SEVENTY-FIVE POUNDS SUBSIDY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 1 April 1927, Page 4

SEVENTY-FIVE POUNDS SUBSIDY.

(To the Editor.) . Sir, —I imagine that Air. Jno. W. Harding has been a bold man indeed in writing as much as he has written re the Fire Board and County position “without entering into a controversy’ over same. What a hungry position for the County Council to take up, controlling as it does “196 square miles,” if you please, of the world’s finest and ricking grazing area, and then squealling for the want qf valid excuses for not having the legal machinery necessary to raise £75 per year by way of a special levy on 180 householders to provide that necessary £75. A huge financial responsibility equivalent to 8s 6d per householder! And evidently that extraordinary righteous body of men, comprising the Haweia County Council, would not or could not undertake, without inflicting pains and wounds qn their supersensitive consciences, to find from the Common Fund the 1500 shillings necessary for fire protection, the price of two lieers, sir, to the 1500 ratepayers, as being something unfair, inequitable to the 88 per cent of ratepayers who apparently would receive no service from the Fire Board. Ye Gods, think of it! Oh, that we had men like this in Parliament to look after our finance's! Was a special levy necessary to put down that beautifui footpath, the only one in the county area, fronting the High School? This was an expensive job, and not nearly so important as fire service, and, apparently no special rate was required in this instance. Just imagine, sir, any Alan or Woman (note the capitals) in the whole of the county council area refusing to pay Is per head, per ratepayer, the price of two beers, sir, for a man. or a nice afternoon cup of tea for a lady, to give fire service,, to 180 of their fellow ratepayers who in turn are blistered for rates to keep up county roads, whilst practically the only roads they use are in the borough. The county ratepayers concerned have neither roads nor footpaths, with the exception mentioned previously; they merely wallow along to the borough boundaries over stones, pot-holes and on the so-called footpaths, over a greeny slimy deposit. Air. Harding assumes_ that the matter is for the board to adjust. Any fair minded man or body of men would consider" that the county councillors were the responsible and the only responsible people in the matter. Who collars our rates?—the Fire Board? What has the Fire Board got to do with the matter? They are prepared to render service to a large body of county council ratepayers for a consideration. What will the ratepayers’ “rate-gatherers” do in the matter? It is up to the council and to no one else to see the thing through without this petty unjust quibbling over a clean-cut plain issue. Fancy, the Fire Board being asked to approach county ratepayers! I suggest to the council that they authorise Mr. Harding to take the hat round to the 180 householders concerned for contributions to the “1500 Shilling Fire Board Fund.” It is a council job and not a Fire Board job. It is time that these 180 ratepayers started out to- take an interest in county affairs. At the next election of councillors it is to be hoped that this considerable body of ratepayers will return in their own interests to the council their quota of riding representatives. I am, etc.. vi. RATEPAYER.