THE COUNTY COUNCIL CIRCULAR.

Manawatu Times, Volume V, Issue 121, 2 March 1881, Page 3

THE COUNTY COUNCIL CIRCULAR.

1. That m Belling any new block of Crown Land an estimate should be made of the sum per acre required to complete all the roads within such block and that as land is Hold for cash such sum be handed over to the County Council of the district within which the block is situated for expenditure solely on roa>ls within the block .sold ; an) that the Government, if necessary for financial reasons, should add to the upset price of the land the amount required for road making, and gu. ran tee to purchasers that the money so allotted should be spent on the road m the block by the County Coundil within three years tom the sale and that the money as received should be at once handed over to the County Cbircil; that with the deferred 'payment land "the whole of the half yearly instalments should be handed over to the County Council for roadmaking purposes within the block until one-third of the purchase money is p .id over, us m the original Land Act, 1871, clause 59. 2. That the Government should either ppirt'on a snm equal to the amount that would have been payable to Counties and Highways Districts for subsidy on the rates actually co lected during the year 1879-80 under ' The Financial Arrangements Act, 1 876," at the rate of so much per mile on the mileage of completed roads under the jurisdiction of each County Council and Highway Board, such subsidy to be applied to the construction of new reads only, and to cease when all the roads within any district or county were completed ; or that an estimate should be made of the total cost of completion of all uncompleted roads al i ready surveyed within the colony, and that j an amount per mile chould be paid annually to each body having the control of such J road*, the total of which should be equal to the sum that would hare been parable m the shape of sub-idy to the County Conn* cila and Hi h ways Board on the rate actually collected during the year 1879-80 under "The Financial Arrangement Act of 1876. 3. That either by reduction of the exemption on the Properly Tax to say £100 by the imposition of school fees on all scholars attending State Schools who have passed Standard 17, by the increase of the beer duty to 6d per gallon, and by the reimposition of the tea am) sugar duties, the nepossary funds might be easily pr wided without practioally adding to the burdens of the country, as the money spent m road construction would ptomote the dettlement . and progress of the country to such an extent that both towns and countiy districts would be < qually benefitted . 4. That a subsidy on the rates collected "b« paid t • all Borough Councils or Boards having the exclusive management of townships, the amount to be fixed by the confer- noe he eafter proposed. Tiiat if any lauded endowments were given to public bodies within the colony, such land ou^ht not to be exempted from the deducation* made for roadwork asked for iv clau-e 1, and that any local body should have at its option power to commute its subsidy on a scale to be fixed for an endowment of land, — &JLhat_a_co.nference-of-.delegateß from County Councils, Highways Boards, and Borough Councils, should meet at Wellington oefore he session, on the first Wednes day m May next ; place i»f meeting &c. to be arranged. 7. That no delegate is to be considered to le bound by any or all of the terms of this circular unless by instruction from the body he represents, and that the mere «ending a delegate should not be considered as an acceptance by the local body of the terms of this circular. 8. That •' The Rating Act, 1876," should be so amended as to enab'e valuations to be ma c once m three years and by the County Council' of tha district only, which body should have power to adjust the Taluauon list annually m cane where change of own rship or omission m the valution list rendered such adjustments necessary : Bor nghs to make their own valution .listasjiCjireoont.