ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1758, 4 February 1888, Page 4

ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

-*. — . The following buainms was transacted after we went to preis yesterday:— HAMPSIEAD WATKR SUPPLY. The Hampstead Town Baard wrote, again urging their claims for a water ■apply. The Engineer some time ago reported on a scheme whereby a water supply could be obtained at a cost of £'25; It was resolved tbat the work should be oatried out provided the Town Board contributed half the ct st, and provided the Borough had no objection to the water being taken through their boundaries The sum expended Is to be a charge against the water distrlot. LICENSING BOOTH. Mr 8. McOilmont wrote asking the Council to establish a polling booth for licensing elections at Alford Forest. Voters had now to go to Mount Somera, a diitance of nine miles. The Council could not see its way to "rant the request, on acoount of the extra expense entail* d. WATEB BUPPLT. The Tlnwald Town Board, asked leave to take a supply of watar from Fr«23r's oreek for fira prevention po-poaes, Engineer Instructed to n i> vrt. dobbin's ford. The Selwyn County C)uncll wrota, enclosing account for Council's share of subsidy for the maintenance of this ford, and asking the Council's opinion at to the expediency of continuing the ford; The Oonncil were of opinion that the traffio was not soffiolent to juitify the expend Mure. FENCING. The Mount Boaters Road Board, forwarded at letter stating that Booth's o itt'"c had been made unsafe for traffic bj the construction of the Mt Banters Trim v*y and they naked the Council to contribute eufficieut to f =nce the danger ous spot. The Oonncil were of opinion tbat the matter was a Road Board one. THtf RABBIT PKBT. Tbe Chairman anted if any Councillor would move la the direction of urging upon Government the Deoeeslty for the erection of a rabbit fence, a matter that had been referred to In his opening remarks. Mr Wright eald that It appeared the Government were alflve to their responsibility but still a motion by the Oounoil would do no harm. There oould be no donbt as to the damage that would be done if tbe rabbits invaded Canterbury. Besides the great loss that wonld be coffered by private owners, the Crown itself would be a he&vy loser by reason of tbe deterioration of the v»lue of the runs. Mr Grig?, Wulle fully alire to the necessity for taking prompt action to cope with he rabbits, would prefer the Council not to bind Itself to the fence. He must not be taken to be throwing cold water on this schema, Lut there were those who doubted the effioaoy of a fence. He thought the motion should t»ke the form of a recommendation to the Government to tike tbe action best calculated to oheck tbe spread of the rabbits. Me Harper said that anyone who had been In tbe rabbit infested districts of Otagt woul 1 at onoa recognise the wide spreid damage caused by these peats. Incalculable loss would be the resjlt if they gained a good hold m Canterbury, •ad the work of eradicating t lem would .even on the plains be attended with tha greatest difficulty. Since the Government had procured tbe material for the fence, he thought It highly desirable that the work should be gone on with as soon aa possible. Mr FrledUnder agreed with Mr Grlgg that the question was whether the fence woaid do any good. Mr Wright sild that he would word the motion so that no objacti >n oould be taken to It. Tne Chairman said that he was sorry -to hear that there were any who htd dout/ts as to the effioacy of a fenoe. A fence was the basis' if all sohemes of rabbit destruction. Neither poison nor any of tbe other means of ara Jicatlng the pest would be effectual without it. The only possibility of keeping rabbits down was by means of such fences, because without them endcavurs to destroy the rabbits only made matters worse by driving the survivors all ever the oountry, causing them to take op their qaarters where they had been unknown before. Mr Grigg s»ld tbat he had been misunderatood. It had been reported that owing to the nature of the country the fenod could not be raado rabbit- proof, and moreover that a large river provided an •=ffc>otial boundary. In the f<*oe of these statements he thought the Oounoil should not commit itarlf to an advocacy of the fence alone till the real facts .bad been Moertaiaed The Chdlrmin said thai thbre was no truth In the statement as to the river affording an effectual boundary. With oarefnl mperviston such as all fences of this, Datura required, tbe proposed one would be perfeotly rabbit proof. Mr Wright moved "Tbat In the opinion of this OoudoJl, it is of very great Importanoe tbat the Government should take prompt action to cheok tbe if orease of rabbits upon the Crown lands In Canterbury, whether by the erection of rabbitproof f noing or otherwise," Mr Grigg seconded the motion wbloh was carried, TENDER. The tender of — Tilling, at £23 14s 6d for work at Rakaia. Gorge Bridge was accepted. NOTICE OF MOTION, Mr Brown gave notioe,for next meeting " That as the pist expenditure amongst -•hejidjngs has not been regulated by any rule Dy^-wijich each lidtnu; conld receive lis fair share of the County income, or xnow what amount each one was entitled to, and as the Counties Act directs that separate accounts shall be kept for each riding, and tbat the allocation of the County Jnoome shall be based on the rateable value, this Cunoil la of opinion that In balancing the accounts the sum (f £ should be debited to Raugit&ta riding ;£ to Upper Aahburton ; £ to Moant Joiners, and that £ should be credited to Aahbnrton riding; £ toWakanulj£ to Mount Hutt; £ tolUkala." The Couccil then adjourned.