COUNTY COUNCILS

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18682, 4 May 1926, Page 11

COUNTY COUNCILS

WAIMAIRI. A meeting of the Waimairi County Council w;,e held laßt night, those present being Cn: R. TV. Hawke, TV. J. TValter, G. Shipley, K. Kitson, J. Cleland, TV. I'. Spencer, C. E. Cross, H. Paterson, T. 0. Newnham, S. Kitson, and G. .T. Mulcock. Messrs H. Paterson and G. Shipley wmc nominated for the position of chairman, and on a ballot being taken the former was elected. The following committees wero elected:Finance: C'rs. Kitson, Shipley, Spencer; Lighting: Crs. Cross, Mulcook, Cleland; Works: Crs. Hawke, Newnham, TValter; Slyx River Committee: Cra Shipley, Spencer, Cleland. The chairman welcomed Crs. Kitson and Mulcock to tho Council. The. Canterbury J'rogreas League forwarded a remit from the South Island Local Bodies' Conference, to the effect that the Government ba asked to take over all main highways o.nd provide the whole of the cost. It was suggested that the remit be discussed at a conference between Canterbury local bodios and the Progress League It was decided to support the icrnifc and the proposal that a conference be held. Tho Council at its last meeting instructed the County Clerk (Mr G. S. Cowper) to report on n, scheme for tho reconstruction of the main highways by financing them out of revenue.

The report stated that in 1923 'he Council levied an additional rate of id in the £, which produced £3OOO for reconstruction. This sunt was still intact for the purpose of reconstruction. Tho average maintenance for the past five years waa approximately £3OOO per annum. . He thought thst in view of the proposed reconstruction thi3 could le reduced by half by keeping the roads in passably good condition, without heavy metalling expenditure, until the reconstruction was carried out. This would enable £ISOO of the present' rate which is used for maintenance to be transferred to construction. If the general rate were increased to produce a further £4OOO per annum, the increase would be less than id in the £. The unfortunate difference was that instead of having to levy this rate for 20 years, as would have been necessary under the loan, it need only bo levied for sjx years to do the job out of re\-enue. Assuming that 2J inch bituminous concrete road will cost £SOOO per milo, he estimated that the whole of tho main highways could be reconstructed in six years, as follows:—First year: Amount collected 1923 (still in hand) £3OOO, transfer from maintenance account £ISOO, additional general rate (about id)' £looo—£Bsoo, Highways Board £ for £ subsidy £BSOO, total £17,000. Following five years; Transfer from maintenance account £ISOO, additional id rate £4OOO- - Highways Board £ for £ subsidy £5500—£11,000, £II,OOO per annum for nve years £55,000; grand total £72,0&0. The cost of 13 miles of highway at £SOOO per mile would be £65,000. Under the above echeme it was possible to raise £72,000 in six years, £7OOO more than the coat of the proposed work. The advantage to the ratepayers was, therefore, briefly: —Co3t by way of loan (in 20 years) £72,000, cost by way of revenuo (in six years) £24,000, saving £16,000. Tho work could probably to completed within three years by way of loan, and in six years by way of revenue. It was possible that the rejection of the loan proposal, plus agitation in other parts of the Dominion, might have the effect of inducing the Highwavs Board to increase its subsidy, in which case the saving would bo greater. It wm decided to defer discussion, and to secure further information.