MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 77, 21 May 1880, Page 2

MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

4 Thursday, May 20, 1830. The Council met at 2 p.m. Present — Messrs Macarttur (Chairman), Lash, Linton, M'Beth, M'Lcnnnn, Rockstrow, Loudon, Kcbbell, and Sanson. The minutes of last raeetiag wore road. Mr Sauson a&ked that an uddition might be made to the minutes, stating that he protested against the estimates being forced through at last meeting, and refused to furnish the lines of road upon which the surplus funds of Oroua riding should be spent; that thereupon tho Engineer was instructed to f urnuh the information, and did so. The Chairman said thero was a proper course to bo adopted, if a protest were do sired to be given, but Mr Sanson had neglocted to lake that course. He should have made his protest forthwith. Mr Sanson did not desire a formal protest to be entered against the resolution passed. He simply asked that it might be entered that he had refused to give the list of works to absorb the surplus of his riding, and that the Engineer on direction of the Council had done so. Tho Chairman thought it undesirable

tliiit objections shoitl.l bo entered iv the minutes. If anything should bo done, he would li!v-o it to bo done by resulution. I'ho course askrd by Mr Sanson was novel. Oiio case only of protest had occurred in the history of the Council, but that protest was made according: to the law. JMr liockstrow suggested thufc a resolution could bo passed containing the protest Air Sanson desired to lo entered, and it would then appear on tho minutes. The Cliairinan thought that 2our.se would a-;hi.rvo what was desired. Mr >Sanson desired to move a resolution protesting against tho minutes being passed, unlil what he desired was entered in them. The Chairman .said he could not put such a resolution to tho meeting, ns it would indefinitely postpone business if such dis cussiona took place before tho miuutei were passoj. 110 would put it to tho meeting, " Are tho minutes correct P" Tho only diss.-nlient was Mr Sanson, and the iriiiutcs were therefore confirmed. Mr tfanson made formal protest against tho minutes. conriBsroNDENCB. Letter read from Mr Sanaon, protesting against tho present meeting of the Council, on tho ground that uo hour was mentioned in his notice. — Tho Chairman snid this was simply nn error of the Clerk. Ho held by law no hour need bo stated in the notice. No action was taken in the matter. Letter ieai from Treasury, stating that the 20 per cent, of land revenue for March quarter was £39 18s 3d. Letter read from Property Tax Commissioner, asking that names of each road district in the County might be telegraphed. Letter read from Returning officer for KawaKawa, stating MrM'Lennan was returned in place of Mr Gower. THE ROAD TO THE BEACH. Correspondence road between tha solicitor for Natana and tho Chairman. From this it appeared tho natives demand the sum cf £800 as compensation. Proposed by Mr Roekstrow, seconded by Mr Liuton, and carried :— " That the Chairman be instructed to acknowledge the letter of Mr Hawkins re native compensation, and inform him that the County Council will refer thoso claims lo the Government." I'OXTON-OTAKI KOAD. Loiter road from Hon. J. Johnston, stating that he was willing t.> convey tho road as shown on tho plan sent. Mr Rockstrow said that at next meeting he would move for the necessary sum being voted to make the road through Mr Johnston's land. SIOUTOA RATES. Letter read from the Manawalu Highways Hoard, covering resolution remitting half the rates payable by Moutoa settlors, and suggesting the Council should do the same. Mr Bockstrow pointed out that the settlers had a strong claim upon the sympnlhy of the Highways Board, which did nothing for them, but the Council returned (heir rates, and a great deal more besides, in subsidies for the roads. No action was taken in the matter. TOXTON BAT 39. Mrs L. U. 13 nn* applied that hei* rates might be remitted, on the grounds that she had a protection order against her husband, that she had a family of six children wholly dependent upon her, and that she had suffered from serious illness for a long period. Mr Rockstrow supported tho application, and moved that the request be granted, which was seconded by Mr Loudon. Mr Linton opposed the motion, on the ground that if the ratas were remitted to Mrs Burr the Council would lose the amount altogether. Ho pointed out that the owner of the property was well able to pay the rates, and thought the amount should be recovered from him. The Chairman supported this idea, and stated that where rates could not be collected from the occupier, tho Collector could give tho owner three months' notice that he intended to demand the amount from him. This suggestion was accepted by the Council, and it was determined to instruct the Collector to demand the amount from the owner of the property, THE ESTIMATES. A lengthy letter from Mr Thynne, protesting against the estimates as published, was read. The Chairman explained that when he first received Mr Thynne's letter, he believed his objections were more serious than they really were. Therefore he issued the notice, asking members to approve estimates ns passed, or to approve estimates as recast. Believing a recast was not necessary, he had not prepared a new set. He then proceeded to read a lengthy memorandum as a reply to Mr Thynne's letter. Mr Sanson snid he desired to ask some questions regarding the estimates, jit the last meeting no time was given for discussion of them, and there were several matters upon which he desired information. The Chairman said tli3 estimates were now passed, and he could not answer ques tions upon them. Ho would do so privately. Mr Sanson replied he would not accept private information. Ho remarked on the possibility of the rate being upset, if the estimates were incorrect. The Chairman replied the rate could not be upset, as there Avas a special provision that no irregularity in the striking of the rate could invalidate the liability of the ratepayer. Mr Rockstrow enquired if Mr Thynne's letter was legally before the Council. The Chairman replied in the affirmative. Mr Linton thought valuable time was being wasted by tho discussion. Three meetings ago Mr Gower, supposing those in favor of a sixpenny rate were in a majority, had agreed to accept the decision of tho Council. Nevertheless, although the meeting decided for a shilling rate, the matter had* been brought up at every meet ing since. As for Mr Thynno'a objections, he would prefer taking the Chairman's opinion to his. When ho was Chairman, he muddled the busiuess, and the letter he had sent came with bad taste from him. If he had been without fault himself, he might have thrown a stone at the Chairm«n' but when he considered how he had muddled matters himself, ho thought it was not nice for tho late Chairman to write such a letter to tho present Chairman There was no reason for discussing the shilling rate ot this meeting. As for the estimates, ho found on looking over them tho morning after last Council day, that there was an error of £177 in those for his Riding. Ho did Lot, liko somo of his Foxton friends, write to tho newspapers about it, but sent a private letter to the Chairman, calling his attention to the error. The Chnirman at onco showed it was merely a clerical error, and ho (Mr Linton) was glad it was an error on the right side. Ho saw no reason why the business of tho Council should be delayed a month, becauso a few clerical errors had occurred. Mr Rockstrow desired to make a fow remarke upon Air Thynne's letter. They all tnew Mr Thynne's opinions wevo ns strong as they were wrong 1 . Ho found fault with others for doing what ho did himself, and thought no one but himself could do things right. Whan tho County system was introduced here, Mr Thynno received an extra

