ONE TREE HILL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 105, 2 May 1908, Page 8

ONE TREE HILL.

j The annual meeting of the ratepayers of . the One-tree Hill district, which was ndver- ,' tised to take place lust uight, lapsed for . want of a quorum. The report of the Board states that the ' reveuue tor the year 1907-1008 was made up , as follows: —Oeneral rates, including rates J due for previous years, £1430 0/3, an Increase lof £97 6/8 over* the preceding year. The [ year 1906-07 gave only an increase of £7 1/ . over its predecessor. Government subsidy, . £3:20 3/S, au Increase of £19 IS/; licenses, ; registration, and other fees, £209 '.)/, an iv- " crease of £76 18/6. The prcvioiv? year _ showed a decrease under this head of £21 . 13/6. Miscellaneous sources of revenue, uot . included iv the above, £13 IS/. Excluding II the special rate of the loan of £1500 raised , and spent some years since for the remaking ; of part of Mauukau-road aud setting bn ! one side the sum of £445 held In trust to t tar and sand the footpaths of certain roads f taken over, and £6 0/, engineers' fees, re--1 imbursed to the Board for the charges of 1 the Hoard's engineer for inspection of roads 1 submitted for dedication, the total revenue ,of the Board for the year was £19*3 r 6/11, as asainst £1995 18/9. The interest ; and sinking funu charge ou the £1500 loan at 3_ per cent involved a total charge ot , £52 10/. This account showed a balance . in hand on March 31 last of £52 5/9. The I Board had spent upon road formation and '• maintenance, lighting, and drainage, the ; sum of £1901 8/, as against £994 11/3 in the , previous year, an increase of £906 16/9. While the district remained without a drainr age system the Board would hot be pro- . tooting the public health by accepting the - dedication of roads through lands subdivided • into lots for the purpose of sale if the area '■ would be likely only to add to the already • numerous sanitation problems which presented themselves to the Board. It was a 1 matter for consideration whether or not the ■ law dealing with the subdivision for the > purpose of sale of lands adjacent to large - cities sufficiently safeguarded the public " against the creation of iusanltary areas. The " Board had felt the necessity In the public ' interest of proceeding cautiously in this • matter pending the advent of any efficient ; drainage system, and had hesitated to ac- ; cept the ■ dedication of roads opening up • areas where drainage difficulties threatened 'to arise. With regard to the dedication of - new roads experience had convinced the : Board that in many instances roads and footpaths became weed-grown before the greater portion of the allotments were sold. ' This entailed upon the ratepayers as a ; whole the expense of reforming the whole of ; these new highways. Data had been laid ', before the committee which certainly raised the question, "Are we, who live outside the > city, paying as much or. more in regard to such comfort as we do enjoy, or as we should be called upon to pay were we under one instead of several local governments?" This question would have to be decided by the ratepayers themselves. The Board had by resolution expressed an opinion in favour of united action In regard to drainage. The whole question, however, rested with the ratepayers. One point all could be agreed > upon, namely, that the drainage of the ' more populous portion of the district was imperatively urgent.