AWHITU RIDING.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 131, 3 June 1919, Page 7

AWHITU RIDING.

ROADING THE PENINSULA. LOAN SCHEME APPROVED. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WAIUKU. Monday. Meetings of ratepayers were bold on Monday at \\ alpipi and liuhekohc, lor the purpose of considering the question of raiding a loan for road improvements througuoui j the whole of Awhitu Riding. Despite the I bad weather there was a good attendance of ratepayers at both places, showing that settlers are keenly interested iv the mat I ter. The county chairman i.Ur. W. Claude j Motion), Councillor .1. A. Short (Awhitu !Ruling), Messrs. J. F. McArthur (county I : eugiueer), Alan P. Day (county clerk), H. I : <>. Mcllsop (president Farmers' I'niou). and Is. .1. Oldticld lorganising secretary Farmers Union) attended both meetings. I At Walplpl the county chairman occupied the chair and explained the object of calling the meeting, which was to ascertain whether ratepayers were prepared to go in for a loan for a comprehensive scheme »f I permanent road improvement throughout the riding. The chairman stated in his opinion 1 here was a great deal of lmprovej ment necessary on their roads, and far more than ratepayers could hope would be |undertaken in the near future out of rate revenues. The present general rate for Awhitu Riding of lid ln the pound, ns struck last year, produced £1.400. and about £1.100 of this sum was available for works in the riding, upkeep and repair ot wharves, etc. Ratepayers would realise that after maintenance was done out of this amount very little was available for permanent work. The chairman suggested that in order to provide a substantial sum of loan money forthwith for the permanent road improvements so urgent and so necessary, about one halfpenny of their existing rate of five farthings ln the pound should I be devoted towards payment of interest and I sinking fund charges on a loan of £10,fiiK). The clerk would give the meeting particulars of valuations of riding, etc., and rate required to be struck as security for the loan. The chairman, in pointing out the advantages to be derived from such a scheme, stated that he believed the Government would subsidise such a loan on a £ for £ basis. The clerk supplied details of valuations, special rates required, etc.. ns follows: — The total ratable value of Awhitu Riding Is £".70.721. made up as follows:—Late Awhitu road district. flin.IMS: late Pollok road district. £31.521: Kohekohe district. £51.502: Walpipi district. f.rr.CPO: total. £270,721. A loan of £10.000 on this area, apportioned according to ratable values, would give the following amounts to each district: —Late Awhiti road district. £1428: late Pollnk road district. £1181: KokeL-ohe district, (101!)Walplpi district. -2172: total. flO.ooo. Interest and sinking fund payable on a loan of £10.000, at rates of 5J per cent. Interest and 1 ncr cent, sinking fend, would amount to £'125 per annum. To ral-e a loan of £10,000 over Awhitu Killing, a special rate of about I'd in the £ would require to be struck as security for the loan, but only 0-16 d would need to be collected for interest and sinking fund charges. Mr. Gordon referred to the existing rid!n~ boundaries and suggested that they should be altered SO that the whole of the Main Walplpl Road into Maluku could be brought into the scheme. Other ratepayers said that the amount allocated for Walplpl district did not appear to be sufficient for the needs of the district. The chairman, in reply, said this could be sot over by Walplpl district going in for another special rating area loan later on; Pfrhaps ratepayers in the portion of Walplpl hiding towards Waiuku would loin In with them and raise a loan for refradtae and improvement of the main road to Maluku a.wl -ther roads in their district, but this need not interfere with rhr Present scheme for the AwMn, Itidln... and was only a suggestion for later consideration. The Ma..li. 1020. in any case, and even then it was hard to say what might be done- the question was largely one of ratable values of respective districts and community ot interest. He thought the scheme as outlined was a good one. as if the loan were raised as suggested the existing rate of lid fo.n d wnnlT"h_ e n tn\ s<l - *_ S P^ ial *••*'<• fT loan ivonld be O-KW. so that by increasing lr^ r: ' tp b .v only 1-lOd they ?o.ldlS flo.dio of loan money for Immediate expenditure along, with the probable Government subsidy of another -10.000. This wolj!! prevent any of the districts in' the r din ' Iron, raising additional loans for any fur"! ther improvements required Councillor .1. A. Short and several r-Ue-nfnH r *„ ** r I ?," rt I " the Proposal, and. on the motion of Mr. Jones, seconded by Mr Glee son. the meeting resolved to support the" loan proposal as outlined by the chairman Mr Gordon moved that the Council' i"„ asked to take steps to raise a loan for improvements to the Waipipi Riding dot tiou of the main road up to Waiuku Town District boundary. This was seconded by Mr. I'.arriball. and carried. y A vote of thanks was accorded the chair man and Councillor Short for attending the meeting and laying the proposal before ratepayers. At Kohekohe there was a good attendance of ratepayers. Mr. F. A. Harcombe president of the Farmers' Union, explained the reason for calling the meeting, and stated that some time ago the Kohekohe branch of ' the Farmers' Union had asked the Council j to raise a loan over their district for permit- ! nent road improvements, and as the Council | had now brought forward a scheme for the I whole riding the Kohekohe settlers would no doubt be pleased to 'hear details of same, i He moved that Che County chairman occupy the chair. The County chairman and clerk outlined the scheme as reported above, and It was fully discussed. Mr. H. 0. Mcllsop moved: | '■That this meeting of ratepayers of the I Kohekohe portion of Awhitu Rldiug ap- ! proves of the Franklin County Council's pro- ] posal to raise a loan of £10,000 for road improvement iv Awhitu Riding, and that the ' : Kohekohe branch of the Farmers - Union be I appointed to confer with the Council re- ! -anliug the allocation of the amount pro- I posed to be apportioned out of the loan for ! Kohekohe roads." | This was seconded by Mr. F. A. Harcombe I and carried unanimously. A hearty vote of thanks was accorded the ' County chairman and Councillor Short for attending the meeting and explaining the proposals. j