COUNTY COUNCIL.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1270, 24 August 1872, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

[ABRIDGED FROM -WEST pOiSI VTIMES^ Thursday, AtfisusT 22^ s^ THE WESTLAND WASTE LAND ACT.

The Chairman desired, before proceed-ing-with-theA>uaines3.on,the.order^paper,, to mention to the Council that he had that' day ? received a. telegram from Sir David Monro, as Chairman' of the Committee on Waste Lands/inquiring-whether* the County Council. concurred in certain alterations in the Westlatid Waste Lands Act proposed to be made at the suggestion, of Mr Tribe. He (the Chairman) could' only answer that he had no knowledge of the matter whatever. It appeared, however, from what he had learned since, that Mr Tribe had acted upon information he had obtained from the Chief Surveyor. Mr White and Mr Tribe had waited upon the Chief Surveyor, inquiring of him how the Act worked, and Mr Mueller had pointed out where it was defective He (the Chairman) considered that this was a most unprecedented proceeding. There were, no doubt, some defects in the Act, of which, as a member of the Board, he (the Chairman) had been aware, but the proper way, so far as the

Chief Surveyor was concerned, was for him to have brought the matter before the attention of the Board or of the County Council, and not to have made suggestions of his own. The Act was the product of the Council, and the Council should have been consulted in its amendment. It yrai» generally admitted that the Act was the best measure of the kind in the Colony, and if there was .anything for which the late County Chairman deserved- credit it <was for having initiated that measure. Ho (the Chairman) did not know at all what were the alterations in the Act proposed by Mr Tribe, and he had telegraphed to Sir David Monro not to pro-cfeeriiTthe-matferr-;'* -~" ' "' ' A majority of >the /membei'3 expressed opinions similar to those of the Chairman, and after, some further discussion a resof lution was passed authorising the Chair? man to obtain, by telegraph, a verbatim report of the alterations proposed to be made in the Act. , , TOLLS. On the motion of the Chairman, the Council went into Committee for the further consideration of the question of revising the tolls on the various roads in the County. The report of the sub-committee respecting the non-removal of the Kawhaka toll-gate was adopted. On the motion of Mr Hoos it was resolved to place a toll-gate at the Omotumotu junction on the Arnold road, and , the following scale of charges was 3 adopted : — Vehicles drawn by one horse, 2s 6d ; each additional horse, 6cl ; coaches and waggons with four wheels and two horses, 2s 6J ; each additional horse, 6d ; c horse ridden, Is ; pack-horse, 6d ; cattle and asses per head, 6d j sheep, pigs, and > goats, per head, Id. The following regulation was ordered to apply to all toll-gates throughout the County :— " That all persons having paid s in passing through a toll-gate shall return jt free of charge on the same day." On the motion of Mr Hoos, it was ordered that all children going to and coming from school on horseback should be i exempt from paying toll. On the motion of Mr Hoos, seconded - 1 by Mr Fox, Mr James M'Beth was ap--5 pointed toll-collector at the Oniotumotu Gate at a salary of L 3 per week. Messrs Thompson and Goodfellow were appointed toll-keepers at the Kawhaka ', and Seventeen Mile gates respectively, at , t a salary, of 303 per week each. . . . Progress . was ordered to ,be reported, and the Council resumed.

GREY COAL RESERVES,

The Chairman moved—" That the resolution 'of this Oouncilrpss3ed*on * the 19th inst, regarding. ;the Ggrpy^Xjqa] Reser» T e, be amended by striking" out the words c , for a period of four-years,' in the fourth line, and all the wOrds after th£ word ' Borough ' in the eighth line. " He said he had received another telegram from Mr Reeves requesting him to induce the "Council to amend its former resolution on this subject. The money advanced to the Greymouth Corporation by the Government had been properly secured by a mortgage on the wharfage dues to extend over " six years.~*"The Council "had already agreed to pledge the coal reserve until such time a3 the money would be repaid. ■ v Mr Button thought it was a pity the Council did not know" before they passed the former resolution exactly what the General Government wanted. He' could not help thinking there was some little scheme in the. back ground, with respect to the reserve^ and he was rather inclined to tie u,p. He wjshed_ to leave to the Council the" right to "redeem the "coal reserve. ' : ' Mr Hoos said his suspicions were grpn;ing stronger as to what the General Government premeditated in this matter. What would be the position of the County if the mortgage were r no't amended, or if th-) General Government purposely allowed the payments to linger and so pounce on the security ? Mr Button moved as an amendment that instead of striking out the words " for a period, of six yeara," be, inserted. Mr Po3f seconded the amendment. Mr Robinson objected to the .manner in which the resolution had been brought forward by the Chairman. ' He had not given explanations enough to members on Buch an important question as this. The Chairman said he entertained no fear that the reserve would be taken possession of by the General Government. At one time they had questioned the title of the County to the but by applying to the Cpunpil ;n this manner they admitted the County's rjght to it. He gould assure members, that he had no desire, to endow the Borough of Grey mouth with the reserve, and he would sign no document without fully understanding it ; and if he did not understand it, he would act under legal advice. He accepted Mr Button's amendment. The motion, as amended, was carried on the voices. TRAMWAYS. The ChairmaxV moved—" That the Council go into committee to consider the letters of the Hokitika and Kanieri and the\Hoki£ika and Haihhau q^mway Cqmpanies." He brought forward this motion in' order that the Council might say whether the tramway question should be re- opened or not. There was a general expression of surprise at the condi-3t of the Chairman in wishing to ro-open the question. The Chairman, in reply, said he merely

wanted, the -letters considered, which was a mere matter of courtesy. He simply wislied'the/Council to deal with them. He was^hunself > also tired of the Tramway quest wmand had no desire to re-open it, but he considered it his duty to obtain some answer from the Council to these way Companies were entitled ' to* some' compensation < and , did not j see why .the question could not be decided. The immteiyfer*^]^^^^ continually finding fault,, which was a thing easy to do, but that "member never brought any motion of his own forward to benefit the Countyy^.lf^Chairman wero sent down from J ''HVay6n>ho could not please the Councili.^; : :^4s>e The motion was then put and negatived on the voices.,: - • : - '' < ■'■>>' '« fl : TRACK FROM MARSDEN TO CARIBOO. Mr Dungan mo ved— '' Thatthis .Council empower the County, Chairman to call for tenders for the construction of a.packtrack f roth a poini below ; , the Marsden township, New River district, to the Cariboo and adjacent diggings, payment, for the same to be made in land." He said he brought the motion forward being unable to obtain the construction of a track from the Paroa Road Board. Representing a large and im--portant mining district, he was compelled to appeal to the Council to assist him in getting this track made,, these necessary works being "totally; ignored' by the Road. Board. ,-- : „ - .-. in^\.,..' ■.-..., Mr Fox. seconded ,the motion, which. passed without dissent. .