FULL EXPLANATION TO BE HADE

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14657, 28 April 1948, Page 2

FULL EXPLANATION TO BE HADE

MEETING OE COUNTY RATEPAYERS

Catchment Board, Vehicles And Rating

"Unfortunate Sequence Of Events" A copy of a resolution in regard to erosion, readied at a meeting of ratepayers of the Waimap'u riding, was received at the monthly meeting of the Tauranga County Council from Federated Farmers of NewZealand (Bay of Plenty Province). The resolution, passed at a meeting of approximately 60 ratepayers, was "that this meeting of ratepayers in the Waimapu riding request the Government to exclude from the operations of the Soil Conservation and Rivers Act 1941, an area of approximately 500 square miles in the Tauranga county lying west ci the Waitao River." A further resolution had also been passed that copies of the resolution be sent to the branches of Federated Farmers in the district, the Tauranga Borough Council, Te Puke Borough Council, Tauranga County Council, Rotorua Borough and County Councils with a request and they also support the resolution. After the letter from Federated Farmers had hesn read to the council, the chairman (Mr EL B, Capamagian) moved the following- resolution which was carried: "That this council confirms the policy of past councils that matters coming before it for consideration must be dealt with by the full council, bat that the council recognises the right's of electors to debate the decisions of the council and accepts the principle that reasonable viewpoints placed before it for reconsideration will be heard. However, in view of the unfortunate sequence of events that have taken place at public meetings without a full knowledge of the facts, the County Chairman be authorised to convene a meeting of ratepayers in the Tauranga district at which he will make a full explanation of the three matters that have been questioned (a) Bay of Plenty Catchment Board (b) county vehicle control and (e) rating, ail councillors and executive officers to be present. Cr A. Henderson stated that the resolution passed by the council was the right course to adopt and the airing given the questions would be welcomed. He alleged that the report on the ratepayers' meeting which appeared in the Press was rot representative, and added that both Cr Rushton and himself had nothing to do with the calling of the meeting of ratepayers. Cr W. I. Rushton said that he welcomed the fact that the chairman was to call a meeting where all the cards would be put on the table. He alleged that what he said at the meeting of ratepayers had been misreported. The report had credited him with saying that a total of £8,500,000 would be paid in rates while what he had actually said was that the Tauranga county, Tauranga borough, Te Puke borough and Mount Maunganui borough totalled approximately £8,500,000 in capital value and would be subject to an eighth of a penny flat rate for administrative costs.