A.—lo

42

of the Wairau. There was absolutely no channel outside the hills, and the water which spread over the swamp remained there till it evaporated or soaked away. The land was almost valueless, and under the Road Board valuation the rate that the River Board could levy was almost nominal. The ratepayers authorized the Board to borrow £1,000, estimated to be necessary to make a ■watercourse through the swamp to the Wairau Eiver. Owing to the unsatisfactory state of the Bivers Act the loan could not be negotiated. Two ratepayers made advances on account of the loan, and an overdraft was obtained on the personal security of the members of the JBoard to the extent of £580 in all, and this money was spent in completing a channel half the proposed width from the river to the hills, wilh very good effect. It is very desirable that the Board should be enabled to obtain money, as proposed in your circular, to complete the necessary work and to pay off the money borrowed at a high rate that has been already spent on the work. These answers were unanimously agreed to. JCaikoura —No answer. Kaikoura River Board —Eoad Board Act: A measure for consolidating this Act is ■ very much required. New Eating Bill: If valuation ia to be made by the Property-tax Commissioner by the provisions of this Bill, the method of appeal should be made as simple as possible for the convenience of appellants. Proposal to vest power of selling or letting land for the non-payment of rates in Public Trustee is a good one. Roads Construction Bill and Crown and Native Lands Rating Bill: If the former is adopted the latter would appear to be necessary to it, though the rating of Crown Lands seems objectionable. In districts where the difficulties arising from such matters as rivers are excessive and permanent, and the rating capacity totally inadequate, special provision should be made by endowment with grants of land or otherwise. Education : Cost for maintenance of this department is far too extravagant; State should only borrow money for primary education (if any) and assist denominational schools; secular education will become an evil instead of a good. Asliley —No answer. Eyreton — This Board considers the present system of each local body making its own valuation is best, and that the proposal to take the property-tax valuations would not be satisfactory. The clause vesting the power of selling or letting land for nonpayment of rates in the Public Trustee was approved of. The system of valuing adopted by this Board is to invite about five ratepayers to assist the members of the Board, -which cost about £12, including making up the valuation roll. The remainder of the questions, where no answer is given, will be considered at the next meeting, when the members will have had time to give the matter full consideration. Mandeville —No reply. Oxford —No answer. Waipava—The County Council Act not being in force in our district, we are not prepared to give much

Question 16 — continued.

advice about the matter, but we are of opinion that as both bodies have rating powers, the mixture of counties and Road Boards is a mistake. A meeting of the representatives of the several governing bodies of the Northern District of Canterbury has been convened for the purpose of considering the various questions contained in your circular; the date fixed is 3rd July. West Eyreton—No reply. The above answers are in accordance with the unanimous opinion arrived at by the meeting of representatives (delegates only in fact) of local bodies in North Canterbury. On reconsidering, however, Question 11 it seems on the whole desirable that Road Board members should hold office for the term of one year only. It may happen (and occasionally does) that an untried man is elected on the Board, and by his action during the first year (a quite long enough time to " taste his quality") loses the confidence of the ratepayers, and so ceases to represent them during the second year of his term. Of course it is competent for them to pass a vote of want of confidence (in effect ask him to resign), but this would be an invidious line of action, and in the majority of cases they would prefer to get rid of him by the effluxion of time. Tho argument of " extra expense of election " lias no value here, as, under the existing system, there must be an election, and it is as easy to elect five as two or three. The analogous case of School Committees, which work on the whole fairly well, possesses some weight in favour of an annual term. The only argument in favour of the present system of a triennial term and a proportion retiring every year, I take to be that the old members serve to " break in " as it were the new men ; but, as generally some members are sure to be re-elected,this does not seem of sufficient moment to counterbalance the fact of ratepayers being represented on a Board during a second year by a member who has lost their confidence ; the more representative these bodies are most probably the better will they perform the duties required by them. Selivyn —AVe think that considerable expense might be avoided in the preparation of tha county electors roll. General elections occur only once in three years, but the roll is directed to be made up annually. Suggest that it would be sufficient to make out roll in the year when the election takes place, and for any extraordinary vacancy the necessary compilation from the valuation rolls might be made as required. Courtenay —That the areas of Eoad Board districts bo equalized, and the powers now conferred on the County Councils be vested in the Road Boards ; the County Councils to be abolished. Heathcote—This Board considers it absolutely necessary that powers should be given to Road Boards to borrow money for special purposes, such as construction of district roads, bridges, side-channels, &c, from such a fund as proposed to be established by the Roads Construction Bill, to be repaid in the manner proposed in the circular. Power should also be given to Eoad Hoards to levy special rates on those portions of districts specially

benefited by the expenditure of such borrowed money. He " Eating Act, 1876:" We strongly recommend that the rate of 5 per cent., which is provided in this Act as the minimum at which the annual value of the fee-simple shall be fixed, should be altered to 3 per cent. As this rate of 5 per cent, in the Act now stands it operates as an excessive hardship in many cases, particularly of suburban lands of a quasi building character. Lincoln —Re Counties Bill: The County Councils should not have the power of electing two members to the Harbour Board Trust, as now provided ; they should be elected by the ratepayers direct. Riccarton—No answer. Templeton—No. South Waimakariri —-Circumstances may arise under which the fund proposed to be created may be utilized for river protective works. Alcaroa —No answer. Little River—lt will be readily understood that the difficulty is not in the ability of local bodies to manage any necessary public works required in their respective districts, but in the want of funds to carry out those necessary works. In considering your proposition No. 4 in the circular, that the construction of district roads should be borne by the properties which they benefited. It must be borne in mind that the settlers were to a great extent paid for roads which have never been constructed, inasmuch as when they bought their lands years ago, at £2 per acre in Canterbury at least, it was with the understanding that 25 per cent. was to be returned in the shape of roads, and to enable them to get to their properties. This has not been carried out further than to tlie extent of about one-fourth as far as Akaroa County is concerned. There is another matter that has never entered into the calculations of the purchasers—viz., roads were mapped off by the Survey Department in totally inaccessible places, and now practicable roads can only be obtained through the tedious and expensive process entailed by the Public Works Act, and compensation paid in addition. This Board is of opinion that, to charge this to rating account, is out of the question, as no reasonable amount of rate would open up land in difficult country, in reference to your proposition in No. 3 in the circular, this district is peculiar. There are about thirty-five miles of main road passing through the district connecting Christchurch with Akaroa, the greater portion of which is subject to periodical inundations by Lakes Ellesmere and Forsyth. These lakes have to be let through to the sea when practicable, and generally not before considerable damage is done to the main road. The cost of this work the Board think ought to be borne by pastoral rents accruing from Lake Ellesinere Run. Generally this Board would approve of the principle of the Roads Construction Bill, provided that the borrowing of funds be left to the decision of not less than two-thirds of the ratepayers. Pigeon Bay—Boards should not have borrowing powers ; neither should Couneila, if not suspended, have them.