COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume VII, Issue 315, 16 January 1902, Page 3

COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

The Council met yesterday morning. Present : Tho Chairman (Mr James Macfarlane), and Crs Mossman, Cooper, Graham, King, Tombleson, and Hutchinson.

As to Mr Winter Hamon's claim for land taken, the Clerk said the claim was not to be settled by the Council, as an exchange was effected. The Patutahi Road Board wrote calling the Council’s attention to the state of the county road and outlet drains within the road board district. Some drains had not been cleaned out for three years, and were useless. —It was stated the Council could not undertake any further work.—Received.

The Aral Road Board wrote thanking the Council for the Engineer’s services.— The Engineer said he had been informed by Mr Jex-Blake his services would not be required. Mr Geo. Easterbrooke, Te Puninga, Wharerata, referred the Council’s attention to the bad state of the NuhakaGisborne road from Murewai to the Wairoa County boundary.—Referred to in the Engineer’s report. Mr W. E. Holder, Chairman of Tolago Bay School Committee, forwarded plans and Gazette notice of a road through the school section. The Education Board had granted .£250 for additions, and to move the school from off the road. To expedite matters, the Committee asked for the services of the Engineer.—The Engineer was instructed to lay off the road. The Land Valuation Department intimated that i4O 17s, cost of revising roll for the County of Cook, was due.—The Chairman said the amount was out of all reason ; he favored the letter being held over until it was seen what other local bodies were doing.—Cr Mossman said although the valuator got his salary from the Government, the local bodies were paying it. He proposed the amounu be held back pending inquiries.—Carried. The Chairman of the Waiapu County Council objected to the Cook Council sending collars for registering Maori dogs in the County of Waiapu.—The Clerk to write an explanation. A circular was received from the Health Department as to the appointment of someone to whom notices could be made of cases of infectious disease. The Clerk was appointed. Mr Parsons, County Ranger, forwarded a list showing that 86 head of horses and cattle and 11 sheep had been impounded since his last report. Mr DeG. Fraser, County Engineer, reported Owing to broken weather contracts in hand have been much delayed. The carting of metal to depots although cutting up portions of the road traversed considerably, has progressed fairly. Contract 10, metalling GisborneWairoa road : The first length has been completed, and the. portion up the hill is now in hand.

At Lysnar’s creamery a side cutting has been made o£ 1 in 13, in place of the former steep block cutting. The ford at the stream has also been pitched, and a contract let to metal portion of the road. As the sum granted by the Council for this work will not be sufficient to complete the metalling of the bad portions of the road, I should recommend sufficient funds be provided to do another four chains.

At Tapuae Point a tcini)orary road has been made round the cliti, which will, however, be practically useless when the winter season comes on, and

the proposed work for improving this place should be undertaken at once. As the man who has been hitherto working the road machine has left, I would recommend that applications be called for another hand (say in Napier

and local papers) for a period of two or three months' work ; also olTeiing the applicant road work for a certain period when not working the machine ; or I could communicate with some ol the Napier officials asking them to re-

commend a hand. On the Waimata road I am having all spawls from cpiarry and on road line carted to cabstand depot and

broken, in accordance with former in-

structions. 'Die heavy rains inland have necessitated sending a road party again over portions of the Lowden Hills road. As regards the Wairoa-Morere road, constant complaints are received by me as to its condition. It is practically impossible to keep the road in anything like order with the present system of temporary employment ol local hands, and if funds would permit a permanent surfaceman used fo the work should he employed. The road is rapidly deteriorating for want ol

proper maintenance. , I have inspected the road deviation etc., at Whangara referred to liv Mr Jackson, and will report on the matter on the return of Captain Tucker. Regarding the Patutahi road, the Engi neer said the boulders turned up needed breaking.—Cr King said the road was so bad that the black soil was now on top.— Or Mossman stated that it was impossible to get an empty cart over in places.—Cr King thought the Engineer should bo given power to stop the carting of metal when road repairs were completed, if necesairy. Matter left to the 'discretion of the Engineer. On the motion of the Chairmau, JEdO was voted for four chains of work done at the request of Mr W. Douglas Lysnar at Wainui. . If the Engineer could not get a suitable man for the road machine within a week, he was empowered to call for applications. Cr Graham said Government should bo asked to contribute to the maintenance of the Nub aka road. It was new, and had loe, n only lately handed over to the Council— n .„ as s t a tod that only JG4O of rates were rcceiv an q the ] ong th of the road was 25 miles. —i>,„ 0 ] vei 2 tp, a t the Chairman interview the me.-i lor f or the district and see if any assistance co.iq ho obtained from Government. The Chairman said that the ‘J-^, nao rocks’ work involved a large expenditure hut it was one of the most important works ho knew of.—Cr Tombleson said it was a question of money. The work was necessary.— Cr Cooper said it was never known what was going to happen at this point of tho road. A waggon had gone over lately.—On the motion of tho Chairman, it was decided to proceed with the

