COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3991, 26 July 1915, Page 2

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.

IS IT PROFITABLE TO HAVE ROAD BOARDiS ? THE QUESTION EXHAUSTIVELY DISCUSSED. CONFERENCE BETWEEN - COOK COUNTY COUNCILLORS AND ROAD BOARD MEMBERS. A conference was; held at the County Council Chambers on Saturday between members of the Cook County Council and- representatives of the various Road Boards in Cook County, with a view to discussing the advisability of the road boards merging in the County. The following members of the Cook County Council were present: Messrs 9'. Jex-Blako (chairman), G. Witters, G. E. Jones The various Road Boards were represented by the following: Ormond Road Board : Messrs G. E. Jones (chairman), A. Parsons, and W. Tucker. Tarulieru Road Board : Captain W H. Tucker (chairman). Patutahi Road Board: Messrs S. Scnagg (chairman), B. Ballard, J, Atkins, and A. Doherty (clerk). The County Clerk (Mr J. Warren) submitted the following memorandum for the information of the conference: “Tho Appropriation Act provides for payment to a County Council of a subsidy of 10s in the £l, on a general rate of :}d in the £l, collected over a road district, but not more than £250 in any one district, so that if we had 10 districts, and collected £SOO in each road district we should get £2500. If we had 8 road districts and collected £SOO rates in each district we should get £2OOO- in respect of road districts, and £SOO for the remainder of the County. If we have 4 road districts as at present, we got £IOOO for these districts, and £SOO for tlie remainder of the County, showing a loss of £IOOO. If we have 1 road district, we should got £250 for that district, and £SOO for the remainder of the County, making a loss of £1750. If we have 10 road districts, and they collected a rate that would produce £2OO in each road district, the Council would get £so' for each road district, and' tho road boards would get £SO each. The Council woud get £SOO for the' 1 remainder of the County, which would he a loss of £IOOO, and the peoplo would have paid £2OOO in rates in addition to the County rate. If we abolish all road districts, the Council will got £2500 without any condition attached. it the Ormond and Patutahi Road Boards wish to preserve their control of cemetery, domain and other reserves, there is nothing to prevent them from doing so, and they as trustees of those lands, could secure a promise from the Council to spend on their present district roads, say £3OO per annum, which would be better than at present.” The Chairman said they would ali see from the memorandum how the subsidies panned out owing to the existence of road boards. The conference had been called together to place the position before them. Captain Tucker said if the four road districts were assured that if their merging in the County meant a gain of £IOOO per annum to the you nty, and the Council would spend a fair amount of rates in their districts they would be willing to merge. But why, he asked, had a distinction been made in the last clause of the memorandum ?

The Chairman said that they mentioned Ormond and Patutahi because those road, hoards were doing good. As far as they could make out the Tarulieru Road Board had for years past been collecting a subsidy, and doing nothing in return. Captain Tucker: Is that what you think You haven’t made many inquiries. Captain Tucker: It is not right for you to single out a road hoard for attack by misstatements of facts. Tell us what you will do it those four road boards merge in the County, and if your promises are satisfactory we will be quite’willing to help you. Tne Chairman said that he apologised to Captain Tucker if he had misstated facts, but the County Council had for years been endeavoring to get the Tarulieru Road Board to do something to the road leading to ()’Grady’s and Douglas’, but had not been able to got them to do anything. Or Witters said that Mr Warren had simply used the Ormond iuid Patutahi Road Boards as illustrations. Captain Tucker said if the Council would undertake to spend the money on bona fide County roads ho would be prepared to help them. The Council might spend the whole of the money.on the main road. Mr'Warren said that he had speciallv mentioned district roads. , . Mr Jones said that tlm feeling m the Ormond Road District was against, merging, but as they had pointed out that if the Board merged in the County they would got £3OO spent on the roads as against £l6O it would, bo to the interests of the road board to merge. He asked' if all the properties vested in the Ormond Road Board, such as the cemetery, domain, etc., would be taken over by the County Council. Mr Warren said that these properties would no doubt be vested in trustees appointed by the Government. Mr Jones said that besides getting £IGO subsidy from tho County Council the Ormond Road Board received about £4O in rents for municipal properties vested in the Board. Tho Chairman said these properties would belong to the town of Ormond. Mr Jones said that lie took it that, all the road board properties would be handed over to the County when once the board merged. The Chairman said that had there been an Ormond Town Board those properties would have been vested id them. . Mr Parsons explained how certain properties came to he vested in the Ormoikl Road Board. They had these properties rented to different parties. Ho asked in the event of the road hoards merging in the county, and the Government in a, couple of years' time discontinuing the subsidies, what would the position be then ? Would the residents of Ormond have then to form another road board. The Chairman said that if the council took over the roads of the Ormond district they would have to attend to them. The County Council would maintain the roads out of or--dinary rates. Mr Parsons said once the board merged'in the county tho members of tho Ormond hoard would have no power to collect rents from the properties they now held. The Chairman said the Council might give.an undertaking that the rents would he expended in the Patutahi Town District. Cr Witters said it was hardly likely that the Countv Council was going, to expend on the. road districts all the money thej r gained in subsidy by their merging. At the present time the Council was paying £545 in sul>sidies to the boards. The meeting could not commit the council, hut he thought tho road hoards would lie on a much better wicket. If the road districts wore allowed to draw revenue from their quarries and get the increased amount expended on their roads they would bo in a very happy position indeed. Mr Jones thought Cr Witters was slightl-v wrong. . If the road boards merged the council was going to benefit in increased subsidies. Mr Warren said if the road hoards merged they would all l benefit mutually. In answer to Mr Jones, Mr Doherty said tho Patutahi Road Board' received £156 rent for tho Patutahi quarry reserve vested in them, , Captain Tucker said it was no concern of the Tarulieru Pond Board what became of properties vested in the road boards, as-thev bad no properties. He did'not attach any great weight to the argument that the properties would pass from the road districts. . If they- could com© to an

