TARANAKI LOCAL BODIES.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 August 1922, Page 6

TARANAKI LOCAL BODIES.

THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE. COMMON INTERESTS DISCUSSED. MOTOR-LORRY LICENSES. The annual conference of the Taranaki Local Bodies Association was held at Eltham yesterday. Present: Messrs. C. 3. Belcher (E2tham, county chairman), E. Walter (Stratford County), R. J. Linn (Hawera County), J. S. Connett and A. Morton (Taranaki County), A. Corkill (Inglewood County), R. H. Piggott (Clifton County), T. McPhilhps (Waimate County), W. E. Carter (Eltham County), |W. G. Taylor (Eltham Borough), M. O’Brien and H. Young (Egmont County), W. C. ■ Clements. Messrs. M. E. Fitzgerald, Hansen and Campbell, engineers to the Eltham, Waimate and Egmont Counties, respectively, were also present, and Mr. O. J. Hawken, M.P., attended in connection with the discussion on the Main Highways Bill. The Egmont County submitted the following resolution for consideration: “This council desires to emphasise the absurdity of the enforcement of the Taranaki counties’ joint by-laws relating to the licensing of motor vehicles plying from one county or borough to another—the by-law placing an unfair burden on ratepayers in certain counties affected, and recommends that some equitable arrangement be made whereby a motor-vehicle owner who takes out a license in his home county or borough will have right to travel all over the province on that license.” This was spoken to by Mr. M. O’Brien, who claimed that the regulations were unfair to traders, who had to take a license to travel in every county in which they traded. The chairman said the Eltham County had suffered more heavily than any other in respect to outside traffic. During the coal shortage thousands of cords of firewood had been cut near the mountain and carted over the Eltham County’s roads, and this had done a great deal of damage. The £6 license paid did not recompense them for the damage. Other speakers objected to the principle of the resolution, stating that if it were only necessary to take out one licence, that licence would be taken out in the cheapest place, and the owner of a vehicle I would then have a free run of the province. It was suggested that the fee for a licence might be raised to, say, £25, for the whole of the counties. The joint by-laws had cbst a great deal to compile and care should be taken in making any alteration. Mr. O’Brien said compelling a carrier to take out so many licenses was a hardship to the people in the country, as the extra cost was passed on to the public in the cartage tariff. He agreed that lorries should be taxed, as they were taking revenue from the railways and tearing up the roads. At the same time, if they were taxed the cost would be passed on to the ratepayers. He moved as a compromise that when a lorry-owner takes out a full license in one county be be licensed in neighboring counties at a-half fee.

Mr. T. McPhillips did not agree with the motion. He suggested that a committee might be set up to go into the whole matter. Mr. Walter said the majority of the local bodies had had no complaints regarding the working of licenses and he could not support the resolution. The motion was lost. THE HOSPITAL LEVY. The Taranaki County Council wrote referring to the conference for consideration the Ashley County Council’s resolution advocating that one-third of the annual hos pital levy should be calculated on the population and two-thirds on the capital value of the contributing districts, to make the levy fairer between country and town. Mr. Connett supported this resolution, and Mr. Walter seconded, saying that the levy, as at present, fell heavily upon the country districts. Mr. Taylor said that the greater part of the hospital debts were in the country, although most charitable aid cases were in the towns. Mr. O’Brien said there were just as many charitable aid cases in the country as in towns. Mr. Corkill agreed that there was a shortage of revenue, but he thought that the system of collecting debts, so far as the New Plymouth Hospital was concerned, I could be improved. He believed there was j a number of wealthy people who used the I hospital and did not pay their debts. He I thought also that less might be spent on the beautification of the New Plymouth Hospital and grounds. Mr. O’Brien defended the system of collection, and said the New Plymouth Hospital Board’s collection compared very favorably with that of other hospitals. The resolution was supported. LAND VALUATIONS. A letter was received from the Mangatoke Co-op. Dairy Co., suggesting that land valuations should be in proportion to the prices being received by farmers for their I produce. United action between Eltham, I Stratford and Hawera counties was sugI gested to obtain a percentage of reduction on the unimproved valuations. Mr. Belcher, speaking in support of this suggestion, said the valuation at the time of the slump in sheep and cattle acted detrimentally on the dairying land, and it looked now as if it was going to balance the other way. Mr. McPhillips said that if the land were put up for sale its market value would be less than the valuation. Still they had to maintain roads, and if the valuation were reduced they would get leas rates. Mr. Belcher moved that the Valuation Department be asked to reduce the unimproved value of the land, recently revalued, within the affiliated lofial bodies’ district. Mr. O. J. Hawken said he understood it

Was the intention of the Government to have the land re-valued as soon as it could' be done on a secure basis. This would probably take place when the slump was over. The chairman’s motion was carried unanimously. . ANTECEDENT LIABILITIES. ’ The matter of the Local Bodies’ Finance Act was briefly discussed with regard to its bearing on the payment of local bodies’' antecedent liabilities. It was pointed out that most of the counties were in negotiation for loans to extinguish their antecedent liabilities, and this being so, it was of little use at the present time to discuss the Act. Mr. Connett said there were some counties which had not made any arrangements for payment. He moved that the association make enquiries on behalf of IhOM baste* ate AgLnafe HJJBS*-

ments, with a view of securing a large joint loan for the extinguishment of antecedent liabilities. It was pointed out that abbut £56,000 among the local bodies was not arranged for. The motion was carried. The secretary was instructed to supply Mr. Hawken. with full particulars with regard to the required loan of £56,000 for the payment of antecedent liabilities, and that Mr. Hawken inform county councils interested of the possibilities of raising this loan in New Zealand or elsewhere. TAR OR BITUMEN? The question of the quality of tar supplied to the local bodies for road construction work was brought up by the chairman, who said that the quality was now so poor that it was absolutely necessary that they should have some change. He thought the solution might be the use of bitumen. If the counties clubbed together to import bitumen they should be able to secure it more cheaply and satisfactorily. Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald agreed with this view, but the difficulty was that they would have to have special machinery to work bitumen, which had to be used at a much higher temperature than tar. Mr. Connett said they were all more or less in the experimental stage as far as the use of bitumen was concerned, but so far the Taranaki County had been well satisfied with the results obtained. Mr. McPhillips said tar was very largely what the workmen made it. The secretary was instructed to make inquiries regarding the cost of bitumen and other road-making materials. GENERAL. A number of offers were received from county councils throughout the Dominion to pay £l2 12s for copies of the Taranaki joint by-laws. This, said the chairman, spoke highly for the efficiency of the by-

The Egmont County Council, which had withdrawn from the association, applied for reinstatement to membership. The application was granted, the chairman emphasising the fact that unity is strength. Mr. Hawken was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his assistance to the conference. The chairman and the Eltham County Council were also accorded votes of thanks.