COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

Northland Age, Volume 2, Issue 4, 28 January 1930, Page 6

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

CR. WKATIfALL’S MOTION (Continued from Page 3 ) Cr, Berghan : “Then these are the 1927 figures ?” Cr. Wrathall: “I think so.” Cr. Berghan : “We don’t want to think—you ought to know. It’s no good going on rambling—.” Cr. Wrathall: “I’m not rambling.” Cr. Berghan: “Well, lam.” Cr. Wrathall then gave the following salaries paid by the same counties for the same year: — Mangonu', £[2oo ; Whangaroa, £455; Hokianga, £1252 ; Bay of Islands, £5563 Whangarei, £837; Hobson, £1615; Otamatea, £1518; Rodney, £1386. The amounts spent on roads and bridges were as follows Mangonu', £12,575 ; Whangaroa, £6600; Hokianga, £32,749; Bay of Islands, £23,898; Whangarei, £42,841 ; Hobson, £23,430 ; Otamatea, £27,559; Rodney, £23,430. The total expenditures of the Mangonui and Bay counties on roads and bridges were Mangonui, £12,000; Bay . of Islands, £23,898. The following were the totals of metalled and unmetalled roads, and total length of bridges over 20ft. long, in the two counties : Metalled Unmet- Brid-

Roads ailed ges Mangonui 90m. 146 m. 845 ft. Bay 150 m. 545 m. 2227 ft. “I complain that a certain area in this county is too heavily pledged,” stated Cr, Wrathall. Cr. Berghan : “Do you mean the Western special area ?” Cr. W’rathall: “Yes. Ido.”

Cr. Berghan : “Well, get right down to tin tacks and say what you mean.”

“The county’s loan liability,” Cr. Wrathall continued, “was £15,930 owing to the State Advances Office, and £70,130 on debentures and stock. The accrued sinking fund was £5586, leaving a net indebtedness on debentures and stock of £64,543; and the total indebtedeess at March 31, 1927, was £80473- The ''total amount charged annually to debenture, stock and State Advances was £5,586, equivalent to a 10.4 per cen*. impost on the rateable capital value. Ti e amount received from special and separate rates was £4,136 per year. “In interest and sinking fund we pay out of the consolidated revenue of the county £5,586, so we have to draw on revenue to meet the d fference of £[,450,” said Cr. Wrathall. “Tnis is drawn from revenue, and I can find no trace of reimbursement each year, showing that the balance is paid by the whole of the ratepayers outside the*area benefited by the expenditure. And just imagine that that is going to occur tor 30 odd years.” Cr. Matthews : “Do you mean to say the rates struck for Uiese special loans are not sufficient ?” Cr, Wrathall : “I mean to say this: The rates collected- are short of the amount as it becomes due.” He repeated he could find no trace of_ any reimbursement. The total receipts of the county from all sources were £23,891, and the expenditure on roads and bridges £( (,383. Cr. Berghan : “What has become ot the balance ?”

Cr. Wrathall: “That is what we are here to find out.” The balance to a large extent comprised statutory and miscellaneous charges. More Statistics.

The square mileage of Mangonui county, Cr. Wrathall stated, was 960, while that of the Bay of Islands county was 830. He proceeded to quote other comparisons for the year 1927 as follows :

Bay Mangonui. of Islam* Popu'ation 6,720 7,550 Roll Assessments 2,117 3,384

Gross Cap. Value 1,505,720 1,745,723 Unimproved Val. 970/216 970,216 R’ble Cap. Val. 1,360,289 1,932,175

When he made his proposal for readjustment or reorganisation, Cr. Wrathall stated, he wanted councillors to compare minutely the figures relating to the

Mangonui and Bay counties. Again reviewing the figures, he stated the matter called for the council’s most earnest consideration.

“I don’t think that councillors as a whole have gone into the matter sufficiently to be able to draw a definite conclusion as to the true position,” he said. “1 am prepared to say the suggestion I will make is tn the best interests of the county as a whole, and is one which I sincerely hope will be considered bv councillors, not only around this table, but around every council table in the Dominion, to be a. move in the right direction. Cr. Matthews: “I would like to question the statement that it cost only £566 to administer the Bay of Islands expenditure. I would like you to give proof if you have it.” Cr. Wrathall replied that the figures had all been before the Audit Department and were ab--soUitely correct. Considerable discussion then centred round a comparison of the figures presented by Cr. Wrathall and a more recent table of statistics handed to councillors by the county clerk, the chairman pointing out that the latter figures were more up-to-date. They showed the difference between the salaries paid by the Mangonui and Hokianga counties for that year was £2O while the Bay of Inlands county’s administration figures was per cent. On the strength of these figures Cr. Matthews contended that in the year to which Cr. Wrathall’s statistics related there must have been something abnormal affecting the Bay percentage. “This might not be a popular move with some councillors,” stated Cr. Wrathall, “but I assure you it is a Dominion move to endeavour to enlarge counties. There is a move in the direction of merging counties and so overcoming to a very large extent

hiW ''verhend costs

‘ ih.re should be one county embracing the north arm of the Hokianga river shooting across from Whangaroa and embracing the whole Whangaroa territory,” he continued. “The time has come when a commission should be set up for the purpose of going earnestly into the question of enlarging counties so that the engineering problems could be dealt with by one engineer controlling 3 counties, instead of the present system of 3 engineers with different opinions and no common roading policy.” He thought that there should be two instead of 6 counties in the North, with 2 engineers, 2 clerks and the necessary foremen. Councillors might state such counties would be too unwieldy, but he cited the fact that in connection with Public Works expenditure, Mr. H. H. Thompson controlled the expenditure of up to £70,000 and £BO,OOO a year, having for 21 years done more than the combined work of the engineers of any two of the counties.

“I favour combining the two counties of Whangaroa and Mangonui,” said Cr. Wrathall. “We could then have one engineer and one clerk. If there is no chance of doing that, then the merging of the two departments is in my opinion the alternative.” There were no great engineering problem left in this county, the problems now being purely maintenance; and while two clerks might have been necessary during loan expenditure, he could not see that they were necessary to-day. He suggested councillors should seriously consider the question of having a Royal Commission set up to determine the merits of merging the two counties, “Why Not The Whole Electorate.” Cr. Matthews: “Why not, in

merging the counties, go t! c whole distance and make o e county of the whole electorate ■ Cr.‘ Wrathall: “I am ve: y pleased indeed to hear that su gestion. No better proposal has ever come from a public man The Bay territory would be the 1 best one to consider if a Royal Commission were set up. Ihe.e would be one or two problems to face but the engineering problems led the same way. Southland county comprised five million acres, and its administration costs were under I per cent, and its rates were the smallest in N.Z. Whangaroa, he c msidered, hid no righfto be considered a county On account of its small size. He suggested the advisability of approaching the counties within the electorate and ascertaining their views on the question of all being absorbed into one county and, if they were favourable, approaching the Government with a view to forming a great Northland county. „ The balance of the discussion ■* centred round the proposed merger of counties, Cr. Wrathall voicing very strong support. s Councillors complained that Cr. Wrathall had shed no light on 4 any single weakness in the administration, and that they were no wiser than before the debate had been opened, but the opinion was freely expressed that Cr. Wrathall deserved the Council’s thanks for bringing the matPr forward. Proposed by Cr. Berghan and seconded [by Cr. Holder, the following motion was carried: “That this council, after fully considering Cr. Wrathall’s motion is satisfied that the administrative costs of the Mangonui county compare favourably with other counties in the North.” Cr, Wrathall was the only one to vote * against the motion, and, calling for a division he asked that his vote be recorded.