MATAU METALLING

Taranaki Daily News, 29 November 1934, Page 15

MATAU METALLING

RATEPAYERS’ MEETING HELD.

SUPPORT GIVEN PROPOSALS.

A meeting of ratepayers in the Ngatimaru riding, convened by the Stratford County Council, was held at Matau on Saturday. On the motion of Mr. R. Mounsey, Purangi, Mr. W. McCoard was voted to the chair.

Mr. G. Rawlinson, the riding member, stated that the chairman and clerk of the county council had volunteered to attend the meeting, but, as it was purely a riding matter he had to put before them, this was unnecessary. /' Mr. T. T. Murray and himself had been busy for quite a while seeing into metalling matters in connection with the expenditure of the rest of the loan money of £4OOO authorised by the riding. Of this sum the Government found £l5OO on a basis of £3 for £1 and the Unemployment Board £l2OO. The sum to be raised in the riding was £9OO. This, they all realised, was impossible. The county council was offering £5O per mile instead of the £l5O requested by the Unemployment Board, and this would probably be accepted, as had happened in other cases. Thus the six miles yet to be metalled under the scheme would mean £3OO, and this the council was prepared to advance as a loan to the riding. This loan could be repaid without raising the rates by the ratepayers agreeing to pay the Same rate as at present for the next three years. It had been intended to reduce the Is rate at present levied to lOd for the future, but if they agreed to this loan the rate struck would remain at Is.

Purangi ratepayers present said though they were in the Ngatimaru riding they belonged to the Mangaoapa metalling district, and they would agree to these conditions, providing their 2d was put in a special fund to help four of their own settlers to metal mud roads at some future date. This was agreed to. A proposal to vote the Government rebate of 12j per cent, on rates for metal was also brought forward, the council to be approached to see if the scheme would be feasible. It was pointed out that every ratepayer would need to sign an agreement. The settlers are very desirous of using metal from a pit on the Mangamaire Road, which deposit has been approved of by the Government and county surveyors. The metal is of splendid quality and in great quantity, but the sum of £3OO to £BOO would be required for bridges, etc., to get to the metal. A motion was passed at the meeting urging the county council to give the settlers their own pit instead of fetching metal in from outside. If the rebate of 12| per cent, were handed back to the county by the settlers, it was felt this pit might be opened for the money. This metalling scheme will metal all the by-roads in Matau up to a certain distance. This scheme was approved of by the settlers in 1931, and work was started in 1932 and again in 1933. The financing of the subsidy by settlers being accomplished by means of debentures. However, the debenture scheme was not favoured this year, and it was feared that the work might be stopped for want of funds. However, as the proposals of the county have been adopted it is now hoped that there will be some progress. ,