£5,000 BRIDGE LOAN.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXVII, Issue 43330, 26 May 1908, Page 3

£5,000 BRIDGE LOAN.

gp (Wei ire not responsible for the opinions r exwfessed by our correspondents.)

;V S . (_To the Editor.] Si R,: —“ Waitoa Ratepayer ” wants an explanation from me why I did not attend the meeting on Thursday night at Waihou. I. don’t feel inclined to waste paper and ink explaining the cause of . absence to “ Waitoa atßepayer.” His : 'letter is the essence of twaddle. I consider I lose very little, when I lose his confidence. Probably an explanation is due te ether ratepayers in the riding, as one who opposed the loan from its first inception in the Council. I admit I should have been at the meeting to explain my reason for opposing the special loan. I intended to go to the meeting, but unfortunately I was detained through io neglect on my behalf. In reading the report of the meeting held at Waihou, I fail fo see any sound argument in favour of raising a special loan. I shall give further reasons why the loan should be opposed. Matamata’ riding has an oyepfiraft of £1,919, capital value, Waitoa debit, £2,973 f capital than the Matamata riding. Patetere and Taotaoroa ridings are also overdrawn. They have no intention of raising a special loan ‘ Their foreman, Mr Mahood, stated recently in the county office it .would take all their rates for the next three years to road and bridge the Hora Hora district alone Yet in face of the above statement, those mem- : bets representing the riding are quite satisfied with the present rate. The proposed Waitoa special loan is going to be manipulated by those members having <

no interest in the Waitoa riding. So long as they retain a seat cn the Council they have the same vote in the expenditure of the loan money as the members for the riding. On several previous occasions the members of the Waitoa riding were outvoted on matters of great importance that only affected the Waitoa riding. The Chairman stated at Waihou, unless the loan proposals were carried, settlers would either have to go without roads or be further rated. I emphatically deny snob would occur, provided the rates are spent to better advantage. The Chairman also referred to the large estates being cut up an,d occupied by hundreds of settlers calling out for roads. That statement applies to the other ridings, but not Waitoa. The Lockerbie and Waitoa Estates have been cut up, but not one penny of the rates has been spent on those roads since the estates were cut up, six years ago. The Bank of New Zealand are making all the roads on the Lockerbie Estate, and has agreed to pay £5,000 for road making on the Waitoa Estate In asking those settlers on the above estates to vote for a special

loan is one of the most monstrous pro posals sjAmt- ever emanated from a sane man. Sp Chairman stated the £5,000 could be only used for the purpose for which Hfciwas borrowed. I think we want a little more expert knowledge than what the Councillors are in possession of. The -Chairman stated at the Council table that several of those bridges were good enough for the next three years. Would any wise or prudent man think of pulling down a bridge he considered good enough for three years. The last item I intend lo criticise in the report is the horses. lam bound to accept the , item £365 as correct until I can prove otherwise, but I have my doubts that £365 covers all expenses —tear and wear, permanent hands, and casual labour in connection with the working of, the horses. Now, Mr Editor, if you will grant me a little indulgence by permitting 'me to explain more fully, why this, special loan should be rejected by ail the ratepayers in the Waitoa riding. ‘ ine management and supervision of the County is not what I call satisfactory I will only point out one instance—my attention was drawn to some bridge / and culverting on tbe Tauhu road. I rode out last, Wednesday to see for myself—l met one of our x leading settlers at the place who went over the work with me and considered the money was simply thrown away. In as few words as possible I willj describe tbe bridges and Culverts. Thete are two small drains about five , feet wide across the Tauhu road, twelve chains apart, on a level flat. Two, pile bridges were built on these drains: One, 24 feet span, piles 9by 9, fiye stringers 14 by 12 ; tbe rest of the timber was heavy in proportion. Two’ Culverts 30 feet long, 4 feet wide, within a few chains of the pile bridges. These culverts were put in and filled up alongside. Then it was discovered they were not wanted. One of them was sewn in two and jacked upon the bank and there it lies. I was told by a settler that the other 30 foot culvert was to be treated in the same waw as bis twin brother. The two pile bridges ar,e altogether too ex pensive and too large. Small culverts would answer the purpose for the next twenty years. There are very little rates accruing from the district and not a Bettler living along the road for six or seven miles. If this sort of work is going to continue, how far the £5,000 will go, but strange to say, though a member of the Council, I heard nothing of this bungling from our chairman. I have come to the conclusion that this job ’’ was ito be kept in the dark. I will not dwell on this subject any longer as I intend to bring this matter up at our j "next meeting. If any three or four leadng settlers along with you Mr Editor desire, to seef or yourselves, I Will pay £1 for a conveyance to take you to Tauhu • Road to see some of our grand engineering as carried out by the Piako CouDty Council. I beg to apologise for taking up so much space in your valuable paper. I am etc. ' T, McOloin. V Watoa, a Y 25, 1908.