COUNTY SCHEME KILLED.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 148, 13 June 1908, Page 6

COUNTY SCHEME KILLED.

LOI'XTY UHMIL AND KUAD }'* IAKDS. DECISION' l'(j Ru;jj A NEW IUDIX'U. ~ k tUe T»«a.ki • Council noiitinl it, division t.. oppose by all means in its power the passage of tin- County ISill wliich waj t« t-w More Parliament duriii" the towing session, having i ur its t»l>jf C t the formation of a u.-w county comprising tile combined area of the Carrington, Krankley. an.] Eliot roaj districts. During the discussion at that meeting the chairman complained that he had not been invite, to attend tlie ratepayers' meeting which deci.led on the new county idea. It was this latter notion, the delegates explained vesterday, th.it prompted the extending of ail invitation to the County Council to ionfer with the representatives of the rat...

payers aßetled, with a view of discus* ing the scheme, known as ".Mr. lJrou n s I scheme," to lorui a new riding of the | Taranaki County luviug these bound I arics. A special meeting of the Council I was held yesterday morning, all the members being present, and they were met' by a deputation consisting of -Messrs. C. Carter and J. JlcArtlror It'arringtoa Koad board), I'. Xewell and \V. Ambury (I'raukUy ltoad Board), and J. 1). Sole ana \V. Bigelow (Eliot Road ltoard). .Mr. H. Ukey, itP., chairman ot the Kraukley Koad Board, also attended, with a,view of gaining information. The chairman, in welcoming the delegates, assured them of the desire of the

Council to meet tluriu in a conciliatory spirit, and to do the best for the ratepayer* as a whole, lie asked the deli* gates to explain their proposals. Xlr (J. Carter, who was the spokesman on behalf o£ the deputation, said they had gathered Jrom the published report of the meeting that the Council would like an opportunity of conferring with them concerning the possibility o! dealing with this district iu any other (way than by the formation of a new

county. He thought it was for the Council to state what it was prepared to do m the matter. The chairman was fully acquainted with the facts, and must have realised that thesr road districts were now ln-aring a burden which they could not coiitiuue to carry, and they mu&t seek relief. Councillors knew of the movement for the forma tion oi a new county, and it was aUo proposed that the:*.* three road districts ibould be merged into the county, forming a new riding- Tho ratepayers were seeking relief fivm the crushing burden of dual rating. The delegates had been authorised tt> go ou with a W.unty Bill, but if the Taranaki County Council would give them a riding to ihemaelves they would refer the matter to their ratepayers for approval. The chairman said he bad not come prepared to propound a scheme, for the Council had not been consulted at all. He submitted that there were two alternatives to the new county scheme--tirstk, the formation of this new riding; and. secondly, declaring the tarrington. Frnnkley, and Kliot- roads to be county roads. The latter scheme, however, would not 00. since it would not eliminate dual control. The best thing for the ratepayers was to abolish their road districts and iwerge into the county as a riding. As such aU their revenue, by this Council * system, voul !■ be spent in their own riding. Thi< ineluded all subsidies on rates. Apart from this, there would W a big saving by reason of their having the use of the Council's stone-crushing plant. He

diil not wish to hold it out .in a thrc;it, but he was quite sure the County Billl would have no chance ol passing if the Taranafci County Council opposed itanil thev would certainly oo that. MrBrown -«! that the proposed new ridinjr would haw a capital value of f'fiS.rt!*!. upon wliieh a %n rate would produce €B3O, and Rovernnient subsidy at life in the pound tJl"). Another £ls would come froui dog-tax. making th- revenue £1270. The l»s subsidy was pavaWe on rates levied where there werv no road hoards. That -C1270. less alxnit B'/; IX'r cent, for administrative charge*, would lie available for cxpendi-

lurv in the riding. Sir. Carter asked it' he were correct in assuming that tile Council wa- prepared to accept the riding scheme. • The chairman said the Council fjvoivl the idea generally, but thought the Bar rett and Mangoiti road districts might be included. Mr Carter said tliev had no time t>; wait for other districts to move. TUi districts represented by delegates werv in a peculiar position, and were showing their earnestucs-s bv moving to relief from that position. They had no time to lose if they wanted their County Bill passed this session, and they were prepared to treat with the Council at once.

Cr. Andrews considered it would !>.• unfair to allow these three road distric s to form a riding unless they were prepared to maintain part of the Main South road. Mr. Carter received an assurance thai

any additional sulwidy earned by the dissolving of these road board; would go to the new riding, and observed thil the Council would save the £2tjo which had to lie granted as a subsidy to th.*. road districts now. (Laughter). l"he chairman: We lose your ' £BOO odd, though. Mr. Amoury said a three-farthings rate should suffice iu the new riding, for the settlers, by raising loans, had got the roads into good order. Cr. George (Omata riding) complained that Mr. Carter took a one-sided view, and he said it was nonscnSe for the»e people to plead they got no benefit frou the main road. lie would agree to the riding proposal only if the boundary were extended to, say, the Tapuie, so that they would have their share of the main road to keep up. -Mr. Sole pointed out to Cr. George that the deputation had the alternative of merging into the borough. Cr. Hill said that must happen sooner or later.

