ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1963, 6 October 1888, Page 2

ASHBURTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

The following is the conolusion of oar report of jest rday'g sitting :— VILIiAGK SETTLERS, A letter was rend from the Land Department stating that the Minister for Lands had consented to the money aootuad from deferred pay meat aud perpetual lease Undo within tho Ashborton Ooonty being expended for the present on water races. The snm accrued for the six montbs ending July 31st, 1888, amounted to £86 Os 7d . The Department asked tho Council to submit i» soheme for the approval of tha Land Biard, and apprehaodod tbe Council's scheme would necessarily include works on whioh future moneys arising from these knde would be expended. Tracings and lithographs showing tbe sections were forwarded The Ch»lriran «>»ld the Lv d Doputment were evHen =ly under a misapprehension sb to tbe position of tbe Oouuotl, The Oounoil had m the past constructed water races through Grown Lands whereby the value of those lands was enhanced, and now asked the Cover merit to bear some proportion of ih» cost of oonstrnotion of the races from which Government property had. reoelved so muoh benefit. Mr Brown was glad to see the letter from the Government. Tbe village settlers were nntlilei to have a water supply, and the Wakanat Road Board had agreed to forego its claim to a share m the amount accruing from tho sale of these lands so that races might be constructed. Mr Harper thought the Oounoil would (Pmmlt a grava error If it accepted th« Government proposal. If the Oounoil agreed to taka the money m the termo of the letter It would be committed to giving a water supply to each village settler who mode application for It. How far would £86 go m a *ork of euoh magnitude ? A short time ago some village settlers asked for a water supply, and the Engineer bad estimated that to accede to tho application au expenditure of £2003 would be entailed. The Oounoil was entitled to payment for work it had done |n the past, and he thought a further endeavor should be made to secure a reimbursement of that money, but be would resist the Oounoil committing itself to a possibly enormous ontlay for the sake of tbe paltry snm of £86. It was resolved en the motion of Mr Ouster, seconded by Mr McMillan, that tho Chairman should write to tho Oh(«f Surveyor and explain tbe matter to him, showing that the Oounoil wan entitled to payment for work done m the past. OUAriTAJILK AIU The Charitable Aid Board wrote requesting payruont of bnlaoco of subsidy. A second intta'ment of £250 was passed for payment. BIVBR OVERFLOW. Eight ratepayers m the Aahburtou Forks district wrote o&lllog the attention of tha Oounotl to tho necessity of preventing ovo'fljw from the north branch of the Ashburton river, which at tho present time had broken over and was doing a great deal of damage to property. At a meeting of ratepayers a certain cum of money waa promised towards thewok, and cffdJß made of teams and labor. Tho eura, however, was not sufficient, and the Oounoil were aekod to assist by giving a subsidy of £ for £. The Engineer was instructed to report on the matter* It was also decided to write to the Upper Ashburton Road Board asking what amount they will contribute. A. HEQUEBTP Mr Thomas Shaw, of T/mara, wrote drawing attention to the enoroaohment of the river on a seotlon of whioh he was owner. Uoleas the Oounoil did some* thing ho should have to recover damages. MOUNT SOMERB TRAMWAY, The Mount Homers Ro*d Board forwarded an account for £8 for repairs to cuttings, which repairs they stated had been rendered ncossary by the construction of the Mount Somtrs Tramway. The matter was left m the Chairman's haads. B&AOK MOUNTAIN TRACK. Mr W, Gerard, Bnowdon; wrote stating that recent floods had greatly damaged the Black Mountain Track. It was resolved to pontribute half coat of repairs, yeNOE. It was resolved that the reserve, near Tinwald ealeyarda, should be fenced at once. There is a disused gravel pit on this reserve, whioh Is full of water for a considerable portion of the year. Oomplaints had been mado of the pit being dangerous, and it was therefore deoided that it should be fenoed. 0 W.4K4N01 BRIDGES A letter from the Wakanul Road Board requesting the Council to take oontrol of two bridges, exceeding 30ft span, over tbe Wakanul Creek, was considered. Mr Beown moved, " That the Wakanui Road Board be informed that the Council will tako charge of all bridges with a span exceeding 30 ft m the W H k«nui district, and m aooordnnco with Section 145 of the Counties Act." He contended that to take ovet tbe bridges would be only an act of simple justice to the Road Board ratepayers. In all other parts of the County such bridges were maintained and controlled by the Oounoil, and he law no reason why the Wakanul district, the ratepayers of whioh were heavier burdened than those m any of the others, should be inada an cxoeptlon. In reply to Mr Harper, Mr Brown said that the bridges were m good repair, though the Road Board had notified that they were not sa r e for heavy traction, engine traffic. The nqotlon wap not seconded and lapsed. Mr Brown complained bitterly of the Oounoil being inconsistent, and said thai they were aoting unfairly m refusing to take these bridges over. When aooonnts n connection with bridges m other parts of the Couoly oame up for payment In future he would have to leave the Oounoil table while tboy were being passed, because he could not oonsoientlously vote away money on these bridges when all parts of the County were not treated alike. COMMITrCES Mr McMillan was elected a member of those Committees' seats on whioh had been oooupied by Mr John Holmei, Tbe ConucU then •djourned,