MANWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 67, 1 June 1878, Page 2

MANWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thtjesdat, Mat 30th;^187*. Present-^Crs. Thynne (Chairman); Loudon, Snelson, McNeil, jMcDonaldj;" and Gower, .'y ['A-.-. -"".;•:■ \"; 'y. MiyuTES, yyAyyy . Jn the absence of the Cleri, wha was unable to .' attend on account of %. domestic bereavement, the Chairman^ read the Minutes of last meeting, whichi were confirmed, ; ' COBBESPOITDBNOE, ' 7 ' 7 From Mr Stephen Rogers, drawJbijt attention to the dangerous condition o£ tne' Oroua:Bridge7 ? :^ 7v From William Jones, the oit the Napier ' Coach, complaining' thafe Mr Boyd, the ferryman at the I»pwep Gorge, was not m attendance to ferry the mail coach oyer on the 20th mat.*. and that on visiting the Ferry House he found Boyd intoxicated. —^The Clerk was instructed to inform Mr Jonea that he should appear at the meeting of the Council, to be holdenjph the 10th, June, with '"his, _ witnesses, when the charge would be investigated. _y yFrom the contractors of the -Kihihplton road, stating that tlieir contract waa finished, and asking the Cbundlwha -was to pass the work, From the olerk to the Waitaiiapa. County Council, asking for" concerted, action with the view of Government making provision-for County Oduncibx raising loans upon thelooal rates,- >, From the Secretary to the Manawatu Highways Board re overseer, • asking what salary that body would be expected to. contribute; and what--time the officer bpuld demote tQatSjinterpsts. From . the Olerk I£b the Palmerston Borough Council, ; intimating; that the Corporation wiire %ilb^ng tp; j^cept the services of an overseer, paying, him commission for all : work . done under hit superintendence,- 7 i .:' • From Mr Nathan, with regard to the land for the-gravel pits, and. offering to. sell the entire ilpt for jgßso,- 7 Frdm the clerk to :the ; Hutt County Council, forwarding copy pf resolution m which it was stated tVat that Council was prepared to pay half theoasfeofthV Waikanae Ferry, but that it did not recognise the right of the Manawatu Cnmtv Council to any; share of. the licenses, .;■•.■ .. Wyptow, Mr E J wa. ds, of Stoney Crefck,

asking the Council to do some work m front of his property. From Mr Henry Knptt,. on behalf of self and other settlers at^toney Creek, drawing attention to a strip Of bush, that was dangerous to traffic. From the Lands office, intimating that the Minister does hot feel justified m sanctioning the vote for the inland route from Foxton to Otaki. ' From the Tuapeka County Council, forwarding a resolution affirming the desirability of having all reserves m the County Council districts vested m the respective Councils, From Mr Thomas Simpson, asking for information as to the proper mode of application for the office of road dter^ •eer. '-. Telegram from Mr Macalister, ; the County. Auditor, -stating that "the Amended accounts of your Council were only received m this office yesterday, Accounts, pf Assets and liabilities required by law to de supplied, not yiet to hand/ . „■■■" ; -Jt : MAS&ITIKm HOSPITAI. read a telegram received from the Chairman of the Rangitikei Hospital Committee, m which it was .stated that a meeting of that body bad been, held during the week, and wishing td : know what support the institution might -expect from, r the County Council.; ■'.;-., . . Cr. Snelson thought that before the Council became committed by anypromise, it would be well td recollect that the Manawatu County had a local hosjj^||al, which could be merged r into a hospital. There was at present an hospital at Palmerston, a free gift to the Borough, and vvbich, he considered op account of its central position, was far preferable to that at Bulls. It was op. thj railway line, and within an hour's reach of Feilding Halcombe and Foxton. The only place from which there r^^ht^be any' delay m reaching it was Sanson^ and^from that place there was a good road. He found that m Masterton the people were situated m a. somewhat similar position, and there it was proposed to merge the institution into a County Hospital, making the Chairman of the- County Council and Highway's Board and thd Mayor of the townee officio members of committee. ;-•"■■; Cr. Loudon said he cordially agreed m the main' with the remarks of Cr. Snelson, but would like to see him em-' tody them m a definite resolution; v^CrH Gower admitted that- no Ktile Sressure had been brought^to bear upon im m the Riding he represented, m order that he should use his influence m sup--sprtr;pf;the Rangitikei. Hospital. Ife id not think that the rook upon which .the BuUs Hospital was wrecked was its position, but for the want of medical attendance. The experience of that institution was "that although they had a fine building, the expense of providing a nurse eat up all the; funds. Although