer to emit to provide paddocks for his sheep; the result is similar. M.cn and sheep go in search of houses and paddocks respectively. But if all town authorities, fail to provide houses an impossible proposition arises. It is perplexing to see a careful man of business making every provision for future increase of trade with its increase of liabilities and increase of captal that is requisite, who is utterly incapable of understanding, or entirely unconscious of the fact that the increase of the town's business involves "similar careful thought and imperative provision. Those who aspire to seats in local administrative bodies in the future must be prepared to wrestle with momentous questions and situations that are going to be the outcome of the war. They must be equipped for performing much more important work than overseeing the mending of roads and cleaning of gutters. The best business ability in the town owes a (duty to the community that can only be shirked by involving community loss and individual inconvenience. We say frankly that we feared to advocate any improvement loan because the best business ability will not place itself «.t the service of the community. For any loan to be a success it depends entirely upon the management, and. administration of the specific furtds for which.the money is raised. Taihapc is at the crossroads of mediocrity and triumphant

success, and leaders are urgently needed in whom the community ran place confidence to guide it past the crisis an]d set it safely and satisfactorily on the way it is every man's desire it should go. The date for municipal elections is drawing near. The Mayor .and some councillors, it is understood, contemplate takiug a rest from municipal work. They have been at it n :ong that municipal harness has become irksome lo them., and they are taking the opportunity to cast it from them. But who is willing to come forward and take on the responsibilities they are relinquishing? The lack of interest in. yesterday's polls augu/'S ill for a Council that is qualified to handle successfully many thousands of pounds of borrowed money, or has the initiative powers necessary to

evolving economic scheme? for housing an increase of population that must conic. Wc urge i:[lon business men that it is a duty they owe to the community ami to their own business interests to -place themselves at the service of the municipality. It is one thing to vote for raising loans, but a vitally ttifforcnt matter is the spending of them in achieving the most far-reaching beneficial results. There is no increase of business available for any business house, and this condition must continue till business men put their hands to the municipal plough and open up new ground. There is a heavy crop of increased population awaiting them if they will only prepare the ground for it. and. the season for wo,-k is now, or it must be neglected for another two years.