Untitled

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 2967, 21 July 1891, Page 2

Some six or eight months ago a petition, signed by 39 ratepayers in the Hamilton Road District, was presented to the Waipa County Council, praying that body to merge the Hamilton Road District into the county. The main argument used in advocating this step was that the ratepaj ers would escape the dual rating. Those, however, who put forth this argument appear to have reckoned without their host, for at the meeting of the WaipaCounty Council, held on Tuesday last, reported in Thursday's issue, it was decided that, in addition to the general county rate of in the f, a separate rate of A-d in the £ be struck in the outlying districts of Hamilton and Mangnpiko Tho ratepayers in the Hamilton Dis • trict therefore will have to pay exactly the same amount of rates as previously —viz., a ; county rate and .Vd road board rate, but without the satisfaction of spending it. It must be admitted that there cannot be the same amount of supervision of the roads in the district now that there was under the Road Board, for where there were five members of the latter body, the district now will have only the one representative in the Council. This gentleman lives in the Hamilton end of the district, and as roads in this locality will come more directly under his notice, it is only natural to suppose that they will receive more attention than the outlying roads, which he may only see once in every two or three months, or perhaps may not sec fioin one year's end to another. The argument, therefore that was used in favour of merging, Hi.it under the Road Hoard the roads round Hamilton were receiving all the attention to the detriment of the roads more remote is not likely to be verified. When the Hamilton Road Board was merged into the county, its finances were not particularly healthy, and tho county has already had to make cousiderable advances to meet the out-standing liabilities, while at each meeting of the Council since the merging thera have been requests from ratepayers asking for necessary works to be done, and these have been held over for want of funds. Tho cost of administration under the Road Board was also put forward as a reason for tho change. It is doubtful to what extent this may be claimed, as before long the salaries of both the clerk and engineer will have to be increased, and quite, justly too, in consequence of the extra work imposed upon them. All things considered, we ar*i of opiuion that there has not been much gained by the change, and we are inclined to think that had the promoters of the movement anticipated that the alteration would bring about no relief in the matter of rates, they would have been content to leave matters as they were. This experience of the Hamilton Road Board will cause local bodies similarly situated to weigh the probable consequences well before taking action.