INCH CLUTHA RIDING FINANCE.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVI, Issue 46, 19 November 1909, Page 5

INCH CLUTHA RIDING FINANCE.

COUNCILLOR U. BOID EXPLAINS MATTEEB. LEGAL OPINION TO BE OBTAINED A meeting of ratepayers—convened by Or iioyd to fake into consideration ihe iii.tieo ot motion by t r Juniea Smith (Balmoral Hiding) tha' eaoh nding pay inter'a on itb own amoutn ol ibo Buk OvcrdruU bo reverted to -was held in the S irhng Ahci a;uui Hal, Stirling, on Wtdno-diy ivming. There W;i.i » leprrsaniiitivn utteodat-oe, Counci 'or Boyd presiding. Cr 13 yd said tha' he need not npo'o gise for cal i"g them together to consider a miller of great iinpor unco lo ho i-.li?. payors of Inch Olu.hu, H> wua sorry that there was not a fuller aticndano-. Tlio facts of ihi' case were that, at preso- i each Hiding paid i a quo a of the Bunk overdraft, whether in ortdit or ovcidnuvn on its Ruling account, borne hx Wetks ago nodes of motion waa given to resci: d this resolu ion,- and at last nice ing k came on, but owiog to ihe f c ihat llio reaoluiion to be rescinded cou'd nit lie discovered in the bo-k3 ihi-*unuic'r wea held over until next meo ing. At thai stage he waa not prepared to t-ay whether the proposed reaoluiun wou ii be a fair one, and he wan rd the opinion of bis ratepayeis on it. There was no doubt; the proposed motion wou'd go through at next meeting of 'I e Council unless it-eou'.d be shown to be iligal. Ho wou'd point out 'bat at, p-<fo r r iiny were paying som-diing ilte .1250 a\onr as in tens', on overdraft on the Ouu ty Fund account, and the ahaio his rats payers would pay wou'd b.■ rouobly ,£2O a year. ' If the resolution woe carried and put into tfif'Ct thai unionnt would b; increastdto over £lo l< chc u h waa overdrawn about £2OOO, and Councillors whose ridii gs wero free t I iebt resented paying m crest o > in ;ney apent theie. If ev-rv tidi g i tnted fair there could not be >o much obj ction to the propisa. [n the ca«o of hia Riling thai £2OOO h.n been incurred wi h the fuli iiequ.tc.ee )f the wholo Council, and on i.e u demanding tba< the County Fund u\v d: =i would be equally borne by the ll;di, e S , Tne new pr< posal increased di L eh c'u-h'i expmuiture by over i;GO ■< \ea , I was not a square doal fir ihe Cou c • lt°r voting ibo money to 1' o c u ha Riding to now turn rourd, a d m ke an Uteraion. .The whole id a i.f tin C im ties' Act was that Ih- 1 strong sluu'd htlp ho weak. It'ihe motion waa eauiidin the Council, as ho expi c ed it to lie, men they would simp ! y be eleven R »-d Ii mi s dealing entirely with looal tna '< rs. Tinfirst charge on the County lu d-; was main reads and bridges, Tide whs d utntion'of how overdraft sin utd bo ait<-> ■jate'i. T'e Hi nee County Ctuttc 's so licitor thought there was no hing wrong ; in the motion giien notice if. Wh t «as ■ ornposid to be done in his opinio:: w - ooi unlawful. Still the Ac was s-i'en m the mat i r of overdraf-s on Itiiii■■ $.» ae-. ;ounts. The Act provided they <•■. ind iverdraw to tho extent if th>i>'pi\vi us year's rates —■ that, was, owe al ho county, 'Why sheu'd they no.w wish 'no particular part, or part', to pay the tVho'o of the overdraft? Persona v, he thought it wris not legal 'o do wha' wis or posed, and he was in fi.vor of gft"ing t legal opinion from ano'h»r scarce on hj" mitti t. cv it should be agnid in t e Supreme Court. If the proposal \vw ight and legal thry wou'd hive to fig' t i on 0 her ones. He bad lelt. his respm ■- ■ihi : iiy in I e matter us m mber for the Hiding. Ir:c!'.c'utha wan more <ffc f d ban Ma'an, and he had por'onn'lv nohtng invested in IneLcu he.. H<> wi a ,dad to see Cr Htggartp ese''. and won d 'ie glad to hear Ids vuw of the m «!'"■, r that of a y other ratep- y r pr- >i" .

