OHINEMURI COUNTY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4400, 7 April 1922, Page 3

OHINEMURI COUNTY.

GENERAL MEETING OF COUNCIL. The general meeting of the Ohinemuri County Council was held on Thursday. Present: Crs. A. R. Robinson (chairman), Wilfrid Johnstohe, S. H. Morgan, J. Johnson, JI. M. Corbett, the engineer, Mr Ej Shaw, and the clerk, Mr R. W. Evans. An apology for absence was received from Cr McGuire. The chairman paid a tribute to Cr. Grace, who had recently retired. He had given the benefit of practically the whole of his life to local bodies. He was chairman for a longer period than any other, and the speaker would move that a record of the Council’s appreciation of Cr. Grace’s services be made. The chairman proceeded to welcome the return of Cr.. H. M. Corbett to the Council, whose previous experience would stand in good stead. The new-old councillor responded. The county had a great future before it; while he would stand up for his opinion," and respect those of others, he hoped that no ill-feeling would be engendered, and that all would work together fbr the good of the County as a whole. FLOOD DAMAGE—(£IOO, £ FOR £• The Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister for Public Works, granted £lOO, on £ for £ basis, towards the r>st of repair of flood damage to Doherty’s Creek bridge. Woodstock drain, and Komata Creek bridge.—Accepted. lIOUMANGA ROAD—£SO. • The Minister granted £5O (£ for £) for the cost of repair ofl washout on the abovenamed road. —Accepted. A similar grant was made for Waitekauri bridge. An application for a further amount was declined. —Accepted PROSPECTING ASSISTANCE. The Mines Department refused to grant further assistance to prospectors Barrett , and Falney; they had already given the locality a fair trial. —Received. FINANCE. The chairman and the county surer were empowered to arrangewith the Bank off N.Z. for a temporary overdraft of £2500 ; also a loan of £5OOO for extinguishing the old overdraft, as provided for .in the Local Bodies Finance Act. - BEACH ROAD.

Cr. Corbett, referring to Beach Road, said he was accused of being one of the men who sold the Beach Road to the‘Waihi Borough. He did not take any notice of that. The road was of service to the women and tourists. He would Jike the enginee.' to prepare a rough estimate for 'meta’iling the road from the cemetery to the top of the hill. When he had got that estimate he would see the Waihi Borough Council and Cham ber of Commerce; it might be possible to raise the funds. Cr. S. H. Morgan supported. He thought a toll-gate should be ..put there, which would pay for a good road. Cr. Corbett said he did not'intenl to commit the Ohinemuri County Council to one shilling expenditure. Cr. Johnstone also supported, stating that the toll-,gate was the fairest means of .taxation for road purposes, as those who used the road paid for it. ' Cr. Corbett said a toll-gate was not in his mind at present. BYLAWS. A letter was received from the Hauraki Plains County Council re united by-laws governing traffic.Clerk to secure copy of proposed regulations. - , RIDING BOUNDARIES. " Mr J. G. Corness on behalf of the Waihi Farmers’ Union branch, sug gested that the new riding be called the Waihi Riding; that the boundary be from a point at Mataura Beach to the top of the watershed to the north of Waihi Borough., striking down to the river at the west boundary of the borough, and taking in the Waitawheta Valley if necessary to form the rating value required. In reply to Cr. Corbett, the chairman said the matter would be gone into prior to the next County election, which would be a year hence. The clerk said he had informed the Union of the position before,—Letter received.

A GOD-SEND GONE. Mr B. Wilg’ress, in reference to an overdue said he would be glad to work it out; if not allowed to do so, then the. Council'was quite welcome to some of the hungry sandhills it had rateji so highly. As to the £5O spent on the Beach Road,, it would have been a god-send for some of the settlers to have done the work instead of giving motor joy-rides for men from Waihi; “ It is- a peculiar letter,” said the chairman, “and I notice that the riding members are not saying anything.” Cr. . Corbett pointed out that the County Council-had nothing whatever to do with the valuation, which the Government Valuation Department was responsible for. In any case, the time for objection to valuations was past long ago.—Decided that the engineer see the applicant. ROTOKOHU RATEPAYERS. Cr. Johnstone supported a letter from the Rotokohu Ratepayers’ Association, asking for support in its recent representations to the Government in reference to stop-banks. The. ch,air man said that something should be done, but there were several places in the district needing protection and the engineers should be, competent to say which banks ■should go up first, and what would be the effect of them. However, he supported Or. Johnstone’s resolution. —Carried. AN OFFER. Otto Bjerring offered to do £96 worth of work to secure better access to his farm, in lieu of paying £4B due for rates. Cr. Corbett: I am rather surprised; he is a conscientious and industrious

man Cr. Johnstone: He is one of the whitest mdn I have -ever met. The Engineer: I know the road

and I know the man; the road certainly wants attendirig to. The Chairman.: Many ratepayers in my riding do stop-banks and such work for nothing.. However, he would take a resolution on the matter.—Request in letter agreed to, SCHOOL OF MINES. An application was received for a renewal of the grant to the Waikino School of Mines, the grant of last year being £75. Cr, Morgan said the students were learning electrical work, and grants were subsidised £ for £ by the Government.. He moved that £5O be granted. A- councillor’s signature to an application for an assay would be sufficient to have the assay made. Cr. Corbett seconded. The chairman thought £3O was sufficient, in view of he financial situation. Cr. Johnstone supported.— Agreed to. HIKUTAIA DISTRICT DRAIN. The chairman detailed his efforts to get funds for the widening of Alexander’s drain. The Public Works Department had agreed to find £162, on the £ for £ basis. He moved that the Council accept, provided that the settlers find half of the Council’s £162. At present, settlers had to retire from land worth £BO an acre and farm elsewhere. Cr, Johnstone moved and Cr. Corbett seconded that the Government offer be' accepted, the Council to supply £Bl, the settlers £Bl, making a total of £324 for the work. MILL ROAD, Cr. Johnstone said he had collected #27 for. the repair of Mill Road, and he suggested that the -subsidy promised be added, and work done as far as the money would allow.— Carried.