ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1424, 4 December 1886, Page 2

ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

The following is the conclusion of oor report of the proceedings of the County Council yesterday:

PROPOSSD JtSONT SCMBES TRAMWAY. The following oetition was received : Mount “ Some's, November, 30, 1886 To the Chairman and members of the Ashbuiton County Council. “ Gentlemen : Wo the undersignedjppoprietors and ratepayers in the Mount Comers • •ad District being strongly of ■pinion that this district and the county gene-al-y would be grestly benefited by r.ho development of its mine-al resources, nd further tbat a t/amw y from the Mount Somers Railway to the C'sl measures on the Stour would enable the ,~oal, lime, and building stone to be w rked to a very large extent and to be supplied to the district at very cheap rates, hereby respec’fu ly request that y. u will take t*-e necessary steps t > obtal ■ a loan of £3soo fr in the Colonial Treasurer under the Government Loans to Local Bodies Aot. 1886 The length of tramway wou d be 8 miles, and the cost baa been estimated by a reliable authority

at £3121, which, with an allowance of 10 per o*i' T for coniug*nci«s, w ul ■ am un • to £3432 Tna ancu 1 ch*rgj on £3600 wou o no, at 5 pe*- o j ut £175. Ac <><-iitog to the abave Act not less than hUf the annual charge must be secured by a rate n't excee ling f I iu the £. We therefore proposed to define-a district benefited by the tram ay. tha capital value of which shall be sboat £30,000. On this amount a rate 6f ra'her less than fd in the £ weald be sufficient to produce half the annual charge; 'he othe half would be nrovlded f >r out of revenue p-”dujed ty the tramway. Toe proposed rating district would -'omprise the freehold land on the souih brnch of the As t bar ton river, above the junction of the proposed tramway and the Mount Somers Railway and the land from thence up the A*h burton Gorge adjacent to and benefited by the. proposed tramway, containing about Ifi 000 acres, capital value, say £31,0 0 Alth >ugh we are obliged by the Act to provide a rating dla riot as security for half the aouual charge we are allow* d t> pay tie whole amount out of revenue derive 1 f om the tramway and cm that there would bo no neuesiity to strike a rate An annual traffic of 5000 tone to begin with would be a very moderate estimate, and this at an average rate of la per ton would produce £B3O, Erenßa traffic of 2600 tone,

»t a« average rate of la 6d, would pro* dace £*B7 10 per annum, <<r mure than cat> to al anna*! charge. Tneae chargee ■ ouid not Include haulage for which thoss using the tramway might make nir own arrangements Mr A. E. P ache wid be ia at-endanos to support h a memori .l and to give any luither is* 0 mat on that may be requested. [Here fuiiuw fourteen signatures.] The Uhairmau said as it was u cessary, 1 ■ o;iier tor she appicaiim 10 be oona dared, tiaf- it ah >uld oe lodged In Wei - • iag on by D c tuber 1, he had written n king application, flu a .tion, however, ad not ouid toe ■■ emcil or the ratepayers in’era-ted Ha read the following copy of hia letter : Ashburton, November 29.1889. Sir, I have the honor to «i«kf applies* tiou for a loan of £3500 for the oonatraocion of a tramway from the Mount Soman Railway Station to the Mount Somers Ooalpu, a distance of eight miles, under the Local Bodies Loans Acts. In your circular of the 14th nit. you state that on this occasion only you popore to consider applications which have not gone through all the stages of approval necessary under the Acts. 1 therefore forward this on behalf of the Ashbarton County Coano i, ia order that the application may be received by you within the time specified. It will receive all attention meanwhile ir-xn the Oouucii, and will be submitted without losi of time t > the ratepayers for i heir approval as prescribed by the Acts, the amount of the lorn applied foe Is £3500. estnua ed cost of woik £3120, * tu ten par cent, of contingencies added £312, matting a total cost of £3432, and tne annual charge, £175, ia proposed to ue secured —one-half c n re . enue do Ivable irocn the undertaking and one*ba!{ on rates.—l have, etc ,

W, 0. WAUtHt

The Hoa the Colonial Treasurer. Mr A. E. Peaohe waited on the Council with reference to the matter, A number of questions were put to him on the subject. Ha cald th=ro was a tramway reserve for the greater part of the distance, and he did not anticipate the slightest difficulty with reference to obtaining land for the remainuer cf the way. It was contemplated to establish a lime kiln, which it was thought would furnish considerable traffic. About 20L tons of lime ware need In Christchurch aione every week, and It had been estimated that the Hit Somers lima could oe delivered there at a lowa - rata than that from elsewhere, while the quality was quite as good. There was every appa trance of the coal covering on extensive extensive aiea and the tramway would be adjacent to a practically inexhaustible supply of building stone better than any simitar stone yet exposed In Now ZealancL

Mr Wright said he bad need both Malvern a d Mi Somers coal, and he was of opinion that the latter was decidedly the best.

