Oroua County Council

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 51, 1 May 1884, Page 2

Oroua County Council

An ordinary meeting of the Council was held at its office in Manchmter street yesterday at noon. . Present— rCrs Macarthnr (Chairman), Linton, Douglas. Sly, Engeltf, Walker, Mcßetb, and Sterman. The minutes of the previous ordinary meeting were rend and confirmed. The following correspondence totho Council was read : — TJnder-.Beeretary Public Works, advising certificates issued (in part) for grant under Roads and Bridges Construction Act ; ditto, advising Oroun Eoad (Bunny* thorpe to Feilding) gazetted as main road ; Treasury Department, advising remittance ot £427 16s 4d on account of Manawatu Bridge below Gorge; Property Tax Commissioner, with roll of Native Lands (in Maori language); ditto,.advising that Commissioner of Crown Lands wilL furnish on application information as to Crown Lands alienated ; ' acting Commissioner of Crown Lands with printed information thereon ;. Chairman Manawatu Ounty requesting . co-opera-tion in forming a deputation to press Government to meet claims under; the Roads and Bridges Construction Act; Cr Skerman, re alteration lands- for specialrate,Bunnythorpe-Eairangaßoa;d; f . S. Hoe, advising result of poll fpr special rate, KaKre.JE^d/^^jbY^jtto a re electoral roll ; ;:>|fanki,ns and; Baker, with account refFailoon; some (three letters), re assignment of lease of Lower Gorge Ferry; Deputy Registrar General, applying for statistics. &e t , re County ; Wanganui Hospital, re accounts to 31st March ; T. and D. Wilkie, appljingfor slaughter-hoqsc license; James Lintpn, re travelling expenses to Wellington; Richter, Nannestead, and Co., re voucher Nathan and McCarty; J. P. Armstrong, re ditto ; Secretary Mannwatu Eoad Board, requesting a bridge to be erected across main Foxton Road. : • A report from Mr J. P. Armstrong, Engineer, re certain works in Fitzherbert and Taonui Ridings' was read. It was resolved, That a slaughtering license be granted to Mr Wilkie, subject to payment of the usual tee. A similar resolution was passed with reference to Mr Gibson, of Kiwitea. Mr Fftlloon having requested that a^ larger bell be placed at Lower Goige ferry, as {the present one was too small, the matter was agreed to be left for th# Engineer to report upon. . With reference to Mr Falloon's pro* posal to transfer his lease of theuferry to Mr T. Lowes, it was resolved, on the notion of Cr Douglas, seconded by Cr Sly, That permission be granted, on. pay* nentof cost of preparing deed and all ither expenses. The matter of Mr Armstrong's report v&8 then discussed. Cr Engoh called attention to what he !on«id<Ted tho very imperfect and un-" latisfactory character of some of the rork reported upon. ■ : The Chairman said that he bad requesed Vl r Armstrong to prepare a report in >rder that the Council might state, to rhatever authority mk'ht "succeed the rpuuei., the eiuct position of the,works in