Cr. Adlaui also complained that these delegates were shirking responsibility for main road maintenance, and mentioned the possibility of the inclusou of the Barrett road dUtrict in the new ri<l- *■*. . . , * Aik the chairman said they c ould deal only with the districts represented in the deputation.

Mr. Carter said the Mangorei and liarret I road districts were in quite a different position, tor the county road carried the hulk of their traffic. He pointed out that any offer from the Cotiw.-,,, would need to be fairly liberal, for the petition to merge would have to be supported not ouly by half the ratepavcrs concerned, but the signature-, would have to represent half the capital value. To get these they would have to can' vass amongst ratepayers adjacent ,j and anxious to merge into the borough. Cr, Tate said the deputation had undoubtedly a good case, and the proposition was a serious one for the Omata riding, which would lose a great portio'i °f '}[* revenue but none of its responsibilities. That riding was unfortunate in that the road had to carry all the traffic. Other main roads in the countv ! were relieved by the railwav. ||« 'pointed c ,ut that the deputation*consi-s'"-cd of bu,iiies- men who Here "lii iiw up oa-t1,,. ratepayer- of the count •.."" ||,. suggested a further meeting t„ .'ir.'.ng • boundaries which would include the Harrett and Mangorei districts. The clairmau said there was no time tor that. The people wore anxious, failing the present negotiations, to get their Kill before Parliament, which would sii in a week or two.

Mr. Carter pointed out that in :!'• last five years the districts reprc-eiite I had paid £4OOO into the Omata riding funds and got nothing in return. Ji was r*ally a ease for the Omata r,..,

to tiiink of paying some of it back. Cr. Andrews again urged the unfairness of the proposal to -grab half the revenue of the Omata riding, and leave the rest of the Omata riding to support the whole 11 miles of main roads" whieti supported these town bu-in.-ss men. for they lived on the eountv lalep.iverv Was it fair to take half the revenue", he ask,.,| the deputation, an,l leave the balance of the present riding !., ke p up the main road for them': Mr Carter: W'a- it fair In take n-.> :: , us the amount von have done. and .r; v .. u- nothing back'; "" !

Mr t~plc pointed out that tin' residents 1 ill these road districts used the borough roads more than the county roads, but the borough didn't ask for assistance. They had kept up the county roads long | enough, and now they were going for relief. After further discussion 111. Ambury said lie had heard several councillors referring to the deputation as business men were big ratepayers, and ns delegates they represented the "backbloi-ks' ratepayers, too. They lived in the suburbs of New l'lymouth. Their close settlement had increased the valuation-*, and the County Council had levied its rates on that valuation basis. Mr. Carter added that the business had borough fates to pay as well as the county rate, and Mr. Sole followed with tlie stateine.it that these three road districts levi'-u %'l general rates, which was far more than was raised in districts served by the main roads.

I'r. Hill asked if the delegates uOnM lie prepared to allocate [jail of tlieir revenue for the existing main roads, to which Mr. Carter replied that they were seeking to lighten, not to increase, their burden. Their attitude was -simply this: Either they would move for a new county, or they were to be admitted as a new riding of the present county, abolishing the existing road boards. The various delegates undertook to recommend the riding proposal t,o their ratepayers, but not unless the boundaries were as tbev suggested. L'r. Andrews thought they should include the .Barrett road district. I llr. Sole: If we did, we'd leave Mr.

Andrew's portion of the district worse oil that even, for we'd take a 'l c.'iu highly-valued lauds. (Summing up, .Mr. Brown advised the Oimvta riding councillors lliat they «crc going to lose their revenue one way or tile other. li the new county wenformed, they lost it altogether. With the riding proposal, however, their rat;producing power would enable the t'ouu. eil to get a bigger overdraft. To cut

down tile overdraft would mean increased r«li»g in the Omnia riding—wJiidi would lie worse oJf tlnm ever.

The conference then adjourned till 2.30 p.m., the Council meanwhile discussing the situation in committee. CpJOn. resuming, the chairman rnnouueed that the outcome of the discussion was a resolution "That this Council approve of the Frankley, Eliot, and Carrington road districts being inergid into the Taranaki County, and that Uiabove districts be constituted a new ri 1ing of the county of Taranaki." Mr. Carter said this would meet the wishes of the delegates, and he though* he could, on behalf of the delegates and the ratepayers, give an assurance that the petition would be signed as requested by the Act, and presented to the , Council at the earliest opportunity l'n further desired to express his thanks to the Council for the broad-minded manner m which they had treated the luster and to thank the chairman particularly for his personal assistance