In answer to furtherqneationi,Mr Peaohe s«td that Mt Somers coal could be deli v-red in Ashburton at a much lower rate ban coal from other places. The figures qu t<-d within the memorial were quite m tnia ire mark and there was in his opinion no likeliho>d of the ratepayers vuhm the district proposed to be formed being calud up m to contribute.

I resolved on the motion cf Mr Jackson, seconded by Mr Wright,' “ The chu Council endorse the Chairman’s action iu making application to the Qovernmeal for the loan.”

It was resolved to take the necessary preliminary steps prior to the sanction •>f tbe ratepayers within the proposed district being ob atned a lira eta e tbe Council adjonrned for •n hour. On the Council regaining the following business was transacted ; COMMITTEE. On the motion of Mr Coster, the Council then went into committee of the whole, and on resuming it was reported that the following resolutions had been carried:

“ That the county be divided into three districts for the purpose of water supply and irrigation—lst district to extend from Kahaia to north branch of Ashburton, 2nd district to comprise the country be* tween the north and south branches of the Ashburton, 3rd district to include the country from the south branch of the, \sbburton to the Kangitata, the head* works being quite distinct in each case.” That the salaries of the water rangers, one third of thb Engineer’s salary, one* tenth of the Clerk’s salary and of the office expenses be charged to the three water race districts in proportion to the number of miles of races in each d.strict.” “ That the estimates for the forth* coming year be calculated on the above basis f-r each district, and that the Council at its next meeting by resolution • levy a water charge in each district anfficient to cover the estimated expenditure in each district.” 60BSE IK BTVBB BEDS. Pursuant to notice, Mr Wright moved—- “ That the gorge growing in the river beds within the county be burnt, or otherwise cleared away.” After some discussion, the motion was carried, the Chairman and Engineer bp’ng authorised to make arrangements for carrying it into effect. UNEMPLOYED. Mr Jackson obtained leave to postpone his notice of motion with reference to the unemployed question. payments. The nsnal monthly accounts were passed for payment. bobbin’s pobd. The Selwyn County Oonnoll forwarded copies of the fordsmsn’s returns of tnffio at Dobbin’s Ford, and asked if the Ashburton Council Intended continning their subsidy. It was resolved to continue the subsidy for another year. PLANTING COMMUTES.

Messrs Wright, Harper, Coster, and the Chairman were appointed a planting committee, and letters which had been received from Maters Dolan, Gardiner, and McLean on planting business were referred to the committee. GBAVSL FITS. The RangltaU Bnad Board requested the Council to apply to the Government f->r an exchange of one gravel reserve for another, and to apply to have five acres reserved for gravel pita every mile apart on all roads running through Crown lands. It was decided to forward the Road Board’s request to Government. ST FPAGB OF BOAD. The question of the mad in Shepherd's Bush Purvey District, which a public meeting of ratepayers in the Rangitata Road District had decided to olose.and against wh ch proposed a petition bad been received at the previous meet* (rg of the Council, again came op for

consideration The Ohaiamsn of the Ban{itata Poad Board forwarded a resolution passed at the last meeting of the Board on the snl'j *ct. The whole question was, after a prolonged debate,' referred to a committee', consisting of Messrs Jackson, Cotter, and Leadley. F'LLtNO FLAGS. The Hampstead Town Bosrd requested fha Council to appoint within the Town p atriot limits a polling place for liceoslng elections. ’ - ■ ■ > • > *■ V Jt liras i esolved that the matter be con* sidered at a future date, PiiOTfCTIVB WORKS BATB, It was resolved to authorise the Upper Ashburton Road Board to instruct their collector to sue for ontitending mes in the Ashburton Forks Protective District. ASHBURTON HIGH SCHOOL. It was resolved that the Chairman and Mr McLean be re-appointed member! of tb* Aohburtoa High Scb'J-'i Hoard.

* " Lg dog registration. »Tt was resolved that the registration fee fit dogs employed in having sock she aid be 5s ; and other dogs 10s each. irilllAßl SO PPLY. It was resolved on the motion of Mr Leadley, seconded by Mr Wright, that the Engineer call for tenders for the auxiliary water supply from the Wakanui Creek. TKNDE' B. The following tenders were accepted : —Dog collars, J. Be- e tine, £2 14 2 i par 100; Taylor’s Stream and D.-gby’a Bridges (painting), W I nes, £ll 3s 44 and £l2 6s 8d ; piloting huildi> gs. ore., J h Chapman, £36 ; 'ater rac •», No*. 4,6, »n< 9, Fawcett, £27 19s, £27 7s 6d, and £37 19r; Nos. I. 2, and 3, u ffia, £l4 17a 6d, £l3 2a 6d, and £l4 7a 61 ; Nos. 6,7, and 8, Earnshaw, £lO, £l6 103, and £l4 7s 6d ; 04 Race, J. Devery, la per chain. The Council then adjourned: