COUNTY V. ROAD BOARDS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2484, 12 June 1888, Page 3

COUNTY V. ROAD BOARDS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sill,—ln your sub-leader of Tuesday, 29th May, you refer to the indifferent position financially of .the Wai pa County Council, as compared with some of the ridings, within that county, and you instance the Pukekura Road District, as an illustration of your .statement. You have, however, drawn upon your imagination for your facts, and consequently art altogether astray in your conclusions. You say the Pukekura Road Board, within the Waipa County, is relieved of expenditure on its main roads, and lead your readers to suppose that because of this " relief''the county finance is eiubarassed, whilst the .riding hae a flourishing credit balance. Such an inference is entirely wrong for the " boot is on the other leg." The Pukekura ratepayers, in addition to their district rate, pay every year a county rate which is struck by the county council, ostensibly for the purpose of keeping the county roads in that riding in good repair, tho money thus collected together with a subsidy from the Government on tho rate struck by the road board is intended to be spent—less its share of cost of county management—upon the main roads, and the county revenue from this source for the past eighteen months, totals, £571) 33 3d, but during the same period the amounts expended by the Council on Pukekura roads, totals, £300 0s Id. You will therefore observo you are quite iu error in stating that Pukekura is " relieved" of expenditure on its main roads. The history of the present surplus is that the trustees, though not then requiring the.money, took advantage of the Bubsidy offered by the Government, and forestalled the time when subsidies would be ended or reduced. They also realised that the county Hhare of one half of the amount would be an acceptable item, and struck full rates, not with the idea of squandering the money, but rather of anticipating a .future when like the present year, with funds in hand, no rate is needed. Several years ago this district district afireed to work the Counties Act. and handed over to the county council its main roads, in excellent condition, nearly the whole length newly coated with gravel. No other distiict in thi-s county possessed roads that could bear any comparison to Pukekura when these were ! hrst vested in;the Waipa Council, yet whilst every year a fiberal county rate has been collected, what are our main loads like now —the glory has departed—throughout they are either thread-bare or temporarily patched tu r serve ; -the present tutu. The county council is not to blame fur this state of things, the gentlemen, who from time to time, have held office as councillors, have generally given their best services to this public work. The Comities Act is to blame, the red tape with its entail of heavy expenditure eats up too laiKe a share of the income, the areas ara too wide to be under the supervision of members of the council, yet to quote from your article again—yon say— we want larger and more administrative powers bestowed on county councils, with moro extended boundaries. I beg to state that wo want nothing of the kind, but instead of these powers with their baneful tendency to centralisation and multiplication of billets, we want to rei'ert to the more modest but efficient system of road boards. Those boards should control all their own roads and only one rate should be levied. Formerly the trustees did gratuitously all the work, and as a rule did it to the satisfaction of those who found the monoy. This system is more in accord with cmnecessities, it is of no use for small communities like ourselves to imagine that an elaborate scheme which might work well enough in old and thickly settled countries would also suit us equally well, the comparison will not hold, for our circumstances are entirely' different. Rather we inay from recent experience conclude, this over craving to be something " big " may ruinously involve, hot only counties, but countries. No, Mr Editor, our real want is some siinp'o clause added to tho Counties Act which should enable a riding, if it so desires, to regain solo control of its highways with all responsibilities connected theiewitli.—l am &c.

.roSHI'H G.VNK, Chairman Pukckura Road Board