WAITAKI C0UNTY COUNCIL. OME TALL TALK.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8168, 27 April 1895, Page 3

WAITAKI COUNTY COUNCIL. OME TALL TALK.

During the si. ting of the Waitaki County Council yesterday a deputation waited on the Counoil to protest against tho forming of Val!ey6eld Road through block 4. Oteuopo riding. Tho deputa ion consisted of Me-sro Adam Anderaon, Ma 1 the w M<.rton, John Bur«e6B, James ML an, and Peter Russell. Mr Anderson said that tho forming of block 4 road was uhnecessaiy. It w< uld be of no value at all to tho great bulk of the ratep>yerf, and c>nly one individual — tho mtinbtr for the ndmg— would be bonefitted. Tha ratepayers strongly objeoUd to this road beit q forme' l, and to ■pending money in opening up new roads while tha much uaod roads were out of repair. Thty did not w»nt the load closed ; but there wis no use forming a road that would not be used. In reply to Mr Sh»vr Mr Anderson s*id he Ived tome mile? away from the read, but ho had poperty mar the road. To Mr F«lo<<nur : lie would nut use the roaJ. It would be a new road, and they did not want it opened in the meantime. It was ooly Mr Falconer who was pushing for this road. He did not know of 62 ratepayers asking th»t this road be forratd ; bat be knew th^t many w.ro against it. The road would suit Mr Falconer, and the ratepayers had asked him to come to the Council to protest againat the expenditure on the road. Mr M. Morton conßrmed what Mr Anderson had said. Tho road Mr Falconer wm anxious to have opened would not suit the ratepayers in the district, and he bettered Mr Falconer would find were it opened that it would no* 6uit himtelf. Many roads in a bad s ate in the district should be rtpiired before any forma'jon of this road should be undertaken. The money could be much butter spent. To Mr Falconer: He believed th*t piany of the 62 ratepayers did not know what they were signing. To Mr Shaw : The road was not waned. He would not use it, and no ohildren going to Bchool would use the roadf «8 it was too Uv round about* Mr J. Burgess pointed out that the road leading to the Waimo u railway station had a great deal of traffic on it, and had not received a load of gravel »t all. While such loads were in the district unmade he had to protest against the formation of this road, which had been unused for 25 years, through block 4. Ho did not want the money Epent on Mr Falconer's road. Mr Fulconer : Not my road. The petitioners wanied the road, and there were petitioners who objeoled. Mr Falcone* pointed out that the drputation had all signed the petition agunst the roid, and tbat their objections had been c ni■idered befor*. Mr J»mee M'Lean said tbat the road hid been unused for tho past 25 yearß. It had recently been brought into prominence by Mr Falconer ; but if formed it would not be used, and was not required, and he asked the Council why they should open up now roadu when there was no call for them, and leave the roads used to fall into disrepair 1 Mr P. Russell also corroborated what the others had laid. Io reply to Mr Borrie, Mr M'Lean said that they did not object to this road being opened, but they objected to the road being opened when other roads much in nae n quired grftveUiog &nd money expanded upon them. The Chairman said their statements would receive consideration when the tenders for the work .were opened, and tbe deputation, thanking the Council, withdrew. When the tenders were opened, it was found that the lowest was L 77 odd, and Mr Falconer moved, seconded by Mr Shaw, that the lowe6t tender be accepted. Mr Thomson moved an amendment, that the work be deferred, 'fhisjras seconded by Mr Hall. Mr Falconer a. id there wao a pe'uion ) signed by 62 persons, asking thnt the road be formed, and a committee of the Council, including Mr Hall, had reported lh*t the work should be proceeded with when funds were available. That committee's report was adopted, and why should the Counoil stultify itself, and not, now when the riding was in funds, accept the lowest tender, and have the work proceeded with. He had been a resident of down there for 27 years, and that road had never been formed. Siuce be bad bought another properly adjoining his first farm, which hh sons, had gone |to live upon, he was interested in the formation of the road in question. They had been told that he had caused to be expended on the road leading to hts own house a &urn of L4O ; but such was not the case. He hid lived there for 27 years, and there never was a plough or ihoval put on it till recently, and he had been a member of the Road Board and County pouncil years ago, and had tlways {eft bis own road afone because he thought bis turn would come some day when the others were all done. But although he had paid L 254 in rates nothing had been received by him. The total sum expended on tbe road which was said to have had L4O expended on it was Ll4, and although he benefited directly others benefited as well. The amount was not L4O. He knew that the ratepayers who appeared before the Council were incited I to come by one per on, and he could have got two or three to come and support th* work" being done, but had thought it was pot necessary. * Mr Thomsun said that he had always observed that jealousy, epite, and selfconceit were generally wrapped up in the lime carcase. Mr Falconer had stated that L4O had not been spent on the road lead ng to his property, but if Mr Falconer was ou he would bet him L 25 (the money to go to the hospital or benevolent) that M moro had been spent than Me Falconer bid stated. He did not think tbe work w«s at all preaaiug, aud i&w no reason for the »»p»ndjturt.

