BALCLUTHA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Clutha Leader, Volume V, Issue 226, 8 November 1878, Page 6

BALCLUTHA BOROUGH COUNCIL.

A meeting of the Borough Council was |?helcl.in ihe Council Chambers on Tuesday There were present his Worship the^Mayor, and Messrs Hogg, Tosh, Mac7?aohaMy7Mason. Hutchins, Stewart, and X^Dunhe. ?vt-77." ..; MTNOTBS. 7:7. The minutes of the previous meeting wereread and confirmed. 7 CORRESPONDENCE. ?7 v The inward correspondence was read and received. -.'-■"■ RESIGNATION. ? .TMr A. C. Campbell tendered his resign ation.as Councillor. ? The same was accepted, and the fine remitted. : : ADVERTISING. The following letter was read : — -*' Clctha Leader Office, -.---■ Balclutha, March 5, 1878. Sir,— Considering the many works at present ; iiecessarj* to be undertaken within the township, 1 .. and -the consequent heavy demands upon the IJOTyMgh funds, I shall hare much p-eosure in .inserting the Borough advertisements free of charge up to th" end of the financial year. As( to printing, it is impossible to tender without knowing the work to be done. I shall, however. ( for the same period, execute all printing required - for the Borough at a charge merely to cover 7 compositors' wages and price of material.— l am, 1 sir, yours, &c., J. S. Fleming, / The offer was accepted. ACCOUNTS. D. P. M'Kenzie, contract on Hasborough road, Lls 2s 6d. Mr Hogg pointed out that before abandoning the contract it might be well for * the Works Committee to examine the road. He had been informed it had been almost all washed away, and if so, the Balmoral Road Board might call upon them at any timo to have it put to rights in connection with their road leading thereto. The matter was referred to the Works Committee with power to settle the matter. An account for day labour amounting to L 97 8s was passed, subject to examination by the Finance Committee. THE TOLL. The Finance Committee reported regarding Mr M*Farlaue's contract as Toll Collector : — Yonr Committee beg to report that MrMTarlane leased the toll on the Ist of March List, bis tender being the highest received hy the Council, but made out on the basis of the IStiG Turnpike -Ordinance, successfully collecting on that scale for a little over three months, wlien he found some difficulty then in e-'Uecting, as a numl-er using the bridge discovered that the Public "Works Act overruled the Ordinance. The mutter •was decided against him in the Resident Magistrate's Court ; that the authorised toll under the Pnblic Works Act reduced his earnings by about An average of 3s per day, or 21s per week ; that during eleven weeks collecting the single toll would amount to about Lll lis* that uncollected tolls which could not be recoverable afterwards amount to about 1,3 10s ; that legal expenses in defending actions in Court and summonses amount to 32s in all. We consider his - actual loss amounts to L' 6 13s. whicli sum we conclude should be paid in full of all further demands on condition of Mr M'Farlane foregoing -each and evtry claim (if any) he may have -against the Baiclutiia Bcrough Council in connection with his interest in co lectiug the tolls. The report was adopted. THE COMING ELECTION. Mr D. P. M'Kenzie was appointed Returning Officer for East Ward. THE DAMAGE BY FLOODS. The following letter was read from the "Public Works Department : — Public Works Office, Wellington, Nov. 1, 1878. Sir,— l am directed by the Hon. the Minister vfor Public Works to acknowledge the receipt of -ji memorial from the residents of Balclutha - -relative to tbe protection of the river bank, and in reply to inform you that in the Appropriation Act now beiDg passed by the Legislature the -Government have taken authority to enable them to make advances to local bodies by way of loan under such conditions as may be arranged. — Xarn, sir, yours, kc, J. Knowles. The letter was received. Mr Dunne reported that the Committee -appointed at the recent public meeting had secured the services of Mr Higgiiison, -engineer, who had inspected the river bank. His report was expected on Wednesday. The Committee would then know what sum would be required to protect the bank. Mr Macdonald suggested that a meeting of the Council might be called so soon as this was known, so that an application -might be made for the amount. Mr Mason reported as to the condition •of the approaches to the bridges on the Finegand road. T.he works were too heavy for the Council to undertake. Mr Dunne reported the result of the deputations to the Bruce and Clutha Oounty Councils, Avhich have already been published. Mr Macdonald svished to mention with reference to tho Bruce Council that the meetings are held early in tho day, and the business carried out expeditiously. The meeting was over before tlie deputation arrived at half p-ist 1 o'clock, but as it was known the deputation was coming the Council courtiously held an adjourned meeting to receive them. A long conversation ensued upon the •subject of deputations to the Hon. the i Minister of Works on his arrival in Dunedin from Wellington. There were three distinct matters upon which it was thought desirable to see that gentleman, viz. , the vriver bank, the bridge, and the works required within the township. It was ultimately resolved that the deputations should consist of the Chairmen and one member of each of the Clntha and Bruce County Councils, and Messrs Hogg, Macdonald, and Hutchins from the Borouo-h ■Council. ° Reference was made to the necessity for a footpath being formed past Bir Bain's liouse in John-street. The matter was referred to the Works Committee with power to act. A DISPUTED ROAD. The following letter was read : — Inverteil Übv.-S, 1878. ' Gentlemen,— l beg to draw your attention lo the fact that the settlers in Finegand district A)elowthe railway station are without a road or outlet :to the main road. I am under the impression,,, with many others, that a line of road •.-'-■wUcili*nj6*r.]ies dormant if thrown open to us v -would "be a great boon to settlers in Finegand. " The r%d I refer to runs through. Mr M 'Neil's L vpropertjj.-r-I am, &c , yyyyjyryyyy.. 7:? William Thomson. |i|vH^ that the road preferred v to was one got by him in exfor the main road. *;' SKEOAIJTIONS. . moved that, the Com||^^onOT7 of -Telegraphs be asked to inthe operators at Queenstown, Clyde, at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. aa to

the state of the river and .that the : officer in charge here be requested to post the same in some conspicuous place. The meeting then adjourned. .