NEW CASTLE HIGHWAY DISTRICT.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1416, 30 July 1881, Page 4

NEW CASTLE HIGHWAY DISTRICT.

' Thk annual uippting of ratepayers of the Newcastle Highway District was held at s Mr' KeilowV Hotel/Wliatoiwhata, \on' ■Satnulay, .Jnty23rd'. about 40frMep'riye¥s 1 . being present.—Mr Fdihund 'Fitzp.iti'ick { was "unanimously called to the chajr, and lead the advertisement convening the meeting. The sectetary was then called upon to rt-ad the statement of receipts and expenditure for last year. Balancesheet— Receipts : To balance on hand, C 26 6s lid; to special grant Raglan- ' Waipa load, £1200; Government subi sidy, £G3 9s 8d ;, county fund, £46 18s ' Id ; rate's, £118'13s 4d j cattle 'fees,' £34 ' 4s; impounding fees, £3. Total, I C 1522 11s 6ct—Expenditure: On work 'for which £1200 grant was' made— !material, £106 13s 3d; road works, bridges, &c, £835 12s 4d ; engineer's ex'penbcs, £90. Total, £1032 fa 7d.— ! General account: Road works, £286 9s !7d ; land, purchased, £5 ; Valuation of [district, returning officer's fees, and'salary iof secretary and commission on rates col'.lected, £3G 12s; salary of pound keeper jand ranger, £17 14slid: iriterest paid'to jWaikato Steam Navigation Company On i monies advanced to former Board, £6 8s ; | map of district, £20; printing and adverjtisiug, £31; hw expenses, £27 18s 6d; !sundries, £10, 7^ J balance, £46 3s lid. tot-il, £1522, Lls 6d.—ln reply to the chairman, the secretary stated that a (Considerable amount of rates was still duo, which would probably be got in shoitly, and, together with balance in hand, would enable the board to free itself fiom all liabilities, or nearly so. — Some latcpayeia present thought £20 was a high puce to pay for a map. It was explained that the map had been had pnoi to the late Board's accession to office, and they had no choice but to pay, leg.il proceedings being threatened.—lt was also thought that the engineer's charges weie too high, and that 6 pc-r cent, on monies expended should have covered all expenses oxci-pt, special journeys to Auckland. The late Board were in the same position with regard to this matter as with the map, the arrangement with Mr Hoslung having been made by their predeoessois.—lt was proposed by Mr Ciawloid that the balance-sheet be adopted, which was seconded by Mr j Bailey and carried unanimously.—The ! Chairman remarked that he was agree- i ably surprised to find the financial state of the district so good as it appeared to be, and he thought gieat credit was due to the late Baard for having steadily kept before themselves the necessity of getting out of debt before they attempted fresh Avorks.

Local Government. The Chan man then proposed the following icsolution :—*"lhat in the opinion ot this meeting County Councils are quite an unnecessary expense. That Road Boauls, which have now become proficient in the admimstiation of local allans, aie quite competent to perform all the duties supposed to devolve on Co.uity Councils without any additional expense. That a dual system of local government is au anomaly which should not exist, and which the country cannot afford; That tlie latepayeis are attached to the Koad Boaid .system of local government, for the reason that local revenue is expended under their immediate supervision, and they will never willingly abandon it." —- The resolution was siconded and carried unanimously.

