Kawhia County Council.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 391, 11 December 1908, Page 2

Kawhia County Council.

A special masting of the above body was held in the Council Cham bees on Wednesday 1-m, when there were present—-Ore W. J. Sbaw (-.in fch* chair), A. W. Babbage, G. G. Jena ton, A. N. Norton, H. Sbaw and H. Armstrong. Cr W. J. Shaw moved and Or Jona . bun “conded :—“ That Mr C. F. E, Bar;. he appointed returning officer for «'l elections and p 4b.”—Carried This concluded the business.

AN EXPLANATION. After the meeting had closed, Or Armstrong said he wished to nifl.ke an explanation. According to the report of the last meeting in the Settles, be said, Cr Davies bad taken exception to work done by H. Wade, which was described as trashy. The work was let to Wade who started the job before he (the speaker) was ready, and as be shortly afterwards got hurt he could not look after the work. He wrote to the engineer to measure the work (after the contractor had left for Awaroa) when it was found that Wade had exceeded his contract, he {having done 63 yards instead of 61. The job was, he admitted, a rough one, but the metal was there ; the job was well done and the only “ trashiness ” about it was that it was not finished off in a “ pretty ” way. The Oparau settlers had always advocated 'wide metal aad -fot Juried it on this work, forgetting that the road was so narrow. The real reason of Cr Davies’ remarks was not on account of the work but to have a shot at the speaker. In connection with snagging the Oparau River he had ordered the men employed to knock off as be did not consider the work necessary. A dredge could be got and then the place above the Ferry could not be got over at low water. He thought the Matakowbai

representatives were looking for somewhere to spend money. Psir greater needs were the shed at Oparau and the removal of rocks and snags below the Ferryr Mr AtkWliad prom Med him to remove the snags for nothing if a shed was erected. Lately there had been a lot of Oparau. One was thatHw! the ratepayers at Te Mata had voted against the proposal, and none against it. Little yarns like Ibis were get g >ing by people whom it did not suit to find out fall particulars. It had been said tha> people had H6en frightened to a.-k him as he would not tell them, but he defied any ratepayer to say chat he ever withheld any information. He simply madFtHis explanation to clear hi mself. Or W. Sbaw eaid that if ratepayers would only enquire into matters themselves it would save the circulation of a lot of untruthful yarns. Or Jonathan said that as far as he could make out some people thought that both the Council and the Settler withheld information. To those people he had said that the Council had no control over the press. He could say that the doings of the Council were reported faithfully. .Cr W. Sihaw ; Compare Jhe reports paper and you will find that the "Settles gives more details juuUy- papers. ”Tb« usual way fo just to report the minutes. Or Jonathan: Yes. Bat it is claimed by some that everything should £& tfyfougfc kb* preWV*' Borne ask, •* Where do we look for our information but the* paper ?” If something is not in the paper it is argued that,the Gmsodii did ho« 3b H.’ Except everything is q^Ufied. a,, wrong meaning cfet/BOinetrares Iretaken, but to qualify .evary statement and report everything that was said at a meeting wodtb awff a lot’ of Axial The following discussions took place

at the meeting of the Council on November 25tb BOUNDARY ROADS. r A letter was read from the Clerk of the Waitomo County Council, stating that the thirds available for maintaining the boundary roads between the two counties at .Te Hau-a-moa were inadequate, and suggesting that the cost of maintaining the road be borne equally by the counties, And that bis County would be pleased to take conAGtNfcnaiJtaid Mfef the' rorf fa(erred to was the Hauturu road, the centre, of which was the County boundary. This was a .must unsatisfactory, boundary and should be altered,. One portion of thd road in question was solely in the Waitomo County. The Te people would like the boundries altered so that all the road would be in the Kawbio-Gouaty. The axgendiag bfomonejre bn one fmd by two denmties was never satisfactory. Cr Babbage said that it was impracticable for the counties to look after half the roacL A better plan would to halve the distance and each County maintain a pdrMWh’. 1 Cr Noonan believed that the Govern-' moot intended widening this road and putting-in culverts. It was eventually resolved,. “ That tbrrCounty pcbpaced- to .maintain. .halLthe road, anil that the Waitomo Council be informed so ; also that it Is nncfortftood that- the Govairnment are about to putHhe road in repair. *’ CATTLK ON BOAS'S. Cr Babbage thought (‘hat now the > Government were'doing so much to I the roads it was only right that dome 1 action should be taken to keep- the. stock off. ’ ' ‘ | Or Nupnan-remark-4 that the stock oh the roads kept the rubbish down, and he could not satisfy bimsoll; which wai the better—the stock or the rub bib Cw Eiliott and D ivies thought thatit was tee < bal l off ,: th: roads. The; matter was held over.