Taranaki Herald. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1910. FITZROY'S ATTITUDE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 14324, 29 September 1910, Page 2

Taranaki Herald. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1910. FITZROY'S ATTITUDE.

If the voting on Mr. Foote’s resolution at last night’s meeting at Fitzroy could be taken as an accurate guide to public opinion in the district on the question of amalgamation with New Plymouth, it would seem almost a waste of time to proceed any further in the matter. We do not believe, however, that it does represent public opinion. Further, we believe that much of the opposition to amalgamation is based on a misunderstanding of the conditions under. which the Fitzroy ratepayers would join the borough. It has been so instilled into the minds of some of the ratepayers that if they join the borough they will become responsible for a share of the borough’s indebtedness that there were, we fear, some who, even after the emphatic contradiction given; by the Mayor, still could not rid themselves of the suspicion that by some means or other they would become liable. There is, we repeat, no power by which Fitzroy ratepayers, or any other suburban ratepayers, who choose to merge into the borough, can he made liable for the existing borough debt or for the special rate levied to meet interest upon it. Twelve years hence the greater portion of the present debt will have to be renewed, and it is impossible to say what the Borough Council of that day may do; we do not know if it is possible to hind it to any particular course of action so far ahead., Really, however, it is a matter of small importance. If Fitzroy does not merge into the borough now it certainly will before many years have passed, and when the time for renewal of loans conies the whole question will have to be considered.. Fitzroy may at that time have as heavy a proportionate indebtedness as New Plymouth, possibly a heavier. To-day it has no debt, but it is proposed to borrow £SOOO at once, and before twelve years have expired - there may be another loan on the top of that. ; It is, however, a long way to look ahead, and present ratepayers, by joining the borough at price, will have saved a substantial sum in the twelve years to provide for any contingency. There seems to be a fear on the part of some Fitzroy residents that the borough’s general rate, may/be largely increased. Here, again it is impossible to commit future Councils, but there is no immediate prospect of any increase. There has been no increase since 1901, and recently the Council has spent out of revenue a total of £3625 on new works and nonrecurring items, so that it is only reasonable to suppose that the present rates will suffice for the future. At any rate the borough ratepayers must he given credit for more sense than to submit to a heavy increase in their rates just for the purpose of . getting more from their new partners. Fitzroy is already rated up to the hilt, as the clerk to the Town Board admitted last night. The

same gentleman, who, by the way, as a paid official, would have shown better taste had he confined his remarks, to facts, without partisan comments, ridiculed the idea that the Borough Council would supply Fitzroy people with water for a sixpenny rate if they joined the borough. That, however, is one of the things that the Mayor says the Borough Council will do. As for Mr. Foote’s charge, against the Council as being a set of Shylocka for exacting a charge of Is 4d in the £, we can only say that no outside ratepayer need take the water, and it must be assumed that those who do take it are getting a better and. cheaper supply than they could otherwise obtain. At any rate it is rather ungracious to make such a remark, when the Borough Council give Fitzroy free use of the water for fire purposes. If that were cut off Fitzroy would feel its loss keenly. On the question of road maintenance there is room for honest difference of opinion. There may be ground for the claim that Fitzroy’s streets and footpaths are better than those in the borough, yet Fitzroy is finding it necessary to go in for a loan to form and metal its streets. The Clemow Road is scarcely a fair, example. It, has had extraordinary traffic on it, and it is an outlying street ,not in the borough, though under the Council’s control. • The question to be considered is whether Fitzroy, as a separate, ward of the borough, with its own representatives, and with the help of the borough plant and organisation, is likely, to be as well served as Fitzroy under an independent Town Board. It would, we think, be the fault of the Fitzroy representatives on the Borough Council if there was not at least as good and economical administration of their money. Although we are sanguiue enough to believe that electric tramways would not cost the borough anything after the first year or two, yet it is an undeniable fact that the scheme is .in danger of defeat within the borough .unless the Fitzroy ratepayers come in, and that is a point to he seriously considered. We hope, however, that when the case put forward by Mr. Tisch last night is fully thought over there will be no difficulty in obtaining a majority .in favour of amalgamation.