SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 407, 7 November 1884, Page 2

SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

• • (From the * Southland Times.') The monthly meeting of the Council, on Wednesday, sth November, was attended by j the chairman (Mr Thos. Mac Gibbon), and Councillors Kiuross, Shanks, Shand, .Hast, M'Oallum, Baldey, and Black. It was intimated that Mr E. Hbwarth had. not taken any steps to remove tne obstruc-' tions on the Main North Road at Lumsden,! which had .been erected by him.— The Chair-! man said the proper legal stepajreould be; taken to have the obstructions refnoved. • W. Overton wrote complaining o£ the im-. passable nature of the road opposite the; Otaria school.— Held over for Engineer's re-: port. The Engineer laid on the table his monthly report, showing that 51 contracts were in hand. In compliance with a request from the Knapdale Eoad Board, and on the motion of Councillor Mac Gibbon, it was resolved to proclaim the road from the end of the present county road (Waikaka siding to Waikaka township) to the boundary of the Waikaka riding a county road. The Wyndham Town Board requested that the County Engineer be allowed to report on the cost of a bridge over the Mimihau stream on the Cemetery road. — Granted. The Ashburton County Council asked this Council's co-operation in urging on the Government the necessity of reducing the sheep tax. — The Sheep Inspector reported that the annual revenue from the sheep tax from the Southland sheep district (which includes the Southland and Wallace counties) was about LBOO. — Held over for further consideration. W. K. Campbell - drew attention to the bad state of the road between the Benmore homestead and the Otapiri stream and thence to Taylor's property. — Held over for Engineer's report. The Gordon Town Board requested that a certain road in their township be proclaimed a county road.-— Held over for enquiry. The Engineer of Working Railways intimated that the Council's application for a [ crossing at Lumsden had been approved, and that the work would be commencsd as soon as the Council's cheque for the cost was forwarded. Councillor Shanks said it was^ surely a monstrous thing for the Govern-: irent to ask the Council to pay for a crossing which the Kail way Department was bound by law to put in. It was resolved to inform the Engineer of Working Eailways that, as the crossing was on a street in a township, it >\'as the duty of the Department to construct it. C. S. Fulton wrote asking for a vote of LSO for a road on the north side qt the Wyndham River. Councillor Mac Gibbon ' moved, seconded by Councillor M'Callum, that the sum of LSO be voted for the road mentioned by Mr Fulton, and also that M'lntyrc and Jackson receive notice, to remove obstructions from the rtw^ — Carried. The surfaceman wajs, instructed to, clean out a ditch, p,n th,e rpad leading to the Mataura, A. a.i\cij P. Society's property in the Wyndham district. A. Landells applied for something to. be done to the road between Waipah,i and tke Otaria Hotel. —On the motioia of; Councillor Mac Gibbon the sum of L 5.0 was voted for the road, the work to be done by the labor pang. A communication was read from the Waimea Plains Railway Co., slating that the defective drainage at Riversda.a had been caused by county works, and suggesting that the deepening of a ditch would remove the nuisance, — The Engineer stated that the' accumulation of water was the result of no provision having been made for carrying it off when the railway was built. The nuisance had not been caused by co,u,nly works. A' pipe through the yaihyay, embankment would be the proper meaus of remedying the defect, and would only cost LlO. By, that : means the water would run its natural course down the Waimea Plain, where there was a fall of thirty feet to the mile. On. motion of Councillor thanks it was ifesolved : to inform the company that their railway embankment had stopped the natural flow of the -water, and that the Engineer recommend that a drain pipe should be put th.uugh the, embankment at a cost of L 9 or 14 0^ The lessee of the Forest Hill tramway asked for a relief from payment of his rent, on the groi\nd that the tramway had been in no way useful to h,im, the Railway De*