question, but be held that the Council as a body was not responsible for any defects in such work, and that the members of the ridings in which the work had been dune were responsible. Or Engels objected to certain work being paid for, and said lie would move a resolution to that effect. The Chairman said he should move an amendment. The works had been passed as satisfactory by two engineers already, and it was right that the contractor should be paid. The Council here adjourned for lunehoon. After adjournment, Cr En^els moved, and Cr VV alker seconded, That the agreement entered into by the Taonui and Fitzherbert Committee with Mr E. J. Armstrong to superintend the work to be carried out in the Taonui and Fitzherbert Bidings be terminated, and that Mr Bray be requested to act as Engineer for the said ridings, and to report as speedily, as possible upon the state of the various .contracts in Fitzherbert hiding. The Chairman said that the passing of this resolution would entail another meeting of the Council, which he held to be rery undesirable. Cr Sly, while agreeing with the tinsatisfactory character of some of the works could not see bis way to support the notion in Us entirety, and would waive his opinien in favor of that of a competont Engineer tnd a Government Inspector. After farther discussion the motion was put and negatived. A letter was received during the sitting from settlers at Bunnythorpe, with one from Mr Rotheram re metalling approaches to Bunnythorpe station. It was resolved, ou the motion of Cr Macarthur, seconded by Cr L'nton, That Mr J. Jeffries be allowed to metal 15 chains in excess of his contract at the same rate per cbaia as the contract, no payment to be made for snch metalling until a grant under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act is received bj the local body having control over such _ road, Cr Skerman moved, and Ge Slj seconded, That the appoiatment of Mi P. Armstrong as Engineer for the Taonu and Fitzherbert Bid ings be acceptec temporarily m place of Mr E. Armstrong during his absence. — Carried. Cr Sly moved, aod Cr Skermaa sec< onded, That the Engineer call for tender; for work to be done on Karere No. 1 Road and Fitzherbert Road East under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act. Carried. Cr Skerman brought forward the matter of the remuneration of C r s Mnearthm and Lin ton for tbeir services in connection with separation and thought that Ci Lin ton, as well as Cr Macartnur, should be paid. Cr Sly opposed this on the ground that CrLinlon was appointed to act in the matter by a meeting of ratepayers, and not by the Council. The Chairman, while holding that Cr Lin ton had a moral claim on the Council, ruled that the matter having already been settled, could not again be opened up. The Chairman proposed, and Cr Skerman seconded, That such portion of the report of the Taonui and Fitzherbert Committee of the Bth of March, 1884, as refer to the Buony ihorne-Kairaoga Road, and the list of properties to be rated, be rescinded, and the advertised one be Bubsliiuled. —Carried. Resolved, That Mr E. Goodbehere be appointed Returning Officer for Kiwitea Biding for the poll for Cheltenham Cross Boad. and that his fee be one guinea. Resolved, That a special rsae of ooe sixth of a penny on the rateable value of ■sections as advertised in Knrere No. 1 Boad be si ruck for the payment of one fourth of £1820 7s lOd, as provided by -the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, 1882. After a long conversation on the sub. -feet of Mr Cavnnoagb's contract it was resolved that the work be referred back to Mr Bray, tbe work paid for by the Chairman acceding to Mr Bray's report, and the deposit refooded. 'I be report of the Taooui and F;zheobert &><?iqg* of April 7tK re accept <ng certa>n tenders for works was read and adopted. Cr Sker roan moved and Cr Slysecoaded, That the Cbainnan be authorised to make arrangement with Mr Coombes in order to effect toe cutting of a narrow neck in tbe Kabulerawa Stream, on the bouodaiy of the properties of Messrs Coomftea and En?els, at Fiizher'oert. — Carried. A? it was probable this won Id he the last meeii'Jg of the Council, Cr SVerroan inbred a hearty vote of tbaolcs to Mr iiacarlbur for the very efficient manner in wliich be had fulfilled the duties or Chapman. .He thought this was tbe least the Council cou'd do as the Chairman bad declined to be remunerated for bis set-v'ees, Cr Eo"els seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. The Chairman replied in a few remarks, thanking the Council for the compliment, and for the assistance it had rendered [ him, &c. Account* Hmountinj £1900 were passed for payment, and the Council then adjourned.

' Fifteen gentlemen on the East Coast have agreed to subscribe towards a fund to provide for the payment of a reward of £1000 for the discovery of a payab'e gpklield within the Tauranga district. TJbere are forty-two bankrupts in Christen urcb waiting tor a .day to he filed by th? Judge of the Supreme Court in order to get their discharge, but there is such a pri»is«re of business in the Court, that there is not likely to be a vaount day for more than a month. The well-known correspondent of the Argus, "The Vagabond," is contemptuously described by Sir Aufhur Gordon as "a person by the name of Thomas."