MERGING OF ROAD BOARDS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume X, Issue 1941, 29 May 1888, Page 2

MERGING OF ROAD BOARDS

OTAKEHO

(FROM A CORRESPONDENT.)

A meeting to consider the proposal to merge tbe Waimate Road Board into the County Council was held on Saturday evening.

Mr. Milne was voted to tbe chair

Mr. Gudsal moved, " That, in the opinion of this meeting, it is desirable that tbe Waimate Road Board be merged in the county."

Mr. Parsons seconded. He thought that nearly all the ratepayers were agreed that it ia time the system ot dual control of tbe roads should cease ; certainly all those -who were members of local bodies, and who thereby bad particular knowledge on the subject, were in favor of ono road controlling body. He pointed out the unsatisfactory state of things arising from tbe present necessity of tbe Road Board spending all deferred payment money coming to it on district roads, though in many cases in tbe clear interest of tbe settlers who pay these moneys they should be spent on county roads. He showed that by merging a saving would be made in salaries, office expenditure, advertising, and even maintenance. He wjuld not draw any comparison between the work done by the Road Board and County Council, but be might say he wa& satisfied tbe council was doing really #ood work. Tbe reconstruction of the Hawera- Waiugongoro Road was an excellent piece of work, and the work done on county roads in tbe bush was also first-class.

Mr. F.irsyth ro far agreed with Mr. Godsal that it was desirable that dual control 6bould cease, but be differed with him in his opinion of the direction the change should take. He was decidedly in favor of tbe Road Board. He considered thai tbe Hawera County was too large an area in which to have only one road controlling body. In large didtricts tbe tendency was to spend too much money on the main roads to the neglect of tbe district roads, and the bad bush roads were certainly entitled to their full share of the expenditure. County management might be better for those living on or near main roads, but was not likely to be popular throughout tbe district. He also objected strongly to mergincr on the ground of representation. The management of tbe Waitnate would be practically handed over to the councillors representing Ngaire and Hawera, in whose election the Waimate ratepayers bad had no voice. Ratepayers should have an opportunity of voting in tbe election of those who manage their affairs such as is afforded by the system of election for the Road Board. One thing urged by Mr. Godßal in favor of merging was tbe aavine: of expense, but be did not see where this would come in, except perhaps in advertising, where a little might be saved.

Mr. Lambie moved an amendment, That all roads in the Waimate district should be under the control of the Road Board until a separate county can be declared. He was sorry to see that the Chairman of the Council was not present, and he should have liked to have seen other staunch supporters of merging present, though he considered Mr. Godsal had put the case fairly. Mr. Godsal had spoken of the good work done by the council in the management of roads, but in his opinion the state of the main road between Otakeho and Oeo did not betoken good management. He knew that there was deferred payment money accruing, which would probably be spent after damage by water, owing to the defective state of the water-tables, had been done. He would have liked to have asked Mr. Bayly some questions, one of them being — What part of expense of Waingongoro quarry was to be charged to Waimate ? In his opinion, dual control must cease ; money is being wasted. Those living near main roads would probably favor county control. Referring to what Mr. Godsal had said as to the expenditure of district deferred payment money on county roads, he was afraid that two much of that sort of thing would be done.

Mr. Herlihy seconded. He favored Road Board control, He considered that councillors were too highly paid, whereas Road Board members gave their services ; moreover, he was certain tb.9t the council would take as much money from the bush as possible.

Mr. Dudeck said that if anyone wished really to decide for himself which body was doing the best work, he would invite him to ride up the Auroa road, where he would see the work of filling up a ditch being undertaken by the council, which ditch had been cut by the Road Board, in the centre of the road. If the Auroa road had remained under Road Board control, the settlers there would have had to go through the mud for ten years ; but the council was now doing excellent work on the road. .

Mr. Rowell thought that if merging were carried, the district roads could not be worse looked alter than they are at present.

Mr. Owen asked whether the county engineer could superintend all the roads in the case of the road boards being merged ? Mr. Godsal replied that he would

probably require assistance when works paid for out oi deferred money were being carried out.

