THE COLONIAL SECRETARY'S CIRCULAR.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3923, 4 June 1877, Page 2

THE COLONIAL SECRETARY'S CIRCULAR.

The following letter has been addressed to the Colonial Secretary by Mr F. Sutton, M.H.R., in reply to the circular from the former respecting a new Road Board Bill to be submitted to the Assembly in the ensuing session : — Royston, May 4. Sir, — Referring to your circular No. 22, asking for suggestions on a proposed Road Board Bill, I find considerable difficulty in replying as I would wish. The Local Elections Act, Public Works, Counties Rating, and Financial Arrangements Acts, refer in some measure to road boards, and probably some amendments will be made in these Acts during the coming session. The Highways Act, 1871, under which the road boards in this district are empowered, although not repealed by the legislation of last session, is to a great extent superseded. The Financial Arrangements Act and Rating Act, specially provide that the 31st March shall be the end of the financial year, and I think it is very advisable that the election of the new board should be held early in April in each year. The road boards in this district have been brought into operation only upon the reqiiisition of ratepayers ; this I think should be altered. In this provincial district there are several of the most thriving localities which are not under road boards, in consequence of the ratepayers not having brought the Act into operation ; these districts, although wealthy and well settled, are thereby exempted from all road board rates. The machinery for valuation and rating, already existing, will, I think, be found to work satisfactorily, with a few minor alterations. Some amendment will have to be made in the notices of objections to valuations, &c. ; as the law at present stands it is sufficient for the objector to state that he had posted a notice to the local body. The necessity for an alteration was made very apparent at the sitting of the Assessment Court for this distinct ; an objection had been made against the validity of the whole valuations and no notice had been received; it might have happened that the whole jwoceedings for the year might have been upset in consequence of the local body not being prepared to meet such an objection. Another alteration that suggests itself to me is in that portion of the Rating Act (clause 9) referring to properties held on leases under six months. I think that although the owner of the property might be liable, it would be better if the local board claimed from the occupier in every instance ; he, of course, if legally entitled to do so, could deduct the amount from his rent. I see no necessity for the information in the Bth column of the second schedule, and in many cases it is very difficult to obtain reliable information on those points, and I think that portion can be well omitted. I should suggest that if the Acts of last session are amended it would be well to expunge therefrom all reference to road boards, and that the new Bill should be complete in itself, giving the powers, rights, duties, &c. , in one Bill, as 1 think that would be very much better than having several Acts affecting road boards. Road boards should in my opinion be the active local government, and I would suggest that if any alteration is made in the principle of the Counties Act, it would be better to do away with the present f ormation of county councils. In this provincial district I think that although it will be necessary to have counties as well as road boards, it would be better if the chairman of the road board were by virtue of his office a member of the county council. The road boards should be the active power, with county councils merely skeleton forms of government, holding meetings as occasion might require for purposes of general interest in the district and the direction of such works as road boards could not undertake. A power ought to be vested in road boards giving them control over ai'tesian wells ; a great inconvenience to drainage is experienced from certain wells being permitted to run faster than is required, the surplus water thereby interfering ■with the proper drainage. There should, I think, be some power vested in the county for alteration of road board boundaries. — I have,&c, F. Sutton, Chairman Clive Road Board. Hon. Colonial Secretary, Wellington.