MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Manawatu Times, Volume II, Issue 85, 11 August 1877, Page 2

MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

The Manawatu County Council met at the Council Chambers, Foxton, on Wednesday, at 7.30 p.m. PRESENT. Councillors McNeil, McDonald, Snelson, Grower, McArthur, Halcombe, Liddell, and Thynne (Chairman). MINUTES. The minutes of the adjourned meeting were read and confirmed. The Chairman then read his REPORT. Gentlemen, — I have the honor to present my usual Monthly Report to you, and would draw your attention to the precis of letters received. A letter has been received from the Cook County requesting our co-operation in obtaining an amendment to the Waste Land Laws, so as to allow the County control over these lands. This I may remind you has already been agreed to, in the suggestions to the Counties Act at last meeting. The Government have agreed, in reply to the application I was authorized to make re the payment of the small sub-contractors, who were employed by the Manchester Highway Board in opening up the access to the Kiwitea Riding, to make a payment of one hundred pounds at a time to the Chairman of that Board for that purpose. I have paid, agreeably to the resolution of the Council, the sum of £300 to the Councillors of the Manchester and Kiwitea Ridings for the repairing and widening of the Kimbolton Road. I have been only enabled to make arrangements for the carrying over of the over-seeing of the roads till this meeting, as Mr Prisk has stated his intention of leaving after this week, but has made an offer which may induce him to remain, and which will be laid before you. I have not thought fit to enter into any contract upon the line of road from Carnarvon Junction to the Oroua, as I have laid before the Minister of Public Works the real position of the Railway to the road, and he has already instructed surveys to be made, and has further promised to communicate again upon receipt of plans. I am now in correspondence with the same Minister with reference to obtaining a gravel pit for the use of the County, and I trust we shall obtain the advantage of a siding to a pit at the Awapuni. This has become necessary owing to the requirements of the County, and other local bodies for gravel, the pit at present used at. Palmerston being only for railway purposes. The constables in the district have been advised that they may impound off the Roads. Their position will however, have to be considered at the special meeting to-night. An application will be laid before you from an owner of land abutting on a main line of road, requesting permission to fall the bush on the roads along his boundary and only asking in recompense the right to erect a temporary fence for a twelve-month. I have, however, held the matter over, owing to the resolutions arrived at last meeting. The proprietor of the "Manawatu Times " accepts the terms offered as by resolution of last meeting, for the advertising required by the Council. Nothing has been done about approaches to the punt at the Lower Gorge Ferry, as the Ferryman informed me that during last fresh the bank had formed better, and he believed it would soon be very good. My answer from Mr Mills re the wire rope, is to the effect that the rope sent was a 3 1/2 inch rope, and he has never imported any smaller, but that he will put it right should he be wrong. In the face of this I requested Councillor McNeil by letter to be so good as to again measure the rope, so that an opinion from such a practical gentleman should assure Mr Mills that he is mistaken. I have no doubt but that Councillor McNeil will lay the matter before you. The Government informs me that as they have no funds for the purpose, the County should make the approaches to the Manawatu Bridge, but whilst recognising the importance of the work, I cannot recommend your undertaking it, seeing that one side of the bank lays within the boundaries of the Palmerston Municipality, and the other, within the Manawatu Highway Board. Applications from the Ferrymen of Waikawa and Otaki have been received

for wages, and an application from the Otaki Ferryman for a new boat. I may mention that in a list of Ferries received from the Government these amounts never appeared. I had not, therefore, made any permanent provision for them. Owing to certain clerical errors in payments on road works Mr Barton has refunded the sum of twelve pounds. I am pleased to be able to lay before you, the basis of terms upon which I believe we can secure the services of Mr Barton, whenever we may wish to. The Government have forwarded a copy of the petition of certain County electors praying to be formed into a new County to be called the Kiwitea, the boundaries of which are to contain the Ridings of Manchester and Kiwitea. The petition is brief, merely setting forth the boundaries and asserting no reasons further than that within those boundaries there are four hundred and eighty ratepayers, and the yearly rental amounts to seventeen thousand and seven hundred and fifteen pounds. Having carefully checked the statements made in the petition. I had to write to the Honorable the Colonial Secretary, and inform him that the required three-fifths of the County electors within the proposed new County I had not been, as by law required, obtained. That in fact only two hundred and sixty-five County electors had signed. And further that the number of County electors within the proposed new County numbered five hundred and fourteen. I am not disputing that the petition has not 315 signatures, but unfortunately eleven persons signed such twice, and one man thrice ; and thirty-seven persons have not their names upon the valuation lists. In making these assertions l am guided by the valuation lists furnished by the Manchester and Manawatu Highway Boards, and I believe such to be the basis proceeded upon by the petitioners by their mentioning the yearly rental immediately after stating the numbed of electors. Such being the case, I hardly see that any step by this Council is necessary to be taken to oppose this petition ; and I have no cause now to show the large number (130) of holders of an acre and less who have signed, nor the small acreage held by the petitioners, against the nonsigners of this petition. Outside of the Manchester Block only holders of four thousand acres have shewn any disposition to separate. (To be Continued).