SEATOUN.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 5374, 6 September 1904, Page 5

SEATOUN.

THE PBOPO3ED BOBOUGH. Tho petition that Soatouu road district should bo constituted a borough has been sent to the Government, and the following letter from tho Board, iu support of it, signed by tho chairman (Air F. Townsend), lias been addressed to tho Colonial Secretary:— With reference to the petition of tho Seatoun road district ratepayers to have the road district constituted a borough, I have tho honour to draw your attention to the present unsatisfactory position of our road . district, arising from the fact that our district lies within tho boundaries of the Hutt County. 1. The Seatoun road district does not contain within its boundaries any road which is a county road within tho meaning of tho Counties Act. 2. During tho past nine years no money out of the rates collected by the Hutt county from our district has been expended on our roads, and, with tho exception of tho payment of onr charitable aid rate, we have derived no benefit from the county funds.

3. Tlie rate of one penny in the £l, struck over our district by tho county for tho present year, appears to us to bo most exoifntant and unjust. 4. Tile following table shows tho amount of rates collected yearly by the Hutt County from our district during the past nine years, and demonstrates in a striking manner that tho amount of tho rate struck this year is out of all proportion to that considered adequate iu former years;—

5. Tho fact that the Hutt county reosives a subsidy from tho Government of 5a in tho £1 on tho amount collected iu onr district increases the disparity between tho rate levied last year and that levied this year.

Year. Bate in Jil. Amount of Hate, 1895-1SG6 ■id 1S96-18S7 id 113 1897-1888 id 115 1893-1899 id US 1899-1930 id 148 1900-1901 id 1.31 1901-1902 id 133 1902-1903 id ... 4.U 1903-1901- ... -Id 460 . 1801-1905 id 1316