ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1416, 7 May 1886, Page 2

ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the E Ashburton County Council was held at the Council Chambers, Baring square, to-day. Present—Messrs W. 0. Walker (chair- * man), B. 8. Coster, E. G. Wright, D. * McLean, and C. J. Harper. i chairman's STATBMKNT. £ The Chairman said:—The Minister of < Public Works has informed the Council that the District Engineer has been 1 instructed to have the painting of the Hakaia Gorge Bridge done, and the expense will be defrayed from the vote at the Bank of New Zealand. The Government has also informed the Council that the question as to the meaning of main roads, asked for with reference to the main road through the Tinwald Town Board District, is not, in its opinion, one for Grown Law officers to advise on. A letter from the Geraldine County Coanoii, on the matter of irrigation, will be placed before the Council to day. Since the police have taken action in the matter of unregistered dogs there has been a great demand for collars ; ths number sold is 969. The sum of 1.856 15s 3d has been paid on account of water charges, leaving LIOO still outstanding. The Commissioner of Property Tax has furnished the Council with copies of the rolls for the Mount Hutt, Raugitata, and South Rakaia Ridings. I hope to have the others shortly and to be able to place before the Council at the next meeting the rateable valne of the County so that the Council can see what rate will be required. A circular from the Colonial Secretary, asking for suggestions from the Council as to dealing with the codlin moth, will be placed before the Council I have received the petition re proposed Dromore Road District containing fresh signatures, which i will be considered by the Committee appointed to attend to this matter before next meeting of the Council. ROUTINE. | A statement of business done by the ( Chairman since last meeting, the water , ranger's reports aad diaries, and other , documents, were laid on the table. ENGINEER’S REPORT, ’ The Engineer’s report was read as follows: ' Blackford, Redcliffe Road ; The contractor is .stillat work on this road, but has not made much progress during recent wet weather. — 5 Ashburton Gorge Road : I have prepared i specifications eta, for another section uf this road, for which tenders will be placed before you to-day.—Black Mountain Track : Tbe , materials for proposed bridge are still lying

