TOLL-GATES.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 March 1921, Page 5

TOLL-GATES.

ERECTION IN EG MONT COUNTS ALTERNATIVE TO HIGHER RATES LOCATION NOT YET FIXED. Some discussion took place at th< meeting of the Egmont County CouncU yesterday regarding the proposal to meet toll-gates within the county, coun* cillors, with perhaps one exception, agreeing that they must be regarded as a necessary evil, providing a upeans ol making tourists and others from outside the county. contribute to The maintenance of the roads which they cut up The matter was brought before the council by the receipt of a letter from the Public Works Department in reply to the council’s letter of March, 1920, to the Minister of Internal Affairs applying for permission to erect toll-gate*. The Public Works Department wrote* that it would be necessary for the coun-. cil to publicly notify for fourteen days the scale of tolls proposed to be charge ed, and to forward to the Minister copie% of the containing the public notice, and also copies of any objections received thereto. A plan showing the sites of the proposed tollgates should also be forwarded. Thin was necessary so as to give local authorities and others an opportunity of objecting, when the Minister would be in a position to decide whether or not it was desirable to set up a commission to inquire into the proposal. MAKING VISITORS PAY. Cr. Green pointed out that the Government had been considering the question of further subsidising local bodies in regard to the upkeep of main road®, and if the council were to advocate tollgates it would give the Government an opportunity of shelving the subsidy question. The chairman did not think there waa much hope of a subsidy being obtained. Cr. Ferguson understood that Mini»ters had expressed themselves in favor of a tyre tax. The chairman said that if the Government were to take over the main roads they would not see them in Tdranaki for years. Cr. O’Brien said that he had read a paragraph in the Daily News stating that three toll-gates were to be erected in the Oeo riding. Councillors said that nothing definite had been arrived at regarding their location.

Cr. Tosland said that if they did not have toll-gates they must have a subsidy on their revenue. During the last two months 20 cars from outside had passed over their roads on an average each Sunday, and about half that number daily on their way to the Opunake beach. They had to pay if they wished |o go outside the county. Unless some other steps were taken to raise revenue, they would have to raise the rates in order to maintain the roads, and as there were no other equitable means of making that traffic assist in the maintenance, he would favor tollgates. FARM DRAYS EXEMPT. The chairman said that they would not be able to get the money if they raised a loan* If they had to raise the rate it would come very hard on the settlers. He therefore favored tollgates, as they could make the travelling public pay 'a portion of the cost and thus make it lighter for their own ratepayers. People from outside wanted good roads to travel over and therefore should be prepared to pay for them. Cr. Ferguson said that he would favor toll-gates providing provision was to safeguard ratepayers who had to pass through the toll-gates in order to take their milk to the factory. Cr. Tosland said that all farm drays should be exempfed within the county. Cr. Green considered toll-gates were an antiquated method of raising money For years past the council had been endeavoring to have the toll-gates that surrounded them abolished, and now for all to say they favored toll-gates he did not know what the public would think. Cr Ferguson pointed out that counties with toll-gates had good roads. The chairman instanced the case of Eltlmrn and Stratford. The clerk slated that Stratford had been authorised to put up the toll-gate for the express purpose of tar-seanng the road' and when the road wus tarsealed the gate would be taken off. FIXING THE SITES.

Some discussion ensued as to the number and location of the pr. >sed toll-gates. It was suggested that there should be two in thfe Oeo riding and two in the Rahotu riding. Cr. Green said that if two were to be placed in the Rahotu riding settlers would oppose the proposal and kill Their produce all went to the port of New Plvmouth and they paid heavily already ’through tfie Taranaki toll-gate. Personally, he would sooner pay tional rates. If there were three tollgates ti pay toll at, ,t would be far batter for them to li«ud their farms over. There would be no objection to a tollgate near Opunake. Cr Trotter considered that, any tollgates ahould be put close to the boundary of the other counties, so as to catch traffic coining from them. Cr O’Brien then moved that it was in the beet interests of the council that toll-gates should be erected within the countv, and that the sites be decided by the full council at its next meeting, Cr. Tosland, in seconding, considered that two gates would be sufficient. He would not favor toll-gates if he could see some more equitably method of ing the onteide public pay for using the roads. He only favored toll-gates because it would ta'ic some of the burden off the ratepayers. The resolution was earned.