TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Mt Benger Mail, Volume I, Issue 50, 13 April 1881, Page 6

TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL.

The usual monthly meeting of this j .Council took place in tho Council 'Chambers, Lawrence, on Friday the Bth 'instant. JP. Oudaille, Esq. (Chairman of the Cqnnci') presided and tho other present were Messrs Bennet, 13rowh, .'Bhchanan, Fraser, Herbert, Mervyn, M'Nab, and Tubmen. After reading and confirming the minutes, tho following business was transacted: ' lie Bridge at Flodden Creek (Tapanui), tho Engineer reported that a new bridge Trill soon ,be require J, and meanwhile the necessary repairs to the existing bridge are being effVcfed. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Herbert, to inform MrKelty of this report. The Waitahuna road Board applied for their rates, collected by the Council, and after discussion, amotion by Mr Mervyn was adopted to the effect that consideration of tho application bo deferred till it be seen whether fresh legislation is to bo introduced in Parliament on the subject; and, if not, then the Council decline to subsidise existing Road Boards. A similar course was adopted re Clydevale Itoad Board. An application to close road "through section 60. block IV "Tuapeka East was objected to by F. Munro and the objection was sustained. ' A letter was received from the Clerk of the Clntha County Council that George Mackie's tender of £'542 for erecting bridge over Pomahaka had been accepted. Mr TV. Quin'a resignation (as Collector of dog-tax) was accepted, and Mr A. Allan was elected in his place. A letter signed by Mess s Clifford, Hepburn, and Sandles was received, stating that they believed that there was a sum of deferred payment money due in respect of block xvir, Crooksfcon, and asking that the road to their sections , mi'.'ht be put in a passable state of repair. ' —Referred to the Engineer for report. Resolved—That the various registrars be instructed to take immediate proceedinga against owners of unregistered dogs within the County.

Mr S. Henry made application to graze \(KR) ewes ior -.no month on an pied pastoral deferred payment section between Waipori am2 'Ampcfca. He j offered £5 in consideration of the privilege. He would not require the land j longer than the time specified, as ho i wished only to keep tho ewes separated j from his sheep at tho station. Mr Buchanan said that Mr Henry was bringing a number of sheep from Ida Valley, and wished to graze his sheep on the Bection for tho time mentioned, He moved, "That the request be complied with."

Mr Herbert seconded pro forma, but the motion was lost on division. The Council agreed to refund to John Pearson £3 189, amount of his deposit on Contract 115. ' The Secretary (Mr Birch) forwarded for approval of the Council n resolution passed by the Mount Bender Commonage Committee* of the unanimous appointment of Mr Murdoch Cordon as Range*, also a request that the Council would dispense nith the services of the present Hanger- To the knowledge of members of the Committee and others, for several months past there have been large numbers of sheep trespassing on the cattle country, and also that people have been allowed to take off and put on cattle without the Ranger interfering in any way. The unsatisfactory manner in which the commonage has been managed is the chief cause of so many settlers not making use of the commonage ; and it was resolved by the Committee to ask the Council to approve of the tender of Mr John Brophy for repairing the boundary fence between the commonage and Mr Etching's ground—amount of tender, £lO. The Secretary enclosed the application of Mr Gordon for the Rangership, and the tender of Mr Brophy for the repair of the fence. Mr Mervyn explained that he informed the Committee that if they appointed a suitable person as Ranger, he would do all he could to wok with them. Mr Gordon was a good man and could be relied upon. He (Mr Mervyn) was favorable to the commonage being handed over in tnto to the Committee, who would no doubt manage it to the best advantage He moved, "That the action of the Committee be approved, and that Ranger Smith receive a month's notica that his services be dispensed with.'! Mr Buchanan did not like the way Ranger Smith was treated. The Council should treat their servants with due considera* tion.—Mr Mervyn Baid fearlessly that Ranger Smith aid not on an average visit the commonage once a month. Complaints had frequently been made of the way in which he bad conduced his duties.—Mr Tubman had a conversation with Mr Smith, who did not approve of a Committee advising him as to what he was to do and what he was not to do. —Mr Brown was pleased with the way j

