WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 93, 31 July 1908, Page 5

WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

son. Letters were received from the following: A. Watts requesting permission to pLce a gate on Te Ran Mauku road : ]'. Boddie offering to purchase an angle of ajroad fronting his property at Te Kuiti; J. Cox requesting planks to make a footbridge, Hinewai Street, Otorchanga ; C.J. Johnson and others regarding Tuhora Street, Otcrohanga ; H. W. Matthews requesting that Waitomo Valley road should be "made passable ; District Railway Engineer regarding level crossing at Te Kuiti; Health Department, reappointing Inspector Bennett for Te Kuiti; Kawhia County Council as to position of roads between the two Counties. WAITOMO VALLEY ROAD. With regard to Mr H. W. Matthews' request to have the road opened Cr Gregg said the applicant had been getting access to his sections through a neighbour's property, and he moved that the request be granted, the work to be done under the supervision of the ' Engineer. — Seconded by Cr Ormsby and carried. RAILWAY CROSSING, TE KUITI. The Railway Department wrote offering to make a crossing over the railway, opposite Ward Street, at the Council's expense, the cost to be about £36. Cr Ormsby proposed that the Minister be written to asking that the crossing be put in by and at the expense of the Department. —Seconded by Cr Hunt and carried. TE RAU MAUKU ROAD. Permission was given to Mr A. Watts to erect a gate across the road, at his own risk, tb.3 same to be removed at any time at the request of the Council OFFER TO PURCHASE. The offer of Mr J.' Boddie to purchase the unused angle of a road was referred to the Engineer to report. TUHORA ROAD, OTOROHANGA. The Engineer reported that a culvert inTuhora Street would cost £4. Cr Gregg said the people were prepared to do the work if they got the necessary timber, and on the motion of Cr Ormsby, seconded by Cr Gregg, it was resolved to grant £3 worth of timber for the work. SANITARY INSPECTOR.* The offer of the Health Department of Inspector Bennett's services for Te Kuiti for the sum of £lO per annum was, on the motion of Cr Ormsby, seconded by Cr N. I. Hunt, carried, the sum to be paid out of the Te Kuiti Sanitary Rate. BOUNDARY ROADS. The offer of the Kawhia County Council to hand over the *' thirds " on sections abutting the boundary roads between the two Counties, on condition that the Waitomo Council took charge of the roads in question, was discussed. . The Chairman pointed out that the " thirds " were a vanishing quantity, and if the roads were taken over it would be for all time ; the time would come when there would be no "thirds" for expenditure. It would be more satisfactory to have an assurance that the Kawhia Council would contribute equally towards work done on the roads. It was proposed by Cr Ormsby, and seconded by Cr Hunt, that the Chairman and Clerk be empowered to draw up a scheme as to a fair division of expense to submit to the Kawhia Council on the question. PUBLIC WORKS ACT. The Waimate County Council wrote requesting the Council to support a proposed amendment to # the " Public Works Act." The proposed amendment provides that where any' public body wishes to acquire land for any public purpose it can cause the owner to have a valuation made, and if the valuation is beyond the amount anticipated, the local body can decline to complete the process upon paying the cost of such valuation. Also, if the Compensation Court assesses the amount to be paid for compensation, for any land intended to be acquired, the local body can cease negotiations upon paying reasonable expenses. —It was decided to send the remit to Mr Jennings, M.P., with the request that the member for the district should support the amendment in Parliament. PROPOSED OHURA COUNTY. Cr Loveday, in referring to the proposed severance of the Ohura district from the Waitomo County, said that the ratepayers of the Ohura had come to the conclusion that the time had arrived to sever the two Southern ridings and form a separate county. Probably action would not have been taken so soon but that a movement was contemplated in another quarter for the formation of a county which would, if successfully carried through, hav& the effect of cutting up the district, and complicating matters in connection with the formation of a county at any subsequent time. Action had to be taken somewhat hurriedly in order to bring the matter before Parliament, and he had obtained a survey, and engaged a solicitor to prepare the necessary Bill. The Chairman said he was somewhat disappointed at the action of the Ohura people. Less than two years ago they had come into the Waitomo County as their interests were more closelv .associated with : this district than with Tanmaki. lie was quite aware that a severance was likely, but the matter had come sooner than was exijeeied. The County boundaries had just been readjusted, and that expense would go for naught. An engineer had been engaged and other expensive undertakings were necessary. He would be sorry to thrr.w anv obstacle in the way but considered the action premature, and the fear of absorption in another ■ direction unfounded. Cr N. I. Hunt said he was always of opinion the people were premature in forming new counties. The Government should form the roads first and the counties should follow, 'i he Waitomo County had been in operation three vearsand had done comparatively "little. There could be no