Mr Falconer said he had the engineer's 6gurt(i for his statement. Mr Thomson said he had counted the cost himn"lf, and hud reckoned in the surfaceman's wage*. Mr Hill explained that he had received so tniny complaints from the rusiden's in the distriot that ho had changed his mind respecting the griming i>f money for spudding on the ro.id when so much roquired to be done in other parts of the district. Mr Thomson wanted to know who tho person was who it, cited the deputation to come. 1 Mr Falooner said that Mr Thomson knew. Mr Thomson : I know who worked up the petition with (he 62 signatures. Mr M'Keiro* said (o be fair he hwd to confess that there were among those 02 signatures people living down n ar to Harapden ; but then tho other petition wa^ iigned by men some mil^s away. Mr Falconer mid ho would read'h'm what had appeared in the North O «go ; Times respecting this road. A letter h >d appeared in that paper urging that tho road bo opened up for traffic, and Mr Falconer proceeded to read the letter, which began to deal with tho road line past Mows Thomson and Finlinson's works, fthi-n Mr Thomson asked what a letter written by eiiher Mr Falconer cr ono of his satellites had to do with tho rotd in question. Mr Falconer : It had to do with ifc. Mr Thomson : Thom«»n and Fmlin* son s works can haro noihing to do with tho Valleyfield Ko^d. Mr Falconor omphmol to the chnirtnan that Mr Thomßon w -a allowed too much lati'ude — more 1 ti ulo than nny councillor round the taUe. The Chairmtn observod that Mr Falconer had nothing to complain about on that score, and he should con tine his attention to the road line through bK ck 4. Mr F<Uc.n>r coutinutd to read, s tying the letur bore upon tho question. Mr Thomson : There h nothing in what Mr Fa'coner is reading bearing on the road. All (hat the letter couturier] dealing with the roid through block 4 has bion read, and hu objected to irrelevant matter being brought in. Mr Falconer said ho would road the letter, and was proceeding to r<.ad the letter when Mr Thomson asked if this letter was Bigned by a ratep >yer, or was Mr Falconer tho author ; and tho Chairman observed that Mr Falooner should deal only with the road. There was a good deal of quick-firing conversational matter going on between Messrs Falooner and Thomson, which was so rapid that it was impossible to report it, both gentlemen talking S'lnultaneously. Mr Falconer said the Council could not get away from the fact that a petition of 02 reaidonts had been before the Council, and they could not refuse this wot k in tho face of that petition. This brought the rejoinder that the petition had been "cooked," and Mr Thomson rose and said that the Council would remember that a petition from the same riding asked for road work to be done, and he would ask Mr Falconer why ho had not urged, since ho came into the Council, for that work to be proceeded with now that the riding was in funds. Mr Falconer said he was not in thp Counci 1 when that petition was sent in. Mr Thomson, continuing, said he had paid L 254 in rates, but he (Mr Thomson) had paid three times that; amount ; but it seemed ai if Mr Falconer had taken the stand in relation to his road, and said : " I am going to have my road done, and the rest of the riding can go to pot. 1 ' i Mr Falconer said he considered a good deal of money had been spent for Mr Thomson's benefit ; but this was immediately denied by Mr Thomson, and the Ohai-man observed that it was about time someone else had a word in about this road. Mr M'Kerrow said tint the question was : Is the riding in funds 1 Mr Falooner: Yea. The Clerk said tho credit (o the riding was L 99 4s 2d. The Chairman said the question for the member of the riding to determine was : Would it be wise for him to force the execution of this work in the face of the objection to it? Mr lidale said his experience wa« tint whatever money was spent there would alnays ba ratepayers dssatisfied, Mr Stringer said the po-ition was a difficult on* for other councillors to settle. He would prefer to leave it to the member for the district if the expenditure was not deferred. Mr Borrie said the member for the riding would bear the brunt of the ex~ penditure if it were questioned by his constituency. Mr Thomson asked what money had been spent on the riding during the past 18 months ? He considered tho riding's rates had been eavtd for this particular road. After some further disouwion Mr Falconer's motion wns carried, and the lowest tender, L 77 9a> was accepted for the work.