Mr. Hills bore testimony to the excellent work done by the council on bush roads.

Mr. Lambie asked whether the balance sheet of the county had been published.

Mr. Godsal stated that the balancesheet was prepared, and would be published shortly.

Mr. Dudeck, referring to the proposed division of Waimate riding along the line of the Skeet road, said that he should be glad to know if the rates raised on the north side of Skeet road and expended on the south side, would be refunded.

Mr. Knipht asked what was the amount of the Road Board engineer's salary, and total cost ot road ? To which Mr. Godsal replied He Mr. Knight could not see that any saving would be made by merging. Salaries would have to be largely increased, aud the County Chairman would have to be paid, probably, £200 a year. Councillors would not attend to work in out-of-the-way places as well as Road Board members ; his experience as a Road Board member in the Manawatu had been that tha council was a stumbling-block to ratepayers.

Mr. Godsal gathered that Mr. Forsyth's main objection to merging was in tho matter of representation. He (Mr. Godsal) believed that Mr. Forsyth's views on this subject were theoritically correct, but not practical. He did not consider that the interests of ratepayers suffered at all under the present system. He had never known a majoricy of members representing one district to act unfairly towards a minority representing another district. What they did suffer from was the multiplicity of local bodies causing unnecessary expense. He explained in auswer to what Mr. Lambie had said respecting the state of the main road near Oeo, that in the opinion of Councillors representing this end of the district, it was not desirable to spend more money than was absolutely necessary on temporary repairs, but to keep the money intact with the view of laying several miles of broken metal in the spring. He did, however, think that the surfaceman should have been put on the road before this, and he had moved in the Council with that object. With regard to the apportionment of the cost of opening quarry at Waingongoro, that matter would probably be settled at the next meeting of the Finance Committee.

Mr. Forsyth observed that Mr. Godsal had asked whether he had ever known a member of a local body attempt to take advantage of another district He would reply, No ! not intentionally. However when the council took over the maiu roads in the Waimate riding, a corntLittee of the Road Board had fixed the amounts owing by the various roads on account of unauthorised expenditure. A large amount of the sum owing being spent on main roads. Three out of four of thp Waimate Councillors voted for the council taking over these liabilities, but the other Councilors opposed, and these debts have to be met by monies which should go to the district roads.

Mr. Dudeck complained of the state of the Road Board's books, on one occasion when he endeavored to find out what moneys were accruing to Auroa road.

Mr. Lambie referring to Mr. Godsal's remarks as to the tendency being towards larger counties, said that he was strongly opposed to anything approaching a return to provincialism. He thought that rates should be spent as near to whose they were raised as possible. No road district should be so large that it could be efficiently managed.

The Chairman said that if the amendment were carried, we should go back to the position of eighteen months ago, before the council took over ' the main ronds ; and it cost as much to keep the council going then, when it was doing no road work, as it does at present, with the exception of the engineer's salary. If the road boards merged, lie calculated that there would be a saving of i'3oo a year ; the saving beiDg principally in salaries, advertising, and office expenditure. The county could not be done away with, but would exist and levy a rate as at present. He would be glad to see Waiinate a separate couDty, but it was not practicable.

The Chairman then put the amendment, 14 voting in favor.

The original motion was then put, IS voting for it.

The amended motion was then put and carried.

CHARITABLE AID.

The Chairman then said that as there were a good many ratepayers present, if there were any other business,, it would be a good opportunity to discuss it.

Mr. Forsyth said in the matter of charitable aid, to which he had devoted considerable atttention, he thought that necessitous cases should be relieved where they occur, and that the rates levied in this district should not be taken miles away for distribution in New Plymouth.

Mr. Godsal entirely agreed with Mr. Fcrsyth, and hoped to see the work of the Charitable Aid Board handed over to the county councils and towns. The distribution of charitable aid required most careful watching.

A vote of thanks to the chair closed th« proceedings.