AVON ROAD DISTRICT.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CV, Issue 12530, 18 June 1901, Page 3

AVON ROAD DISTRICT.

The annual meeting of the ratepayers erf the Avon load district was held in the Road Boafd office, Marshland, last evening, when the Chairman (Mir A. D. Morgan) .presided, and about twenty ratepayers were present. The Chairman reported that the amount spent in . metal and shingle last year, ' in excess of the amount received from the County Council, was about £I2OO. A large quantity of metal: ,so paid for was not delivered until too late to be put on the roads last winter. The Avhn district was the most expensive in Canterbury to maintain. Several main roads had to be kept in fair order, and also a large number of roads ■which were .either sand or peat, and consequently difficult to deal with. Ho thought the Board had more than its snare of bridges to maintain, /and in re-erecting new ones it again had the peat to contend with. As regarded the maintenance and re-erection of. bridges and culverts, in the future the Board could not pay for (tfhem out of its ordinary revenue, and he wished the ratepayers to seriously consider the advisableness of raising a loan for the purpose. The rates for the present year in the drainage area would be fid in the pound less than last year, excepting in the Papamui .special loan area, where a special, rate - would be struck. He understood that very, shortly the Board would be called upon to . take a poll of the ratepayers to decide whether or not in future -the Board would rate on the unimproved value system, and even, if a .poll were not taken he believed an Act would be passed next session to make this system compulsory throughout New Zealand. He would like all ratepayers to consider the effect the adoption of this Act would have in the district. The valuation list, just completed at a cost of £BO, would, in -the ordinary course of events, last three years.. If, the unimproved value system were adopted this valuation would be good for this year only, consequently two-thirds of the amount paid would be lost, ,and the cost of takinlg the poll would amount to £2O, so that this new system would be started with a considerable amount to .the bad. Should the system be adopted the result would, be that the Papanui ward (comprising partly house property and partly fanning land's), in respect of the .general rate .alone, would pay in rates £64 per annum less than af present, the Belfast ward (also partly house and. partly farming properties) would pay £46 less, the New Brighton ward £l7 less, the Styx ward £9B more, and* the Richmond ward £37 more, and, further, if the Act were adopted and the drainage arid other rates had to be levied under it (instead of only the general rate, as the Act at present stood), the saving or-loss’ to each ward, except B elfast, would be one half as much again. He wished tto say .that in spite of the leading articles ■which have recently appeared in the “ Lyttelton' Timas,” arid also in spite of the speeches made by several members of Parliament to the effect that the unimproved value rating system, is the fairest of all, and should without exception be made compulsory during the next session of Parliament, if it were adopted in the Avon district a wrong would be inflicted on a very large number of ratepayers yho were farmers (both large ‘and small), and the ones to gain would ha those owning house property for_ residential purposes only. He felt if the matter was placed fairly 'before those very ones who would be .benefited they would recognise the hardships the adoption of such a system would inflict on the farming portion of the district. As, regarded making the Act compulsory, surely the present law allowing ratepayers in each district to decide the matter for themselves, was ample,- instead of taking it for granted that there should be nd exception to the adoption of such an Act in any borough or district throughout New Zealand. With, perhaps, a very few exceptions,. no land in the district was held for speculative purposes, bulb most of-it was used for agriculture, and improved • as far as required, and he therefore failed to see why when the district required, agricultural lands, it should be rated higher, while the rates on house properties were reduced. In making these remarks, he did not wish it to be thought that he was opposed to the unimproved value rating system altogether, as he thought in many districts such a system would be beneficial, but it was nub a fair system for Avon, and He thought the system of rating on the annual value much fairer. An Act had! been passed last session fully dealing with the question of public health. So far as the Board was concerned it appeared to be still a local Board of Healtn, and expected, to carry out all the recommendations the district . Health Officer might make, besides looking after the health of the district generally. There were several difficulties In the way of administering the Act. One difficulty wasthat the Act passed in October last provided for the appointment of health officers for the different districts, but so far, the Government had not seen fit to appoint any. Another difficulty was that the Board was expected to do a great deal as regarded abating nuisances, eta, and to incur considerable expense in so doing; but the Act gave no power, to strike a rate for the purpose, consequently, whatever was spent in abating nuisances had to come out of money which was raised!, for, and should be spent on, the roads. If the Board was to continue to act as a local Board of Health as well as a Road Board, it should have power to strike a health rate. The district had been recently valued, and the total value was now £34,500, as against £29,500 for the past three years, thus showing an_increa.se in the annual value of £SOOO. This meant about £250 per annum more in rates. The old valuation having been so very low, explained in a great measure the rather large amount of. indebtedness. The Board, acting on the recommendation of the meeting of ratepayers held on May 3 last, voted £SO to the Executive Committee towards the expense of the Royal reception. A new Act was to be brought before Parliament next session, which, if passed, would materially affect the district. On reading the Act it appeared that road boards, being as much affected by it as County Councils, should have the opportunity given them (the same a® County Councils), of appointing a representative from each Board to meet and discuss the Act. He had written to the Premier suggesting this course over a month ago, but had had no reply. In thickly populated parts where the population exceeded 200, say, for instance, Papanui and Belfast, on a petition of one-fourth of the ratepayers, the County Council could declare such portion to be a borough district, and thereupon it would be taken from the control of the Board and placed under the control of' the Council, guoh Council having exactly the same powers over it as if such portion was a separately constituted borough. The balance-sheet showed receipts amounting to £2300 13s fid, and expenditure to £3548 0s 3d, leaving a debit balance of £1247 6s lid. The expenditure included public works, £2478 3s lOd. The statement of assets and liabilities showed assets amounting to £1052 17s sd, and liabilities t-> £lßl3 18s 4d, leaving a liability balance amounting to £761 0s lid. The Wards’ ac-

count showed receipts—Papanni Ward, £952 19s 7d; Belfast, £578 11s 9d; Richmond, £l6B 18s; New Brighton, £242 2s 9d, and Styx, £368 Is 3d. The abstract of amounts spent on the several roads and other works showed the total expenditure— Papanui Ward, £IOSB 3s sd; Belfast Ward, £528 11s 6d, Richmond Ward, £370 7s; New Brighton Ward, £306 Os 6d, and Styx Ward. £660 7s lOd. After considerable discussion the report and balance-sheet were adopted. ' ; The meeting resolved to recommend the Board to take onto consideration the question of raising the clerk’s salary. The usual votes of thanks having been passed, the meeting closed.