he decidedly should favor the scheme prpnp.unded by Cr. Snelson, unless it could be put into some tangible shape Jie would be chary m giving his support, as he would be afraid of a failttre of •ecurmgpropermedicalattendance.They .. should be careful hot to fall into a mis- ; take similar to that made at Bulls, as he vpuld prefer 'sending patients to Wellington at the County charge, rather .than; have the white elephant that the ' Rangitikei people possess; At the same time, if a basis were formed for the -institution of a County Hospital he ,^pught Feilding would, be the bestr S'aSS for its location, as not only was it a central position, but the majority of patients might be expected therefrom, as persons injured m the bush, v ' TThe Chairman pointed out to the Council that the question under discusion was not as to the locale of the pro-' posed institution. , -j Cr. Snelson said he was not at all - afraid of failure; through: lack pf funds. ..'■ HebeUeved the past subsidy was £324, A "' end £40 from;; the towh\ of;' Palmerston. Next year he expected the County Council subsidy would be one-third more, / While that from Parliament would likely be double, so that they would have a 1 revenue of something' Hke £400. The Chairman observed that he believed the subsidy would be granted on 9>pro rata principle of pound for pound, ( Gr. Snelson axfmitted the correction, iiii stated' that there need be no fear as to the medical attendance, inasmuch L •-• ns ; there were two. medical. men m P Palmerston at present, and a third was '■ about to settle there. He instanced a r^nt case m which an accident oc- : y. cured at Feilding, and the man was brought to Marton, and even ttd Wan- '■ ganui before medical help could be ./; /obtained, ■...'. Cr. McNeil, said that Palmerston was by far more central than Feilding, and m addition there were two special settlements, containing fully three hundred persons. Besides it was on the route from the Napier country. V^ Cr.<Gower certainly believed m home .role,; still he thought it wpuld be better . to defer the further consideration of the ' jnatter untii'Cr. Snelson was prepared to submit some data with regard to the Wairarapa Hospital; He thought it , ■ would be well of an answer were returned to the lUngitikei Committee to the effect that the Manawatu Oounry j Council could, not see their way to Bupyprt the Bulls Institution. rProposedby Cr. Snelson and seconded : by Gr. Goy?er ;— *« That the Manawatu " County Council consider it advisable to establish a local hospital m one of its ;^cehtres. v ■;-;:/, ;-. v ; ; 7. • NOTtoB OF MOTioK. 7 TfeCr: Shelsdni then.igavenotipeof the following motion fry That thp Manawatu County; Council Cd-pperate m ; j the management and support; of the Palmerston Hospital reserves'and buildings as a County Hospital.*' V' Gr. TCioudon then read his notice of motiOnj^hicb was published m our last ißßue^^r the following effect — That this Council agrees to the following resolutions, and that^ the Chairs man take steps to have the same agreed to by all other local bodies, such ax Foxton Local Board, i Pfllrnerston 80- ---. rough Council, and Manawatu aiid Man- . Chester Highways Boards. j lßt^ That a« plans are now m the t -Public Work Office, Wellington, for ;^he extension of the Foxton Warfahd other necessary Harbor Works to cost 7 .^15,000, that our member (Mr Johusioh be asked to have this sum voted for. . ;;ihepnirpo!'b at the forthcoming .sossidii; % ■%., That F^xfph pc iWclarbd a pdr*; ;.'■■ ;;;;; .■: -|

3. That the Government be requested to offer for sale all surveyed Government land still unsold within this county at an early date. 4. That as the upset price of all Government land is now two pounds per acre, that the Government hand to this Council the sum of twenty per cent on £50,000 being the value of £25,000 icres of land set , apart out of this county for the use of the Wanganui Harbor Board. 5. Should the Government demur to this valuation of the lahdj that the same be valued by competent valuators, or sold by public auction as soon as possible. : •■*•' '7 r 6. That the. Government refund to the Council the sum of twenty Iper cent on £65,000, : being the; sum paid to them by the Emigration ,; and Colonists' Aid Corporationnfor land* within the. County during the last six months. 7. That tlie Government be requested to take immediate action with a view -toj completing, the purchase of the Otemakapua^ Block, containing 1. 140,000 acres, north of Rangitikei- Manawatu Block; and on that object being effected, that the block be surveyed and offered for sale as soon as possible. 