VOGELTOWN'S ADVANCEMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 115, 6 May 1908, Page 3

VOGELTOWN'S ADVANCEMENT

A " GliHA'i'EU NK\V I'IA.UUUIII" DISCIiSjIOX.

At the uniting of the Carrington road district ratepayers last night a leiur was received from tin- (/Ink <1 r' the Mi»t j Uoad Board, covering a reflation "] | I the ratepayers the ilc.sir.i i>nil v J lof holding a conference of ilelegales | | from the Eliol, I'iaukU'V. and Cal ling- j ton road districts lo discus» flic possi j I hility of devising some scheme to secure , la reduction of the rates payable in J those rapidly-rising districts. I The chairman (.Mr C farter) -.1 i<l j

tliat the new valualious were going to make the rales very high on suburban [properties. lie thought the Jjoard must keep in view that to attract population to the suburbs the rates must he kept down. .Some relief should he sought from the imposition of lieaiv

rates. This district was going lu cou j tribute £520 'odd to the County O-Uiu-eil this year, and the county would probably return about .tIOO. ' It was unpleasant to have to go cap in hand j year after year, asking them to give hack a little out of the liiM) taken

by the County Council from the district. The County Councillors recognised, he thought, that Vogeltown would seek some form of relief, either by forming a new county, or merging into the New Plymouth borough. Xne former scheme alleeUd the whole, but the latter would afreet oulv the hiw -i portion, for the New Plymouth borough could only embrace in all nine Square

miles, no two points being more than I six miles apart. lie said lie had been very fully into tile whole question 0! merging into the borough. This scheme would compel the upjier end of the district to revert to the county Tilery was no other alternative if Vogeltown joined the borough. The "topenden* would still "have to go on paying the same rate as now for a district road.'. Tile formation of a new couulv would benefit the lower end people, and deal fairly with those ratepayers whose iu

terests lay in the upper end of the ilisI triet. \\ hilst personally believing m J the (.'leaser New I"f vni'>)7th scheme. |,e ' ile-irvd lo ileal fairly and do the right : thing by tlie upper road settlers. lie 1 quoted figures to show the advantage 1 to lie gained by merging into the bi»r- ' "Ugb, citing the following comparisons. ' Property valued at 1041 in the Carrington road district was rated up to ' ■C4 Us 2d. In the borough the amount l ' would be C2 Is 2d. Other instances 1 were-, \aluatloll £2200, present "ate ' A.13 1-is So, I .le.iler New Plymouth 1 rate, i.7 Js; valuation CSU2I, prcscut '

rule £SO lis Sd, Greater Plymouth rate £2O Is Id; valuation JC2BUU, present rate Jtlj 10s, Greater Mew i'iymuuth rate £!> 2s; valuation tC-'i'. pre scut rate £2 la, Greater Aeu l'lyinuutii rate £t b b'd; reckoning tile borough rale at Is Id in the .t, uii the annual >aiue. Vogeltuwn, from the boruuga boundary up to and including r. ,sa\ton', property, had a capital value of U! , 2,!A17. The iioad Board and countv rates, each ol -; 4 <J in the .i o u capital value, amounted to JUoSt) Ills -jd. tne annual value on £U2,!JU7 oil a ti per cent. bteis would be £5574, and a late of Is Id in the .t annual value {fis in the liorough) would produce J. 301 ISs tkl, thus elfecting a saving of X27S Us JOd to this pan of tile district if taken ! into the borough. These figures mere- ! ly dealt with the %,i rate payable 1,1 | the Koad Board and tile : }',d rate pay- | able to the County Council, .1, c"hipa'red with the general rate 'if Is Id in the I £ which would be payable in the bor- | ough during the ensuing year. The special rates would not lie alfceted. a', each locality wuuld continue to pay its own special rates as at present levied. The water rate had not lieen dealt with. The water rate would be (id in the X. on the whole annual value, instead of Is Id in the L on the house and not exceeding half an acre of kind. Insurance would not be all'ected except as to the reduction of the premium which as a rule followed the wafer mains. In reply to a query, .Mr. Lashbroo;, .-aid that Vogeltovvn "proper extended only from the Mill road corner to Mr. Pepperell's, not from the liorough boundary to the 'bus terminus, as assumed by the chairman. -Mr. Browne moved, and -Ml'. Grey seconded, that Messrs Carter and McArtlnir represent the Carrington road district at the conference.—tarried. Mr. IVpperell moved, and Mr. Jierridge Seconded, that the delegates favor a county scheme. Mr. Browne said that the formation of all these little counties and road iwards was hampering the development of New Plymouth and district. They should make a change in the direction of reducing the number of local bodies and reducing the administration expenses. He moved, and Mr. Kerry sc-

ponded, that the delegates faVon a, Greater New Plymouth. The chairman thought it would be wrong to tie the delegates' hands. Mr. Okey, SI.P., recommended tin 1 formation of a new county, and then afterwards the lower end could merge into Xew I'lymonth borough il il m-.v thought advisable. Joining the was not going to bring nicely-gravelled footpaths and all that sort of thing, as thrn- could see by the condition of the Itack streets of the borough. In urging that the meeting should not injure the top end of the district, he alleged that the upper end of the road had not had its fair share of the Hoard's expenditure. The County Council, despite its alleged generosity, was still making a good thing out'of the Eliot, Frankley, and Carrington road districts. Their rates and subsidy received by the Council amounted to JCX7I, out ol which the districts received £125 in subsidy. leaving the Council C 74.1 clear from the districts named. And even now, despite the larger grant of C2li(>. the couoty was getting £751 clear.

Jr. Browne wanted to know if in the ne» county there would be ridings, the rev< nue from each riding to be expended within Hb boundaries.

Mr. Perry: That's what we all want I to know.

Mr. firey considered the delegates must report to the ratepayers. The delegates should be free, however, to discuss and consider the schemes propounded. It was evemitally decided that the delegates should have a frc<. hand and report to an adjourned meeting on Tuesday week.