Manawatu County Council

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 20, 15 August 1891, Page 3

Manawatu County Council

The . usual monthly meeting of the council was held on Wednesday, when there were.present :— Cra Ransom (chairman), Mitchell, Masters, Robinson, Hammond, and McKenzie. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. -■ The * inward correspondence was rereived and dealt with as follows : — From Mr Brabant, R.M., dated Aug. "7, stating that the Commission on- the Awahuri bridge was sitting, and the council not represented. The Chairman explained that Mr R. B. McKenzie and himself attended at the time and place preyiously fixed upon, but that the inquiry had commenced at 10 instead of "12 o'cloek, and consequently, they had arrived late., From W. A. Sandilands, requesting the payment -of i?10, as compensation for injurieß_ sustained by Mr 'Norman Oharlton and his horse on Lee's Line, on the,, 9th, of. May, through there being a hole in a culvert. On the motion of Cr Saxon, seconded by Or -Masters, it was resolved — " That Mr, Sandilands be written, to, and told ' that all ' culverts^ on Lee's Line are in good repair, and Mr Charlton could not .have met with any, accident on that road. Proposed by Cr Saxon, and seconded by Cr McKenzie, *' That - our 'member, Mr J. G. Wilson, be- informed- that in the opinion of this council the proposal ' -contained in the. Amended Counties Bill to^allow, no ratepayer more than one Vote is unfair, and is objected to by this -council."— ;Carried. xrFrpm p. Fraser,' claiming the sum of -j£s7 as compensation for land taken on . Wheeler's road, near Awahuri, about .three years ago. . , -.The Chairman said the cost of fencing • the road in question, namely £20, had been borne, by "the council; also that the •county solicitor had advised' that there ~ was no further liability, but as the coun-cil-bad-formerly, consented to pay the ■cost- of survey,' he was in favour of an offer to that effect being made to Mr Fraser. After some discussion it was resolved -to offer Mr, Fraser the sum of L25, being the^ebst' of survey,' in settlement of the «laim. - FromrJi G. Wilson, M.H.11., stating that the Horowhenua County did not wish to be included in the t proposed new Hospital District, of which Palmerston would be the centre, as the hospital in WelJlington would be equally -convenient for the people in that- county as one at Pal -jneraton, and probably better appointed. "These being the views of the Horowhenua « -County, he could no\t move for its inclusion in the new district. The Chairman informed the council -rthat according to law, the balance-sheet -should be published in a newspaper during the monthof May, which if not done the Chairman was liable to a fine of LlO, And a further;fine for every day it remained unpublished. It' could -not have been published in May because it had not -then been received, from 'the Auditor, and iie was now in doubt' as to whether it was really necessary to publish it. He. noticed that_the -other public bodies did jiot do so. Cr Mitchell stated that * promise had been given that providing the Manawatu Herald sent a' reporter to the meetings, -the balance sheet of 1890 should be given them to publish. He therefore moved that it be published in one issue of the Manawatu Herald. Cr Saion seconded the resolution. On the question being put Cr Mitchell's proposal to publish it in the Manawatu Herald -was carried, 7 Cr Saxon ealled attention to the erection of telegraph poles almost on the .metalled 'road near Mr Whisker's place, between Feilding and Awahuri. It was resolved that the Overseer be instructed to see the foreman engaged erecting the posts, and request him to shift them further away from the forrnaCr Saxon raised the question of clearing gorse off the roads, and the Clerk was instructed to send a notice to Mr Prior, agent for < the Bishop of Nelson, to have the, gorse cleared off the road line adjoining his property. A draft /of proposed specifications tor road maintenance, drawn' up by the over- j seer, was considered. - ■** j A few amendments were made by the ; council; and it was then resolved to call for tenders for the maintenance of the county roads for one or three years, the contractor to supply the necessary metal and' the council the timber for bridges, etc. There ,are twenty- five miles of road, . which' will be let in six sections. The Council adjourned after passing the monthly accounts. — Advocate.