MEETING OF ARATAPU RATEPAYERS.

Wairoa Bell, Volume V, Issue 222, 3 November 1893, Page 7

MEETING OF ARATAPU RATEPAYERS.

A very lengthy meeting of ratepayers was held in the Aratapu Hall on Wednesday evening when about 80 persons were in attendance. The meeting had been convened by Mr T, Woollam to discuss County affairs prior to the elections and a good deal of light was thrown upon several matters which before were but little understoad. Messrs Bassett and Harding, the old members for the riding and Mr John Morgan a candidate for the office were all present. Mr T. Slater was voted to the chair. Mr Thomas Webb said that before going on with the business of the meeting he would like the voice of the ratepayers upon he appointment of additional Justices of Peace for Aratapu. Much difficulty had been experienced in procuring the attendance of twr Justices when required in the past, and much trouble and loss of time had taken place. He believed in Justices being elected %■/ the people and he moved That the names ei* Messrs T. Bassett and J. Stallworthy be recommended to tbe Government for the offices of J’s P. Mr Maurice Harding seconded the motion and said that some such step was very necessary. He had often been sent for and had to travel long distances for just a few minutes work. The motion was then carried without opposition. Mr T. Woollam then introduced the business of tbe meeting, producing a lengthy series of questions upon which he desiied information or explanation. The work laid out was too much for an evening tor though the meeting continued till 11 p.m. the series was not completed. We can only touch upon a few of the points raised as our space is limited. The financial position of the County was first reviewed and in explanation Mr T. Bassett laid before the meeting the yearly expenditure and income of Council for several years past, and shewed that the present Council had made a decided improvement. During the term of the present Councillors the-exjiv bad boom as follows, —Office ■expensos ,j.j PI o Pd, Arivort tsing u.r;vl Printing £lO9 16s So. Salaries £1,031 7s 2d, making a total of £1 281 16s 4d. During a similar period of their predecessors the expenditure had been —Office expenses £2BO Bs, Advertising and Printing £3Bl Is Gd, Salaries £l9lß 12s lOd : Total £2580 2s Id, leaving a nett gain in favour of present management ©f £1,295 6s. Law expenses had been much exaggerated and were not so large as appeared for there were many refunds, Mr A. E. Harding, County Chairman, said that the Hobson Coun t v was now in a better position than any other ortl ! of Auckland, and better than it had ever . eea before. The present overdraft was due to three exceptionally wet winters following in succession. It would be unfair to stop expenditure now, Aratapu had metalled roads provided and other places should now be considered The loan to the Tatarariki Drainage Board had helped to bring about an overdraft, but the drains there would be of immense benefit to the roads. When the new Council entered office the overdraft would be down to £66, and some £3OO would shortly be due on which they could carry on. He defended the County Clerk as a painstaking careful officer, the best the Council ever had, and yet the most econom ical. If ratepayers knew more of the Comity affairs there would be less discontent. As aii

instance of the disadvantage under which this County laboured he stated that metal placed on its roads cost on on average 8s per yard, whilst in Hawke’s Bay the cost was only 9d. Law Expenses cost the Council about £4O a year. The present Council had not rushed into law. Others had gone to law with, them over the Dargaville Foreshore question, iri reference to which he believed the Council to be legally and morally right. The foreshore would be worth £IOO a year to the Council. Mr M. Hardiug moved and Mr Donaldson seconded that while this meeting desires to affirm the necessity of strict economy in County finance, it has sufficient confidence in its representatives to leave the matter in their hands.—Carried. Charitable Aid, Township lighting, Unauthorised expenditure on Mangawhare bridge and wharf, The Heawa drain trick, and Ballasting of Aratapu footpath, were each referred to, and the opinions of candidates given on them. Mr Morgan, being called upon for his views, said that not having been a Councillor he had not had access to the facts and figures as the other candidates had, but briefly stated his policy, if elected, would be strict economy, only keeping the roads already made in repair, and an equal distribution of funds. The largest part of the rates came from this locality and he considered the roads in this neighbourhood should receive better attention. It was pointed, out by the old members that Aratapu did not contribute mere than one-third of the rates of the riding. Mr Morgan evidently overlooked the valuations of such properties as Mangawhare, Nimmo’s block, and the Aoroa. A drain down Monk Street, Drain at Aratapu Pound, Draining of Aratapu Swamp and Formation of Drainage Board for Aratapu were all briefly touched upon The importance to Aratapu settlement of securing the section known as Stokes’, upon which there is a good spring of water, was then introduced and each of the three candidates promised to do all in his power to secure the section for a public reserve. The meeting had been gradually thinning and it was found necessary to hurry on the business, which if gone into lully would have occupied every evening for a week. The West Coast Road, Amalgamation of Ridings, and other matters were talked over but no votes were taken as so many bad left the meeting owing to thejlateness of the hour. The liveliest part of the meeting was perhaps the finish up when the County chairman voluntarily brought forward the matter of post-dated cheques, aud the summonsing of some ratepayers for rates while others were not proceeded against. He evidently felt that he had a goed defence but it brought forth a strong opposition from several.

Votes of thanks to Mr Woollam the convener of the meeting, the candidates for their explanations, and to the chairman brought the meeting to a close about 11 p.m