HUTT COUNTY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 5732, 13 August 1879, Page 3

HUTT COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of this Council wi» held at 11 o’clock yesterday forenoon, at the office of the Council, Lower Hutt, The following werepresent:—The Chairman (Mr. Mason), Councillors Taylor, Chew, Lancaster, Smith, Morgan, Speedy, Dick, and Monaghan. MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. THE MAUNOAROA KOAD. A letter was read from Mr. Jackson, M.H.R., acknowledging the receipt of the letter of the Council rc the Maungaroa-road. The writer fully recognised the importance of the road in question as a means of cotmnunication with the West Coast, and promising, as their representative in Parliament, to do his best to carry out their views. A letter was read from the Manawatu County Council on the same subject, expressing their intention of working with the Hutt Council, with a view of getting a grant for the road in question. • HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID. The Chairman said the account had been received from the City Council up to the 30th Juno, 1879. The total expenditure had been £IOB 2s. lid., of which the share allotted to the Hutt Council was £B9 10s. The Chairman denied the right of the Council to entertain the account of the City Council for charitable aid, because the Charitable Aid Society refused to disburse any assistance outside the city limits, and it was, therefore, scarcely right for them to send the Council in this account. On receiving the account, be (the chairman) bad replied that he considered the county had nothing to do with the account of £2OO for charitable aid, as since the 31st of March no aid had been disbursed to the county, and that since that time the-Council itself had supplied all applicants in the county with aid. An opinion was expressed that as the county paid for its own poor they should refuse to pay any claims that might be made on them for charitable aid. The letter of the Town Clerk of Wellington, asking for a cheque, was then read. Councillor Monaghan said they ought to refuse to pay it, and so let things come to a bead at once. ' The Chairman said they must pay the Hospital charges. He had received a letter from Mr. Johnson, the secretary of the Benevolent Society, saying that a certain family receiving aid was outside the city, and that the Hutt County Council must in future keep them. At the last meeting three of the councillors had been appointed to represent tbe council, and to attend the general meeting. They had attended that meeting, but found the committee had no power to acknowledge them as members. The Mayor objected to three of them being in attendance, as they might possibly swamp tbe proceedings. He and his colleagues had agreed that the fairer mode would be that the whole Council should be a committee, and leave the Hutt County Council to represent that, county in a fair proportion. Bor his own part he felt that they were there on sufferance. Councillor Monaghan said he would stop the supplies until the City Council acknowledged their fair claim for representation. The City Council charged them one-fifth the cost, and until they had their fifth part of representation they ought to pay no money. One of. the members of the Board said they should first pay the amount demanded. Councillor Monaghan replied that if they at once admitted the claim, they must pay it. Let them first have their just proportion of representation. Mr. Tatlob considered they were in duty bound to recognise the past claims of the Hospital. The Chairman said although the general committee would not acknowledge them, they received them with every courtesy. They even allowed them to speak, but he and his colleagues refused to vote unless they were acknowledged. They were ready to acknowledge bis vote, but not that of his colleagues.

Councillor Smith would second the motion. The Hospital was going to be a very heavy charge, and if they went on paying, they ought at least to have a fair share of the representation. If they were forced to pay, he supposed they must, otherwise he would object to it. He had no objection to pay if they had a fair say in the matter and saw how their money was expended. And here they were sending down for a cheque, while they hardly acknowledged them at all. Councillor Chew said he could hardly agree with the motion as it stood, although no doubt they had a perfect right to claim their full share of the representation. At the same time, as they were called upon to pay, he thought they ought to do so under protest, on the ground that some alteration was required in tbe present state of things. The Chairman stated that the Mayor had suggested that they should give notice that a new arrangement should be made within the next month.

Councillor Chew would move, as an amendment to the motion of Councillor Monaghan, —That the amount due for Hospital charges to the 30th of June he paid under protest; and that notice be given that a new arrangement must be made during the next month.

Councillor Morgan seconded the amendment, on the understanding that the protest Was entered. The Qhaibman read a note received from the City Council in April last, in reference to the hospital and charitable aid. The Secretary to the Board said he had received a letter from the secretary of the Benevolent Society, turning over certain people to the county, on the ground that tl)ey lived out of the lights of the city.

The Chairman said that when the letter in question had been received from the City Council they had accepted it subject to future arrangements.

Councillor Monaghan said they ought not to pay any account till they had come to a just decision. The Council was trying to lead them on a false scent. He should stick to his proposition if he voted alone, for it was a subject on which he could not yield.

. Councillor Lancaster said there had been two meetings o£ the City Council since the general committee meeting, and he bad not seen that their cause had been brought forward. At' all eypnts, it had neyer tieeu Reported in the newspapers. Councillor Monaghan would suggest that the money should be withheld until the committee had brought the matter before the Corporation, The Chairman thought the Council ought to pay the money. ■ Councillor Monaghan : I will not agree to pay it, if I have to stand alone. Councillor Taylor said they must make some future arrangements, with a view of some change. The Hospital was going to be a very expensive institution, and it was unfair that they should not be allowed to have their fair share in the working of it as they had to pay their fair share of the cost. He would suggest that they should pay so much a week for every patient they sent, or else that they should have an hospital of their own, unless they could come to some understanding about this matter. (Councillor Taylor proceeded to explain what had taken place at a previous committee meeting.) It was true they had allowed the Chairman' and his colleagues to have their say, and had even said they might vote, but they refused to do so, thinking they were simply there on sufferance. The Mayor had made the remark that they might swamp them ; but how they with three could swamp seven was difficult to say. So far as the charitable aid was concerned, he should refuse to pay a penny-piece. He, however, thought they were bound, to pay the other sum, and he should therefore support the amendment. Councilor Monaghan thought the Council should return three members to the general committee, which he did not consider was at all out of the way.

