BOROUGHS AND FARMERS

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 10890, 18 July 1928, Page 5

BOROUGHS AND FARMERS

LOCAL RATING DANGEROUS GREAT AIOTOR DEV FLD PATENT. Electric Telegraph— Association WELLINGTON, Last Night. At the Counties Association luncheon this afternoon the Ho Coates and the Hon. K. S. AY. . were the guests. Air Coates dealing with progress in roads during the past twenty years said that including main highways and ordinary Government grants to County Councils and Alunicipalities the amount spent for the same puiqjoses was £5,500, and this amount had been level as far back as 1919., Taking the next eight yearn from 1919 to. 1927 the amount spent on roads in 1919 was £2.162.000.000, an increase of three and a hilf innlions per annum. The population had increased iron. 1.175,000 in 1919 to 1,438.000 in 1927, almost 22 per cent. The cost per head had increased from 37s pr, head in 1919 to £3 17s per head in 1927, so that where the population had increased 22 per cent, the increased expenditure on reads was about 100 per cent. The number of motor cars had increased from 50,000 in 1919 to 175.000 in 1927. Rating Bad increased at a great rate, an average increase of £57,500 per year for the last 28 years. For the past eight years it had approximated £423,000 a year. AVhere were we ggtting to ? As the years went on more and more authority would he delegated to local authorities. He believed an amalgamation of many Counties would help in this direction.

Referring to the Highways Act Air Coates said the measure was sound in principle. Alore economic means of transportation so far a® motors were concerned was required, and there was the question of the costs that had gradually grown upon flie land.

New Zealand had accomplished as much reading in eighty years ns some other countries had in 500 .tears, But it had also been shown that- it was possible so to rate land that it was of no further use for purposes of primary production. It was time to consider what taxation the land really could carry. A man buying land under the expectation that the rates would be only £SO might find that bis rates were in the end £l2O.

Local rating was a dangerous tiling as far as the farmers were concerned. In the case af some of the smaller boroughs, such ae Otaki. land bad been taxed so beavilv that it was of no use for farming, thou eh in reality it was only useful for farming The costs of transportation could be no longer thrown bock on tlie land.