A TOWN IN THE MAKING.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 3944, 29 May 1913, Page 7

A TOWN IN THE MAKING.

MANGAPAPA .DECIDES TO BE A BOROUGH. \ NECESSARY STEPS TO BE TAKEN FORTHWITH. The Mangapapa Schoolhouse was crowded last evening when a meeting of' ratepayers was held to consider the advisability of forming the district into either a borough or a town board. Mr W. J. McCliskie occupied the chair, and explained that the committee set up had made a. good deal of .inquiries regarding the relative cost of sotting up either a. town board -or a borough, and bad ascertained that the costs were about the same. The main cost was the election, which was put down at t;2O. He asked Mr. Oates to give tho meeting the particulars ho had collected. Mr. Oates explained that ho had sent out inquiries to. several .*istall boroughs. The Clerk of the Gonville Town Board (Mr. A. Bignell) gave particulars regarding the procedure to be adopted in setting up a Town Board. When his Board was formed the Clerk, was paid £25 per annum. and allowed to do other work. His salary had been increased until he was now receiving £125, including office allowance. He. enclosed a copy of tho board’s balance sheet for its first year’s operations in 1907-8, which showed that the receipts had been £66-3 2s 2d and the expenditure £441 3s lOd. which left a credit balance of £223 18s 4d. The following communication from Mr John Winlove, Mayor of Waipuluirau, had also been received:

“In reply to your letter of the lock re borough matters. My advice to you, if you are proposing to form either a town board or a borough in your locality, is to engago a solicitor to steer you through the whole matter. There are so many ■ i all technical points,-.which' ii omitted, will nullify tile whole of the vest of your proceedings. So far as a town board is concerned, the locality must consist of not less than 50 householders, who must sign a petition to the Governor praying that such locality shall be constituted a town board. Not less than two-thirds of the householders in the locality must sign the petition. No such locality shall exceed 2 square miles; in area. “A borough shall consist of not less than 1000 population, and comprise an area of not more than 9 square miles. Bo far as cost is concerned, it is a small item. It cost us about £5 to mergo from a town board to a borough, that is including election expenses. - From my experience, I would not advise too large an area for a borough, especially if the locality is in a primitive state. - I should be only too pleased to give you any further information. You will find it a great assistance if you obtain a copy of the “Local Bodies Act, 1908, with Amendments,” in fact, you will find it a necessary thing to have. Wishing you and your- committee every success, and hoping that i

might some day have the pleasure of congratulating you on the prouder position of your borough.”

The Chairman said he had taken statistics from the official year book of 1911, which showed that there were 21 boroughs in tho Dominion with a population of under 1000. Since then the Act had been amended to make 1000 the minimum population for a borough. Mangapapa had a population of 1500 within the proposed area, so that they were well above the population basis, _ He found from tho Year Book that- there 2-8 boroughs in New Zealand whose capital value was under £170,000. The capital value of the area they proposed to take in, this side of Matokitokiwas £178,000. A rate of would give them a revenue of £I7OO, while there were 23 boroughs whose general rate only brought in £I3OO. There was very little difference in the constitution of a borough and a town board, while the expenses were about tho same. Once the local body was set up it remained for tho administration to see that the nates were judiciously expended. The committee which had gone into the matter favored the setting up of a borough, and under the latter greater powers to institute new works were conferred. He took it that if a local body were set up the people would not expect too much right away, as they would have to feel their way gradually. It was for the meeting now to decide wihat steps should bo taken in tho matter. Hon. Captain Tucker asked if they had a plan of the proposed area. The Oliairman pointed to a map on the blackboard. Captain Tucker: That appears to be a map of the East Coast. The Chairman : We are on the EastCoast. 'Captain Tucker: Yes, but you don’t want a map of the East Coast for your borough. Tho Chairman: AVo don’t want to take in the East Coast. Captain Tucker contended; that there should, have been a plan prepared showing the boundaries. Capt. Tucker: I object to that part of my property which has not been roadecl being included;, as no rates could possibly be -expended upon it. As to the other portion which lias been opened up I have no objection to that being included. The Chairman said they hoped to be able to show Car)tain Tucker and everyone else that they would be better off under ,a borough* than in the county.

