CARRINGTON ROAD LIGGHTING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 6 August 1907, Page 3

CARRINGTON ROAD LIGGHTING.

[ TO BE, OR NOT TO BE'; There were nearly twenty Caninjton * road ratepayers in attendance at the Tnr.fliaki County Council meeting yesterday, when the nuestiou of the Carrington road lighting was again 'liscussed. The position is a peculiar one. The Road Board wishes to light Victoria road and th'e Shortland street cutting from the borough electric light mains, and has already entered into negotiations with the Borough Council. But the Ro.wt Boards Act gives them no power to engage in any such expenditure, so the Board asked the County Council to exercise its powers and pay for the lighting, deducting the £45 per annum necessary from the subsidy granted to the Board. This the Couueil at its June meeting n,greed to do, and to guarantee the account to the Borough Cquneil. At last meeting the Board asked the Council to ratify its promise, but the matter was deferred, as it was understood that the settlers intended petitioning against the lighting.

This petition was presented to fte Council yesterday, Messrs Newton King, E. Sihhv'wll and S. Avann Supporting it. The petition was signed by 28 ratepayers, and requested (he Council to P <ry tlie subsidy granted to the Oarrington Road Board, so that it might be expended in improving the roads, and not spent, in lighting a rnnall portion of the district. A second petition was presented, signed by (I!) ratepayers, who expressed their willingness to have the OiTrington Road lighted from the town boundary to the 'bus terminus, and authorised the County Council to give such assurance to the Borough Council that the lighting will be paid for out of the subsidy granted by the County Council to the above Board, and after such sums had been paid for lighting the balance to be banded Over to Ihe ffbove Board. Fifteen ratepayers attended in support of the petitionThe first deputation pointed out 'lat

this lighting would be of advantage only to the Yogeltown ratepayers. For that reason it should not he charged to the whole of the ratepayers at tile expense of the road. Many of the ratepayers were diametrically opposed to the lighting scheme, as it would rot benefit the "top end" settlers, who did not use the road at night to any great extent. They therefore asked the Council not to hack up this expenditure us asked.

This Chairman thought the deputation a little hit late. In answer to a question. Mr King fl-\!id they had had no previous opportunity of objecting. Mr 1?. Coek objected. The district hnd been full of Fne thing for mooths, and the settlers, if they read the newspapers, must have known nil about the scheme. The matter was first started eighteen months ago when lie was Mayor of New Plymouth, and the borough erected the poles along the road for the street lighting, entering into a contract for the supply of the current. There had been no objection until this

| jealousy came from the Brooklands district. | Mr Avivnn complained that, the "top : end" was not properly represented ore the Board, and had not been represented at the ratepayers' meetings held in Vogeltown. Mr Carter, chairman of the Roifl Board, said the meetings had been well advertised, and settlers from the extreme "top end" were there. Besides this, there were "top end" signatures Oil his petition for the light. He asked the Council to carry out its promise. The Voscltown suburb could not ' .<• kept liirk. It must have the street lights. He referred to the fact that the Council had performed a similar service for the Fitzroy district. The Cliairman favored carrying out the promise. Mr Know-tail: I'd like to point nit that 011 tile b'isis of valuation our petition easilv swamps theirs. Mr Carter: And T'd like to challenge that- And I'll give you the figures* if von like. Mr ft. Browjie pointed out that the lower end ratepayers contributed the bulk of the rate revenue. J Eventuallv it. wis decided to defer consideration for n. month, oiving to the magnitude of the order paper.