AN OBSTRUCTIVE MINORITY.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 72, 26 November 1887, Page 2

AN OBSTRUCTIVE MINORITY.

Nothing too strong can be said of the action of the Turanganui Road Board in opposing the wishes of the majority of the ratepayers to merge into the County. It will be remembered tha t some little time back Cr Gannon presented a petition from a majority of the ratepayers, both in number and value, praying that the Road Board be abolished, and giving as their reason that although rates were collected not one penny was being spent by the Board on roads. In mov ng that the prayer of the petition be granted Cr Gannon made some very strong remarks as to how the members of the Board had spent the rates, contending that, under the Act, the Council could not do otherwise than grant the prayer of the petition. Cr Stubbs also spoke in deprecatory terms of the uselessness of the Board, quoting figures that nothing had been spent for a long period, and that it had cost the ratepayers a considerable sum to" expend ” that nothing. The Council were unaminous in agreeing to abolish tfne Board, and took the preliminary steps to have this done,. The members of the Board of course objected to have their actions so plainly spoken of, and after the order of abolishment was confirmed, placed the matter in the hands of a solicitor, with the result that the Board have threatened to take action against the Council for alleged irregularities in connection with the matter. The Council have now decided to commence de novo, and the majority of the ratepayers will be put to considerable expense by the ac tion of the minority. One would have thought that it was the duty of the Board to carry out the wishes of the ratepayers, but it appears to be exactly the other way about. The members of the Board themselves are the smallest ratepayers in the district, yet they oppose an action which would be judicious in every sense of the work. That there is no use for a Road Board is made quite evident by the fact that not one penny of rates has been expended for the lastr two years. An Office has been built and a clerk has been appointed. The whole thing is a farce from beginning to end. The County Council, at the present time, is maintaining the main road atTologa, and the ratepayers would certainly get justice done them by the Council. Leaving this issue out of the question there is an error which the Council appear to have fallen into. The question had no right to be brought on at the last meeting. It was not on the order paper, and therefore it competent for any Councillor to object to and upset that which was done on Thursday last. It appears to us that the members of the Board are actuated by sheer “ cussedness,” otherwise they would bow to the desire of the majority of the ratepayers instead of placing every obstacle in the way of giving effect to a much desired object.