large salary to pay him for increased trouble in getting things right at the start. Still he blundered over it, and when ho was in office the Auditor ahvuys complained of things being wrong in every balance sheet ho sent down. Nevertheless, ha had written to the paper about the County Treasurer — ' * The Chairman said Me Itockstrow could not discuss matters not contained in Mr Thynno's letter to tlio Council. Jlr ltockstrow continued — The height of impudence was reached in tho conclusion of Mr Thynne's letter, where he said he did not. desire lo impedo 'he work of the Council, and advised them to take certain steps. He .supposed they should pass a volo of thanks for this. He could imagine his seraphic smile when he punned that sentence. For his own parfc, though not a personal friend of tho Chairman, he would sooner accept his vi-ws than Mr Thynno's. Mr Sauson proceeded in a lengthy speech to criticise the estimates, which he characterised as misleading and unrighteous. Me felt certain that if a. rate were struck on the estimates as passed, it could uot be recovered in a court of law. Ho dwelt on tho fact that though the Chairman credited Manchester Hiding with dog tax £30, he only gavo JEIO to other ridings which raised two-thirds as much rates. The Chairman explained that £26 was collected in Manchester Riding last year. Mr Sanson continued — He thought the dog tax should bo treated as general revenue, as the Collectors did not confine themselves to distinct Ridings. He also wished some explanation of the maintenance, which absorbed 7a Id of every pound of revenue. On -what basis wa3 it calculated ? The estimates included £1000 as a balance, which nearly all bolongcd to four Southern Ridings, as Oroiui, Kawakawa, Awahou, and Horowhenua together had a credit balance at April 30 of £1050. The sufpluo had since then been voted away, and it would be most unfair to make it again bear its share of the workitif expenses. He also considered the estimates wore incomplete, because they referred to only eleven months of the year, whereas the Act said they were to be for the period covered by the rate, viz., one year, lie concluded by saying he would test the legality of the rate in a Court of law. Mr Loudon thought that a3 the estimates had been passed, no good would bo gained by discussing them. He agreed with Mr .Sanson that more time should have been given for their consideration. Mr Kubbcll thought good reasons were shown for the hnste in passing the estimates. He attributed all the opposition to the estimates to disappointment that the sixponny rate was not, passed. The formal resolution striking a shilling r.'te whs then put and carrier!. The voting w:is as follows -.—For the resolution — Messrs. Linton, Kebbell, M'Both, Maeaithur, and Lash. Against — Messrs. Sanson, Rockstrow, Loudon, and iU'Lennan. Mr Snnsou enlend a formal protest against the rate being struck on the estimates ns pnssed. This concluded the business, and the Council adjourned at 4.10 p.m.