SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Mataura Ensign, Volume 7, Issue 413, 28 November 1884, Page 2

SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

♦ (From the ' Times.') The annual statutory meeting on Wed- : nes Jay last was attended by the Chair- 1 man (Mr T. MaeGibbon), and Coun- j cillors Baldey, M'Callum, Hast, Dunlop, | Black, llichai'dson, Shand and Shanks. Tho Chairman said the time had ] come round for him to resign the trust , the Council had reposed in him twelve < months before, and in doing so he had to thank the gentlemen sitting at the 3 table for the courtesy and forbearance - he had always met with at their hands, For the first few months he had felt j rather awkward, not being aciuainted < with office routine, but Mr MacG-oun ] had kindly rendered him every attention ani. assistance. It might be well if he were to briefly refer to the works done j during his term of office, making special mention of two most important works. The first one he would speak of was the handsome building they occupied as : offices, a building which was a credit ; alike to the Council and the contractors, and an ornament to the town. He believed that their action in building the new offices had not met with the entire approval of all the ratepayers, ' some of them imagining that the Council had gone in for needless luxury. The < Council were, however, aware that it < was only when necessity compelled that they entered into the work. The old building that they had occupied so long i had become an eyesore to the towns- \ people, and its removal had been i ordered. In passing he might express i the opinion that no other Uounty Council : in New Zealand had been at so little . expense for offices as that of Southland, i because during the seven years they I < used the old offices they had them rent i ( free. They would ■ remember that aj 1 deputation had been, appointed to wait < on the Invercargill Borough Council and ] request that- body to withdraw its op* 1