in which Mr Mervyn had expressed him- ■ self. All along he had been adverse to the action of the Committee, and it is ! gratifying to see him M bury the hatchet" so quietly and peaceably.—Mr Herbert thought Mr Smith was being treated unfairly. He should be asked whether be was agreeable to continue; in office.—Mr Bennet said Mr Smith was a most effii cfent officer, but he was assured that that ! gentleman would not act with .the Commonage Committee.—The motion was put and carried. —Mr Mervyn : Let that be the last of the Mount Benger comi monage- I'm sick of the whole business. I —(Laughter) The sum of £5(5 10? was remitted by the Treasury (Wellington) to the credit of tho County fund account —viz., gold- ; fields revenue, £51135; gold duty, £4 7a. Twenty-four applications to depasture cattle on Mount Benger commonage were forwarded by the Ranser, who also /reI raitted a cheque for £3O 6a 5d as assessI ment fees. The amount of fees collected at the j different punts for the month ending ' March 31st was as follows :—Beaumont, i £2 ; Millers Fla*, Is 2d ; Roxburgh, £l4 i 19* Bd-total, .£l7 0s lOd. Ranger Smith's report as to tho proi ceedings he had taken against cattleowners at Swift Creek, &c, under I instructions of the County Council, was j read, also some correspondence received from ownera of stock. It was resolved i to refund the sums received by the Treasurer in respect of cattle impounded at Swift Creek Reserve. The County Clerk prepared a return showing the amount contributed by tho Council to the Hospital as compared with other local bodies, also as to deductions made from subsidy, etc. Tho Council had voted i'sso (in three instalments), and had £l2olosdeducted from theirsubsidy —in all, £G7O 10s. The Bruce Conn'y I Council's donations since 1876, were £ 13D. I No definite information was received as to the amount of deduction from Bruce County Council's subsidy, or Boroughs of Milton, Tapanuiand Roxburgh. Qnly €5 5s was received from the Borough of Roxburgh as a donation to tho Hospital. i —The Secretary of the Hospital Informed , ! Mr Woods tbat-(l) The donations of 1-iruceChis■.'.>■ ».-.-- ■MufthNoi. 42) iTfi&t. j Rrucc County has not paid any iVisiai- ] ments of tho amounts agreed upon by the I delpgates of local bodies on the ground j that tho management of the Hospital ! could not hd handed over to the local bodies' delegates until the existing legislature was altered. (3) The Bruce County had never received a refund of subsidy deduction.—After discussion, it was agreed that a donation of £IOO be given to the Tuapeka Hospital. A Treasury statement waa laid on the table, of lands disposed of upon deferred payments in the County of Tuapeka under the Land Act, 1877, on account of which the undermentioned payments have been made to the Council: —Tuapeka West, 18 sections, £522 4^; Benger, 9 sections. £GB3 3s Gd ; Crookston, 4 sections, £152 14s; Kelso township. 14 sections, £6 6s giving a total of £1364 Bs. The dates ofpavments were as follows :—October 22, 1878, £2B 19s ; March 5, 1880, £OBB 12s Gd ; February 15, 1881, £646 16s Gd, Tho expenditure for the month ending 31st March on County roads and works has been as follows: —Land fund, £390 ; upper Ridings, £336 14s 2d; lower Ridings, £262 5s 6d—total, £9BB 19s 9d. On the Engineer's recommendation, the acceptance was approved of the following tenders for the contracts named; the amounts being withheld from publication : Contract 116—Gravelling 11 chains of road nearSheehy'd, Millers Flat.—Thomas Coop; only one tender was received. Contract 117—Formation and Gravelling 12 chains of the main road, situate between Harris' and boundary of Roxburgh township.—Michael Kelly ; five tenders. Contract. 118—Filching and Rubbling 18 chains of the main road, situate between top of hill west of Beaumont, and end of Lythgoe's contract.—A. M'Ginty ; two tenders. Contract 119—Formation and Gravell j ing 28 chains of the road, Lawrence to j Dalhousie, between Labea' and crossing | Tuapeka Stream, block IV., Tuapeka j East District. —Patrick Ahem ; four tenders. Accounts, amounting in tha aggregate to £1199, were passed for payment. Mr Brown brought under the Chair- j man's notice that at a previous meeting it J was resolved to expend a sum of money in forming a track from Horseshoe Bend to Millers Flat. He wanted to know if effect would be given to that resolution. The Chairman replied that the Engineer would call tenders for the work as soon as practicable. The Council then adjourned until 7 o'clock. EVENING SITTING. The followingbusiness was transacted:— That the sharp curves on road near Boundary Creek, Dalhousie to Lawrence,

be forthwith widened, at a dst of £'oo. That the Engineer report on probable cost of completing road to Waipori via Eungtown. That a road be formed from Edies' paddock .through aection 3, block XII., CrookßtonThat the worst parts of the road between Kelso and Swift Creek, be gravelled; also road between Edies' and Dunrobiri put in repair. That the Engineer report on the state of the road to Scrubby Flat settlement. That road between sections 35 and 32, block Vf., Tuapeka West, bo repaired. That the Swift Creek bridge be repaired. Amotion that conditional tenders be called for re-erection of Beaumont bridge, also bridge over the Clutha at Roxburgh, was lost on a division. -" •