.WAIAU RIDING CANDIDATES AT SCOTT'S GAP.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 28, 7 November 1905, Page 2

.WAIAU RIDING CANDIDATES AT SCOTT'S GAP.

On Wednesday evening Messrs J. King and D. Murchiscn, candidates for the Waiau Riding at the Wallace County Election taking place to.morrow, addressed the ratepayers m the Scott's Gap Publio Hall. There were about 20 ratepayers present, and Mr J. G. Paterson ocoupied the chair. Both candi- ! dates were accorded an attentive hearing. MR KING, who was the first speaker, was heartily reoeived on rising, and proceeded at once to the important questions that had exercised the council during his term of office. financr. * Four years ago the council got into difficulties with Ub bank account, and was confronted with a refusal on the part of the bankers to meet payments which had been incurred. This difficulty led to considerable discussion m thc counoil, and a sub-com-mittee consisting ol Messrs Chewings, Hirst and Carmichael, was appointed to make better arrangements. As a result of their report the council ohanged its bankers, a step wnich he opposed, as he did not consider the new arrangement an improvement on the old, and his contention was borne out, when, m a very short time, the members of the counoil wenjß individually called upon to enter into a guarantee of £1000, and this memb. rs had had to accept the liability of for two yeara, at the end of whioh time several of the councillors refused to be so bound, and a curtailment of expenditure had to foil jw to bring the account within bounds. Since then he had followed a careful and judioious course regarding finance, and the oouncil, during his term of office, had reduced its overdraft from £10,000 to £5000, and were now paying 5J% only instead of 6% on their accommodation, this reduction having been obtained by Messrs Cupples, Fraser, and himself. The counoil was now m a strong, healthy, financial position, and, if ha were returned, he would do all m his power to keep it m that condition, CONCRETE PIPES. As they were all aware the county had a great deal of small Culverts and drains to maintain. The expenditure on drain pipes had been a very heavy item, and some years ago he bought a set of moulds, and experimented m the manufacture of concrete pipes, and, as a result the county now made the whole of their own pipes, and at an expenditure of a little more than half of previous oost, while they had an absolutely permanent article. In his own riding he had at present to face the replacement of 50 wooden culverts, and it would be apparent to ratepayers what an expenditure would be saved if, instead of the old wooden culverts, concrete had been used, practically lasting for ever. WAIAU PUNT. This had been a vexed question, and when the Government put the maintenance on the county he Btre.nuously opposed it, as, being m his riding, the cost devolved upon the Waiau ratepayers. He had done everything m hia power to proteot their interests, and he beieved the steps he had taken would commend themselves to the ratepayer* He bad imposed I a toll upon all users of the punt other than | disown ratepayers, and, as a result, the amount whioh the Waiau Riding would have to make good to cover the cost of keeping tbe traffic open, would be very small. He knew that his opponent held a different view on this question, but he could assure them that he had left no stone unturned to proteot their interests, and he was -perfectly certain that Mr Murchison oould not have suooeeded better. The traffic by the punt could not be stopped, and the county could not avert paying the cost, the Government would simply have stopped- the money out of their rate subsidy. BOOTH'S OA? LOWEB UOAD. With reference to this, it was not from neglect that the work had not been done. The faot was that acoording to the estimate it was going to take 10s a yard to get gravel on to it. and to have done the work at such a cost would bave been suicidal. The oounty had hoped to get sufficient metal handy to save a good deal of the oost, but m this they had been diaappointed, as, when crashed, they only got 8Q yftrd_s. No foubt flettt&a L

had cause for complaint at the state of their roads, atid if they could enlighten him as to where metal or gravel could be got, he would use his best endeavours to get the work^done. The road was a most unfortunate one;%s it formed the boundary line between two ridings, and it was a most diffioult matter to get both ridings to agree. Settlers on other dividing roads experienced the same trouble..

In reply to questions, Mr King stat-d that he thought the engineer should report upon the metal mentioned by Mr Diokson as being available m Moffett's old quarry, and, if it was satisfactory' and could' be landed as Mr Dickson suggested, at 5s cr6s per yard, they would get their road metalled quick enough, as it certainly seemed pre' ty hard if ratepayers had contributed £250, as stated by Mr Dickson, m rates during the past tbree years, and had only received £10 worth of work. In reply to Mr Ramsay, he might say that Mr Shaw, Mr McGavock (engineer) Mr Cupples, . of the Otautau Riding, ani himself, bad all been disappointed m the quantity of metal obtained at Re, hills Hill, They h.v] understood there would be a 1000 yards, but it turned out a failure, as they only gut 80 yards. He thought they should petition to have the the boundary altered, and have tbe road put into one or the other ridings. With reference to tbe ranger, it was only after repeated agitation from ratepayers that one had been appointed. In such a position the council had very largely to depend upon the honesty of the servants, and as payments were not made till work declared to and specification of work done handed m. He thanked them for their patient Eatient hearing, and, if elected, would give is best services to the ratepayers.