Rating Act,, &c. Mr Corboy directed the attention of the mpufcing to Ui3 desirability of advocating an amendment of the Hating' Act and piopo'-ed the following 1 resolution, " That in the opinion of this meeting the Rating Act should be so amended as to ullow the ratepayers of the respective highway districts the option of adopting either an acieage or a valuation rate also; that in place of the highway boards btriking l ites, the ratepayers should bo empowered to do so at their annual meetings."—This wab seconded by Mr Day.—Mr Grix thought wheie one man had a poor farm, and another a good one, an acrc&ge late was unfair—but the resolution was caiiied on a show of hands by a large majority.—Mr Corboy said he had another matter he wished to bring before the meeting, and which he would put in the form of a lesolution for this meeting to eudoise as a- kind of reoommondation to the incoming.Board it was "That in view of the depiessed financial position of the di^tiiot, and the great need in which some of the settlers stood of provision being made to enable them to get access to 1 the main roads, this meeting is of opinion that the funds should not be ex-, ponded wheie the roads arc reasonably good, till such time as less favored portions of the district have a like privilege, and that the new Board bo requested to pay their earnest attention to those portions of the district which have'hitherto been neglected."—Mr Day said he quite agmed with the principle embodied in Mr Corboy's resolution, but thought ratepayeis should have sufficient confidence in the meu they elected as trustees, to leave it to their discretion to decide where money was to be expended.—'Mr Foxall thought monoy was sometimes spent on icads which were already fairly good to the neglect Of more needy portions of the disttict. He instanced the road past Mr Day's, on which he said some little money had boan Jaid out,- although not ab-olutcly lequired, but Mr Fleming, and some others had no roads at'aft.— Mr Day ? replied ho was a large ratepayer, but during the 8 years he had been in the dis-' trict, not £10 of rate money 1 had been, spent on the road past his place ; but being tho main road, Government'money 1 had been granted for making it.—The Chairman corroborated Mr Day's st&te-, ment, but wished to draw attention to the much netrlected district on the west side' of the Waipa, and produced'figure's'in'' support of his assertion that no other part had been so badly treated 'since 'the formation of the Highway District. Ihe sum of £163198 4d had'beeh collected as' rates on property on the, west 'side of' river, while"Bubsidies and contributions fiom other sources brought the tota amount contributed to the district funds by and for that part of the district Up to £317 12s; while the only expenditure incmred on that «ide of river, was a solitary £10, two or th^ce'year^sinpo^ lie showed that allowing for a .fairqontritaution towaids general' works, ' and commission on rates .collected,, this porr tiori of the district had,still an 1 utisaj/isned claim for £166. He did not'.wisti to ie," hard on Whatawhata/'biit^KoHight'equalj Justice should be done to' all' parts,", and' they'migh't then, expect to see the clis'tricfcr woiking Jiarmpniourily,' together ( for thj?; 1 general j*ood.4-Mr f Cort'o^'s .resolurjip^' having been seccnlied,' was' Jput'ltp. tW meeting Wd' carried., "/" , "'j,,,', ?l *' ',',.,

„ Cattle3?ees. i ...!(j ia,.A> i Some''rate'|>a'y"e'rs-present(advocated the abolition of cattle fees, arguing that there was but Small i< portion' i of/land which could notf-''b'e,lpoW>'upon<^sire^public run. The- Chairman, .pointed out -that fees, ifr@», jibtrpfiuc&a, to pfOtegfcl VBttfaf. agflinqfc cattjei^ingibrought <wftt<u Ahej|iiU frfliu,oj»t^dt of-diafriot., \J& &rftng*r w.Me/<

not appointed he did opt see what check there would be ftPpt&eibt the running of -■gittiwflfrttlew horses whioh all objected $o,jibut ho Wap#fcopinipflt £he/n,mn>er* of .QHttio eiaoh settler,, could run -should, be] limited. . t ', 0 . •'.(■,< i' *ki •.'

Ngafa'awahiaHamiltoflßoad. «j . ' Mr 1' Grtx tKoug^ii'some in"flueri'oe'slip4»id bo exeVtP&'to j^6t the GMe'r^ipent fo'hi'ake u pie6B of >o&d tit' Ngatuawnhia \ ettd V|,#;HMton'ro'ad;;the' land Tyh>hliad hiihertft been ti/ifed 'an rortd. wh'« .aboiit being- Untied in' ,!|ind tt'affio ' Would' be wtnpited-tt'nlk'ds' tlie^'prpppx' road 1 ■foerVin'ade. ' A voe of thanks to'the ch'air'niHn priipd-'e'd, seconded, and passed' Unanimously and'the 1 meeting separated. 1' £ t!''