position to the County Council remaining in occupation of the old Provincial building, but the Town Council had been obdurate, the deputation's mission a failure, and there was nothing for it but to erect the present oifices. It was just as well tnat they had done so, as they now had most suitable offices, and the very valuable site on which they were erected had been vested in the Council. The other work o£ importance done during the year was the bridge over the Mataura river at Stoney Creek. The bridge was constructed partly out of a Government vote, buT the ' : Council had largely, subsidised- it. JStutr that it was erected it was a booh #4 whole district, a boon which the settlers* Fully appreciated. The residents on the Otaiiia flat and thereabouts werej brought into close proximity with the "Waimea Plains railway, and various road works, for which contracts had been let, wdiilctf iii c. "ease the means of communication.^ These were very important works, and ? would be a great benefit to the district. He sympathised with the system of piaking the main trunk lines of roads iustcad of frittering away the funds onlittle bits of by-roads. During the eightj years the County had existed their total*' revenue had been L 159,305 17s 4d, against which they had spent L 167,121 19s 2d, leaving them in debt, in the shape of an overdraft, to the amount of L 6766 Is lOd. Although this was the season r for the rates to come, in the overdraft' would not be reduced, owing to the system which had been adopted of anticipating the next year's rates for works by means of an overdraft. The only possible way for the County to get out of debt would be to stop all works for a year. In" his opinion the County Councils should have the power of borrowing so that they could obtain money at a lower rate of interest than they had to pay bh the overdraft. Their last application for a grant under the Eoads and Bridges Con struction Act had not be replied to by the Government. The authorities seemed to take a long time lo consider these matters, and the delay had frequently a very injurious effect, by throwing the works into an unsuitable season. The previous, application for a grant had been for L 84.000 and they had got L 675 only. Other counties with only half the revenue had got as much, but he noticed that in several cases the cost of preparing for the works had actually exceeded the vote. Thanks to the energy arid carefulness of their engineer such had uot been the case in Southland. They could congratulate themselves on the efficiency with which their officer* had worked in this and other respects. The collector, for instance, had added to the revenue 7 b^ placing on the list of ratepayers a number of names which^had been previously omitted. He (the chairman) concluded by again thanking the councillors for the courtesy he had always enjoyed at their hands. ' ' _ Councillor Baldey proposed that Councillor M'Callum be elected chairman for the ensuing year. That gentleman was thoroughly qualified for the position, and would, the mover was confident,, fill it most creditably. In moving this (he Councillor Baldey) did not do so because he had any fault to find with' th' &, present chairman, but simply because that it had been the custom to offer the position to those gentlemen qualified for it in turn. Councillor Hast had much ■ pleasure in seconding the motion. Councillor M'Callum had been in the Council for three years, and was entitled to the position ; of chairman. ■'•■'■. $- ' Tiie motion was carried, unanimously. Councillor M'Callum, in taking the chair, thanked the 1 Council for thelibnor they had conferred upon him; ;He had never expected to be appointed to .the position, but his turn seemed to have come, and liq would just tike it like the rest. He trusted he would have their indulgence, as he would be new to the business. Samuel Walker wrote complaining of the impassable state of the road through the Longridge deferred payment block. — Eeferred to the Engineer to inspect and report. . ' P. M'Carthy wrote asking for reoairs to a stop bank near Athol. The Surveyor-General wrote that tho Government had no power to deal with the request that the rents from deferred payment sections on education reserves should be devoted to making roads to open up the blocks. The Mataura Town Board requested that the Engineer be allowed to ; act. in conjunction with the Board's Engineer in devising a means of draining the overflow from the Waimumu stream*??J Granted. • / "-" The sum of L7O was voted for works in Meadow, Larnark, and Maria streets, Lumsden. The Railway Department intimated that they could not make a reduction in the rates for the haulage of grarel, as requested by the Council. 'i'he Gore Town Board wrote asking why the Council had not respondedjto the Board's request; for an , adjustment of accounts re the dog taxes.— Councillor MaeGibbon said tho Board's clerk, when applied to, had refused .' to give • any information as to what fees he had col" leefced, and the Council had taken the only other means at their command and sued for the recovery of the fees due to ' them. The Board could send in their claim and it would .be considered.-— lfo action was taken in the matter. It was resolved to enquire into a claim made by the Gordon Town Board for a refund of slaughtering license fees, which it was alleged had been wrongfully .paid to the County collector. : ; f . .' John Bathgate, on behalf of the. If.Z. Investment Association, wrote astiri^'for a reduction of tho rate of interest charged on arrears of county rates.— Held over. The Engineer reported; on the- most necessary work to open up blocks' 7 and 10, Wendon.— Held over. The works required on the road, near the Otaria school, were reported' on. by the Engineer.— Held over, sufficient funds not being available. ■ ■ • ; ' . The Wyndham Hoad Board-com-plained of the bad state of the Wyndham to Otaria road,— Surfaceman to attend to work. ■''""•• The Toi Tois Road Board applied for a subsidy £ for £to the extent' of LBO, for making a road through blo'qkr 9, Toi Tois.— Tho subsidy was granted on the motion of Councillor Richardson. ... The sum of LIOO was voted for rpad formation on the main county road" at Chatton. The Engineer reported on -works, re* quired in the various parts of the county* consideration of which was postponed till next, meeting. The following works, expenditure/ etc., in tho various ridings were agreed to on : the : motions of 'the Councillors named :— By Councillor Black : Improvements to McKinlay's road. Engineer to report on the main north road between Athol and Mataura Bridge and other small works. K. Grranfc, Longridge; toJbe authorised to receive rates. — By Councillor MaeGibbon : The vote. , of, LlO to the' Knapdale Road Board for the bridge over Gold Creek was cancelled, and in lieu thereof L 20 t Tras voted for. the work, > the same to be done ty $c Cowty,***

By Councillor Hast : Formation, gravel--ling, und small culverts on road near section 11, 2, and 3, block 1, and section 7, block 2, Mandeville. Forming and •gravelling 231 chains, ditching 14 chains, and constructing one culvert, was added to the works in Weridon authorised at last meeting.— By Councillor Richard.son -: Sixty chains formation at Campbell Flat, Waimahaka, and metalling the sidirig north of the Harbukanini bridge, both works being on the Wyndham-For-trose road. "Councillor Hast moved, seconded by '/Councillor Mac Gibbon, that the Goldfields Department be written to in repferonce to money grant aslced for bythe Council for roads at Waikaia and Wai- . kaka. — Carried. The Council then adjourned till the : 12th December.