THE TOLL-GATE QUESTION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 94, 17 May 1909, Page 3

THE TOLL-GATE QUESTION.

JIEKTIXG AT OICATO. (From Our Own Correspondent.) I Tneic was a fairly large attendance ot ratepayers at the okatti hall on Thursday evening to discuss tlie toll-gate oneslion. .Mr. A. Covin It, wlto wits voted lo the chair, called on .ilr. Brown, couniv chairman, lo lay the position before tu'c meeting, which he did on the lilies of Jus Oniata meeting. Mr. C. Andrews also addressed the meeting. j Alv. W. tlvay asked if the couutv could not vetvcncli a little. He said there were two foremen on the road between here and New Plymouth; lie considered one was enough. Again, the clerk's salary could be lowered a good deal, as he was getting too much tor the little work he had to do.

ilr. Drown, replying, said the ootnty eould not retrench in these directions. To take oil' one foreman from this end would leave -.'II miles of road for the one man to look after, and riding from one end in the morning and back at night was 111 miles a any. That was too far. Regarding Mr. Ellis's salary, he said it was no use reducing it, because lie was the best clerk the county ever had, and it would not pay to lose him. ■He considered the salary" paid to the clerk none too much.

A ratepayer could not see how the traffic had increased, for years ago, when toll gates were in 'use, there were hundreds of troops, and brakes, etc., of Alaoris going through to the Parinaka meetings. Now there were very few. Jlv. Brown said the county" would erect one toll-gate a, Pumlio' and one at Omnia. The Egmoiit County were also talking of erecting toll-gates. It was moved: "That this meeting of ratepayers in the Oniata riding recommends the Taranaki County to make n levy, in addition to the general rate, of a separate rate upon ail property in the Oniata riding."— Lost on the, voices. It was. then proposed: "That Shis meeting of ratepayers in the Omata riding recommends the Taranaki County Council to erect two toll-gates in the Omata riding, one at I'uniho and the other at Omata."—Curried bv 15 votes to 5.

Air. W. J. Gray remarked that as the Omata district was in such a bad state it would be a wise tiling to sever their connection with the Taranaki county and form a separate county. Air. Andrews replied that they were in a bad way now, but if they separated 1 and formed a county of their own the district would be worse off. It was decided to send a deputation to Wellington to wait on the Premier to see if the Government would give a subsidy to the Omata riding, Oakura and Tatarainmka. Votes of thanks to Air. Brown for his address and information, and to Mr. A. Corbett for presiding, terminated tlie meeting.