SELWYN COUNTY COUNCIL.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2158, 25 January 1881, Page 3

SELWYN COUNTY COUNCIL.

A mooting of the above was held at 10.30 a.m. Present—Messrs E. J. Lee (ohairman), H. J. Mathias, J. D. Enys, H. W. Peryman, A. McMillan, and J. L. Wilson. The Chairman said it will be necessary today! to minute the appointments of the Registrars of Dogs throughout the county and to advertise the same. The Riccarton Road Board pointed out that, owing to gravel pit reserves C-3A in their district not having been handed over to them with the other reserves, they will lose the rental paid first. Steps are being taken to place this reserve, as well ail a few others elsewhere which ore in the same position, vested in the Counoil, when they con be dealt with by the Road Boards interested. I think it well to call attention again to the subject of the Hagley Park roads. The Council is still under engagement for one year with the surveyor of the Riocarton Road Board for supetvision, and have also engaged to bear the cost of necessary repairs and maintenance to the end of the post year. As it was your decision some time back that our liability in this matter —undertaken in misapprehension of our position in the first instanoe—should cease, and thut we should limit our contributions to the expenses, I think it would be well that.l be authorised to communicate with the Riccarton Road Board, in whose district the roads are contained, to the effect that we shall give up the charge of these roads, say, on Ist February next; but that we will contribute what we consider our fair share of the cost of maintenance, &0., in the pro* portion of one-half of what may. be expended, but that such half cost shall not exceed £l5O in any one year. lam at length enabled to lay the county maps before you. There are several points in which the engravers have, I think, come short of the intentions of the Council, and have failed to make the maps as satisfactory as could be wished. It will be desirable to fix a price at which they may be sold to the public Several matters connected with this work will be brought forward for your consideration, together with the engineer's report on the works in hand. The agreement with the ferrymen at Rakaia Gorge has expired. He is desirous of re-appointment, and I think the Council should renew his tenure, but with such provisions as may seem necessary to facilitate the building of the bridge. The names of the trustees for the Fapanui reoreation ground will be submitted to you, in order that they may be forwarded for approval and appointment by the Governor. The letter from the Ashburton County Council with reference to the railway tariff, the consideration of which was deferred at tho last meeting, will be laid before you. As we hare heard nothing further of alterations in the rates of carriage supposed to be under consideration of the Government, it will perhaps be well that this Council take action in support of the views of the Ashburton County Council, and address the Government on the subject. The report of the Inspeotor of Slaughter-houses and applications for licenses have to be considered. The Lyttelton Harbor Board have sent notice of the vacancies on the Board to be filled up by this Council. It will be necessary to hold a special meetirg fsr this purpose on the 14th February. Copies of the annual report of the Harbor Board are on the table for the use of members. The special meeting with reference to pounds was adjourned until to-day at noon, but since we met, further careful inquiry shows that all those whiob it was thought would be desirable to place under control of the Council have, in fact, at different; times been placed by the superintendent in the hands of the several Road Boards in whoso districts they have been erected, so that no further aotion is necessary, and the adjourned meeting may be allowed to Japse. The report from the engineer of the Hororata water-race will bo read.

Th'j various places for registration of dogs in tho county, and persons acting as registration officers, were read ovor and adopted.

Mr Mathias urged that it would be desirable that some means should be taken to enforce tho law. There were a large number of dogs in his district which were unregistered, and had been so for years. Mr Wilson said that this was tho case in the suburbs, and he thought that tho Council should call the attention of the inspector of policu lo the necessity for increased vigilance on tho part of tho police. There wore bundrudi'i of dogs running loose in his district who were not registered, and there did not appear to be any effort made to enforoe the law.

The Chairman was requested to advertise tho list.

With rogard to tho question of the Hagley Park roads, The Chairman said he thought that they should write to tbe Bicoarton Boad Board, telling thorn that the Council declined to take up the position desired, but that they would contribute towards the maintenance, £1 for £l, up to the sum of £l5O. The whole matter had fallen through, aa the. City Fathers had withdrawn from the conference. Mr Wilson thought tho legal difficulty was still there. The Biccarton Boad Board had still good authority to say that thsy had no liability.

The Chairman pointed oat that the Council did not assume any one's liability, but only that they were not liable. Mr Wilson said that the result would be that the roads would be neglected. Ho thought the only way to do wuo to see who really was responsible, and havo the matter set at rest once and for all. So far as the ordinary maintenance and repairs were concerned, be thought the £l5O would be ample. He was iiiclined to believe that as the road was used by all that the Council should take the matter in hand as it would be hard on the Biccarton Boad Board to make them bear the whole cost.