Mi P. A.'xi'i'S' n : Won 1 i i.rv h,v C i ! 11 us v,'u!; hi have had 'h'' Itt c in; tub r \Tr Jii"('ph Mrstcy) here. Ci- Boyd snid he had spoken o him, nd he was in syaipa'hy wi h : ho pr, > nsal to have a meeting.

A desultory discus-ion followed re .•ilna'i"ns and overdrafts, and wheo ah he nvnev had none ard "tlicy wen vter under Road Board?," e c. Or Boyd explained thi't works a'ariid ■i'del- loan n Irchclutha had hj• n linished out of general revenue. That iccounted for their share oi the overlrafr. The woiks should have b er topped when tho lO'in money ran on ft

Mr P. Anderson said when ;h.. Roi.d <'y iavd went over there was only /90 if • n overdraft, on I- ch Olutha.

Or llii«E[art said that when iho liig li'ch was put up the centre ]3mrd, I>ah llutha, got, £SOO from the Ooimei l on he word of the thrn member, Mr Wi ■ inn Mosley, that an extn rate would he out on to clear it off. That pir.icular rn'e was never Ipvipd.

Several uifinbers thought that was in Councillor Ing'is' u'm a , hu' Or TiaKpa-t taid it was only Riar ed thsn. Proceeding, Cr HaeS'lt end Oiat lo ■'•. uld not see anything in the Act wln'"h ,'nve thft county power to lew ■ he. inter t tor overdraft on a particular ridin:;. Tfit were legal they would have to gnu and b-iar i\ but in his opinion it was not. h g i', whole of tho Coun i»s Act was i ot adopted iu Bruce nor in any other candy hn knew of. When the counties were it was wi h the idea thai iln> firong would help 'he weak, In his own Riding (Kaitangata] a year's rates wou d o'ear ofl his overdraft, This h«<Lon'y 'ecently accrued, and for 20 years pre? vtoualy there whs no ovordnif' on K lirnn eatn. A separate rate was rnis' d 'o pay he flood dam ige. Any debit, ngainst In county must bo paid by tho coun'y as n whole. Itcou'dno' berec vcred from "in one portion. Tho Council ceased to he » council it that could be done. All thi Councillors were rqually liab'e for what was done. No particular Oeu ct'lor could ge' woik Jono or ihe chance to got in'odebt unless the other OouncHcs agreed lo it, They were all flvre- w 1 particu'urly to soo to thrir own Bidinc luv the in'erests of the County as a wiioi., and the whole Council was liablo and not one part of it for any interest on overdraft.

Mi* James Sniaiil said he had thought it was hardly worth while ocmine; to he meeting, and many ot his neighbours would have been there only thty thought they hadn't a hope, Nov thn matter had been put in a d:ff-rort lipht. To carry the proposal to another point, if it were legal to oharge a particular RidiDg with all the interest on is Riding aeoount, then a riding whioh did not do anythtDg should not pay for the m-vices of ao engineer and staff) of which tbey |Qtt m bwefti.... ft nQft (o the

different Ridings, but to the Oouncl tint the Batik looked to for its inereat 0 i overdraft, | Cr Boyd soid every Councillor bad a jsiy in the rxpendituro Bnl was iqualy responsible, and it was perpetrating an injusiioa i n Inehclutha Riding to now mikt) it pay more than its share i.f interest. I showed a wanton disregard of i-s interesls, Di mission then became general, and ti'p increase in tho expenses of the Bruco Cunty Council wa3 referred to. Tho matter of auditing Riding accounts was also referred to. Ul'ima'eiy Cr Boyd brcug'it -be mooting bick to ih' pint, and it was the > agroed on the motion ot Mr John Mosley that a legal opinion bo obtained, and tho rut' payers contribute to tho cost of at.in •, and n.u'Crs Boyd and Jiaggurt instuic ■he selected aolioi or in die fuC's if ihcase. Mr A. N. Hislop stcond'.d the mo ion whteli Was carried. A vote of thaiik-i to the chair was passed and h subscription of 2s per iate« payer was fixed to meet the expeoses,