8. That the Government be requested to take the necessary steps 7fdr the survey of the road line from Feilding to ,'tbe Morimotu Plains;^ explored by Mr John Barton under the Public Works Department." In speaking to the motion Cr. Loudon; said he; had;; every ? reasbh^QM believe that if the 7resPlution were* passed, and sufficient pressure brought to bear, all thp demands contained m it would be complied with, as they were asking nothing but what they were justly entitled to; With regard to the first Section of the resolution, asking tor the expenditure of £16,000 upon s the extension of the Foxton Wharf, he might state that the Minister, for Public Works, had fully recognised .its necessity. If it were found that the course now being adopted had. not the desired effect, public meetingsjshpuld be held at all the centres ; of population m 'the county, ! and a force' brought to compel^ ustice being done. Or. Gpwer would like sdtne information with regard to the right to claim the refund of the £(55,000. Cr. Loudon explained that the transactions between the: 33L and 0. . A.. Cprporatidn and "the Government hadl of late assumed a new phase, as a new S" urchase ef £65,000 i; had Ijeen -paid own within the past six months, and what the Council asked was that twenty per cent of that amount should be handed oyer to.them. He might inform the Council that bottom Crs-^Halcombe and Macarthur were heartily m favor of the resolutions under discussion. Cr, Snelson would like to ask the mover whether it was intended by section 3 that the land should be sold uppn absolute terms or On deferred payments.; His reason for asking the question was that if it^ere intended that it should be cash, sales, he could not support She measure. There were several blocks of land m his riding— such as ■ the Taonui- . Karere and 12,000 acres m the Fitzherbert bloirk-^which, although not I Gazetted as on deferred payments, .were distinctly understood to be disposed of on such terms, and he considered if the sales were absolute it would be a manifest breach of fault. Cr. McDonald was not aware that Crs. Halcombe and McArthur, were m favor of the resolutions. He 'thought no opinion was expressed when the matter was before the Council at its last meeting. ■> or>. McNeil said he thought it would^ be better to defer allusion to the £50,000 on account at thY Wanganui Harbors; Board, until a reply had been received to a communication forwarded <to^, the Government on the matter. " fess Cr. McDonald thought the Council was fairly entitled tp the twenty per' cent on the fand sold. 'Ay - ; -, v < - r Or. McNeil did not concur with the ideas expressed m the 7th section, as he thought it very. impolitic to put pressure upon the Government to induce them to throw large blocks of land into the market. By -such a- course .the way would be open to! large capitalists stepping m, and buying up land which they could afford tolet remain idie, and thus retard settlement. Beside which, if at any future time, the r Goyernnient. were to flood the market^ with large sales of land, it might be thrown at this Council that it had been the first to agitate such a course. , ' In deference, then to the opinions of* certain Councillors the following alterations were made:^--At the end of the third lection, after the word date, the following was added "by either deferred paymehtj or cash sales." In the seventh section, all the portion after the words "Rangitikei-Manawatu block " to be stuck out, and the sentence to eud^there. 7. The resolution as amended %as carried unamiously. The Chairman, said that the reason th^e matter had been held over-from* the; last meeting was that it should be&eely discussed by all members of theCduhcil. The Councillor's who were then- absent were present, how, and he wished it to be publicly known that, although dn account of having to adjourn at an early hour, the meeting w;ould be somewhat abridged, still the matter was not pissed m a hasty manner, or without due deliberation. By the /endowment to the Harbor Board referred to in the motion, the Council was not only deprived of the twenty per cent to which it was entitled, but thd land -was? shtit' up^frpm settlement. In his opinion that £io\Qob for the Foxton Wharf had been lost by the negligence of their representative, and had more energy been shown by that gentleman there .-would, now have been no need for bringing forward the resolution under discussion. It was a /f act probably- patent to everyone that the present wharfage accommodation was whpßy inadequate to the require- ; hieht#pf the pdrt^-a^ the firai he repre- . sented could alone guarantee an export trade of fully 120,000 feet of timber per week, ; One vessel had bieen lying for the past" four days m the river for want of wharfage accommodation, and now he believed it could hot be loaded 'for want of trucks. The purport- of ; his remarks were to let it. he •'pubHcl.jr known that before the above. rir^splujt^n had been carried it had been freely ventilatedi aud was pMsbd' withoiita dissent i.teafc7 „. ;. .. . .;