at Coalgate Station, but as soon as the state of the river admits of Mr Girard’s carting them to the site the work of erection will be com--1 menced.—Upper Rangitata Bridge ; Several rotten planks have had to be removed from the decking of the old portion of the bridge . during the mouth, and the whole of it is r becoming a solutely unsafe. The cutting at north approach was partly blocked with ’ bou'ders from the slopes—and 1 have had it cleared at small expense. —North Ashburton River Bridge, at Digby’s : The fencing of south f approach has been erected as autuotised, and , some of the planks on bridgeare being replaced. t —Plains Water Supply: All the races have been { supplied during the uonth, with the exception o: E races, supplied from Pudd.ng Hill, he sluices at inlet there having been tampered witn on four different occasions, and all the k water turned down the bye-wash. The mains 8 will require to be shut oft this month for 1 cleaning ; and, as many of the race, are in a 3 foul state, occupiers will then an oppor--2 tunity of overhauling them.—The Mount a Somers and Springburn mains will also be i shut off.—The W.-kanm Flat races are nq.v 8 in good order, the settlers in that district having been at some pains to clear them properly this time. Water is now being let ‘ on to the Rakaii Village Settlem snt races.— ? Ashburton-Rangitata Water Supply : The e branch race near Ealing has been finished, an I water let down the two new races in the Coldstream d strict. . two new lords have e been put in in Shepherd s Bush district, and it one on the Hinds-Maroran Road. lenders e will be placed before you to-day for branch e race for Messrs Ballantyne and others.—The i- Maintenance Conliactor has recently made i- considerable improvements on_so ue sections of a this district, but much still remains to be done, c especially on races R and Q ; also on upper it portions of nT and Tl > been requested by .the Irriga ion Committee to d prepare plans, estimate and report, I have nrw )f done s> by the lines indicated by thorn, an i ). these will be in readiness for thei fust o meeting. 0 OFFER RANGITATA BRIDGE. d It waa .resolved on the motion of Mr t E. ,G. Wright, aeeondei .by Mr 0. J. Harper, “ That the Geraldine County Council be informed that thia Council intends to call for tenders for the decking of the old portion of Bridge.” PLAINS WATER SUPPLY. It was resolved that a reward of L2O h should be offered for information which e would lead to the conviction of the person e or persons who tampered with the sluices e at Pudding Hill, as described in the ” Engineer’s report. 1 lt|was determined that theJmaiae|shonid - bo shut off as proposed by the Engineer. (At this stage Mr G. W. Laadly took his seat at the Council table.) B MAINTENANCE WATER SUPPLY. 1 A letter was read from Mr Fawcett with t regard to hia contract for the maintenance . of water races, and it was resolved “ That . Mr Fawcett he paid at the rate of 24s , for the three months, and that the fords s he attended to where it is necessary. (Mr J. Jackson took his seat at this - stage.) I t CULVERTS — RAKAIA DISTRICT. , Mr E. 8. Coster reported that the South Rakaia Road Board had determined to remove culverts from certain roads and • substitute open crossings. It was resolved “ That the Council approve of the action i of the South Rakaia Road Board in sub- J . stitutlog open fords for culverts on the I i Kyle Road, and that the onlverts be the I property of the Board ” I CULVERTS—WAKANUI DISTRICT. I The Engineer's attention waa directed I to the state of the culverts in the Wakanui I Hoad District: especially to those on the I Beach Road. I WATER SUPPLY. I The report of the Water Supply Com- I mittee was read and adapted. I rakaia water supply. I Mr E. S. Coster proposed “That the I cost of taking the water from the Rakaia I River to complete the system of water I races, be charged to general county I funds." In supporting the proposition j Mr Coster urged that the district I immediately effected should not be called I upon to rate itself for a work similar to I those undertaken in other parts of the j district at the cost of the whole County, j Mr 6. W. Leadlay seconded the motion j 1 and briefly expressed his approval of its I object. I ( Mr E G. Wright said he would be very I reluctant to oppose any equitable proposal I ‘ made for the benefit of a section of the J 8 ratepayers, but he could not possibly give j * hia approval to the motion before the I Council. Clause 19 of the Counties Act, J Amendment Act, 1883 was directly I f applicable to tbe case in hand, and he | r thought the time had arrived when the j I Council sbonld apportion its annual IP income in terms of that clause. He gave I ° notice that at next meeting of the Council j he would move “ That the Council at its I next meeting shall apportion the gross I D income of the year from all sources in the J oi manner indicated by section 19 of the | Counties Act Amendment Act 1885 ” I

Messrs Harper and Jackson and the Chairman expressed their concurrence with the remarks made by Mr Wright, and on being put to the meeting the motion proposed by Mr'Ooatfer was lost, COUNTIES ACT. On the motion of Mr Wright, seconded by Mr McLean it was resolved ‘‘ I hat sections 19, 20 and 17 <1 the Comities Act Amendment Act, 1883, be advertised once iu each of the newspapers circulating in the district, for the information of thq rite* papers.”

PAYMENTS, The usual monthly accounts were passed for payment. DIVISION OF RIDING. Mr E. G. Wright gave notice that at next meeting be would move “ That this Council take proceedings' to divide the Ashburton Biding into two Ridings, north and south of the Ashburton river, and - that such new ridings be named the Wakanni and Ashburton riding r<*BDeotivoly." CORRESPONDENCE. The following correspondence was read * —(1) From the Geraldine County Council, asking the assistance of the Council in obtaining such an amendment in the Counties Act as would enable the Governor, by proclamation, to give Councils power to enter upon lands for all purposes in connection with the construction and maintenance of water races : It was resolved, •* That the Council will be ready to assist in anything reasonable, bat, at the same time, this Coanoii desires to state that it has bad no difficulty in obtaining the necessary powers from the owners of land, in consideration of the great benefits conferred by the water supply.”—(2) From the United North Canterbury and Ashburton Charitable Aid Board, applying for the county's contribution towards charitable aid, L 1,408 2s 61: It was resolved, “That the Council considers the demand for the whole payment {in one sum for :12 months as unreasonable, and would request the Board to amend their requ sition by making It for four quarterly instalments.” Tbo Council then adjourned until 2.30 p.m. On resuming the following boslnen was disposed of; DEPUTATIONS, i Mr M. Brace waited on the Coanoii t with reference to the Seafield water supply. He said that, as perhapa the Council were aware, the settlers in the Seafield i district had suffered from a great scarcity r of water daring the past snmmer, an Athey were likely to similarly suffer the scheme which had been brought forward by Mr Coster were carried out. He i bad noticed that the Council at its last meeting had decided that the work, if t carried out, should be a special charge ' upon the district interested. On behalf ~ of the Seafield settlers, he wished to _ protect against this arrangement, for the * schame would be only a completion of e the existing water supply, and put Boa- _ field on an eqnal footing with other ,f districts. Besides, that district had n contributed a large share towards county L- I works, and he considered it unfair that it il shou'd be specially rated for the carrying n into eSeot of Mr Coster’s scheme.

The Chairman said the question waa mainly one of finance. bat the Ooanoil would consider tbe matter brought before it by Mr Bruce.

Mr Brace thanked the Council and withdrew

Mr J. C. Bell, on behalf of the TJowald Town Board, waited on the Council with refer noe to a footpath on the main South Road in the Tinwald Town district. He wished to know if tbe Conncil would form the footpath in question, provided the Town Board undertook the shingling. The Chairman said the question of control of the portion of road in question bad not yet been definitely settled, but, solar as he c *uld judge, the would in no case undertake any work in - connection with the footpath. After a brief consultation between Mr Bell and the Council, it waa decided that it was outside the Council's sphere to do any work to the footpaths. BOUNDARY ROAD The committee appointed to decide the ] proportion of the cost of maintenance of I tbe Great South Road where it forma the I boundary of the Rangitata and Cold* I stream Road Districts to be borne by I each of tbe Hoards, recommended that I both should pay equal shares. I The report was adopted. J OVERFLOW I On thereport of MrLeadly, who had been I appointed lo inspect a d report upon the I damage caused to Mr Juba Corbett’s pro* 1 perty by the overflow of the Wakanai I Creek, it was decided to allow Mr Corbett j the sum of Ll 5, any relief works farther I i ban those carried oat by tbe Council to j be effected by himself. I DIVESTING WATER RACES- ] Mr F. Ferriman wrote, forwarding I LlO, the amount of a fine which bad I been imposed on him far » breach of the I water race bylaws, and asking that it I might be remitted. I It was decided not to temit the fine. I STORK WATER. I The Assistant District Engineer wrote I asking that the Council might have a I water coarse at Lyndhuret cleaned oat in I order that storm water might be prevented I from returning to the railway line. I It was resolved to instruct the Engineer I to make a complete survey of the locality, with a view of instituting legal proceedings against a ratepayer who, it was said, had obstructed tbe water race in question. LICENSES. Slaughtering licenses were granted to E. Thomas and A. Protheroe. TENDERS. The following tenders were accepted: : shburton Gorge Road, J. Carleton, I Llls 32s 6i ; water race at Shepherd’s Bush, VV. Silcook, la 5d par chain. DOG REGISTRATION. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Coster, seconded by Mr Jackson, “ That the Chairman be requested to get an amendment in the act to give power to tbe Connell to vary the charges on dogs, according to their breeds and utility.” RAKAIA GORGE BRIDGE. The matter of the Rakaia Gorge Bridge was referred to the Engineer. ADJOURNMENT. The Conncil then sojourned till Friday, June 4.