work. The following tenders wore dealt with : Gray’s drain: J. Blain, JEBI, accepted. The other tenderers were Pitcher, J. Person, and Henley. Waimata metalling : Malone, re-form-ing 7s, carting 2s lOd per yard, squaring, breaking, and carting 9s lid (accepted); McLoughlin, 6s, carting 6s, new metal 11s (declined). The Engineer was instructed to report as to the condition of Walsh’s outlet drain, between Messrs W. Walsh’s and Tomblcson’s. A telegram was received from tho Chief Engineer of Roads (Mr riursthouse) stating that as all agreements entered into before tho 30th Juno by tho Government in respect to expenditure of votes for roads and construction of other public works had lapsed, the Council was notified that all such agreements wore at an end and void; if any moneys had been expended by tho Council on tho faith of such agreements and the same have not been paid, the Department suggested that a return be sent at once showing amount actually expended by tho Council, and giving particulars of work done, date of authority, etc. As a matter of equity, the Government would bear its sharo, but as and from tho date of this notice, seeing it would bo unlawful so to do, no further moneys would be paid in respect to such work. Any further agreements, where no contract had boon actually lot, would have to be entered into with the Minister de novo beforo any money could be paid. A list oi tho lapsed agreements was forwarded. Cr King asked if it was intended by Government to stop all works. Tho Chairman said of all tho grants they had only received ,0130, and wore involved in the wholo of them. It opened up a very serious position for tho Council. Evidently the Auditor-General had been at work, and found that tho votes could not bo legally oxpended after June. If this was allowod to go on, with tho memo, that was given by the Government at last meeting, the Council would practically receive nothing, or would not bo able to get it this year. Tho Government repudiated from last year votes to the amount of DI9OO. He had brought the matter before Mr Carroll, who said ho would go into it with Mr Hursthousc. Cr King: Will he ? The Chairman said Mr Carroll would, ho thought, go into tho matter if lie. wore written to and reminded of it. The telogram was evidently from the AuditorGeneral, who was having a clean-out with the now department of roads. Cr Graham considered tho Government must bo responsible for the votes. Cr King said it was just like a promissory note. They did not got thefr money till January, it was to bo spent before Juno, and thoy had been six months doing nothing. Tho Chairman said they wero not likely to got the money before May. Cr King said in that case it would have to be spent in a month. Thoy could not do it.

Cr Tombleson said that, Mr Carroll being in the town, the Council should wait od him officially and represent to him how very serious it would be to the county if the threat was carried out. The Chairman read the agreement under the Appropriation Act, which, he said, was plain, as between one body ard another. Cr King said it was as plain as an agreement between private people. There was nothing about time in it. The Chairman said there was .nothing about the 30th June. He understood the telegram had been sent round to the local bodies. The now department had obtained new clerks, and that probably had something to do with it. Cr King : It’s a try-on. The Government have got no money. It was decided that tho Chairman should interview Mr Carroll, aud that a letter should be forwarded on to him at Wellington urging the seriousness of the position, Cr King said that there was a probability of a county being formed on tl e other silo of tho Waipaoa river. The area of Cook County was getting too large.—The Chairman said that b.y the Year Book tho Cook County had the eighth largest valuation in the colony.— Cr King said a new county would extend Wairoa way, taking in Nubaka. Ono engineer could not bo expected to manage the present Cook County.—The Chairman said it was unwieldy.—Cr Mossman said Major Winter had had an assistant, but the present engineer had not.—Cr King said the settlers wanted a now county, and ought to get it. A scale of subsidies to the road boards throughout tho district on the rates paid, submitted by the Clerk, was discussed.— Cr Tombleson claimed that injustice was done to the Waimata ridiug. Though they paid the same rates as other districts, they were cut dowu JESO.—Cr King said the" Poverty Bay and Ormond road districts were the key to the whole district, and had a right to a fair share of subsidies. They needed to be better treated than the others.—Cr Mossman said there was not heavier traffic than on the road to Patu-

tahi quarry. —It was decided, on the motion of Cr Tombleson, that the subsidies should remain as drawn up by the Clerk, with the .exception of Waimata and Te Arai, Waimata to receive X'6o and Te Arai nothing—lt was stated that To Arai was entitled to pay the Council X2OO, and JEIOO was owing from the * Waimata. Tee amounts on the scalo for these two districts were; Waimata Xl6O, To Arai £l9O,