WAITOA RATEPAYERS (OIHNE MURI COUNTY). A PROTEST.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 220, 17 September 1887, Page 3

WAITOA RATEPAYERS (OIHNE MURI COUNTY).

A PROTEST.

(To The Editor.) Sih, — Having hope 1 before Uii^ to havo seen a criticism from some abler pen on Mr Corbett's clever production ; I ein^ i\ tabulated form to show where County He venue is derived from, but evidently an attempt to put the Wuito.i ratepayers in a false position, for while it shows the whole revenue of the goldlields for two years, it attempts to show us as only paying £1 5s !)d for the first year, and for two years £87. The (irst item is supposed to he the cheque for the above amount for Mr Me GormicUs rate's paid in by Mr Strange, as no other such sum has been paid from here. Figures can bo made to prove anything, in the same way as a speecli can b/ leaving out a word or even a stop. Now Mr 0. has minded his stops and btoppad short of the whole truth. The fact is, although so little generally known, our rates are as follows :— First year, ending March, was M in the £ value freehold

Now the law demands a return of all revenue shall be made, showing whence derived and where spent, for the iufonnation of each Councillor and ratepayer, | made out l>y County Co. authority. Such schedule is not forthcoming. Why ? Is it to aid Mr C. in flooring the Waitoa re the distribution of proposed loan? We arc asked to support a loan which will burden us with twice the amount we will get the benefit of. A \ in the £on £27,000 valuation will be £1500 or, Id double that amount, of which we are allotted £750 to be spent in theounty on the west side of the Waihou river, which contains more than a third the area of the whole County. The amount to be spent on main roads shown in thuschedule as benefiting Waitou is about as reasonable as part of cost of Piako main road being 1 pharged to us, in fact less so, «s our roads do connect with the latter, whereas they have no connection with any part of the Ohinemuri pounty. This large district to be so heavily burdened by the ban will noi derive any adequate means of communication or be opened up by it for any future settlement, this added to the injustico of saddling si buiden on an industiial class already over burdened with taxation under the pieftcnt depressed state of things, is more than they can possibly bear. — I am, &o. A Katkpayeu Waitoa. Sept. 3rd, 1887.

property £86 0 0 Government Subsidy 8(3 0 0 Government and Native Land 37 0 0 Total £209 0 0 Rates struck for second year is lsd, which will be twice the two first items ... £344 0 0 Government and Native Land 74 0 0 Total £G27 0 0