WAITOMO COUNTY

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXIX, Issue 4731, 10 August 1935, Page 5

WAITOMO COUNTY

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Waitomo County Council was held in Te Kuiti yesterday, there being present: Mr. W. A. Lee (chairman), and Crs. G. P. Webster, G. W. Crocombe, J. Georgetti, F. H. Mills, J. N. Boddie, L. R. Jones, C. E. Roberts, also the clerk, Mr O'Brien, and the engineer, Mr. Browne. An apology was received for the absence of Cr. Neal, who is indisposed. B. B. Johnstone wrote concerning the state of the continuation of the Waipapa Road, and the matter was referred to the engineer and Cr. Boddie. An offer of £25 was made for the metalling of the Waitomo Valley Road, it being suggested that the Council should make a like donation and the road might be enabled to come under a Public Works scheme. Commenting that this was another "late" request, the chairman suggested that this matter should, with others, be gone into with the engineer in an effort to place them on the supplementary estimates. Te Marama Road. Advice was received that £4OO was in sight from the settlers for- the proposed metalling of the Te Marama Road to the Nukuhakere station. The sum of £SOO was required to lift a Government contribution of £3OOO, and it was asked that the Council find the remaining £IOO. Cr. Jones said this area had practically had no road for 25 years. Half of the station was in Paemako riding, and after a general discussion Crs. Jones, Neal and Crocombe were constituted a committee with power to act. County Boundaries and Access. The Taranaki Farmers' Union wrote regarding the request by the Mokau Branch for completion of formation on the Mokau Valley Road and the metalling of the" unformed portion from the Awakau junction down the river. Cr. Jones and the chairman commented that it would be to the settlers' interests if they approached the County direct, instead of through a Farmers' Union Branch. Cr. Jones said this road was the only outlet for the settlers on the other side of the river. The Public Works Department were putting a punt across the river. When that was in there would be more traffic than ever on the road and it would be essential that the road be metalled. The settlers served would be from Clifton County, and Cr. Jones said that when the punt was there the Waitomo County should either obtain a subsidy from the Clifton County or the boundaries should be adjusted. The chairman agreed it was hard to have to provide access and then receive .no rates to pay for it. He suggested that, as Cr. Webster also had a somewhat similar ease, the matter might be the subject of conversations in the future.

Willow Clearing.

Cr. Webster was, in conjunction with the engineer and the clerk, empowered to finalise matters with the Public Works Department in regard to willow clearing on the Mokauiti. Ma'ngawhero and Huiateko streams. The District Engineer wrote that his Department would clear the remaining two miles if the settlers or Council found £6O. Cr. Webster said that there appeared to be little doubt that the settlers would find this money. Mapara South Road. The Public Works Department asked the relative urgency of metalling l seven miles of the Mapara South Road. A letter had been received asking for a free grant of £2240. Cr. Georgetti pointed out that the matters considered most urgent had already been forwarded and it would not be fair to deprive other people of the benefits they should receive, as there appeared to be no case in which the Council could suggest a transfer of grants. Notification was received that the Highways Board was increasing the maintenance subsidy on the County boundary—Mangaohae bridge section 'of the Te Kumi, Te Anga highway to £4 to £l. The Waikato Hospital Board wrote stating that the County's contribution to the Board for .the current year was £IB3B 10s Bd, or £23 less than last year. The chairman reported that he had attended a meeting at Piako of four Council Councils who suggested converting loans, but paying special rates on somewhat the same proportion as before. However, as it happened the Waitomo County had put this same proposition up to Mr. Mitchell, of the Treasury Department, as equitable, but Mr. Mitchell turned it down with a very firm attitude. •The briefness of the report of his part of the discussion may have made it appear that he was unsympathetic to the man on the land. However, they referred to the particular position of the Piako County; it had a loan liability of £350,000, and only £25,000 would be necessary to metal all roads. His remarks were to the effect that conversion and consolidation in Piako could 'not be so inequitable as in other Counties, as practically every ratepayer would obtain a direct benefit from the £350,000. He was not out of sympathy with the man on unmetalled roads. The idea was that if annual charges were to be £9OOO a year on a converted loan, a rate of, say, l%d would provide £3OOO. This amount would be all that would be paid by those with no special rates, and the remainding £6OOO would be apportioned according to the special rating areas. This would give some relief. However, with loans such as those quoted by Cr. Jones, with 18 years to run, at the end of that period there would be no authority to continue collecting money from the special rating areas—that had been an objection raised by Mr. Mitchell.

An informal discussion on the loans conversion followed, Cr. Boddie holding that the rate should be consolidated if the loans were converted.

The chairman's action in attending the Piako conference was approved, and he was given authority to attend a further meeting in Wellington. A couple of rating matters were dealt with in committee.

Mr. R. Old was appointed surfaceman in the Mahoenui riding, Mr. D. Moir having resigned.