j obiection to the Ohura people formI ing a county, but when they conAidWxd the expense involved in ad- '. ministradom he thought it a pity the OS'up po.o;de did n.c-L wait another i Councillors Johnston nrd Ormsby 1 expressed themselves in a similar i vein, but Cr Ormsby considered that unless the people were prepared to wait another three years it was better to sever at once. ! Cr Lcveday, in reply, said that at a j meeting of about one hundred ratci pjycrs'k had been resolved to for I*l a separate county. As to outside action thev had no fear of being dragged into an undesirable scheme, but such action might complicate matters. When the riding boundaries were under consideration he had urged the advisability of arranging boundaries so that severance could readily take place. The borrowing powers cf the County were so restricted, considering the size of the present County, that it was advisable to split the district into separate counties in order to get as 'much money as possible for _ the necessary works. He was conscious of having received much assistance from the Waitomo Council and expressed his appreciation us to the cordial terms upon which the members of the various districts had met. Cr. T. Hunt supported Cr. LoveSay's views, and said the settlers were unanimous in the matter. Cr. Ormsby said he had proposed the motion bringing the Ohura in the Waitomo County ; it was fitting he should propose the severance. If necessary the Council could go into the question of boundaries and rearrange them. . Cr. N. J. Hunt: "We could revert to the position as before Ohura came in, and make a new riding of the Aria district." . . It was resolved on the motion of Cr. Ormsby, seconded by Cr. Johnston " That the Council by resolution now consent that the lately decided two southern ridings of the Ohura district do sever from the Waitomo County for the purpose of forming a new county, subject .to a satisfactory arrangement of boundaries. A DEPUTATION. Messrs. Melling and Tammadge, representing the Anglican community of Te Kuiti, waited upon the Council with a request that assistance should be given towards nfakmgTi bridge to the Church. It was resolved that the Engineer be authorised to have work done at a cost not exceeding £5. SLAUGHTERING LICENSE. The application for a slaughtering license by N. W. Albrechtsen, of Te Kuiti was recommended. PROPOSED LOAN. On the motion of Cr. Johnson seconded by Cr. Scholes, it was resolved that steps be taken for raising a loan of £4,500 for the purpose of improving the Caves, Hauturu, Mairoa, and Mangapohue roads, the loan to be distributed over two years. MANGAORINO LOAN. In reply to Cr. Scholes, the Clerk stated that owing to a discrepancy between the petition and special order, a delay had occurred, and the matter was to be remedied by an Order-in-Council.

SPECIAL ORDER. The special order, making the special rate for Te Kuiti township loan was confirmed.* . ENGINEER'S REPORT. Since my last ((report the two contracts on the Pungarehu road have been finished, and a very fair job has been made. There is still a small balance in hand with which I intend renewing a rotten culvert and repairing the road near the Mairoa township. On the Arapae road, Mr. Boddie should have had his contract completed this week. The No. 2 contract, which was let to some Maoris, has been going on in such an unsatisfactory manner that I' thought I thought it best to terminate it, and let a small contract for the completion. I have deducted what I think a fair amount for the unfinished portion from the contract price, and- they are quite satisfied, in fact they are glad to get out of it. I have had an old drain and outlet cleared out on the Te Kuiti-Otorohanga. road, arid do not propose to do any more to it till the Spring. I have arranged with some of the settlers 'to clean out the watertables and fill in the ruts with rock and fascines on the OtorohangaPriongia road, but nothing much can be done in the wa/of improving* the roads at this time of the year.