WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Kumara Times, Issue 2746, 10 July 1885, Page 2

WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

The County Council met at the Council Chambers Hokitika, on Wednesday, at 2 p.m.; piesenfc —The Chairman (J. Giimmond, Esq.), Messrs Dungan, M'Whirteiy Jack, Spence, Daly, and M'Goldrick. The following report of business pertaining to this riding is from the West Coast Times:— CORRESPONDENCE. Letter from Messrs M'Keuzie and Co., asking permission to work a railway siding on the Arahnra road, and to take gravel from a reserve between two sections. —Received, and referred to the Chairman to deal with. Letter from D. Han nan, agent for Mr P. Malone, owner of a section of land on the Stafford road, claiming £7 10s, value of fourteen trees cut down by the county servants.—Received, and referred to the Engineer to report.

Letter from Mr James Miller, tendering his resignation as pound-keeper at Arahnra. —Received, and referred to the Chairman to report. Letter from Dr. Haast, inviting the cooperation of the Council as local committee of the London Colonial and Indian Exhibition.—Received.

5 Letter from the Minister of Mines, stating that a subsidy would be granted towards the construction of a road from Grey Valley to Teremakau.—Received, and resolved to forward the letter to Grey Council, for whom it is evideutly intended. Letter from Mr .G. Voysey and others, asking that a track may be made through the lower end of Dunedin Flat.—Received. Letter from Messrs Smith and Co., Stafford, contractors, applying for an extension of lime on various grounds.— Received, and referred to the Engineer to report. Telegram from the Town Clerk, Kumara, respecting a case of diphtheria; also letter from Dr. Monckton on the same subject; several long telegrams from Mr Seddon, also report from Dr. MacCarthy (authorised by Mr Seddon) on the case, and enclosing account for £lO 10s. —Received.—Mr M'Whirter moved that the Council do not acknowledge Dr. MacOarthy's nccount.—Mr Daly seconded. Mr Seddon had no authority to authorise the expenditure. Motion carried. Letters from several miners, applying for assistance under the prospecting regulations of the Council.—Received. Mr Dungan was surprised that there were so few applications.—The letters were referred to the committee already appointed to report. REPORTS. Reports of the Chairman, Engineer, Overseer, and the various committees, were read and received. The Chairman reported—" I visited Mr Jane's farm during the month, and made inquiry into his cause of complaint of the want of road communication to his property. I consider the construction of any temporary road along the reserve on the river bank would be money wasted ; but. the settlers on that bank of the river urgently require some roadway to give access to their farms. I recommend that a road be constructed, either from the road through the Maori land at the Arahura bridge, or from the Greenstone road, near Stafford, to connect with the road leading down from Hungerford'a bridge." The following is the Finance Committee's I'eport:— Your committee have the honour to report as follows, for the four weeks ending July 8, 1885 : RECEIPTS. £ S. d. Publicans' licenses ... ... 940 0 0 Vote for flood damage repairs 1300 0 0 Christchurch road tolls ... 129 18 6 General rates and dog tax... 28 1 1 Goldfields' revenue and duty 414 7 2 Total receipts £2812 6 9 PAYMENTS. The total payments since last meeting have amounted to £IBO6 10s. BANK ACCOUNT. The credit balance at general account this day is £1702 Is, and a sum of ,£3OOO is lodged as a fixed deposit for three months, with the Bank of New Zealand. ACCOUNTS FOR JUNE. Your committee have carefully gone through and examined the accounts of June, 1885. These accounts amount to £1839 198. We find them all to be duly certified to, and correct otherwise, and recommend that they be passed for payment. The Chairman moved, " That the accounts for the month of June, ISSS, as revised and recommended for payment by. the Finance Committee, amounting to £1839 19s, be now passed Cor payment."—Carried.

overseer's allowaxcs. A motion by Mr Jack, "That Mr Adiir, lOiid uvpi-srpv, l„. allowed £5.0 per annum, as from 1-' April, 1885, tQg, enable him to defray the cost of horse

feed, while traveling through his district," was amended by Mr M'Whirter " That Mr Adair be asked to state the amount it required to keep a horse," •which surely did not amount to .£1 a week. The amendment was carried on a division, Messrs M'Whirter, Dungan, Daly, and the Chairman voting in the majority. LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROPOSALS. Mr M'Whirter moved, "That in the opinion of this Council it is highly undesirable and impolitic to further increase the number of local bodies in Westland, by the establishment of a Charitable Aid Board, or by the establishment of any new board or boards of any kind whatsoever. That this Council entirely disagrees with the local government proposals of the Government, as set forth in the various bills relating to local government now before the House of Representatives. That the passing of these bills into law would «reatly increase the administrative cost of the Council, and the cost of elections, without conferring any corresponding benefit on the people. That the County Chairman forward this resolution to the Government, and state in his correspondence, that Westland County will be placed in a very bad position, financially and otherwise, by passing the bills referred to, and that therefore the Council earnestly and respectfully urge that the bills in question may be laid aside or totally altered and modified, so far, at least as the County of Westland is concerned. Also that copies of the foregoing resolution be forwarded to members for the district with a request for their earnest co-operation in the matter." It seemed to him the alteration iu the method of electing the chairman annually by the ratepayers was unnecessary. The expense would be great. He would not object so much if the chairman was chosen for three years, He also objected to elected aoditors. Accounts of local bodies should be audited by Government auditors. With regard to special loans, they would be no benefit. They gave local bodies a chance of overrunning the constable. Then to subsidise rates was a pernicious system. Westland would only receive £846. It was also proposed to reduce the rating on Crown lands. Under these proposals, about £BOOO would be taken away from this county, and only about £2OOO returned. Could anything be more monstrous than to elect a Charitable Aid Board as proposed. This Board would have to apportion what the County would have to pay. He was beginning to think that democracy in theory and democracy in principle were different things. The Chairman :—" You are an aristocrat." Mr M'Whirter was a democrat.. The whole affair was a bungle. If the intention of the two bills was carried out, the County would not be able to maintain their roads. Mr M'Goldrick seconded and supported the motion. He had not seen the proposals yet, but from the speech of the mover, he did not believe the Government proposals would be carried. Mi' Jack was disappointed with the Government Bills. They were condemned from one end of the colony to the other. He wonld have preferred more time to consider the measure. He would prefer to see the Council adjourn to consider the proposals, when a series of resolutions conld be made. There was no necessity to condemn the "bills wholesale, and most of the members of the Council had not seen them. Mr Dcmgan knew nothing whatever of some of these bills. He had however, seen one bill, which contained mnch that was necessary to amend the Counties' Act, and much that was objectionable. He strongly advocated the election of County Chairman by the taxpayers. Auditors elected by the ratepayers were not a success. The resolution was comprehensive, premature, and condemnatory. It would be better if the Council had more time to consider these bills. Mr Jack moved, that the matter be referred to a committee of the whole Council. Mr Dungan seconded the amendment. Mr Daly supported the amendment. The Chairman at length supported the amendment. Finally, the movf-r of the resolution accepted, and it was resolved to refer the consideration of t;ie matter to a committee of the whole Council to meet on Wednesday next. [The remainder of the report will bo given to-morrow.]