agreement the appointment of trustees would be a simple matter. Could they agree was the question, and if so on what terms. Cr. Tucker said if the Council would promise to see that Ormond retained its rents he thought they would find that they would merge. lie personally thought that road boards had outlived their usefulness, and had frequently voiced this opinion. He personally would do what lie could to see that the Ormond Board merged in the Council. Mr Warren said that the various properties in Ormond could be vested in trustees as had been done in Patutahi. There were three district boards in Patutahi. Cr Witters said that he was not ni a position to commit himself to a promise that day. He was very pleased to see the manner in which the subject had been discussed. The council wished to put the road boards on a better wicket, hut hardly to the extent Mr Warren had made out in his memorandum. If the Council gave the hoards £.'300 the latter would l>e oil velvet. He would he quite prepared to vote the districts more than they had been getting, but he was not sure that £3OO should be definitely promised.

Or Parker considered that, the Council could easily give a guarantee that the rents collected from the various properties would be expended in the district in which the properties were situated. He endorsed the remarks which had fallen from Mr 'Pucker regarding road hoards. Personally he considered them an infernal nuisance. Many roads’ which should have been finished years ago had not been done vet in the road districts.

Mr Warren said the best tiling to do woidd bo for the Patutahi Domain Board to get the Patutahi quarry reserve vested in them. The Patutahi people would not readily relinquish the £IOO they were now receiving in rent for this property. Mr Jones then moved that steps bo taken to obtain a legal opinion as to the manner in which the properties in the road districts would he administered in the event of the road boards merging into the county. Mr Parsons thought the best course would be for the man-men of the various road hoards to call meetings of the ratepayers in their respective districts, and place the position before them.

Mr Tucker seconded Mr Jones’ motion that a legal opinion should he obtained on the question of the appointment of trustees. Mr Ballard said that the Feeling ot the ratepayers of the Patutahi district was against merging. - Mr Scragg said that the Patutahi people were not too satisfied with Hie way in which the county was attend-, ing to the roads in their district. They thought the work was costing too'much. Though they might get aJittlP more by merging this would be swallowed up by the cost of administration. Mr Jones’ motion was then put and carried. Mr Jones said that the Ormond Road Board had to thank Mr de G. Eraser, County Engineer, for the valuable assistance ho had at all times been ready to give the Board. Mr Jones asked that the legal opinion might he forwarded to the road boards in time for their next meeting on the first Monday of next month. On the motion of Mr Parsons, a vote of thanks was passed to the County Council for arranging the conference. Mr Jex-Bkiko, in responding, said that ho had to thank the representatives of the Road Boards for attending, and ho only hoped that the conference would result in, mutual benefit.