Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News. SATURDAY, AUGUST 26. 1905. RATEPAYERS’ REFORM.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42770, 26 August 1905, Page 2

Te Aroha AND Ohinemuri News.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 26. 1905. RATEPAYERS’ REFORM.

2 his above all—to thine own self be true, And it must follow as the night the day Ihou cansi not then be false to any man Shakespeare.

This energe ic body, the Piako Ratepayers’ Reform Association, although only called into existence at a comparatively recent date, is already making its presence felt at the meetings of the Piako County Council' and, as mentioned by a member at the recent annual meeting of the Association, has succeeded in : hitting sore points, although the Council will probably not feel the soreness in any great degree, for, as a body, they are no doubt, long ere this, inured to pinpricks such as these. But what dre the requests which the Reform Association asks the Council to grant them ? Do they demand sweeping and costly schemes of reform or reorganisation, or the expenditure of large sums of money on useless or unnecessary projects ? Judging from the treatment meted ont to the Association’s representative at the last Council meeting, one would naturally suppose that their demands were of-this nature. Yet they were merely asking for that which has been readily granted, and is reported to be working very satisfactorily in several other counties—namely, the Separateßiding Account System. It is, of course, contended by the Council (perhaps rightly to) that all ratepayers have access to the account books of the Council at any time, but having legal “access to the books” is a very different method of gaining information compared with the newer plan of having certain particulars in sheet form, laid on the table at the Council meetings. There seems little reason why this System should not be adopted by'a Council having no facts to withhold, nothing to suppress, and if the Association represents a majority of the ratepayers, then is there double reason why the up-to-date method should immediately be brought into use. Of course it must in all fairness, be conceded that the Council probably resist this demand more through fear of creating a precedent, and being eventually inundated with similar, but perhaps less warrantable requests, and thus bring an additional burden on the clerical department. That may be their point of view, but they have in roality only a poor case against introducing the Riding System, which, wo believe entails only an infinitesimal amount of labour in the preparation of: the sheets each month, and at the same time almost removes any necessity for the public to inspect the actual books, a privologu which, where often taken ml vantage of, must necessarily bo attended with much mutual inconvenience. With regard to the two notices of motion brought forward at the last Oopiieil meeting from a previous ohe, the ’Association received a painful rebuff in being checkmated by an absitrb piece of legal manoeuvring which, at any rate, effectually served its apparently intended purpose. But this only staves tie,matter off for a short period. The question must sooner or later ho faced and, meanwhile, i;ptuls. sadly in need of repair are boiiig neglected—notably the road botweun Shaftesbury Bridgo and Stanley Road—and expensive teams of horsos, tho care of which keeps the county forearm from other and more necessary duties, are being kept at the ratepayers’ expense whilst a considerable sum of money might be saved annually by disposing of the teams and adopting the more economical system of letting tho work out by contract. The ilbi'eatment which the Association has received will no doubt strengthen their determination to vigorously pilot tKeir cause through to the end, be it sweet or bitter. \ "