WAIPA COUNTY MATTERS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2893, 29 January 1891, Page 4

WAIPA COUNTY MATTERS.

I'd i'iik mni'iiii. Sin. - I hereby b,- t" Hi'Ml: "(;.iiiii'.".H"i-" r,,rlli.M:..iirt>:iiii-iii:iiili"V in which In' replied 1,, " In pi.iliveV l,;tt-<r nf Hi' l |; l'i lv eeniber. ill. tlm --ini! t.111.-. I b.'i: l" ililf"'tro.ii him in the view- he therein tak''"- hl the lirst place, ho lim-t bo well aware that wo were pvim to understand Hint by adopl.uiK Ihu county system, all U'oso petty district jiHil.msiu.-i would hu lit uiic-u banished, iiml tin: county mail- would be considered ii-iiiwlii.il!, irresp.T'.iv.M.f tli-'tnct, and m: would tlu'ii have » iroiilinuatmn of V, ' »"•- f-.iin n.iiilt* t.hr.iiitiiiiMit. tlm co'inty. -Now, if each riding is to have an amount aliocitod to it. in pr..p..rti'»ii tn rites collected, where is the advantage »f the county system over thill, ..f tho road boards, Iv.ch farm might as reasonably expect to have the proportion it contribute* to the ounty fund laid out in its immediate neighbourhood. 'I'liu county system has destroyed all interest, in our iucal elections, as it has divided tlm interest of the ratepayers, ami yet has not'answerod its expectations. "Councillor" tells ui the allocation system was adopted to prevent extravagance m the dillerent riding, here I think ho has made a grmit mistake ; ho should have said the selfishness of the most favoured ridings actuated this course. Sometime ago there was ii bridso put across I leathers creek, ■Mid tho approaches were substantially fenced (ith heavy posts and sawn timber, at aboul wo pounds per chain, thoro was also r Uridgo put across Ohote creek, and iti approaches were fenced with ti-tree, at a cost of about threo shillings per chain Now, it appears to mo that; there was f little oxtravagance indulged in at Heather: creek, and this allocation system encourage! it, for each riding will endeavour to .spenc all it can get, rather than any other ridini should get a portion of its rates. lh< Tuhikaramea roads are all beinf formed and gravolled, though a grea portion of them are anything bill bad, being of a very sandy soil anc very level, there is no difficulty to gei about in the worst of weather. Adjacen' to this comes the Newcastle Hiding, where (or about two miles, the ti-tree and fern n so thick that a portion of the road canno bu used; besides this, numerous wate: holes have to bo waded through, in. water from these holes could bo carried of

iit a trilling expense, yet they have been allowed to exist in this state lor the last two or three years. " Councillor points with great satisfaction to the fact of the overdraft at tho bank having been paid off I presume it wan incurred to enable the county to make good roads. Now 1 see no satisfaction in this, if the roads have b.ien allowed to revert into their origina cmditton, and I maintain that tho whole ol die roads in the Newcastle Riding are in a fur worse condition llian they were when the county took them over. Another evil in the county system is this : Let a riding bo ever so willing to tax itself to improve its ruad», it is prevented from doing so by u majority of tho councillors, whose roads •re in a good condition, and who therefore <1j not care about being taxed for the sakeot another ridinjr. The Council refused to strike a rate for Hospital purposes, and not only that, but they only struck a gd rate, notwithstanding that they had to pay to the Hospital in the last three years about XI 000, as well as having to reduce their own overdraft. No wonder our roads are eettinc impassable. Although this bip amount has been divorted from the roads, they still pay their engineer the same fixed siilary in preference to a percentage rate on work actually done. The Council must be well aware that it would be more economical to pay as our neighbouring counties do at 7A per cent, on all work done, but 1 suppose they have motives best known to I lemaelves why they cannot adopt this uwtoin. The Waipa County Council have expended on roads and midges, from September 30th, 1888, to September 30th, lb'JO, being two years, £1(150, which, at 7j per cent, would amount to £124. Now during thin time they have paid their engineer £320, or about 20 per cent, on tho whole amount that has been expended, while the ■'realer portion of the work dono did not require the services of an engineer, as it consisted of day .work and gravelling. As many ratepayers, including myself, cannot understand why this system of payment w persisted in, perhaps one of the council will be courteous enough to enlighten us on the subject; also, if he thinks the councillors would adopt the same system were thov spending their own money. — Yoors tru l y> v Inquisitive.