DRAINAGE AT TE RAPA

Waikato Times, Volume 132, Issue 22149, 22 September 1943, Page 7

DRAINAGE AT TE RAPA

FIGURES QUESTIONED ; “I notice in your issue of yesterday ; a letter from Mr W. H. Thompson reI garding the Te Rapa Drainage I Board.” writes Mr F. J. Farrell, a ! member of the board. “It is Mr : Thompson’s concluding paragraph that j amazes me the most. He states that ■ if I had attended the meeting of ratet payers I would have heard him emj phasising the comparison of the adj ministration costs of the Drainage ! Board of 46 per cent against the county’s at 4 per cent, j “These figures are so fantastic and : so far from the correct position as to warrant our asking Mr Thompson j how he arrived at 46 per cent, when j the actual figures of today are slight|ly under 10 per cent. It seems to me j a form of financial wizardry which !is possessed by only Mr Thompson ! himself. j ‘‘Perhaps Mr Thompson is includ- | ing the whole cost of the Drainage i Board and maintenance work. If so | this will always be charged on the ratepayers whoever does the job. I appeal to ratepayers not to let their affairs go out of their own hands.” RATEPAYERS’ ATTITUDE ‘‘My attention has been drawn to a statement by Mr F. J. Farrell regarding the meeting of ratepayers held in Nawton Hall,’’ writes Mr L. A. Faville, honorary secretary of the Whatawhata Drainage Ratepayers’ Association. “That meeting was called by the Whatawhata Drainage Ratepayers’ Association and an invitation was extended to all ratepayers, including members of the board, to attend. Three members of the board did attend. The officials of the Waipa County Council were present at our invitation also, and as we are all ratepayers of the County Council we did not think it necessary to ask either the board’s or Mr Farrell’s permission. “There is widespread dissatisfaction throughout the board’s area with the administration of the board, and this was expressed at the meeting, when those present, numbering over 100, passed a unanimous resolution that a petition be circulated asking the County Council to take over the area. “I would remind Mr Farrell that the board was asked on two occasions by Mr Thompson, the member for the Whatawhata division, to call a meeting of all ratepayers; it was as a result of their unwillingness to meet the ratepayers that our action was taken. May I remind Mr Farrell of the old saying that ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune.’ In this case the ratepayers are paying and have shown their determination to do the calling also.” ATTITUDE OF COUNTY COUNCIL Reference of the decision at a meeting of ratepayers in the Te Rapa Drainage Board's area to circulate a petition in favour of asking the Waipa County Council to take over control of the area was made at yesterday’s meeting of the County Council. The chairman, Mr S. C. 3. Macky, said he and the riding member, Mr F. L. Onion had attended the meeting at the invitation of Mr W. H. Thompson, a member of the board. Mr Macky said he felt that the criticism levelled at him in the Waikato Times by Mr F. J. Farrell, chairman of the Drainage Board, was unfair. He had made it clear to the meeting, comprising 60 or 70 ratepayers, that the council had no wish to influence them or to obtrude on the board’s rights, and that the matter was entirely in their hands. If a representative petition was signed the county council would give it • Careful consideration. The meeting then decided to circulate a petition. The council approved the action of the chairman and the riding member in attending the meeting. During the discussion at the council meeting, Mr J. W. Garland remarked that ratepayers of any drainage district would be foolish to miss any opportunity to get the county council to take over control, for invariably a better service was given. Mr F. L. Onion said he understood all members of the board had been invited to attend the ratepayers’ meeting.