MEETING OF RATEPAYERS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2747, 6 December 1894, Page 3

MEETING OF RATEPAYERS.

A meeting of ratepayers in the Geraldine Boad Board and' Town Board districts was held yesterday afternoon at About 4 o'clock to consider the question of dual rating. The meeting was held in the Farmers' Club room, which was «bout full of ratepayers. Mr M. C. OrbeU occupied, the chair. The chairman said the present step was a preliminary one. The road boards and the county council each occupied a similar position with respect to rating in the l> county. It was considered unnecessary that both boards should occupy this position. If the meeting decided that they should remain as at present nothing further need be done, but if they decided otherwise a resolution would have to be passed that the road boards be abolished, •nd a petition would have to be sent to the county council Bigned by one-half of the ratepayers representing in the ag- ! negate one-half of the rateable property, j without which it would have no effect. He (Mr OrbeU) had been accused of j showing feeling in this matter, but he could I assure them he did rot care, personally, whether the road boards w<.re abolished or not. Ha ceuld say this, that one body, he was sure, could do the work more economically than four bodies do at present. With regard to the deposits held by the roads boards, this seemed to be the bone of contention. He was not in a position to say whether the road ridings could retain each its own bank deposit if merged into a county. Bach riding was entitled to its own rates, and he was told that they could probably «.; retain their own deposits. .-\ Mr Wreathall proposed—", That the Geraldine and Mount Peel Road Boards be requested to ascertain from their solicitors whether their respective ridipgß can or can not retain their deposits lying at the bank in the event of the roada boards being merged into the county." Mr E. Brophy seconded the resolution, which was carried.

Mr Denuistoun mentioned that a member of the House had told him that the Government meant next session to move in the direction of altering the system of local government. If the ratepayers therefore took steps and spent money on attempting to alter the existing state of things it would be prob.ibly about 12 months before anything was done. Personally he could not see any use in doing anything in the matter until they see what the Government intend to do. For his part he was perfectly satisfied with things as they are. (Applause ) Mr Denuistoun then moved, and Mr R. Thew seconded, the following resolution—" That in view of the probability of the Government introducing a Local Government Bill next session, the present system of local government shall continue as now constituted." Mr Thew thought that the meeting's hands at any rate were partly tied at present till they heard the solicitor's opinion with respect to the deposits. Mr John Allan proposed as an amendment, and Mr Joseph Wharton seconded —" That the road boards in the Geraldine Coanty should be abolished, and that effect be given to this amendment in May next, when the duties of the present boards expire by effluxion of time; and that a petition to the county council be lodged for signature at each of the road board offices in the county for the purpose of carrying this amendment into effect." Mr Allan thought that local government was ridden to death at present, and they should not have so many local bodies as they had. With regard to the Government, they might and they might not take action nsxt year on this matter. Mr Qrbell said, taking it at the outside, that if say £IO,OOO was collected annually in the county—he was sure he was outside the limit—what, he would ask, is the expense in spending that money 1 Hero they had something like 25 or 30 men meeting once a month to say how the money should be spent, and he held that this was a waste of time and energy. They had just heard that the Government intend to abolish the present system and introduce a more economic one. It .seemed to him that the County Council had very little to do at the present time. He thought that they should not only attend to charitable aid matters and other things, but also should do the work of the licensing committees. He was convinced that half-a-dozen good men could attend to the whole business of the county, and more efficiently. Ha meneioned a case that had come under his notice, namely that of the Rangitaia Licensing Committee. Members of this committee came all the way from Ashburton to see a temporary transfer confirmed to a hotel at Geraldine or somewhere else. These men had to come to, Geraldine the night before' the meeting too. This was a piece of extravagance. There was a sentimeut in connection with the matter which he thought should be put aside iu public questions like the present. As for the deposits, the Geraldine Road Boird deposit was not worth talking about, for ; it was melting every year at the rate of £IOOO a year, and in a few years no doubt it would be all gone. Mr Flatman : "If you merge into a county it will be gone sooner than that." (Laughter). Mr Wreathall said that sentiment had nothing to do with the question. He strongly supported the retaining of the Road Boards as long as they could. (Hear, hear.) They had their work done up to the present time in good style, and things he believed had besn worked with the greatest regard for economy. It was impossible to expect that one man could do the work of the whole county. They would require someone to see every contract that was undertaken to Bee the work efficiently performed. He thought that the few pouuds they would be likely to save by merging into a county was not worth grumbling about in face of the present economic, satisfactory way iu which things were worked. (Hear, hear.) Mr A. White, as member of the Geraldine Town Board, said that the town district would be injured if the road boards were abolished. The town district would still come in for the dual rating, and, in fact, they would be rated more than at present. They would pay about £126 or £127 a year to the council, for which they would receive no benefit. Mr F. R. Flatman, M.H.R., said that during the last 17 years the rates collected by the Geraldine Road Board averaged £563 103 7d, and during that time there were seven years in which no rate levied at all. It was a woll-known fact that this district had kept its roads in very good repair, and the work was done economically, and the money had not been squandered. He (Mr Flatman) ' remembered the old chairman before he went away said that ia four years' time their money would go, but he (Mr Flatman) was glad to say they had a little nest egg left yet. Well, out of these rates they had also extra rates come upon them iu the shape of the harbor rates for four years, £1390 8s 7d, and this, with the charitable aid rate, £152 10s (the highest amount paid being £181), made it that they had been working on their deposits for roads. He did not think that they could work more economically than they did. He had hoped that someone would be present to give some idea of the amount likely to be saved by the proposed change. Some said that they had three bodies and three men, while two men could do the work. If they got an officer for the county they could not expect him to get him to work for the money now paid; it would mean an increase, Suppose they saved £IOO in salary; they could hardly save more than that. He would like someone to show what else they could save. They should remember that no charge had been made for collecting rates for the Geraldiue R)ad Board. It had all been done for the one salary. He felt sure that the Govenment iutend to bring in a new Bill ou local Govern- I meut. We might alter thing here this year, aud then next year find that we .vould have to alter He thought it best to wait and see what trie Government would do. (Applause). After further unimportant discussion, Mr Maslin, M.H.R., said he would support Mr Dennistoun's resolution. Some years ago they had a similar state of things that it was proposed to go back to uow. He referred to the time when Geraldine and Mount Peel were worked from Temuka. If they wanted any little work attended to then thoy had to wait some months, till perhaps the necessity for the work had passed away. Ho thought that more would be lost by inefficient work being done through want of proper supervision than would be gained by the proposed change. However, be would like to see the dual rating system done away with. The Premier next session, would doubtless, bring down a Bill dealing with Local JSod^ s and he believed it to wait till then before attempting any change. Referriug to the dual rating system, a great hardship would ho inflicted on the town boards. The rateable value of the , three town djstricts iu the county was £iq0 3 QQO, and although they inay abolish

the road boards, the dual system would still exist iu the town districts, because they form part of the county, and will have to pay county rates as well as town district rates. On that grouud alone it would be well to wait. Mr Allen said that the town boards could merge into borough councils. It was pointed out that Geraldine had not the population to become a borough. Mr Dennistoun's resolution was then put and carried, 31 voting in its favour and 17 against. A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the meeting.