LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XVI, Issue 1375, 26 April 1881, Page 2

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION.

A joint conference of delegates from the various local governing bodies was held in "the -chambers of the Waikato County Council yesterday forenoon, to consider a circular-letter of suggestions framed by the County Council of Manawatu, for amendment of the various acts under which these different bodies are constituted. Contrary to general expectation the attendance was thin ; the following being the parties present: Capt. Steele, (Chairman), and Councillors A. Primrose and W. Cumming, {Waikato County Council); Messrs Braugh, (Tamahere); H. Gillett, (Kirikiriroa) ; G. Edgecumbe, (Hamilton, Highway Boards); and J. Knox, mayor of Hamilton. The district member, Mr J. B. Whyte, waa also in attendance. The Chairman of the County Council presided. I I |

Crown Lands Roads. Clause 1 of the letter was read and considered. It suggested that in selling any new block of Crown Land an estimate should be made of the sum per acre required to complete all the roads withm such block, and that as land is sold for cash such sum be handed over to the County Council of the district within which the block is situated for expenditure solely on roads within the blocks sold; and that the Government, if necessary for financial reasons, should add to the upset price of the land the amount required for road-making, and guarantee to purchasers that the money so alloted should be spent on the roads in their block by the County Council within three years from the sale, and that the money as received should be handed over at once to the County Council; that with respect to deferred payment land the whole of the half-yearly instalments should be handed over to the County Council ior road-mak-ing purposes within the block until onethird of the purchase-money is paid over, as provided in the original Land Act, 1877, clause 59. The Chairman pointed out that the suggestion was one of importance to the counties, having lar^e ares of waste lands, but, unfortunately, Waikato was not one of the number, consequently it was not a matter of much importance to them. Aa a question of general import, however, he thought it would be wise to adopt it. The remarks of the Chairman were acquiesced in, and after being further discussed by the conference, Mr Gumming moved and Mr Primrose seconded a resolution adopting the proposal in its en-

tirity. Local Subsidies. Claus9 two suggests : That the Government should either apportion a sum equal to the amount that would have been payable to Counties and Highway Districts for subsidy on the rates actually collected during the year 1879-80, under "lhe Financial Arrangements Act, 1376," at the rate of so much per mile on the mileage of completed ro<ids under the jurisdiction of each County and Highway Board, or that an estimate should be made of the total cost of completion of all uncompleted roads already surveyed within the county, and that an amount per mile should be paid anually to each body having the control of such roads, the total of which should be equal to the sum that would have been payable ir the shape of subsidy to the County Councils and Highway Boards on the rate actually collected during the year 1879-80 under "The Financial Arrangements Act of 1876 ; " such subsidy to be applied to the construction of new roads only, and to cease when all the roads within any district or county were completed. The Chairman gave it as his opinion that this was simply another method for getting the subsidies originally provided for, continued. The suggestion as it stood appeared to him to be objectionable on thjt account. Mr Whyte thought it would be wise to dismiss the first portion of the resolution altogether as untenablo and confine their remarks to the latter portion commencing from the words " Or that an estimate should be made of the total cost" &c. The lesolution as framed was an alternative proposal, and it would be open for them to reject the one part and adopt the other. He did not say it would be wise to adopt even that part of the motion ; all he meant to convey was that it appeared to be the only portion worthy of consideration. Mr Primrose considered the whole thing manifestly unfair. Its object was to bolster up districts that had already got large »unn of money expended upon them to the prejudice of other districts leas fortunate in that raspect. Altogether, the suggestion was objectionable inasmuch as that it proposed to give too much money for the maintenance of roads upon which large &vms had been spent in completion. Mr Whyte suggested that the Local Public Works Bill of last session would meet all the requirements of their case in this respect. In the first place it declared certain roads to be main roads and providen a sum of £3 for £1 raised by the local bodies. Its operations were as follows : The local body wanted to raise a sum of say £800 for making a road of this kind. What had to be done was this : The local body prepared a estimate and plans of the work requiring to be done, which they forward for the approval of the Board of Works. They had also to show that they were in a position to find £200 of the amount, These conditions being complied with, the Government by this Bill was bound to find the remaining £600. The money had to be spent, and he looked upon that as a safeguard against the richer class of counties being enabled to dissipate public money on unnecessary works. Unless the work was actually required, the district would not be at all likely to raise the amount requiring to be contributed by it. Placed on a footing of that kind, the distribution was much more likely to be equitable as between the different counties,thanitwas at all likely to be under the subsidy system. The Bill had been objected to in respect of some said patronage it was thought to confer on the Government. That, however, was a mistake arising from a misconception of the provisions of the Bill. The Public Works fund was a special fund to be started out of the land revenue, and carried on out of the land fund. Eventually it was agreed that the clause should be rejected %n toto and on the motion of Mr Knox Becosded by Mr Braugh a resolution was passed to the effect that,the meeting disapproves of the suggestion, and trusts that in lieu thereof steps will be taken to get the Local Public Works Bill passed into law.

