ABOLITION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILLS.

Waikato Times, Volume IX, Issue 510, 26 August 1875, Page 2

ABOLITION AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILLS.

Sir, — As the " Abolition of Provinces " and the "Local Government" Bills are now occupying much of the attention of tho settlers in the Wuikato, I beg to offer a f«ir remark* on one or two points in them which appear to me to deserve the attention of everyone, whether Abolitionist or Provincialist. Section 4of the Local Government Act »ays that " a number of inhabitants, bfsident within an original district" niny petition the Governor to " constitute suc'i district a road district " u ne'er the Act, &o , "provided that no petition praying for the constitution of a road district under this Act shall have any effect, unless thet)tal number of persons signing the same shall be possessed, of at least half the rateable property comprised within the original district " In this, the Newcastle district, there are JO'O ratepayers, hoMinir 21,92'! acres, va'ued f«r rating at" £34,023 10s. Of these, 36 ratepayers are resident, holding 8,658 acres, valued at £15,749 10s. In this case the resident ratepayer are not possessed, of ony half of the rateable property, either in acreage or valuation, and consequently, the district cannot be formed into a road district under the Local Government Act. Of 115 districts amongst which the last Government Grant was divided, there ore : — Cla«s 1 : Wealthy diitric a near town nceiring four shillings aud leveupenc^ for each pound of i-fttes collected, 3. Class 2 : Settled districts within a reasonable distance from town receiving nine shillings and twopeuce, 19. Class 3: Poorer and more distant districts receiving eighteen shillings and fourpence, 28. Cl*ss 4 : Out-ljing, partially sett'ed, onci poor districts receiving thirty-six shillings and eightpen^e, 05 (Sec Provincial Governimnb Gazette, 10th January 1874 ) I imagine that of Classes 3 and 4, numbering 93 districts, the greater number will be found to be in the same condition as the Newcastle district ; certainly th» whole of class 4 mußt be, or they could not have received so large a proportion of the grant. Next, with regard to the new rating tjgtem :—": — " The Board of every district shall once at least in erery 3 ear make and levy rates." " And no such rate shall exceed the amount of two shillings aud sixpence in the pound of the rateable value of property." (Sec 47 Local Government Act.) "In every such valuation the property rateable shall he computed at its nett annual value — or five per ceatun> on the f-nr capital value of the fee simple thereof." (Sec 56 Local Government Act.) The " Highway Boards Empowering Act, 1871," s^c 6, says ''Nothing herein contained shall authorize the levying of any rae exceeding the equivalent of any rate of five p"r centum upon the annual value of any property, or ono penny in the pound on its value for sale, and any such rate imposing a contribution upon any property in excels of euch amount shall upon appeal be reduced to BUih equi?alrtnt." We find then tb.it, un<ler tb.3 present system, a rate of one penny iv the pound on property valued ct £100. produces eight shillings and fourponce, and that, under tha Local Government Act, two shillings and sixpence in the pound on five per centum of the same property produces twelve shillings fin I sixpence, t'nvt is to Ba_j, the rating power is increased one half. "There shall be paid annuilly 0 it of the land fund — to the governing bodies of the several road districts — a sum of 0110 pound for every one pound of general ratia received. Provide!, that if any rate or rates ba\e been levied exceeding in the whole one shilling ii the pouud on the annual value to let of the rateable property, then only euch portim of the sum actually received by euch governing body, 111 respect of such general rate, or rates, as shall bear to the whole sum so received the same proportion which one shilling bears to the whole amount in tho pound, so made as general rates in such year, shall, for the purposes of the payment to bo made to such governing bo Jy by way of endowment, b ♦ deemed to have been received by the governing body." (Sec. 19 " Abolition of Provinces Act.") "There shill be paid annually, out of the consolidated fund to the governing body oi any road district, a sum of one pound for every one pound' of general ratpsrocoired" — the same rcstricri'»a as the former section. (Sec. 20 Abohtijn of Provinces A n t ) The general im resaion appears to be that the Abolition ot Provinces Act, gives to Road Boards two pounds f _>r each pound of rates collected, but it will be »een from the above that this iso ily the case when the rate does not exceed one shilling in 'he pound, on fire per cent of the value of the prop< rty, which i* equivalent to a rate of three-fifths of a penny in the pjuni, on the value to sell under Ihe present system. Thus, if a Board levies a rate of two shillings and sixpence in the pouud, they actually only receive two pounds for two pounds and ten shillings of rates collected, or sixteen shillings for one pound. As a means of comparing the now system with the old, take a3 an example a district containing land valued at £12 000. Under the present system oue penny in the pound will produce £50 Under the new system 5 cent on £12,000 is £'000, which, at one shilling in the poun-i, will produce £30. According to fie last distribution of the Government grunt tho district, if in class 3, would receive £15 16<8d ; if in Class 4, £91 13s 4J. By the new s) stein the district would receive £30 from Land Fund, 1 , and £30 from Consolidated Fund, or a total of £60, no matter under what head it might be c a?seJ, whether " Wealthy "as class 1, or " Poor" as class 4 It will be seen from this that the poorer districts where tho money u most required will be large losers by the change of system. Let us now sco how the Waikato districts will be affected. There are five townships and nine country districts which collected £176 7s and £1,34*5 17-* Id, and received from the grant £198 12s and £1,497 respectively. The valuation ot the Township*, supposing them to have been rated at one penny in the pouud, would be £42,321, one shilling i 1 the pound on five per cent ; or £2,116 4s will yield £105 16a 2[d rate, to which add £211 12s 5d for double grant, and the total receipt will bo £317 8s 7£d, or if rated at two and sixpence in the pound, the amount will be rate, £264 16s 64«1 ; grant, £211 12s 5d ; total, £476 8s Hid, agmnat rate, £176 7s; grant, £196 2s ; tjtal, £372 9s, under the old system. Tho valuation of the country districts, if rated at one penny in •he pound, will be £323,245. One shilling in the pound, or fivo per cent, or £16,162 ss, will be £808 2s 31 rale; add douMe e;rant, £1,616 4s 6J ; to'al, 2,4241 6-t 9d ; or two and sixpence in the pound, 2,020/ 3s 4id rate, 1,016/ 4s 61 grunt, total, 3.6«tf>( 7a 16£ d; o^unst 1,346/ 17^ Id rate, 1 197/ 11s grant; total 2,843/ 8s Id. The increase, therefore, when the heaviest possible rate is levied, will be, if we accept the present valuation, 1032 19s ll£d for the five townships, and 792/ 19 d 9£d for tie nine country districts. I leave it for your readers to consider whether this, with the additi >n of pubhoans' license foe**, <fee, which will mostly go to the townships, will form such an eudowinent as will enable the Boards to make the roads so much required. Apologising for asking for so much spaco. — 1 am, &0., Thomas Wilson, Chairman, Newcastle District Board. Tit Koao, August 17, 1875.