INGLEWOOD COUNTY

Taranaki Daily News, 5 June 1935, Page 2

INGLEWOOD COUNTY

ESTIMATES DISCUSSED SLIGHT INCREASE IN THE RATE. MAINTAINING ROAD STANDARD. “It is our first duty to levy a rate sufficient to maintain the roads and our second duty is to do so as economically as possible,” remarked Cr. A. Corkill, chairman of the Inglewood County Council, during a lengthy discussion on the question of levying the rate for the ensuing year yesterday, when it was decided to make slight increases in the general rate. The rate was fixed as follows, with last year’s figures in parentheses: North, 2Jd south, 2|d (3), east, 3ld (3Jd); west, 2Jd (21d). The treasurer (Mr. H. W. Martin) submitted very comprehensive and detailed estimates, the main groupings of which were:—

ROAD EXPENDITURE. The summary of the estimated, road expenditure was: Main roads maintenance £3520, special work £1129, total £4649; less main highways subsidy £3310, leaving .the net cost £1339. Riding roads maintenance £3706, special work £705, total £4411, making a total to the council of £5750, against £4613 the previous year when the expenditure on riding roads was £3182, The treasurer estimated that the rates required were £9BlB, of which the North riding would contribute £2321, South £3348, East £991 and the West £3158. That took into consideration the amount Over-spent as follows: North £455, South £2BB, East £lO5. It was suggested that £8153 should be levied, representing North £1755, South £2838, West £2912, all at 3d in the £ and East £648 at 3%d. Last year’s levies were North £1491, South £2391, West £2427, all at 2%in the £, and East £561 at 3Y«d in the £. The treasurer stated that the general account was practically the same as last year but there was an additional £llOO for riding expenditure. Cr. Jones: There was £l3OO provided for new equipment. The engineer said it was his duty to bring that matter before the council. Thereafter it was the responsibility of the council. Although these repairs were carried out economically there •'came a time when it was uneconomic to continue to repair. If anything happened it could not be said that he had not reported. The chairman said he did not consider the car should require renewal after two and a-half years. The engineer said it had done 40,600 miles. The chairman considered that the items of plant, except the workshop equipment, should be deferred for the present. The clerk: If the grader does crack up no provision will have been made for it. ‘

Cr. Jones: If it does crack-up you will have plenty of shovels and plenty of men to handle them. The chairman: It means an increased rate all round of a halfpenny and I don’t know how the ratepayers will take that, especially when you are asking for new plant. The engineer said it was all a matter of what standard of road maintenance they wanted. Every economy had been practised. During the last three years owing to the reduction in the rate £9OOO less had been expended on the roads. He would like the council to define some policy so that they could get down to a basis. The clerk said the increase was due to the £llOO additional in the ridings as well as the new' plant. An additional halfpenny rate would bring in £l3OO. Cr. Jones: Then all the increase would be eaten up in the cost of new machinery and there would be no money left to increase the road allocation. INSPECTION OF ROADS. The chairman: We have power to levy rates to maintain the roads. That was our first job. We had been over some of the roads and there was no question but that they were not being maintained up to the previous standard. The fact that Mr. Judd asked for extra expenditure was an admission of that. The engineer: I make no bones about that. With the reduction in rates it has not been possible to keep them up. Cr. Hunter said he did not see why the North riding rate should increase, particularly as it had been relieved of the upkeep of three and a-half miles of Bristol Road. He said that if the watertables had been attended to the flood would not have done so much damgae to the metal. Cr. Stachurski said Bristol Road would require strengthening as the foundation was becoming very weak. It would require more than grading and patching. Cr. Gibson asked whether the engineer admitted that the roads to-day were not up to the standard of three years ago. The engineer said that with the reduction in rates it had not been possible to d 6 the necessary strengthening and watertabling. Cr. Stuart said the roads in the county compared favourably with those of other counties. Recognising the hard times the

ratepayers were experiencing the council had kept the rates as low as possible, and the roads had been kept in good order. The floods had been responsible for considerable surface damage to some of the roads, while the necessity for all the available men being concentrated on flood damage repairs had' perhaps resulted in some of the other roads not getting the attention they otherwise would have received and that would be reflected in the surface. Until the prices of primary produce were higher the council could manage quite well on the same rate as previously. Apart from any plant renewals the roads could be kept in good order as previously at the same rate. ’ The chairman said most of the councillors had been over the roads for about 160 miles and should be able to judge of their condition. Cr. Willans: We could not judge of their condition by- driving over them. We did not put a pick into them. Cr. Jones: You must agree that a lot of expenditure has to be faced to open up the watertables, which have been neglected since the grader has been in use. Cr. Willans: I certainly agree with you there. The chairman said that during his term as chairman the council had scarified, rolled and top-dressed 200 miles of road. They recognised that it was necessary to keep a running coat on the roads and had adopted a policy of top-dress-ing one-third of the county roads each year with one and a-half miles of metal. It had been found by test that waterbound macadam roads wore out to the extent of half an inch a year, so that one and a-half inches would allow them to go over the whole county once in every three years. He submitted that that policy must be continued if they wanted to save the foundations of the roads. The present state of the roads showed that it had not been carried out by the previous council. Cr. Gibson said the policy of putting on so much surfacing each year had been maintained. He did not know whether one-third had been done each year. This year, however, they had been faced with the problem that the flood damage had removed the Surfacing. The chairman: We have yet the heavy Winter rains to face. The clerk said that last year 19,000 yards of metal, screenings and clay had been carted on to the roads, and this year 15,000 yards. The chairman: The last year I was chairman 21,000 yards of top-dressing alone was carted. Cr. Stachurski: Some of the roads have not been touched for three years. Cr. Corkill said he thought the plant would have to be cut out. It was a pity but the ratepayers were not in a position to stand it. Cr. Jones said the ratepayers could not stand an increase in rates. He would not support an increase of a halfpenny. It would be better to “put the whip on some of the men and get better value for the expenditure.” Cr. Willans said he understood that a 3d rate would meet the cost of repairing the flood damage in the South riding. The clerk said that was so. Cr. Jones then agreed that it would be preferable to pay an extra halfpenny rate rather than raise a loan to cover the cost of flood damage. Replying to Cr. Grieve the engineer stated that two or three bridges in the South riding were unsafe. The clerk said the council’s share of the cost of the bridges in that riding would be £2lO. There would also be £3662 to be found for flood damage throughout the county, either by way of rate or loan. The engineer said he could not understand why the Public Works Department had cut out of consideration the £994 for replacing concrete culverts. In addition the engineer pointed out that there were about 18 Public Works estimates items to be considered in framing the estimates.

