COUNTY COUNCIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1083, 17 January 1872, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

Monday, Jan. 16. • : [abridged from the w. c. times.] Mr Dungan presented a petition from miners at the Greenstone praying for the removal of the township. The petition was read and received. Mr Dungan presented a petition from holders of business licenses at tjip Greenstone, stating.their willingness .to remove from their present sites on receiving compensation ; and praying for an' enquiry into the matter. The petition was read and received. ■ ■.:■ • •■■.; ■; Mr Dungan presented a petition from miners on the Argus Terrace praying that if the township of Greenstone be removed, it be not moved to the Terrace.' ['':, ]\ warden's couet,7gbeensxone.^ Mr Dnngan asked — "Why miners' rights and registration certificates' are not transmitted to the Warden's^Court, Greenstone. '" ' ' "" r "" r - -"" The Chairman, said that the Receiver of Revenue was the only one who could give information on the subject. He (the Chairman) might, however, state that in consequence of the notice of question given, he had telegraphed to Wellington and he had ascertained that the fault lay with the General Government. He had also learned that the miners' rights .anct^a registration certificates had a -been forwarded from Wellington last lyeek. j Mr Hobs would point out thai; the want of the forms was due to the Warden^ clerks \ not being sufficiently diligent,, in the .discharge of their duties. If tttose officers would take care to make provision three months in advance, there would be no chance of any such difficulty occurring. ' The Chairman said that in the present instance the Warden's Clerk was not in fault. That officer had made' application to Mr Barbor in ample time, and Mr Barbor had written to WelHhgtou for the forms in October last. • . ' . : ■ , BRIDGING CREEKS IN. THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT. Mr Scanlan moved—" That in the opinion of this foot bridges should be immediately erected in the Okaritb district, . over the following Saltwater Creeks ; one over a creek between Cook's River and Hunt's Beach ; one over a creek at the north end of Gilleapie's Beach ; one over a creek between Okarito Township and the Five-Mile Beach ; one over a creek at the south end of Saltwater Beach 5 and one over a creek at the north end ofsthe same beach." He said that the danger to travellers was not so much in regard to large" rivers as these small creeks. -He had known occasions when the mailman had been detained two or three days at Hunt's Beach| be-cause-the creek, was impassable; *The County Engineer had reported in favor of the construction of the bridges, ! and He (Mr Soanlan) perceived that a sum of L 250 was on the Estimates, for: the' purpose, but that siim was juot enough. - Mr Dungan seconded the motion. '■ The Chairman said that the member for Okarito could see by the Estimates! that the matter had already been considered. He would suggest that the motion be withdrawn, and the subject discussed on the Estimates being considered, Mr Barff thought' the better course would be to postpone the motion for a time so as to enable members to gather some information on the subject. He would have preferred if the Chairman had explained what were the bridges which had been resolved should be constructed. There were other places besides those indicated by the member for Okaritb which might be advantageously bridged and a saving in the subsidy to ferrymen effected. : He was not aware whether the Little Warigariiii could be bridged at a moderate cost, but if it oould there would be a \wf~. ing there of LSO peu annum. Then there v<, was the New River, between this and the Grey. That had been a source of much - trouble and anxiety. He "believed that the only way to get'over that difficult^ * would be to construct a foot bridge at thtf upper crossing, and arrange otherwise for the passage of vehicles. The subject, altogether, was a large and important one, and he should like the motion postponed ! so that it might be fully discussed on a future occasion. Mr Hoos said that last session a iseconimeudation had been made that two footbridges should be constructed over creeks in the Southern district. He should like to know if they had been built, .as then there : would be only three, to be dotstructed. It would be better to postpone the motion for a week, when it would.receive full consideration. ••' ' ' '-' Mr Bonar said he felt the importance of haying as many of the creeks as pqss.ib.le, bridged, but the question wa^ by whom the work should be done.. The various r » • Road Boards would now be in; receipiof I moneys for purposes of that nature, and it was a matter for consideration whether those bridges would not be included.: ■.-.'•■ After some further discussion it was agreed that the motion be postponed fora week. •■■■■• ■ . ■'■ •'■' ' i v ' r ■ -■ v " SUBSIDIES TO HOSPITAXS. The Chairman moved— " That a select committee be appointed, consisting of Messrs Bonar, Hoos, Robinson, and the mover, to consider arid report, within a fortnight, upon the advisability of amend.- ,; ing the present system of subsidising the 'i hospitals in 'the County," Me said that the subsidies to hospiiala during ,%a, las^t ; six months amounted to something ovec L 2400, and taking into consideration, ■< also, the expense of the < Lunatic Asylum. the cost of those institutions was beyond the means of the County with its present >* diminished income. The Hokitika Hospital had an advantage over thcke at tile Grey and al Ross, inasmuch as the County paid the whole -of the Surgeon's salary, i / instead of only two-thirds as was the case * ? i with the other hospitals, Besides', he did not see why the oost of the female patients should be thrown wholly upon the County. If that cost were divided, as was the case with the male patients, there

would be a saving to the County of LSOO He had placed a sum on the for building a new hospital, and if that be carried out, he was in hopes that a material saying would bo effected in the maintenance of the hospital. He found that the cost of maintenance in the Hokitika Hospital was L 2 2s per head, while at the Grey it was only LI 15s. At Boss, however, it was a much as 14 per head. There were ample grounds, therefore, for improvement in ihat respect, both at Hokitika and at Boss. He had no doubt that the Council would agree with him that an alteration roust be made, and he believed that means could be devised which would benefit the County without injuring the institutions. Mr Fox said that a very good plan had been adopted at Greymouth, by the formation of committees in the up-country districts where clubs were formed, and miners paid weekly subscriptions. That was the reason of the success of the Greymouth Hospital. The plan had only been in operation about six months. Mr Bonar would not enter into a discussion on the subject, as the motion was ' only for a committee of inquiry. He must, however, say that he was surprised that the Chairman, who was in a position to become correctly informed should make such statements as he had done. The Hokitika Hospital enjoyed no undue advantage. The female ward was the only one in the County at the time the arrangement ras made that the County should pay the whole cost of its maintenance, and that was the reason that it was so arranged. With respect to the salary of the Surgeon, that was a condition agreed to when the management of the hospital was given over by the Government. The motion was then agreed to without dissent.