Mr McMillan thought that if the Council shared the expense of maintenance, &s., up to £l5O, they would be relieving the Riccarton Boad Board of a fair proportion of the cost. The road was in good repair, and this sum would keep it so at any rate for a year or so. Mr Peryman said that he contended that the City Council should pay half the cost of the Lower Lincoln Boad. At present they ignored it. Mr Mb, hias should oppose the proposition of the chairman, that the Council should pay £1 for eaoh £1 contributed up to £l5O. He thought this was unfair, because the Council was no'i Regally responsible for the maintenance of these roads.

Mr Wilson said that they must take this as their basis, that they were the successors of the Provincial Council, and that as this road wt public property he thought they were the fit ; "; parties to see that this road was kep 4 - ■'- ,jair. He thought that this would be'th» jst way to keep the road in repair for a time until they saw what the Government would do towards placing them in a proper position, either by handing over the road to the City Council or some other body. The difficulty might be met by asking the Government to turn over the Park to the County Council and do away with the Domain Board.

The Chairman said that he thought the proper method would be to hand these roads over to the Domain Board, but then tho difficulty came that the Domain Board was not endowed.

Mr Mathias agreed with the suggestion of Mr Wilson that the Government should bo applied to, bo that the position of the County Council might be definitely defined during the ensuing session. He should move—" That the Government be communicated with on the subject of the Hagley Park roads, and that they be requested to take steps to settle as soon as possible what local body or bodies should be chargeable with the oontrol and maintenance of the roads, and that in the meantime the present arrangement on the part of the Council shall remain unaltered." Mr Wilson Beconded the resolution.

The motion was put and agreed to. The Council then proceeded to discuss the county map recently completed, which was considered by several of the members as beiog unsatisfactory as regarded execution ana workmanship, so far as the ooloring and marking of the boundary lines were concerned. After some discussion it was resolved to fix the price of the maps to the public at £2 2s, and that the same be advertised. The report of the engineer on the progress of the works at the Malvern water race Was read and considered.

A good deal of correspondence from the solicitors to the Board was read, and ultimately it was resolved that the secretary communicate with tho Minister for Public Works, asking that certain land in the Malvern district should be reserved for the purposes of a water race.

The Council then proceeded to consider the question of the Rakaia Gorge ferry, and ultimately it was resolved, on the motion of Mr Peryman—" That the services of the present ferryman be retained." The names of the trustees for the Fapanui recreation reserve were submitted as follows : —Messrs Philpott, Kruau, Munro, Cresswell, Moir, Thomas, Harper and Jackson, and approved by the Council. The Chairman said that bo bad rec Jived a telegram from the Government, stating that the new railway tariff was in type, and would be issued during the week. Under these circumstances, it would perhaps be well to adjourn the consideration of the question until the tariff was before them. In the meanwhile, the Ashburten Council would be communicated with on the subjeot. The Courcil agreed to postpone the consideration of the matter, as suggested by the chairman. The report of the inspector of slaughterhouses was read,]as also several applications for licenses. It was resolved to hold a special meeting on February 14th, at 11 a.m., to eleot two members of the Harbor Board. The Chairman intimatod that Messrs E. Or. Wright and K. J. 8. Harman had stated their willingness to come forward as candidates. It was understood that Dr. Turnbull would not be a oandidate for re-election. A letter was read from Messrs Dobson and Son in refeaence to the works under their charge at the Hororata Gorge and waterrace.

Mr Wilson brought under the notioe of the Council the question of the dosing of the road on the south Bide of Dudley's Greek. The Avon Boad Board had offered £l5O per acre for five aores of land being part of rural section 182, and in response to a request from the agent of the property had taken steps to close the Dudley Greek road, with a view of exchanging the land from the road for an equal amount to be added to the above for recreation purposes. A reference to the Public Works Act showed that the land from the road could not be exchanged as above, but must be valced and sold, the proceeds paid into the district fund. Consequently, the Boad Board resolved—" That in the event of the ratepayers consenting to the road being closed, the County Council be recommended to vote a sufficient sum for the purchase of seven acres, as above, and that the money arising from the sale of the land from the road be devoted to some special work in this district which shall be approved of by the County Council." Some discussion ensued, and ultimately Mr Wilson gave notice of motion for next moating on the subject. A number of accounts were passed, and the Council then adjourned to 14th February at 11 a.m.