STRATFORD COUNTY

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 21 January 1930, Page 7

STRATFORD COUNTY

AIEETTNG OF THE COUNCIL. THE AIONTH’S OPERATIONS. Alatters concerning iroads and! bridges were dealt with at the' monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council on Saturday, when there were present Councillors T. R. Anderson, (chairman'), H. C. Taylor. J. C. Best, L. Bunn. J. T. Belcher. R. Mounsey, W. H. Were T T. Afurrav, AY. Vickers and S'. Pitt. Inquiries regarding the unexpended balance' of loan money in tin? South Riding were 1 malde by Or. H. C. Taylor. It' was* found that the' information was not readily available. Tt was decided that in future a. return of Tiding and loan balances be presented to every meeting of the council, such returns to !-o for the month Previous to the month ending at the meeting. R A XGER’S REPORT. A big effort had been made this .season to cope with ragwort, the county ranger (Air S. J. Cuff) reported. Very little was showing. A little on the roadsides, in the east riding parti e-u----'iarlv. was being attended to. Blackberry was showing in places, but was net likely to be troublesome. There was some, improvement in the roadsides during the past year. Driving licenses had been issued to seven first applicants. The. total issued during the last 14 months had been 1280. which exceeded the number for the same period over the former sea-.-on by 30. Fees received wore, for dog registration £l6 10s, and lor pouri'dage £1 11s. A COUNTY BOUNDARY.

Regarding the Purangi bridge, the Inglewood County Council advised that the boundary had been settled as the centre of the Waitara River at the bridge site. The Inglewood Council was therefore anxious to decide which of the counties interested should .assume responsibility for the bridge. The chairman and the engineer undertook to' meet representatives of the Inglewood Council to discuss the ques--11,1,1' LOANS POSTPONED. The Local Government Loans Hoard advised that the applications for sanction to raise the three Ngatima.ru Riding loans of £333. £3OO and £1617 had not been fully dealt with by tlie board. Tt would appear from the. reports received, the letter continued, that the incidence of rating was inequitable, hut pending receipt of the information asked for in regard to the proposed rating areas and existing rates in such areas it lmd ! not been possible to dispose finally of the The supposed necessity of constituting three overlapping special rating areas was not. apparent, as it was considered that in the event of the proposal being financed by one loan over the whole area the variation in valuations would place, the greatest- burden on these •properties that would receive the most direct benefit.

Or. Mounsey explained, that the loan had been split into, three to ease the burden on those settlers who were furthest hack and 1 who could not afford to. hear the whole burden themselves. number of settlors would not I>enelit to anv extent by the work to bo <V,ne under the loans, but had come into the loan to help the far-back settlors who were unable to do anything without assistance in getting the loans through. Unless the three 'loans could hr. put through the scheme would collapse. as there was a. section of the ratepayers to which the one loan was not acceptable. No decision was made in the matter fur the present.. TV Public Trust Office advised that the Public Trustee was unable to moke the Mohakau special rating loan V £660.