The Daily News TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1903. THE COUNTY BRIDGES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 4, 6 January 1903, Page 2

The Daily News TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1903. THE COUNTY BRIDGES.

* I The ratepayers throughout the Taraj naki County are called upon to-morrow d c'de whe her they will continue tha present unsatisfactory sta'e of tfl'tirs—eking out the finances of tim cour.t,y by means of toll and keeping tim county in a stnto of poverty owing to the drain on its tesources for repairs to a lot of wo>n out bridges or whether by capitalizing their income, or a portion of i f , 'hay will provide the county with permanent bridge*. The erection of new bridges, it is considered, will so reduce the cost of maintenance as to enab'e the interest to be paid c ut of revenue. The County Oh irman has, wherever the ratepayers have tak n the trouble to meet him, ably and fully explained the position and the remedy, and if the ratepayers are wise they will vote fjr the loan. The amount r<quired is £IO,OOO, according to the es'itnate of the County Engineer, and anyone must see that such n large rxpenrliure is clearly outside the r ve'iue of the Council to undertake, •ul that, if the money is borrowed um'er the Loans to L-cal Bodies Act-, it will be repaid, b: sides showing a hrge annual saving, as between the maintenance of a lot of rotter, unsafe briiiyej, while the interest payable will not inflLt any serious burden on the ratepayers. Even adding £2OOO for maintenance, the rate required to moet interest and sinking fund charges would only amount to one twelfth of a penny in the £ based on the value when the scheme was first proposed. Sinca then the values of properties h'tve risen so much that either a lesser rate can be struck or a Urger sim borrowed, It must also be borne in mind that it will be some time before the whole sum will be spent-, so that it will probably bo a considerable time before the full interest and sinking fund will be required. The County Chairman, and those verted in county finance, are also of (pinion that tha earing in maintenanca will enable tbe charges to be paid out of revenue, a cour.-e which, the low being over the whole county, is allowable. Even if the full rate required were s'-m-k iamnurits to less than 7s on a valuation of £IOOO. There are other aspects of the question which des°rve the full and careful consideration of the ratepayers, and, above all, the question of t-afaty and the advantage of securing the abo'i.ion of tolls, thus making \hs " King's highway " as free in Tar,itihki ag in other parts of the co'ony. We siucvrely hope that the ratepayers will support the Couccil in I his mat'e:- and relieve themselves of tie very he.vy risponsibilifcy now resting upon th'm through tho unsufa state of thsesieing wooden bridges.