MAIN ROAD PROPOSAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIV, Issue 5962, 20 July 1912, Page 4

MAIN ROAD PROPOSAL.

A special meeting of the Tuapeka County Council was held on Friday ]2th inst. for the purpose of considering notice of motion by Cr. Bennetts to declare the road from Bruce County boundary to Vincent County boundary a main road within the meaning of subsection cof section 128 of "Tbe Counties Act, 1908." The clerk read the sections of the Act dealing With main roads and ,>pl;un ed the Council's position in the event of the motion being carried. A motion passed at. a meeting of Tapanui and Crookston Ridings protesting against the proposal was read as also was one in favour of the proposal carried at a meeting of Teviot Eiding ratepayers. Cr. Bennetts formally moved the motion of which he had given notice, viz. :—" That the road from Hrure County boundary to Vincent County boundary lie and is hereby declared a main road." Cr. Mclncrney seconded the motion.

Or. Stewart hoped the motion would not be passed. Ii it was it would do an injustice to the greater part of the County. Some of the members at this end did not realise that in the event of the motion being carried their position would 1 c very much worse than at present. In tne first place, if the motion' were carried a considerable sum would have to be allocated for the upkeep of this road and when to this was added their contributions to general' expenses and hospital and charitable aid there would be little left for riding requirements ; and it might mean that some of the poorer ridings would not be able to keep their surfacemen. Instead of taking some of the burdens of! their backs it wruld rather increase them. In the second place, an injustice would bo done to the Tapanui and Crookston ridings in that Swing more highly valued for rating purposes they would be asked to pay the bulk of the jnonev reiniired for this road in which they were not interested; which they never used; and which many of them had never seen. To carry the motion would not be in the interests of Tuapeka County as it would tend to create dissatisfaction and set up disintegration. Ii the motion was carried ho warned (lie Council that stops would immediately be taken for severence. He moved as an amendment :—" That in view of the probability of a ivw Local Government Bill being brought forward this session this matter be deferred in the meantime" Cr. Woods seconded the amendment.

Cr. Simpson did not agree with the conclusions of Cr. Stewart. lie thought the motion was in the right direction and if carried would distribute the burden of maintaining the main road over all the ridings. lb had always contended that in County matters the more favoured localities should assist those less fcrtunately circumstanced. Gabriels Riding had n very small revenue and a grot immy bye-roads to maintain, and he did not see why the whole cost oi maintaining the main road should fall on'.y on those ridings through which it passed. Cr. Bennetts, speakirg to his motion, said he considered the arguments of Cr. Stewart absolutely weak. The motion did not mean the setting up of new conditions for up to within a year ago tho Council had worked on the assumption that this road was a main road a'"' and money spent on its up-peep had been a charge upon the General Fund, and the result had not been tho impoverishment of the Tapanni and Crookston ridings. These districts were more highly favoured as regards railway facilities than the other outlying districts, and troin a taxation point of view, despite the high rateable value of their lands, in a better position. The ratepayers in Benger Riding were also paving rates on high assessments in addition to which it cost them up to 30s a ton for every ton of produce put on' the railway. Again in the early days ot the County when the goldftelds revenue was high the ridings at this end did not grudge assistance tr the Tapanui and Crookston Ridings, and it was only fair that they should nrw reciprocate. It was impossible to have an ideal County ; they must take the rough with the smooth, and it was only right and just that those parts more highly favoured should assist the less favoured portions.

Cr. Rese favoured the amendment, and thought thev would not be prejudiced by waiting to sec whether a new Local Government Bill was being brought forward. Cr. Mclnerney said he was not particularly anxious to have the road declared a main road, but swing the Chairman's disposition to over-ride the resolutions of th o Council they

should do something to bring this matter to a finality. The Chairman: Only when the motion passed is illegal do I consider it my duty to refuse to have it carried out.

Cr. Simpson thought the time had como when this parochial business should be a thing 0 f the past ; that they should be in a positir n to vote monies where it was most required. Cr. McDonald said ho did not like this cptch-as-catch-can system. It seemed to hinv that some of the Councillors came here to tell the others what they should do with their own money.

The Chairman said lie supported the amendment, and if the mumbers had followed the proceedings of the late Counties Conference and recent legislation they could not have failed to see that the trend was in favour of tho classification of counties with subsidies varying from 5s to 15s, and he was satisfied that before very ion:they would have fresh legislation under which many of tho difficulties at present facing them would disappear. He pointed out that from the boundary of the County at Waitahuna to Big Hill this road which they desired to have declared a main road ran alongside a railway, a ud the proposal that this portion should be declared a main road was, in his opinion, -quite indefensible. It' the ridings abutting on this road had in the first place submitted to a special rate for the maintenance of that road then, in the event oi their not being able to adequately maintain it, ho would consider they had a fair claim on :tho remainder of the County for assistance. At the extreme end the whole of the traffic oi Benger and Teviot Riaings was served by the main road, and if the bulk of their revenue was spent on it it was being spent in tho best interests oi their ratepayers. On the other hand tho Tapanui and Crookston Ridings outside tho main road had practically nothing in the shape o> gra veiled roads and their by-roads were in so bad a condition that d ■■'.-..- [a^i three months chad had to be railed from Gore, Invercargill, iU ul to feed their animals. The proposal was not an equitable one inasmuch as it would mean taxinu ilk: ratepayers of the Tapanui and C .-.•).-; : ton Ridings/ for a road thev never sec or use.

On the amendment being put to the meeting it wa s supported by (Vs. Stewart, Cotton, Woods, Rose, : .iul the Chairman, and opposed by C'rs. Simpson, McDonald, Dennetts' and Mcluerney.