3 parfment having refused to allow their i trucks to run upon it. — Held over for Enl gineer's report. i The Engineer reported that the *york required on Rakahouka to Hedgehope road would' cost LB6I, L 361 of which should be paiii equally by the Hokonui and Awarua ridings, the remaiuder to be charged wholly to the Hokonui riding. Councillor Shanks thought the amount was too large for the Council to deal with at present, and he therefore moved that the matter be held over to get the estimate reduced to an , amount just sufficient to make the road passable. — Carried. The Chairman of the Otaria Road Board asked that certain works in Pukerau, consisting of ' covering iip a' portion of tho metalled road and; prbvidirig_ for? side drainage, be attended to. — The Engineer did not recommend the covering up, and did not , consider the side drainage to be county work. Mr G. F. Richardson, M.11.R., telegraphed to the effect that the following sums for works in Southland would be on: the estimates : Waif the cost of the Pyramid bridge. Roads: Waikain, 1A50 ; Otatara, LlOOO; Otctamika. LSOO ; Mimihau, LIOOO •' Takauui. LWOO ; Forest Hill Tramway, L3OOO. Cauncillor llast.nioved that the Engineer be requested to report, on the works required on blocks 7 and 10, Wendou, to make the road passable. — Carreid. " ' , : The Knapdale Road Board asked for a subsidy of LlO for expenditure on the road from Woikaka towards Tapanui. — Held over • for enquiry. The same body drew attention to the dangerous condition of the Gold Creek bridge.— lt was pointed ou£ that LlO had been voted for the work in 1883, which was ) still available. Tho action of tke Chairman in causing > certain persons who had paid their dog fees l to town Board collectors to be sued for the ; amounts was approved of, it being pointed j out that these persons had their remedy j against the collectors. j Andrew Cowie ased that a ditch be re* ) paired at Otapiri. — Held over for Engineer [ to report; „..., Henry B. Campbell and others petitioned > for repairs t® a road at Croydon.— lt was decided to inform the petitioners that deferred payment moneys would be spent on J the road, and' also that an application for a - grant for it under the Roa.is and Bridges - . Construction Act had been made. ' Councillor Shanks moved, seconded by ' Councillor. Hast, that the ,-Waimea Plains [ Railway Company bo notified Jthat step's ' would be t;iken to compel them to put down . the necessary railway crossings. — Carried. > Councillor Black moved, seconded by " Councillor Shand, that Mr Ernest Bunn be ' refunded the LSO advanced, by him for the erection of -a "bridge near his ' nrone/fcv.— . Carried. . '■• ■ ■ - • .*.,••* J-? | The following works, votes> &c., were authorised on the motion of the Councillejs t named :— Bj Councillor Hast : Three chains | forming and gravelling and two chains (if re-gravelling nrw»r ■ Hardman's corner; 60 ,: chains re-gravelling . in the. Waikaia township main streets ; five chains of formation ; and gravelliog near section 76, block I, Wendon, _ and near section 7, block I, ', Wendonside ; five chains i gravelling on road . leading to block I, Wendon. By Councillor Mf-cGibbon : Engineer to inspect and report ,on works required on road- .Waikaka ford do ; Pyramids, near Chatton school. — By Coun- ,; cillor Shanks : The Lindhurst Road Board to ( 'be subsidised; to the amount- of L 5 for tvs- , socking about one mile on 'tho old Dunedin road ; a sum of LlOO.to be voted to supplement deferred payment ' moneys in making roads leading into Riversdale from the \\ Waimea stream and from Switzers: the ; balance of the L3OO voted for the /Ota Creek 'j road, namely Ll3O, to be expended on the ■ same road opposite Mr Perkins' farm; two culverts at Riversdale and Pyramid bridge ; the Engineer to report as to work required /on Mataura to Dunsdale ■ road ; repairs to branch road north of Maudeville ; the sum of L 45 to be expended on the -road through, Charlton black. ' ' \ •' Councillor M-'Callum moved that the Government be requested to reduce the rate of haulage on gravel or metal for. road making, as present rates rendered it impossible to undertake important works owing to cost of ' haulage for long distances.— Carried. ■ -■•> Councillor Black . moved, seconded by ! Councillor Shand j>i'6 'fornia—" Tli&t'ihi3 ' | Council present a petition -to the Ga*eraor^ +^ praying him to make a proclamation de- , daring that the whole of the Counties Act ; of 1876 shall no longer be in force in the : County of Southland; and that, in lieu thereof, each riding of the above county be proclaimed a county within itself ; that all property, real and personal, and all uncol- : lected rates belonging to the county shall be distributed among the nine counties : pro rata, on the same principle as the funds of each riding are now kept by the county ; that all liabilities of the county shall be discharged by the various nine counties fro rata in the , same manner as they would have, been discharged by the county; that the e6nncil& % offices be in the head centres of the conn* , ties ; and that tho number of councillors do .; not exceed six in number." Councillor Shanks said he would just like to ask ■CoVmcillor Black how he proposed dividing the . existing county buildings among the ridings. He was anxious to kno\f what portion? of ( them would fall to the share 'of ftis riding, i Councillor Black said that was a matter r which could be very easily arranged. The i motion was negatived without further comment, Councillor Black alone voting in. its favor. ' "■•■'• •'■■'" The Council then adjourned.