Mr. E. Oaks then moved:— ‘That this representative meeting of electors, recognising the rapid growth and development of Mangapapa, Halstead, Kirktown, AVaipura, Elirn, Taruheru, and Matokitoki, and district, proposed to be included in a borough of Mangapapa, do hereby desire that a petition be prepared to be signed by the electors, praying that the said district be constituted a borough for the purpose more particularly to control the conservation ; of public health, safety, and convenience, and in all things for the purposes of good rule and government of tho district/' The motion was seconded by Mr. -J. T. Griffon. Mr. A. Fordo Matthews, wbo arrived at this Stage, asked how far the boundaries extended, arid the chairman explained these as he had done before. - , 1 Sir. Matthews said he, bad to apologise for being late. He "said, .he. had intended to attend their earlier meetr irigs. He. was in sympathy with them,

and ho thopght they - all knew him, as ho had represented them for a number of years. Ho had fought for a long time to keep What-aupoko from being pushed into tho borough. They had had meeting after meeting, and ho had warned them, but all to no purpose, as they had amalgamated, with the result that the whole of their rates had gone over to improve the town. As ratepayers ho warned them not to sign any petition for amalgamation, as it would spell disaster. (Applause.)- He personally considered that tho time was not ripe for the formation of a borough. They could perhaps borrow -more money, but this meant heavier rating. It was no .use borrowing money, if the rates were going to increase. Would the cost of administration under a borough or town board be less than at present? he asked. Had the committee made a balance? He tried a few years ago to get them separated from Ivaiti. What he would advise was that they should go for a separate riding. That was the best thing to do in their interests. He had been chairman of tho Whataupoko Town Board, and knew tho costs of administration was very' heavy. His idea was that they -should remain in the County, anti elect a representative, who would seo that every penny of their rates was spent in their district.

Mr. W. Smith said he had been rather mystified at somo of tho remarks that had fallen from Mr. Matthews. “ For instance, he had said that if Mangapapa formed a borough they would still be in danger of being drawn into the_ borough of Gisborne. Mr. Matthews: •So you would.

Mr. Smith: That is ridiculous. If thev formed a borough how could they be drawn Gisborne P Mr. Duncan: If three-fourths ofthe ratepayers signed a requisition they would bo drawn into the borough. Mr Smith: My idea is that we should handle our own money. (Applause.) I consider that there are enough level-headed business men 'll Mangapapa. to run this little district. The way he looked' at it was that in Gisborne they had a heavily-mort-gaged property, while in Mangapapa they had a property with hardly any mortgage at all. If they amalgamated, what would the result bo,? They would not borrow any more on the heavily-mortgaged property, but would borrow on Mangapapa, and spend the money in town. They wanted to put themselves in the position that they could not be drawn into the Gisborne borough. (Loud applause.) Tho Chairman said that with a population 1200 to 1500 they could, with careful administration, show a profit. The license fees, dog tax, etc., would also swell their revenue. Mr. Bartlett said tho Chairman should explain what rating on the capital value meant. He would like to know which borough paid the highest rate and which borough paid the lowest rate in the Dominion. It was no use starting out with the idea that everything in the garden was lovely and that all would come right. They should probe the matter to the bottom, and ascertain how tho rates on tho capital value would compare with the rate on the unimproved value in town.

Mr. J. 11. Hall said he would support the motion, because he did not consider that a county council should govern a- .thickly-populated district. He considered that the-fear of being merged in the borough was only a bogey, which had boon purposely thrown out, whether they remained in the county, or were a town board or borough, they would eventually be merged in the borough, as the principle of centralisation for economic administration was established. They wanted reforms such as lighting, water and sewerage in Mangapapa, and for that reason they should set up a borough. Mr. Matthews then moved tho following amendment: “That the Mangapapa district bo enlarged further, and that the County Council be petitioned to form it into a separate riding.” He had, he said, heard a great deal that night about sewerage, but what would be the use of sewerage without water If all houses in the without water. If all houses in the borough were connected with the sewerage they would have no water at all. It would cost them £130,000 to establish a water scheme, and he did not know where they were going to get water from. Mr. Griffon : Your back lias never been very strong.