The chairman pointed out that the Otaraoa Road bridge could be cut out for this year, if necessary, as the road could be closed and traffic could utilise Autawa Road, which was the other side of the triangle. LOAN MONEY REQUIRED. Cr. Stuart said some of the flood damage would have to be repaired out of loan money, and the amount necessary would not be known until after the interview with the Minister. Some urgent works would have to be done from revenue, which would have to be provided for by rates. The council discussed the various urgent bridge works, which were finally decided upon as follows: Hursthouse Road, Sutton’s Bridge, Bedford Road, south of Norfolk (Dombroski’s), Waitepuke No. 1 and No. 2 and-Derby Road (Waitepahi). Cr. Jones said it was of no use renewing the bridge over the Waiwakaiho on Alfred Road as the river would probably change its course next flood. They should wait until the river had changed its course. Cr. Jones said that seeing flood damage was included in the riding he would move that the South riding rate be increased by a halfpenny. Cr. Grigg seconded and the motion was carried. Cr. Hunter moved that the North riding rate remain as at present, 2%d. Hhe considered that the riding was in a better .position than ever. The clerk pointed out that tire riding had an overdraft of £455. There was no seconder to the motion and Cr.. Stachurski moved that there be an increase of one farthing in the North riding. Cr. Jones seconded and the motion was .carried. Cr. Grieve pointed out that the East riding had improved its financial position to the extent of over £lOO each year and by deferring the construction of bridges he thought they could manage without an increase in rate. Cr. Grieve: I will agree to only a farthing rise. He moved accordingly. The chairman seconded the motion, which was carried. Flood damage was to some extent wrapped up with the West riding rate, it was considered by councillors, though it was recognised that an extra rate would be required. The chairman moved that for one year the rate be increased by a farthing. The matter could then be reconsidered, he said. Cr. Gibson seconded and the motion was carried. The chairman said he was afraid of the special rate that would be necessary to renew the bridges in the West riding or he would have moved for a still higher rate. The hospital and harbour rates were struck on the same basis as last year. The clerk stated that new valuations had been comparatively few in the county. He had been pressing for a revaluation over- the whole county and it was probable that would be done next year. For One year it would be hardly worth while going to the expense of altering the basis of valuation to 75 per cent., partciularly in view of the fact that the loan conversion had to be completed before the end of the year. Tire council decided not to. aider the basis of rating. The council authorised the engineer to go into the question of procuring an air compressor drill.

General Accounts Receipts. 1935-36 1934-35 Licensing Esti- Estimate. mate. Expenditure. £ s. d. £ 833 152 £ 860 161 905 2 176 17 9 4 Commission harbour rate 9a 95 106 7 0 Interest on plant investment .... 194 — 193 18 0 Plant working account 300 — —— Rates subsidy .'... 800 1000 712 10 0 Total £2374 £2116 £2094 15 1 Payments on General Account. Salaries 1043 1043 1043 0 0 Travelling expen85 85 75 19 5 Chairman’s honorarium 84 84 83 6 8 Running expenses of car 155 80 155 0 0 Depreciation ... 81 — 80 10 0 55 35 17 0 11 Audit 50 35 54 0 0 Office expenses .. 310 249 321 5 6 Unauthorised .... 58 45 40 8 7 Interest on overdraft • 200 200 159 9 5 Workers’ insur80 75 124 0 0 Unemployment Committee 22 46 51 8 1 Miscellaneous ... 303 256 314 9 7 Plant exes, not allocated to job 102 60 80 14 7 Buildings upkeep 119 129 123 11 6 Interest 1591 1598 1589 15 9 Principal repayments 675 683 674 2 0 Main highways, less subsidies .. 1339 1519 1117 8 10 Other main roads 240 320 313 19 2 Contingencies .... 500 — — Totals ........ £7092 £7042 £6420 6 1 That did not allow for an expenditure of £2800 for resurfacing Junction Road west. , Details of riding road expenditure were:— North Riding .... £842 £635 £677 South Riding .... 1410 980 1008 East Riding ...... 584 355 228 West Riding .... 1575 1275 1269 Totals £4411 £3182 £3245