ROAD DISTRICT MERGER.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1918, Page 7

ROAD DISTRICT MERGER.

MOA ROAD BOARD AGAINST PROPOSAL. At Saturday's meeting of the Moa Road Board a deputation from the Taranaki County Council waited on the board for the purpose of submitting a proposal that the roa<d district should be merged into the county. The deputation consisted of Messrs J. S. Connett (chairman of the County Council) and Crs. A. Morton and G- Capper. Mr. Connett, who acted as chief spokesman, said the deputation deaired to discuss the matter with a view to the interests of both bodies. He referred to the inergers that had taken place since the time when there were 1G road districts within the county, and pointed out that as now the Moa district was the only one remaining out of the county's jurisdiction, it would be to the best interests of all if they would join in- One of the strong arguments in favor p! the step was the present loss of revenue to. the district in the matter of Government subsidy on general rates. At present the limit receivable was £IOOO, £7SO of which went to the county and £250 to the Moa Road Board, because the maximum amount payable to a county in which there were road districts was £SOO and half the amount payable to the road district. If there were no road district, the oounty would receive about £I6BO, which meant a lass at present to the ratepayers of £690 on the subsidy alone, and if valuations were increased the loss would <be correspondingly greater, rhere would also ibe a saving in the matter of administration, and this was estimated at about £620. Economies could also be effected in tl» matter of supervision and utilisation of [ plant, arid it was calculated that by the district merging into the county sin extra £I3OO per annum would be availablesufficient to pay interest and sinking fund on a special loan of £23,000. He deputation, therefore, were of opinion that it was their duty, in the interests of the ratepayers, to ask the board seriously to consider the finances of the district, and endeavor to improve them by amalgamating. ■ He did not claim that the county was perfect in its administration, nor did he in any way belittle the work of the road board- These were, however, some of the advantages that would follow if a merger was brought about. He hoped, if they could not come to an agreement at once, the meeting would be the prelui'a to negotiations which would bring about the desired result.

Mr. Morton assured the 'board that the deputation would not be present if they did not believe that the proposal was in the best interests of the ratepayers of the whole district "While the two todies continued to work in the one district, duplication of plant and administration was inevitable, but if an amalgamation was effected the work could undoubtedly be carried on more economically. He did not believe that oni> d (f.e old road districts wished to reieri to the old system of road board government- He referred to the inevitable raising of a loan for bridge building in the near future, and pointed out that if the road district merged into the county the liability for a loan would then be east over the entire riding instead of merely on each district which required a bridge- The county was continuing to carry out its maintenance work with efficiency, notwithstanding it had not increased the rates levied, and that the cost of such maintenance was continually increasing, which proved that thje council* was not retrogressive in Its methods. He also referred to the idea that the Moa district should 'be constituted a separate county, but said the tendency of late was to reduce rather than increase.the number of counties, and the feeling in Par

liament was in that direction. Unless it could be shown that there woujd be no gain to the ratepayers, they must admit that there was no sound reasons against the merger. Mr. Capper also supported the views of the previous speakersIt was evident, when the members of

the board came to discusp the proposal, that their minds ..ere fully made up. The chairman (Mr. A, Corkill) led off by saying he did not favor it .all, «ud would use every means to prevent it being 'brought abput. He was certain the Moa district could not -be a 3 well served under the county as it was at the present time.. He admitted there was g, loss of revenue, but : he did not consider the Moa district suffered, He contended that smaller districts tended

to better administration and closer supervision, and consequently IeBS leakage. He also admitted that some of the merged districts were better served than previously, but did not think the last portion that joined the county was at all satisfied, and It would not be. a difficult matter to get it back again. He questioned if the roads had been kept in as good order as was claimed since the cost of maintenance had risen so much. Mr. J. W- Henwood referred to, several roads from which the council collected about £3OO in rates, but 'of which they only maintained about a mile length along the Junction Road., He asked what the council intended doing for the back roads if the district merged. ■ Mr. Connett replied that the roads mentioned did not como within the jurisdiction of the council. He gave his assurance, however, that the by-roads of the district would be treated as justly as were the by-roads in other parts of the county district. Mr. D- Todd said he was against the merger entirely, unless separate road accounts were kept, as he was convinced by no other meana could the by-roads get a fair amount expended on them. Mr. J. Hunter said the county bad increased their rates inasmuch as the ratq which had been levied in connection frith the new hospital building was still being collected, although the amount had beei) paid off. Mr. Morton replied that the amount was not quite paid off. He reminded the board that they had to find no mpnpy for hospital maintenance. The question, however, had nothing to do with county administration. He also stated

that in the matter of a bridge loan, while the bridges which had been built out of special loans would still have to bo paid for by means, of the special rate, any new bridges built would be levied for over the whole district. Mr. ,T. B. Simpson opposed the merger proposal, and reiterated the, plea for a separate county for the Moa district. He said there was no real community of interest, between Inglewood and Okato. He referred to the continual complaints made to the county council by the residents on the back roads, that they could get noThing dona for the rates they paid, %Y w«r« siotf <*iy« few

labor and pay a special rate to hare their roadg niatle, and he did not think the merging of the district into tire county was going lo improve that sort of thing., If the district was wise, i t persist until it got full eowtg rights. Only then would ify'bft~prop«rix> ddtekiped. Mr. Connett, in replying to aeranl matters, said the first cfcaigecn the county rates was the maintenance of metalled roads. . Regarding the xmMling of new roads, he said the policy of the council was to grant £ for/£ to the settlers, who must put up tha- money if they wante4 road metalled. Thai was » generous policy of tha coawfi. ; a road was 'metalled, the council would Mr. Corkill said h*i I done a great deal by means of fwe | labor, wMeh was j the rates and a system \ririofr should be : encouraged, H» then thanked the dapn-, t tation for the frteudly and freak mm~tj ner in which they board. | Mr. Ooxmott bafcalf of&thaJ deputation) who thea wiftdrwr. /( '!' rh