A sharp passage at arms here ensued between Mr. Griffen"and Mr. Matthews, the former contending that the latter had not done a great deal for tho district while chairman of the Whataupoko Town Board.

The I ton. Captain Thicker repeated that so far as the taking in of that portion of his land within the Taruheru Road Board district was concerned he was opposed to the motion. The land had just been included for tax gathering purposes. It was an injustice to tax land which they knew very well they could not spend a penny of rates upon. So far as the property this side of the Taruheru Road Board district was concerned he did not mind at all, and was with them. He was glad to see that they recognised that they would soon be merged in the borough, as this was coming. He warned them that they would have to pay for their improvements. They might have beautiful macadamised roads, bridges, water supply, and an electric light at each door, but they would have to pay the piper. They had only to look at the borough of Gisborne to see how ratepayers could be woefully misled. They had been assured that they could get sewerage, trams, electric light, and all the other works produced for the loan of £175,C00, but had they done so? “Beware of the man/’ said the speaker, “who says, ‘This. won’t cost you anything/ as he is either a fool or a knave.’ ’ 'Hie nates fell on tho landowner, and the landowner as the rates rose raised his rents. Mr. Bartlett: There is a limit to that.

Captain Tucker: There is no limit to that, my friend; don’t be carried away by that idea. Higher rates mean higher rents. Mr. Grundy -said that Captain Tucker had imputed a bad motive in fixing the boundaries. Their only reason for taking tho boundary along the creek was to -get a sharply-defined boundary, as to make the road the boundary would have led to quibbling. Though no rates might bo spent on the land the people beyond would , get the advantage of the improvements effected in the Manga-papa, district. Mr. E. E. Somervell said he considered the creek should be under the control of the borough, or they would have trouble, as the land sloped towards it. ' Captain Tucker said they had taken tho boundary half a mile past tho creek. Mr. Duncan said he was in sympathy with the motion. He asked what was intended l to be done with the night soil. Tho Chairman said that mas a matter for the, administration. Mr. Duncan said they had an area of two square miles thickly populated, and ho could not see where the. night soil -could be put. As for Mr Matthews’ suggestion that they should get a -member on the C-oolc County Council, that was ridiculous, as what, could one member d<s xm the council. They would require to have a majority on the council to do any good. . There was no seconder to tho amendment, which, therefore, lapsed. The motion was then put and carried by an overwhelming majority, Captain Tucker and Mr. Bartlett alone voting against it. On the motion of Mr. W. H. Smith, seconded by Air, Brown, the present committee were empowered to take tho necessary steps to form the district into a borough. It was'resolved that- tho committeo should- report- -to another meeting, of -ratepayers to be held in three weeks’. **««■•• ' ::

Tho Chairman explained tho petition would be sent round to the ratepayers for signature as soon as possible. As the signatures bad to be attested, the best course would be to send a man round with the petition. Air. Smith explained that he had made inquiries with regard to the best means of lighting tho district. The Borough Electrical Department stated that they would supply the necessary’ current, but tho district would have to pay for their own poles, wire- and fittings. With regard to the cost of the light, lie had been able to get- approximate figures. The Gas Company were prepared to take the gas mains out to Alangapapa, on condition that a guarantee was given to consume a minimum quantity for a certain number of years, A Voice: And they will cliarge you a pretty price for the gas, too. Air. Smith: No; they offer to supply it at the same price"as is charged town consumers. Air. Hoare, the manager of the Gas Company, had had a street lamp installed in the district, and it was a great convenience. It was a question whether they should go in for a loan in order to instal the electric light, or give. the. Gas Company the guarantee required. It would, however, ho better to leave tho matter'over for further consideration.