Incidence of Taxation. Clause 3 provided : That either by reductions of the exemption on the Property Tax to say £] 00, by the imposition of school fees on all scholars attending State schools who have passed Standard IV., by the increase of tbe beer duty to 6d, per gallon, and by the re-imposition of the tea and sugar duties, the necessary fmuU might be easily provided without practioauy adding to the burdens of the country, as the money spent in road construction would promote the settlement and progress of the Colony to such an extent that both towns and rural districts would be equally benefited. Mr Knox gave it as his opinion that the property tax exemptions should be done away with altogether. Mr Whyte entirely agreed in that opinion.' He would in future make an exception in the collootion of

all sums under five shillings. The result of the exemptions as they stood was that not more than two votOß out of every ten paid this tax. He had all alon£ conteoded that it was no hardship at allrfor ft nan who had accumulated property of the value of £120, to pay an annual tax of five shillings nor yet ten as the rate of the tax stood afc present. By doing away with the exemptions, the rate per pound he believed mi^ht be recluoed one half, and the revenue be a gainer by the reduction. Mr Knox : Singular as the fact may appear, it is nevertheless true, that the whole of the opposition made to this tax comes from persona exempted from ita operations. Mr Edgeoumbe was of opinion that having rejected the previous resolution, it wns not necessary for them to take any action with respect to this one. The one resolution simply suggested a method for giving effect to the other. He apprehended that undw the operations of the Local Public Works Bill, ample provision was made for carrying out its provisions. Mr Whyte agreed in that opinion ; still he thought it would be wise for them to give their opinions on the subject. A motion affirming the views expressed by Mr Whyte that the exemptions be done away with, and that no sum under 5s be collected, was passed. Regarding the Education Tax, Mr Knox thought it was a very great hardship, indeed, that the higher branches of education should be imparted at the cost of the State, and he thought that a resolution, condemnatory of the practice, was called for. Mr Braugh also agreed in that opinion, adding, that in England School fees were only remitted after careful inquiries made by the School Board guardians as to whether or not the parents were in a position to pay the fees. He had only recently come from England, and he knew of men whose earnings did not exceed 16s per week, being made to pay for the education of their children. Mr Whyte : The matter is very different out here. I know of men earning their thousands per annum, and who are, nevertheless, getting their families educated by the State. On the motion of Mr Primrose, it was agreed the clause, recommending the imposition of School fees, should be adopted. lie the proposal to increase the beer tax to 6d per gallon, Mr Cumtning suggested it should not be acquiesced in. Mr Knox was of opinion that it was a grave mistake made by the Legislature to reduce this amount, in the first instance, from 6d to 3d, and he was prepared to move that the suggestion be adopted. Mr Primrose did not think there was any necessity for changing the amount at present, and a resolution moved by him to that effect was passed. Me the re-imposition of tea and sugar duties it was stated in answer to a question put, that a sum of 3d was chrirged on the latter, and on he former. The meeting considered that there was no necessity for altering these rates, and a resolution to that effect was passed accordingly.

Municipal Subsidies. Clauße four suggested:—That a subsidy on the ratei collected be paid to all Borough Councils or Boards having the exclusive management of townships, the amount to be fixed by the conference hereafter proposed. The feeling of the meeting was in opposition to the proposal, the discussion upon which led to a oon-ideration of the proposed Town Districts Act. Alluding 1 to the latter Mr Knox was understood to say that if it came into force the best thing that could possibly bef'il Hamilton would be to wipe out its municipality altogether, and make a fresh start under the Town District Bill. No decision was come to in respect of thia clause.

Landed Endowments. Clause 5 was adapted. It reads as follows:—That if any landed endowments were given to public bodies within the Colony, such laud ought not to be oxempted from the deductions made for road work as-ked for by Clause 1, and that any local body should have at its option power to commute its subsidy on a scale to be fixed for an endowment of land.

Appointment of Delegates. In regard to clause 6, appointing a conference of delegates to meet at Wellington, it was arranged that the views of this meeting should be embodied in ,i letter and the name forwarded for the information of the proposed conference.

Valuations. The remaining clause provided :—That "The Rating Act, 1876" should be so amended as to enable valuations to be made once in three years, and by the County Council of the district, only, which body should have power to adjust the valuation list annually in cases where change of ownership or omission in the valuation list rendeied such adjustments necessary ; Boroughs to make their own valuation list as at present. After a brief consideration this was agreed to.

Rating Absentee Owners. The Chairman brought this matter under consideration with a view of getting an expression of opinion upon tho method at present employed. Clause 58 of the Rating Act provides inter aha "That if any such owner had no known agent in the colony, a summons posted upon a conspicuous part of the property, togethar with a public notification thereof should be deemed sufficient service." The difficulty in many cases was to find the property. To comply strictly with this measure it would be necessary in many instances to incur the trouble and expense of getting the land surveyed. He thought the circumstances of the case could just as well be provided for by posting the summons in some well-known place, such as the County Council buildings. After discussion, it was agreed that an alteration should be recommended, so as to enable ifc to be posted at a postoffice conterminous to the land. He (the chairman) also recommended an alteration in Clause 61, which provides that il a judgment was not satisfied within six months the local body might cause notice to be given to the owner that such property would be sold after twelve months from the date of notice unless the judgment was satisfied in the interim. He suggested that the local body should be empowered to sell the property forthwith in the event of a sixmonth's default in satisfying the judgment. The proposal was likewise adopted.

Registration of Titles. It was also agreed that steps should be taken to compel owners of property to register their titles within a specified time of the date of conveyance. The plea in favour of that step was that the work of valuation would be greatly facilitated thereby, and also the preparation of rolls and collcetion of rates. The conference closed with a vote of thanks to the chairman.

The Matuara paper-mill is again at work. A number of alterations in the machinery of the mill have been made with a future view to the manufacture of printing paper, an industry for which the native material is supposed to be highly suitable.