IMPORTANT PROPOSALS.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 May 1917, Page 6

IMPORTANT PROPOSALS.

-•DISCUSSED BY EGMGNT COUNTY COUNCIL. Several mutters of importance to ratepayers were, discussed by members of the I'.gmont County Council at the meeting of the Council on Tuesday, as the outcome of notices of motion by Cr. McNeill. The first question was APPOINTMENT OF ENGINEER. Cr. McNeill moved that, applications ha' ■called for the position of engineer/' He stated that he was moving in this direction not from any personal motive, but only to benefit ratepayers. Nearly every meeting a committee of the Council was set up to inspect a bridge or a road or a stone crusher and he wanted an engineer appointed to obviate this. At present they had a man in charge of the crusher, four foremen, a bridge engineer and nine members of the Council as engineers, for as long as a member was sect out to report on various works he must consider himself as a second hand engineer and do his best in the interests or the ratepayers. They were paying £25 8s per week for overseers, equal to £1214 4s per year, and it was difficult to say how many thousands of yards were squandered through being put down badly. He was speaking of the Oeo Riding, where he knew metal had had to be Tipped up 12 or 18 months after it had been put down. Last month, too, the Council had passed an account of £lOl for an outside engineer to inspect bridges. This would pay three months' salary of an engineer. It would also give the Council a better standing when they approached the Government on financial matters if the Council had an engineer. It was not right that any member of the Council should liave to interfere with the foremen, who while good, honest workmen, could not be .expected to *be competent to deal with a revenue of >'£lo,ooo or £112,000 per annum. There was always the tendency that each foreman tried to obtain as much metal as possible for his length. Councillors did not know if the amounts asked for were required or not, and he instanced a case where the Council had cut down the amount asked for by a foreman and later had to obtain an additional supply. If there were one head it would relieve councillors of a great deal of responsibility, as the engineer could be present at each meeting and would be cognisant of the requirements of every bridge and road. It was undoubtedly a' wise step in the interests of ratepayers, who, with tho travelling public, were demanding better roads, which would hecessitate a more up-to-date plant. Cr. Dudley* in seconding,,.said that he had always maintained it was absurd for councillors to have to report on the yarious works. What did they know about a stone crusher, for instance? Ho did not know whether it would.be necessary to appoint a certificated engineer. Possibly an overseer like, the Parihaka Road Board had would do equally as well. Cr. Wright considered the time was inopportune and that the matter should be deferred until after the war. They wanted a practical man w» look after the crusher, which was the weak link in the chain. It would also be necessary to have an additional crusher shortly. Cr. Forsyth favored the appointment of a good overseer or engineer. The chairman pointed out that it was not fair to say that a year would be saved by the appointment of an engineer, as it would still be necessary to employ the men mentioned. There was practically no engineering to be done. He would not mind feeing a good lhan appointed as overseer if one were procurable. Ho" pointed out that their experiences under a former engineer had not been altogether successful. He had been asked to stand for the Council for the special purpose of doing away with the engineer. He had done, this and would never agree to the re-appointment of an engineer so long as he was on the Council. It was a curious time to make such an appointment, as if the second .reserve were ballotted for there would be no men left.

C'r. Campbell did not favor the- appointment. The roads, he said, were in better crder now llian ever they were. The resolution was lost, only the mover, Crs. Forsyth and Dudley voting for it.

' MERGING OF OPUNAKE TOWN DISTRICT. Cr. McNeill then moved that the Council approach the ratepayers of the Opuliake Town District with a view to their merging with the County. His idea was that a deputation from tho> Council should wait 011 the Town Board in connection with the mjtter. Since he had tabled the notice there had been a good deal ot criticism for and against. He could not understand how Opunakd Town District would automatically cease to be a portion of the County when its population became 1500, as Reofton, with a population of 1000, remained under the control oi the County. Jleefton was the first town in New Zealand to have The electric light, and had a water supply second to none. This was an answer to the argument that the Countlv Council could not look after the town'like a Town Board did. The cost of administration also would be saved. If Opunake Town District and .Parihaka Road Board merged no doubt 'an up-to-date, plant would be obtained and an engineer appointed. I was indeed for-that reason that lie brought the motion'regarding an engineer, which lie felt .certain would have been carried. A deputation consisting of the chairman ami iCr. Mcßeynolds should wait .on the Town Board. He. did- not say that the County* Council should, annex the Town District but they cq.uld show that the work coifld be carried 011 more systematically and'economically. Opunake wanted a water supply. Possibly arrangements could be made whereby they could get it. The motion'.was secondtd by. Cr. Campbell. ' |

Cr. Dudley (who .is also chairman of the Town Board) said that he. had 110 objection if the ratepayers liked to merge, but, to he candid, he did not think they would. In any case the merging would have to be done by petition from the ratepayerS'.of the Town District. Cr. Wright was not prepared to travel the distance -he did in order to look after the streets of the town.

Cr. Mcßeynolds aßked which portion of the town was looked after best, thai controlled by the Council or the' Town Board?

