COUNTY RATING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 748, 21 April 1881, Page 2

COUNTY RATING.

[To tho Editor of the Wairarapa Daily,] SiR-Your report of my late motion at tho County Council touching the above subject was so meagre that I shall thank you to allow me to refer to it, as I much regrot to find that the Highway . Boards, somewhat prematurely, have been asked to express an opinion as to the advisability or non-advisability of County rating, The motion was that the Council declares the" Forty-Mile Bush road, and all important bridges in the County, County roads," Under it the question of a rate cropped up in considering how best to treat the tolls, It is a fact that the amount of tolls are gradually falling off, and that the cost of their collection is now a very serioui item, amounting to about seventy-fivo per cent of the entire payment, _ In County West thero are the following bridges,

i The Waihenga, Upper and Lower Taui herenikau, Black, Waingawa, and Waipoua. The first and fourth are toll i bridges. The amount collected for the County at these two bridges would be about J-360 per annum, and the two gate i keepers would perhaps collect for themselves £2oo—making £560, In County East thereare two toll bridges, Hurunuiorangi, and Taueru. The amount collectedforthat County being about 1250; for gate keeper £2OO -making L 450. In all for the County a tax of U?oo—the cost of collecting of which comes to about WOO, My figures are open to rectification in detail, but not the result. It is necessary to consider the bridges in County East, for residents there and their stock principality pay the tax. I regard this question as the most important, the two counties had to grapple with, for it is necessary to make due provisions for the bridge. We will suppose sir, that the toll gates are abolished, and that a County rate is levied for the £IOOO, a saving of nearly £4ooper annum, (the cost of collection) is at once effected. The two Counties could then look to the general Government for a subsidy of £ for £ upon the rate,' and they would find that any sensible Government would very gladly grant such a subsidy, I feel convinced that the present Government would willingly do so, There would then be a fund of £2OOO per annum, with which to support and re-erect the bridges. Your readers will observe that I join°the two counties together. It appears to me that it is necessary to do so, for it is hardly fair to throw upon County East the excessive cost of collecting the present tax and tolls. The residents of County West can make use of the railway, without paying such toll. To reach the railway County East will have to contribute the tolls. I should therefore be glad to see the two counties amalgamate, You lately suggested that County West should raise a loan, and the chairman of the County, MrPharazyn, supported your proposal. I consider a loan very objectionable, but I suppose your proposal was made for the purpose of equalising the positions of the two Counties in the matter of indebtedness. The reason why a loan is objectionable for bridge purposes, is, that the County would have to i pay 7 per cent for it, whereas the general Government oan borrow money at 4 per ;

cent, .Whatever action ia taken therefore by the Counties should be taken in conjunction with the general Government. There is another way, too, for equalising the indebtedness of Counties East and West. It is; by County West, sharing in the debt of County East,: for it is evident that all roads made .'by County East debouching upon the main line of road in County West must benefit the residents of the townships on the main line, The debt, I think, when all the debentures are taken up, is £5,000. At 7 per cent this gives J330 per annum. Half is il7s—not quite the expense of the extra clerk required in the present divided condition of the two Counties. It may be said that by abolishing the tolls the Maories would escape taxation. I do not think the Maories pay as much in tolls, as is commonly supposed. An enquiry might be made as to how much the Maories actually do pay. From private enquiries I find they evade the toll i payment as far as possible. It would, 1 however, be somewhat absurd on our part to incur the £4OO per annum, cost of collection, in order to reach a few Maories. We can let them off, as their money usually finds its way into the townships by other and more certain channelschannels, too, which contribute largely to the general revenue. lam, &c,, Coleman Phillips, Dry River, April 13.