COUNTY COUNCILS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4300, 5 August 1921, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCILS.

— _o OIIINEMUBI, The monthly meeting of the Ohinemui’i County Council was held at Paeroa yesterday. Pi'esent: Ci's. SH. Morgan, P. Grace, W. F. Johnstone, J. Johnson, A. D. McGuire, the clerk, Mr R. W. Evans, and the engineer, Mr E. Shaw. The chairman, Cr. A. R. Robinson, was absent owing to Rivers Commission work, and Cr. P. Grace presided. RIVERS CONTRIBUTION.

The Treasury notified the Council that the revenue received from gold duty was £739 10s 6d, contribution payable £282 17s 9d, gold duty retained £66 13s 9d. The extra contribution required was £216 4s, whicn would be retained out of future revenue.

Cr. Johnstone moved that a reply be sent to the effect that the Council could not be charged in the manner stated.—Carried, ,

THAMES.

The monthly meeting of the Thames County Council was held on Wednesday, .there being present Crs. H. Lowe (chairman), A. Alley, P. Faithful, E. Niccol, J. McCormick, W. Brunton, G. R. Blackett, R, Cox, and the c.herk, Mr 11. T. G. McElroy. THAMES-HIKUTAIA ROAD. The Inspector of Mines (Mr Matthew Paul), wiote stating that,the Minister of Mines had authorised the expenditure of £96 3s 4d on the above road (Koparata bridge main road). This was the Department’s portipn cu a £2 for £1 basis of the estimated cost of construction of the culverts referred to.—Tenders were called for the work, presumably, in some outside publication, but none wei.e- received. CULLEN’S WATER-RACE. Mr E. W. Porriit, solicitor, Paeroa, wrote asking on behalf pf his client, Mr W. M. Cullen, what cash contribution the Council would require from Mr Cullen towards the .water-race work if Mr Cullen got the application granted in the Council’s name, the Council to. get the water 'supply put in, say, within one year. The Council could then collect the watez charges from consumers under its bylaws.

The chairman w.as in favour pf dedicating the Council’s right to put the supply in, on the condition .that the Council coiftid take it over if and when desired.

Cr,."j. McCormick opposed, stating that the creek supplied several .residents. How were these going to get on if } Mr. Cullen had the water rights ? In summer-time the creek was almost dry.

Cr./ Brunton thought it v-ould be in Mr Cullen’s interest to connect the present residences with water pipe..-. The chairman said Mr Cullen was actually prepared to do more than the Council had required of him. He had agreed to meet the Council in every way. . Cr. McCormick warned the Council against taking the water supply away from the present residents.. The chairman said amicable arrangements had been made as .between Mr Cullen, and the presem residents. Mr 'CuMen ’had offered lb put the system in and hand it over to the Council at structural valuation ; or, that the Council should do the work and he would pay for it. Means had been devised whereby a maximum supply would be fixed for each house, so that one place woujid not be able to take all the water and another none. Cr. McCormick said if the lastmentioned matter was as stated he would be quite agreeable to the application. All he wanted was that the rights and interests of the present occupiers of the sections were safeguarded, in that the water would not be cut off from them. The matter was left in the chairman’s hands to obtain a report on the estimated cost of the work. WHAREPOA ROAD. , The Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G- Coates) promised “early consideration” of the Council’s application for authority to spend £l5O out of, the grant of £250 for the Wharepoa Road.—Received. WHANGAMATA-HIKUTAIA. A similar reply was received in respect to an application for the expenditure of £3OO out of. £6OO on the above road. —Received. RIDING FINANCE. Cr. R. Cox strongly condemned the granting of £3OO out of the general revenue each year for the Hastings riding. A toll-gate should be put on the Coast Road tb : provide the necessary money for the extra expenditure on that road. The chairman pointed put that no one riding was in a position to throw bricks at another. Hikutaia riding, for instance, spent £5OO las,: year above its revenue. This sort of thing was responsible for the forge overdraft. Fortunately, owing to the way the rates had come in, the overdraft was noW £2OOO below the legal limit. But there was only another £2OOO to .come. The speaker was going to try and interview the Minister for Public Works to try and secure £6OOO now held in abeyance and subsidies which were due. The financia.l position, if the subsidies v. ere secured, would improve considerably, and the Council could then go ahead with its general reading scheme. He hoped, also, to get the Minister’s assurance that the Paeroa-Coromandel road would be declared^ a main arterial road.