ORDINARY MEETING.

Kawhia Settler and Raglan Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 396, 22 January 1909, Page 2

ORDINARY MEETING.

The outward correspondence having been taken as read, the principal inwards was dealt with as follows : From Chief Surveyor, stating tbit he c mid not do anything relative to »lio harbour endowments, as request-id hy Cr Bhaw.—Th' Chairman said the matter referred to side pegging tbu roads in the endowments, which he had br mght cud r the DotiOt of the Com tn i b oner, Th* answer mein* that the matter was oat of hts bands. Tho reason/»f * h i d »by in the sub division wa/< that un'eis lhe side pig* were putjiq a® well as tho oe&|*o pa/s the loose Bet be If

this bad to be done it weald mean an additional expense of £2oo.—X)r Noonan : The Government give titles without side pegging (be rood®. If it is good enough for Government lands it should be equally ®o for Harbour lands.—’Or Babbage remarked that sections adjoining tbe endow meets were thrown open by tbe Government without side pegging. —lt whb decided to refer the matter to the Premier.

From T. Liddell aud J. Fisher, Te Mata, applying for payments of accounts which they alkged were due to their by Contractor E. Jooes.Claim* not recognised. From Under-Seurstary for Land*, in reply to a request that tbe Te Ptru aud Karewa native townships ahuiild be acquired by the Go.’erjtn?u*, stating that tbe Department had no p ‘Ker to purchase tbo laud, as tin t pow< r now rented wi'b the Na’ire. L»nd Board for the district.—The Ce.-k was instructed to again w«i*c re ’i.e matter. ACCOUNTS. Tbe foil wing acc uni? wa-e pas <d for payment ;—A. W. Bibb gc £l. J. Rimsey £l5 B’, W. -J. Sh*w £l, G H. Clmse 7s Pu t Offi- B-x £l. H. LI. Pct’it £3 15 , lu-urancv Wha-f Labour £2 12s 21 J. K- r , El. J. Noonan £2 R. Dt<io 30 ,A. W. Babbige £l. rouxciAL.

GENERAL Tbo dag tax "as fixed at 2« 61 f> r cattle and sheep dou-, •■nd IO- for spurring dog*-', Cr- J.nathtn’s • ff- r£ to have the latter 5- being futile Cr Davie-' applied for rmmis-Mon *o expend £3 in giving Mr V udy nccciS to his section at Waiteinna.— Ao»h< tity was given, provided that upon iuapection tbe Wi»rk is f.uud to be necessary, and the money is avail *b’®. Cr Davies taid there was a j>b cf 14 chain-* on the Aotea Waiietnna road pegged <-ff which he would like gone ou with. Some work was also needed on the road past Norton's, which most be attended to at once. —Cr Babbage said that loan money should be spent on metalling even if a higher rate had to be struck for maintenance.—Both matters were left in hands of the chairman, councillor for the riding and engineer. In reply to Cr Noonan, the Chairmen said that no reply had been received as yet from the Wai to mo County relative to the mainienacoe uf the boundary road. Cr Noonan said that a few shilling* spent now on the main coach road woald save pounds worth of damag'. He did not like to s®e the roads going to ruin.—Cr Babbage: The Government maintain that road.

On the suggestion of Cr Noonau it was decided to pat posts in at Oparau Ferry and Puti denoting the depth of tbe water, tbe cost to ba shared equally by the Kawbia, Matakowhai and Te Kauri ridings. . In reply to an enquiry, th® Chairman said that the engineer was going Oo .with tbe preparation of plans fur uM'provements to the wharf, bat was waiting for information re ferro-con-crete. iron bark or totara piles. A set of standing orders were adopted and copies ordered to be printed.

AN INOPERATIVE COWTTTb® Chairman moved— “ fhar tha clerk wriie to the Minister for Internal affaiis urging that the Counties Act be brought into operation in tbe Awakiuo Conuty, and that the Councils of tho Waitomo Conuty and Clifton C inn ties be asked to ob-operata iu the matter.” Cr Babbage seconded the motion. Tbe mover said that at present there were a uamber of people in the Awakiao County who wanted it Io beoome operative. Every sottler there had to either go through tho Kawhia or Waitomo Conn ties before be could get to the railway or the harbour. He hid added the Waitomo County to the motion because it was not fair for either counties to raise loans and maka road® and the ratepayers in an inoperative county make use of them and not pay anything. At the time cf the county election he had promised to move in this matter if be was elected. Tbe people outside tbe oounty took a keen interest in the doings of tbe couuty, which they discussed freely. Cr Noonan: I heard more about Conuty matter* at Te Kuiti the other day than ever I heard before. If there is much more talent like that ia the Awakiuo County it certainly should be operative to give that talent a chance, otherwise it will be lost to tbe Dominion. (Laughter). The Chairman said that some ia the Awakiuo County boasted of tbe fact that they need roads that they did not and did uot intend to pay for. The motion was agreed to. EXPENDITURE OF THIRDS. Cr Davies asked what amount of thirds was due oc ths Okupata Boad, and, on being informed £64, asked* aatbority to expend that amount in clearing out drains-.

The Chairman said that wbeu c 'uuciilors spent money, they should kt tbe Council know,’ si that each o mucillor know what ths others wets doing. Cr Noonan said that h? would far sooner see councillors let all work under specifications rather than put in ’O on day work. The Chairman intimated that no ovuacillor could Ist a c ntract. One r»unciilor’s acaon could implicate tbe \ st of his colleagues, Cr Noonan said he won'l like to ate the sum each councillor spent very •’invll. C iUtracts sb )uld bo let where po;?ib!e.

Cr Divio?: A couuctHo.’ can lot write out specifioatioßS (or clearing cutwater tiblss. A sum of £ls or £23 might b? B^i. n. over a lung bttjth of rod&. 1 CcNnJBM V*> iku

ordinary workmen con bl read a connoiHor’a specification easier than an •ngineer’s. The Obainn&n bhh! that this wits a fresh council They wanted to profit by the experiences of (be past—where it had failed it was a warning not to fail again. He would lika to start right out, so as not to have any action at law, but to spend the m >nay to the best advantage and to the satisfaction of the ratepayers. They could not afford to pay an engineer, therefore councillors must spend their thirds, and it behoved them to spend them judieiously. Or Noonan said he would prefer to let all work by tender. It was resolved by motion that each councillor have authority to expend the thirds in band for the riding ; and also that each councillor, as be engages labour or lets work, notifies the clerk as to the extent of the work and fthe amount of money to be expended.

Tin- Clerk re.rmed th •. th i v s. i. =<j accounts gto-d a a foliu-v- : — County Fund, cr ... £H1 l«> JO Loan Account, cr ... £417 15 11 Harbour Account, er ... £l6u G 3