COUNTY COUNCILS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16158, 12 March 1918, Page 4

COUNTY COUNCILS.

OXFOIID. -he last meeting of the Oxford County Council there were lX HaxvV-e (chairman), A. Baiter. i. Hende.eorl, J.. ■\V. Meyer, J. McGrath, 1. 10-ae.l, and H. fen it U wa fi resolved to advertise for applications for the position or caretaker o. .he E-ne water-racifl; that an inspection be uraJc of the roads, fords, bridges, and drains in the county; that tenders be culled tor (labour only) for building a bridge tfjer thc Woodv Gully creck, Messrs Baxter and blcurr offering to cart the shingle required. -Ir Baxter also offered to lend Ins Mam to finish the grading on the Carleton-Ashley tjoige road, the offer being accept/xl wit-h thank_a. ; Mr KcGrath, chairman of the A. und r. \ssoeiation, aoked the Council to put a coverin" over tho ehanncl at the entrance to the show grounds in Church street ; also to enter one of the Council's horses in tile show, llie second request was agreed to, but the nrsn declined. It was resolved to call for tenders to plough . and form "the Depot road from Candy's bridge to the nver, also for cleaning a ditch on the Rnm Paddock road. Correspondence wn.s yead from the Mayor of Cliristchurch regarding a Lea.gnc for the Advancement of Canterbury. j.hc chairman promised to attend the next meeting iu Ckristchurch. The Auckland City Council wrote regarding i.hc retention of Samoa after the _ war. It'waa resolved to support resolution. The North Canterbury Hospital and Charitable Aid !3.;ard wrote regarding the application for a -uibfiidy on a special rate for a Maternity Muiiie. elating that the question had not vc-t been decided, there being a difference of opinion between the Audit and the Crown Law Departments. The chairman stated that the chairman of the Hospital Board and he had interviewed the Minister of Internal Affaira on the subject in Christchurch on February 13th.

HEATHCOTE. The Heathcoto County Council met last evening. Present —Messrs C. Klnvoll (chaiirnun), G. M. II&11, "W. kcarfT, A. it' Adam 3. .12. K. Patten, and G. K. Burton. The Finance and By-laws Committee reported tile various funds to l>c ill credit as follows: —County fluid £G5 la .>d, Avonside eloctri© lighting loan .£B7 Us, Bromley electric lighting lean £31 5s 7d, Cashmere sewage iiud water Joan £180 ]is Bd, Vnilev sewage loan £145 10? lid. Mr 12. D. Brown had ' accepted the appointment in connexion with tho supervision of the Thovri-iglon drainage works. Messrs Mclntyre and Lewis had agreed to undertake the super vision of the Vallev road work. The application of' Mr E. C." Brown, Hillsborough, for a. septic tank, the report recommended should be granted, subject to the work being carried out satisfactorily, a

The report was adopted. It was decided that the salary of the clerk. Mr G. S. Cnwper, be increased by £-25 per annum. The , Works and Electricity ' Committee reported having considered a piaii sent by Mr R. S. Badger as to the first portion of the proposed loading scheme for tho "Huntsbury Estate," St. Martin's. Various aspects of the matter had been considered, and it had been decided to iepiy that the Council could not form, the road out of the general account, but would have to raise a loan owr the areas containing the property concerned, which would have 10 be rated to repay tl:a loan. It would therefore amount to the eame thing if the syndicate formed the road and put the cost on to the price of the land. The electric wireman had been asked to report on the practicability of a temporary inntaJlalion of light for the Cashmere May Queen Carnival, to raise funds for improvements to the Caehmere School. The report was adopted. The county clerk reported that the 10 per cent, penalty on unpaid rates had been imposed. Kates wero unpaid on 179 assessments in the county. Heavy traffic.licouses, dog registration fee-?, and motor registration fees amounted to £10 10s. £10 ss, and £1 5s respectirclv. Building permit" ku:cc the kit meeting had amounted to £735 value in Bromley and £G0 in Hillsborough. The report whs adopted. Mr G. M. ITall was elected the Council's representative to the monster deputation to the Minister in connexion with the speedy ! completion of the Arthur's Pass Tunnel. - The chairman was appointed the Council's delegate to the conference on March 21st regarding the formation of a league for the. advancement of Canterbury. The Auckland City Council's circular settine forth its resolution regarding the raten- i lion of Samoa by Britain after the war wa„i i endorsed, as was the Manawatu. Countr Coun-i cil'« resolution regarding tlie re-establish-' inent of raoo special trains. j

WAIAIAIH [. The Wuiraairi Countj' Council met last night, Mr S. A. Staples presiding over a full Council. Mr C. W. Hcrvoy moved that a letter of thanks be sent to Jlr J. Montgomery for his action in removing a high fence at the corncr of Holmwood road and Garden road, Fendalton, and goinjr to considerable expense in rendering tho dangerous corner safer for motor and other traffic. The motion was carrisd unanimously. Mr H. Bampton wni'.ed on the Council and asked for an additional light on Cooper's road near his property. He also asked that certain holes on i3a nip ton's road should be filled in. The Council, after deliberation, decided that it couid not grant the request. The chairman was appointed tho Council's representative oil the Utira Tunnel deputation to wait on the Minister of Public Works ill the near future. It was decided to support the Canterbury Automobile Association's miggestion* to fhe GoT&rninent- with regard to alternative schemes for rendering the railway crossing at tho Styx safer for traffic. A grant of .£"10 10s was made to tho Y.M.C.A. Red Triangle Campaign Fund. Jt was decided to give the Marshland School Committee twelve loads of shingle for the school grounds. •The (reneral Mr.nager of the Xcw Zealand Railways wrote stating that no reduction could be made in the rnt-es on tar, cement, etc., for local bodies as requested. The chairman and engineer were appointed to meet the medical superintendent at Sunn.Tfide with reference to th? cutting back of a fencc at a dangerous corner on the Hospital property. A resolution, forwarded lrom Auckland, with to the petmanent hoidinc; by the British Empire of Samoa and other Pacific Islands captured from Germany was endorsed. It was agreed to vot<> £10 30s towards the fund* of the Tapanui Library. It was decided to endorse n resolution from the Marawatu County Council protesting again, ?t the action of the Railway Department i'n refusing to r«n special trains to race meetings, thereby causing much extra motor traffic on the roads which local bodies had to repair.