TOLL-GATES AND RATES.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 July 1921, Page 6

TOLL-GATES AND RATES.

POSITION IN ESMONT COUNTY. ANNUAL RATES FIXED. I At Tuesday’s meeting of the Egmont » County Council a letter was received 1 from the Minister of Public Woi’ks ac--5 knowledging the receipt of the council’s ‘ ; resolution in regard to the establishment of three toll-gates. A further letter was . received from the Public Works Depart- ’ ment with reference to the necessity for , ! advertising the proposed scale of charges. 1 Cr. Tosland said that in view of the 1 resolution passed at the Pungarehu meeting protesting against the erection ’ of a toll-gate in the Rahotu riding, and j the fact that it would put an unfair , burden on ratepayers to erect them on one road and not on another, he would 1 move that the council drop the idea of , ! toll-gates, and put on an extra rate, which they evidently preferred. The Pihama 1 > ratepayers, be said, favored a toll-gate. Cr. O’Brien said the people would not 1 have a toll-gate; yet they told him they wanted a lower rate. { The chairman said if they decided to have bad roads they would do so. He 1 would not force a rate on them. Cr. Ferguson considered the rat epayers were in error in believing that the tolls 1 would not pay to collect. He had made 1 inquiries, and found that two toll-gates collected £2OOO each. He wanttxi to see. foreign traffic —viz., joy-riders and those going to racecourses—help to pay the I cost of road maintenanie. Cr. Chapman seconded the motion. The chairman favored deferring the matter. Cr. Green said the only way to get over the difficulty was ’ to strike an ‘ even rate over the whole county of, say, 25-16 d. He could not cec why one 1 riding should pay more rates than the ‘ other. With this rate the roads could be kept in order, particularly as the cost was decreasing. Rahotu Riding | could keep up their roads «at 25-16 d. He pointed out that Rahotu were not the .sinners. Rahotu, with a valuation of £774,764, had an overdraft of £4219. j whereas Oeo, with £506,141, had an c I. ovcrdMi o£ k £4872, and Opua, with a <

valuation of £323,818, had an overdraft of £2819. It was proposed that Rahotu should strike 29-16 d rate and Oeo 2|d. To be even Oeo should strike 7H« It was not for Rahotu to find the remedy, but for Oeo. Cr. Green moved that a rate of 2Ad be struck over the whole county, with the exception of Opunake, which, he understood, they could not rate so high. Later he would move/in the direction, of having Opunake cut out of the county. He considered that 15-16 d net as in the past could go to the by roads. Cr. Green pointed out that on a valuatibn of £506,000 Oeo had an overdraft of £4BOO, whereas Rahotu, on a valuation of £770,000, had an overdraft of £4OOO. Cr. Tosland favored a rate. He felt that, on a 2sd rate the Oeo Riding ratepayers, who wore on high-valued land, would call a meeting and protest at once. He thought that Oeo, by studying economy, would be able to reduce its overdraft on a 2}d rate. He ihoved in this direction. The chairman then jpoved that the matter be left in abeyance, and thia was seconded by Cr. Watson and carried. The chairman then moved a rate of 2%d be struck over the whole county, except Opunake. j Cr. Tosland seconded. ’ Cr. Green then moved as an amendment that a rate of 2y 2 d be struck over the whole county Cr. O’Brien seconded. The amendment, was carried. It was resolved to strike a rate of IJd over the Opunake Riding.