HANGATIKI TO CAVES ROAD.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XII, Issue 1219, 3 June 1919, Page 5

HANGATIKI TO CAVES ROAD.

The Editor. Sir, —I gather from your recent report of the Waitomo County Council's meeting, and remarks of councillor* at the opening of the Caves post ofßc?, that the ratepayers are to he aaked to foot the bill for another JS2OGO, to improve the road between Hangatiki •tation and the Caves hostel. The Minister's offer to the counei] was described as • a 'chuck in* by the chairman and Cr Lee. Bat it was not explained why the ratepayers should rate themselves to make a tourist road, while many of them ■re still miles from metal. The present road is quite good enough from & fariring point of view, and with a proper system of repairing wil last for years. In my opinion, and the opinion of many other ratepayers, none of tts should be asked to alliw ourselves to be ratedl for any re-metalling schemes until each ratepayer has a metalled road reasonably near to his land. We also think that native-owned land should be placed on the same footing a* land owned by Europeans. At present there is no law to compel any native owner or occupier to pay one penny special or ordfnary rat**, so lone as be doea not deal with hi* land. Yet be has the right to vote on anv proposal for which the Europeans must pay. I would like the council to prove this statement wrong, and furnish a list of unpaid native special rate* in the special rating districts interested in the proposal. Under the existing system, I betievw the cooncii strikes a sufficiently high rate over the European occupied land in the special rating area to pay the wbole of the rate, leaving it to the option of the native to please himself whether he pay*. If these assertions are correct. 1 would suggest to the council to start at once and remedy these wrongs, and not worry about giving the tourists a road at the ratepayers* expense.—l am, etc., WAYBACK RATEPAYER.