WAITOMO COUNTY.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 371, 21 June 1911, Page 5

WAITOMO COUNTY.

♦ MONTHLY MEETING. The usual monthly meeting of Waitomo County Council was held on Monday night at the Council offices. Present: Cr A. Scholes (chairman) and Crs Brodriie, Were, Gregg, Johnston, O'Dwyer and Hoffman. SPECIAL MEETING. Balance Sheet. —The Clerk presented the balance-sheet "without tags." Councillors generally expressed their satisfaction. —A motion proposed by Cr Boadieand seconded by Cr Hoffman expressed the appreciation of the Council at the very satisfactory work the Clerk had done with the material at his disposal.—Carried unanimously.—The balance-sheet was formally adopted. ORDINARY MEETING Counties Association —The Presi- j dent of the New Zealand Counties Association circularised the County on the question whether the latter would be represented at a conference of delegates to consider the lines upon which the promised Local Government Bill should be framed. Crs Were and Hoffman moved that in the opinion of the Council no conference should be held this year, but if a conference be held the Council will be represented. Carried. County rate. Crs Were and Gregg moved that the striking of the rate be postponed until next meeting.—Carried.

Arapae Road Contract. —The contract for this work was let to Mr C. Davey. Waikato Hospital Board. — The Clerk to the Board applied for the sum of £417 5s 4d. — the amount allocated as payable for the ensuing year.--Some discussion took place on the question of the amount payable by the County, it being pointed out that as the new latepayers were added to the roll the burden would become lighter all round. The County had no control over the rating and is bound to pay the amount levied.

Rates on Imported Timber.—The Stratford County Council wrote asking the Council to favourably consider a resolution passed by that Council to ask the Minister of Railways to repeal the charge of rate and a half on imported hardwood timber when used by County Councils. — As the matter did not affect this County no action was taken. Alteration of Boundaries. — The Ohura County Clerk wrote that he was not sure whether his Council would be agreeable to Sections and 2 Block 3 Aria being included, but would place the letter before the Council and inform them of its decision.—Received. Willow - Clearing.— Mr Jennings, M.r., wired that when in Wellington he had seen about payment for willow clearing, and the Auckland office had been ordered to pay. He asked had it been done. Received.

Mapara and Tanigtu Settlements. — The Chief Surveyor of Lands wrote that he had arranged for a plain tracing of the settlements to be made as soon as possible. He anticipated that it would be five months before the finished plans themselves would be received from the surveyors.— Reeived. County depots.—Crs O'Dwyer and Hoffman moved that the County acquire an acre of land adjacent to Pio Pio, Otorohanag and Hangatiki for the purpose of erecting depots, and that the land be taken under the Publie Works Act, the selection of sites to be left to the Engineer and Councillor for the riding. -Carried. County Reserves. Crs O'Dwyer and Hoffman moved that the necessary steps be taken to have all the reserves in the County vested in the Council and that, the Clerk obtain a list of all the reserves in the County and send it to the Auckland Land Board making the above request. —Carried. Engineer's Report. —On the Awakino road the water tables require clearing out, and a few loads of metal laying for patching. Travelling stock was continually filling in the water tables and blocking the culverts; at present a mob of pigs were doing considerable damage to the road. Wet weather had delayed the metalling contracts and caused the roads to cut up very badly. Poulsen's hill was in such a state that he had had to stop the work until spring. The grader had been working on the OtorohangaPironiga and Titahi roads and has reformed three miles 18 chains. As soon as work on the Mangati road was finished he proposed to stop further work until the winter was over. Contracts had been let for widenng por tions of the Arapae and Sainsbury roads and also for other works on the Hauturu and Caves roads. The contracts on the Mokauiti, Owaikura Ngapaenga, Punagrehu, and Parakoko roads have been completed. Two men had been employed on the Hanga-tiki-Waitomo road, making repairs.— Received. Accoutns.—Accounts to the value of £1202 10s 9d were passed for payment.