KAUPOKONUI.

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

KAUPOKONUI.

(from our own correspondent.)

A meeting was held at Mr. Linn's house, Eltham Road, on Thursday evening last to consider the question of merging the Waimate Road Board into the County Council. The meeting was representative of the 'district, and was attended by about a dozen settlers. Mr. Kenah was voted to tbe chair, and, after a few p; eliminary remarks, called upon Mr. Bayty, chairman of the County Council, to explain tbe object of tbe meeting.

Mr. Bayly then addressed those present, pointing our tbe advantages to be gained to ratepayers by having only one road controlling body. At present the ratepayers were keepiug up two separate financial bodies, when one would be sufficient. Settlers were keeping up a Road Board and also a County Council — paid officers both in Manaia and Hawera, when a competent foreman of works and a clerk would be capable of performing the whole of the supervising and clerical work of the district. By having a County Council alone to perform the work of tbe district, be was satisfied there would be more economy to ratepayers than had been the case in the past. He said that the road management in this district might be compared to a man who kept up an establishment beyond his income and would not retrench. The time had arrived in this district when a reform must be made. Under the present system of two separate bodies having charge of the roads, it was little better than a waste of ratepayers' money. It often happened that the foreman of works of the council, in order to inspect roads under the control of the council, traversed roads which the engineer of the road board also had occasion to U6e ; council workmen and road board workmen were often engaged only a few chains distant. As regards the extent of the duties of foreman of works of the council, if he had the whole district under his charge, he (Mr. Bayly) was informed by a gentleman of experience that the whole work could easily be performed by a competent man. Printing and advertising would be a heavy item which would be saved to ratepayers if they carried the proposal. The salary of the clerk and foreman of works of the council would not need to be greatly increased if the Road Board were merged into the County Council. The work the council had done in the past would bear inspection ; and now they were adopting concrete instead of wooden culverts, as the former would be far more durable, and the cost was a deal cheaper in the end. As regards the proposal of dividing the Hawera county, the question would have to come before the House, and he was satisfied that the Government would not give effect to such a proposal, as it would upset the county system throughout the colony. The idea was absurd, he said, that nine members could not look after a county the proportions of this one. The County Council could do the work of the district more economically and satisfactorily than had been the case in the past, but it was for settlers to show whether they would sanction the change. The Hawera Road Board had lately merged into the County Council, and the changed would soon be satisfactorily felt.

Mr. Bayly asked anyone who might wish to be enlightened on any point not thoroughly explained, to question him. — In answer to Mr. Kenah, he said there would be tour members for the Waimate road district in the council, aftev next valuation he considered there would be five ; the majority required by the Act to carry merging was three-fifths of the ratepayers ; the district would be divided into ridings, a member for each.

During a discussion which followed, Mr. Kenah stated that when he was a member of the Patea County Council, their engineer had charge of the mam roads from Stratford to Waitotara. Continuing, he said that after what he had heard that evening from Mr. Bayly of the proposal to merge road boards into the County Council, he was satisfied that it be tho best course to adopt, and have only one controlling body.

After some further discussion, Mr. A. Wright proposed, " That in the opinion of this meeting it is advisable to merge the Waimate Eoad Board into the Hawera County Council, and we believe that if this course were adopted the road work of the district would be carried out more satisfactorily and economically than it has been in the past." Seconded by Mr. L. Wright and carried ; only one dissentient.