Cr. Dudley pointed-out that.,the County Councihonly looked after'the. main ros>d through the town. The Town Board looked after the main footpaths, and' even the water channel. The resolution was lost. Cr. McNeill then moved a similar re- 1 solution in connection with the. Parihaka Road Board. Ho understood that the Road Board had several loans and contemplated raising several more. The close proximity of the Road Board to the centre of the county was an argument in.fmr.of merging. He levy-

ing a %d rate, the Road Board collected a rate of £2287 with which they hai to look after 154 mile of road, 105 miles being metalled and 49 unmetalled. If the district were to merge the County could obtain up-to-date plant, and it v.ould be mutually advantageous to both bodies if the Road Distrbt merged. Cr. Wright, in seconding, said that he Was struck with a remark made by the chairman of the Road Board (Cr. J. Young) on one occasion that one set of officers could run the two businesses. The present time, the speaker thought, was opportune, in view of the fact that tho Parihaka Road Board were discussing the procuring of machinery at an approximate cost of '£200(1. The Egmont Count/ Council also required another plant. There would not be enough work in the district for three plants, but if the Roal District were to merge there would be ample work for two up-to-date plants. He knew the feelings of the ratepayers over the matter, and' from Oaonui to the Tauiigatara boundary he did not think 10 would be against merging. From Oaonui to Pungareliu the feeling was against merging, but further on, from Pungareliu to Puniho, there was a greater feeling in favor of merging. As a ratepayer, from the point of view of economy, he favored merging. Cr. Dudley: Each ward can merge by itself, on a petition if it wishes.

Cr. Young said that personally he had no objections to the merging, but lie thought the Council; should wait until the ratepayers approached them, and not canvass the ratepayers. As chairman of the Board for several years, he had had no complaints regarding the Board's administration. The Board were not committed to purchase any machinery, but what it proposed to purchase would cost £ISOO or "£I6OO. He pointed out that if the Council at present did not have enough machinery to do half the work required, how would it do the work when its machinery was doubled, if the road mileage was also considerably more than doubled? The only saving that he could see wotiM be in office expenses.

'Cr. Dudley said there was also a loss of £6OO in subsidy on rates owing to tho low rate struck by the Parihaka Road Board.

Cr. Young said that he had only heard one or two ratepayers talk of merging. There was not another local body could keep up 110 miles of metalled roads on a 7-ltid or id rate as the Board had done, and they had had to contend against roads that had been -badly laid down in the first place.

Cr. Dudley agreed tli.it the proposals should first come from the' ratepayers. If the Council made the first advance the ratepayers would think the Council had something to gain. The chairman said ho would be glad to have the matter discussed. He had heard a lot of ratepayers' views but had heard very little complaint regarding the administration of the Pnrihaka Road Hoard. The valuation of the Parihaka Road Board was £1,107,240, a greater valuation than that of a good many counties. The County and the Road Board had two distinct functions—one looked after the main roads and the otlnr after the by roads. As a ratepayer, he would not favor merging. In the majority of cases each settler c.n the by roads looked on his road as his own 'private road, which the public the right to use and he liked to improve it. If there were a local authority in charge of the road the settler would turn out with liis horse and dray and man to help repair the road. If there was any benefit to be derived from merging the state of the by roads did not show it, for the worst by roads were in that part of the County where there was no Road Board. Whore there was 110 road district there was usually a main road party and a by road party, and the main road partywere generally elected and looked after the main roads, allowing the by roads to be neglected. As regards the plan l ., he agreed that if the Council took control of all the by roads, another crusher still would be required. Moreover, with the ward system, there was more even representation on the R.isd Board. Each, member represented a ward, with whose requirements ho was familiar and if lie did not attend to them out he went next election. He certainly favored large road districts, like the Parihaka district, but was opposed to small road districts as formerly obtained along the coast Inwards New Plymouth. A road district With a valuation of over a million pounds jvas certainly capable of controlling its by roads. There might be a loss in subsidy, but he did not think there wou'.C be ally saving in office administration, tu if they merged an extra man would be required in the County office. Cr. Wright did not think that the district could run three crushing plants. Each year as the roads improved plant would be loss required. Cr. Campbell objected to the statement that the by roads were neglected to improve the main roads. He pointed out that during the last three years there had been considerable improvement in the by roads of the Oeo Riding. Crs. Me Reynolds and Harvey thought the ratepayers should make the first move.

The resolution was lost, only Crs. McNeill, Campbell and Wright in its favor. TARRING THE ROADS. In view of the communications received from financial bodies in connection withtheb ridge loan of £15,000 Cr. McNeill was granted leave to withdraw his notice of motion, "That the Council take the heces6ary steps to raise a loan over the whole County to enable it to tar seal the whole of the roads in the County." He stated that he would bring the matter on later. Cr. Dudley said the question would have to be faced. Egmoiit was the only Taranaki County that w:is not using tar. The chairman: W r e would be tarred by' l the ratepayers if we went to them for a big loan for tarring. ,'[• ' ALTERATIONS OF COUNTY BOUNDARIES. Mr. McNeill also withdrew his notice' 0" motion to the effect that a committee be set up to re-arrange the boundaries of the County with a view to providing for a stream instead of a road as the boundary mark. As the Auroa road'matter had been arranged he said this was not necessary.