THE COUNTY RATE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81828, 22 August 1906, Page 3

THE COUNTY RATE.

j A special meeting of the Taranaki County Council was held on Tuesday nwiiing. Present: Councillors G. V. Tntj (chairman), ii. Stevens, J. Brown, M. iiopson, A. George, C. Andrews, G. A. Adlam, and jas. Hill.

The clerk placed on the table statement of estimated riding expenditure for the coining year.

WAITARA lUUIKO.

fly credit as per riding statement last meeting £3S; to roads in addition to unoiiiit already spent €831; bridges, £SO; Henui bridge instalment £100; citzroy lire brigade £10; lighting County road at Filzroy .630; footpath subsidy at Fitzroy £25 ; royalty and collection £2O; dog lax £lO ; advertising, etc., £l4 ; sundries £l3O ; showing an approximate credit on March ' 31st, 11)07, £172. SIOA KiniNG. To balance, as per riding statement last meeting, £1(1-1-5; roads, in addition to amount already spent, £800; bridges, £IOO ; advertising, £2O; dog tax £10; sundries, CllO ; subsidy Moa Road Board, £2O; Credit : by estimated revenue £232-1 leaving an estimated debit balance on 31st March, 1907, of £4ll. This makes no provision for any contingency that may arise, or any new work to be un lerfaken. OMATA EIIUXO.

Estimated revenue, £2301); estimated expenditure, as ]ier statement last meeting. £!)B!); Hciiriekscn and Wills extra passed, £10; Morris, award and compensation, £8 ; subsidy Elliot, Carrington, Frankley and Barrett Bond Boards, £250; roads, in addition to amount already spent £1,03-1; Oaluira bridge, in addition to loan .£2BO ; metalling Oakura deviation, say £350; cutting hill at Oakura (£ tor £ grunt probably) £2OO ; metalling Tapuae hill £3OO ; sundries, including advertising, legal etc. £221; showing an approximate debit balance lof £1,252 at the end of the financial year. In excess of last year's expenditure will be the following extraordinary expenditure in. the riding during the year: Subsidies to Itoad Boards in expenses of last year, £170; Oakura bridge, £280; metalling Oakura deviation £350; cutting south of Oakura river, £200; metalling Tapuae £300; a total of £1,300. This made no provision for any compensation that might be necessary through, wash-outs at Tapuae, a point is yet undecided.

Mr Adlam asked why 14 per cent of rates were marked "uncollected" in the Omnia Hiding.

Tlio chairman said Omata Hiding ratepayers did not ,; pay up " well. Cr Adlam: Have any of tlieiu been sued ?

The chairman: The summonses issued in the Omata Elding were 15, Jloa 12, and Waitoru 0.

Cr Adlam : Well, I say " issue 45 more."

Councillors complained that the council lost a good deal of revenue by the purchase of the Spotswood settlement by the Government, many ot the sections being unlet and consequently iinratcablc. The chairman moved that -" the council levy a general rate of j'd in the £', a bridge rate of 1-32J, aud a hospital rate of l-12d iu the £. He was satisfied that the coun. cil would want every penny of the rale. He knew it was hard on the ratepayers to pay a big rate but they must pay it or have bad roads. The council could not make bricks without straw. He read a statement of cslilmi'.cl :vi\ipls and expenditure in the On: ta idling showing that even with the in ivased rate the riding would be £1,2 U overdrawn on March 31st next A ra'.e of Jd in that riding would give ti'.'i 1 !.; I'd less than last year' rate.

i Cr Stevens seconded. Cr Andrews said that there was no necessity to strike a lliree-farthing's rate, and no necessity to complete nil (lie works mentioned in the chairman's Omata statement. A rale of Jd iu the C on (he increased valuation wouhl produce £25 more than last year'* ; ,'d rale, and Ihe council was levying I lie bridge raie extra This year the council was going to draw £1,61)1) more from the ratepayers than lust year. The chairman thought it a short•i.jhlcd policy to leave work half done.

Cr Andrews moved an amendment (hat the general rate be live-eighths of a penny in the Si. Cr George seconded, and said it was shown recently the council had more money than it required, otherwise il would not have doled out its funds to road boards.

The chairman pointed out the roads were woru thin all over the country.

Cr George: The hind won't be worth owning soon. Cr Adlam thought it a mistake to impose the heavy rale. He advocated striking a ; jd rate, inclusive of the bridge rale, and thai no further work al Oakura be undertaken this year.

Cr llopson remarked that the ratepayers were given to understand the bridge-rate would be paid out of general revenue.

Cr Brown : It appears to me we live lite a lot of school kids. We threshed this mutter out at last meeting, and Used our rate:;, and the clerk went on with Ins wort, prepared his rolls and eards, not expecting the council would ,'0 back on Hs own arrangement. There -coined no relying on the council at ~11. He lviiiin'djii Cr Andrews that if !he threatened suburban borough were

i'.inned, the Oiaata Hiding would lose U'JIIO of revenue annually. "Let's get our roads iu proper order, and then i.-dk about reducing' rates." The ilawcra county hid tried to live on small rates, and now the roads were rained, so that .Clo.uoi) would lie required to pot then in order. There were fa'r roads here nou, but without attention they could rot stand another winter like the past. When their roads had been put into really good order he would favor cutting down the rate to id if possible.

Cr Andrews said Councillors were talking about a reduction. A rate of live-eights of a penny meant no reduction to the people, on account of the incnused valuation. Cr Hill thought there should he no trouble about the bridge rate, which cost settlers very much less than the old toll system. Cr Brown remarked'again that thev had considered all this mailer at last .meeting, and it now remained to eou-li.-ai what was done then. L'r Andrews said the wledc tiling s.'omed lo be cut and dried IH'oi'o lasl meeting. It had been IKeil up. apparently, bv the chairman without consulting the Council, lie declined to withdraw. The Chairnnn ruled Cr Andrews must give notice of motion, and he stated his intention of doing so. Cr Brown complained of'the obstruction ladies adopted by Cr Andrewsit" was only obstruction. He was going to drag the members in here again for a day—for nothing, "Jf lie thinks that a »ood wiiv of doing business, then I'm hanged if .1 do." he complained. Tln» Chairman's motion was thin put and carried.