Councillor Lancaster thought they were in honor bound to pay their fair share of the hospital charges till they had made the fresh arrangement that had been referred to. The charitable aid was a difficult question. It appeared to him that the City Council presumed that they alone were to have the power of making the sole arrangements, without consulting that body. That was treating that #» —!al i i. ...a ■« rru— *•- * Oouncu ■Wiuu uut scant/ courtesy. j.u«y uaa just as much right to a fair number of mempers on the general committee id making? the rules and regulations' of the Hospital as the City Council had ; and if : they refused to recognise them, he for one should refuse to have anything to do with them, but to go in for

an hospital of their own. He knew from experience that there were very few people indeed who went into the Hospital from their county and did not pay, and he believed it would be much cheaper to have an hospital of their own, and look after their own sick. The Hospital was going to be an expensive affair, and the sooner the Hutt Council got away from it the better. He should vote for the amendment. The amendment was then puLand carried. Councillor MONAGHAN said tmit as far as he knew there had not been five people go to the Hospital from the County during the last two years. He believed they might have a place at Kaiwarra to servo as a hospital, which would not cost them half as much as tho present Hospital. BLOCKING PETONE STATION. The Chairman said he had communicated with the traffic manager about the continual blocking at this station, of which they had had so many complaints. The stationmaster had also been communicated with, with a view to the nuisance being remedied. He had received a reply that no future blocking of the line would take place. Councillor Taylor said the line had been blocked twice since last Wednesday. Some discussion took place, and it was the general opinion of the Council that the nuisance ought to be wholly abated at once. It was said that trains had lately been stuck up for half an hour through the lines being blocked. CHURCH PROPERTY TRUSTEES. A letter was received from the Church property trustees asking that certain boundaries might be given to them. It was resolved to give tho Engineer instructions on the subject. POUND AT KAIWARRA. A (letter was read from the Local Board at Kaiwarra, asking what steps it was proposed to take in regard to the peund at that place. The Chairman asked that the matter might be allowed to stand over for a month. He had seen the chairmautof the Local] Board, who wished this to be done. The matter was deferred accordingly. THE POOR OP LOWER HUTT. Aletterwasreceived from the Local Board at this place, stating that that body had passed a resolution to the effect that the Board would undertake to make provision for the charitable aid within the district, and tor the support of their own poor from the Ist of August last. (Hear, hear.) A DISPUTED POINT. A letter was received from tho Johnsonville Local Board, to the same effect, and also stating that a certain man who was in the receipt of charitable aid was not, as supposed by the Hutt Board, in the Johnsonville, but in the Hutt district. Councillor Taylor said it appeared that the house in which the man in question lived stood on the boundary of the district, and on the main road in the centre of the district. The Johnsonville people now expressed a wish to support their own poor, but, at the same time, they said they had none. They said the person referred to did not live in the district because he lived on the road. He would move that for the future the Johnsonville Board be requested to keep this persor. Agreed to. GRANT PROM THE GOVERNMENT. Councillor Smith asked the chairman if he had received any reply from the Government with regard to the proposed grant of 1500 acres that was to be given to the county. The Chairman replied in the negative. He had made enquiries, and found that the survey had not yet been made. Councillor Smith said it struck him very foi cibly that the grant was going to lapse. Councillor Morgan said that it would be a question by. and by with their representatives. It, had already lapsed ; there was no doubt about that. Councillor Smith remarked that the fault was wholly that of the Government, through not getting the survey made. He almost felt inclined to move that the matter be referred to the Minister of Public Works. The Chairman stated he had written to the Minister of Lands the other day, but had as yet received no reply. Councillor Smith said if it had been Otago instead of Wellington the grant would have been made long ago. Councillor Monaghan : Yes, or the Thames either. Councillor Taylor briefly supported the motion. It was then put and agreed to. grant por karori. Councillor Lancaster said that at their last meeting a statement had been made showing the position in which the Karori district stood in regard to the other ridings in the county. ' He believed that statement was a fair and correct one. It showed there was a balance to the district in question of £250. They had no desire to drive a hard bargain, and only proposed to ask for a sum of £2OO, to be be paid out of the next subsidy' received from the Government. He thought it was only right that a part of that subsidy should be spent in the Karori Biding. They were about to undertake a work that would cost £I6OO, which it was proposed to raise by means of subscriptions of some considerable amount, and in other ways, to carry out the work. He thought they ought to receive a little help from the Council, and he did not think the councillors would entertain the idea that all the subsidies received from the Government were to be spent in the other ridings and nothing in Karori. Personally he always did his best for the good of the county, no matter in what riding he might be. He hoped Councillors would deal fairly with all ridings alike and according to their requirements. In conclusion, he moved, —That £2OO be granted to the Karori Board out of the next subsidy received from the General Government. The motion was seconded by Councillor Monaghan. Councillor Morgan would support the resolution on one condition, and that was, that the members of the district made it a point to nominate a registrar of dogs. He assured them he was quite earnest in this matter. By the Act it was not permissive, but an absolute necessity, that such appointments should be made. If the registrar was appointed he would Support the mption, but not otherwise. Councillor Chhw said they were going against the intention of the Counties Act if they thought about dividing the money among the different wards or ridings. He did not agree with this principle at all; it was never intended by the Act, and he should therefore oppose the motion. If they once began this sort of thing he did not know where it was going to end. Councillor Lancaster, speaking in reply, said that if a dog dox tax was not permissive he should be quite prepared to carry out the suggestion of having a registrar 'of dogs for Karori. He did not at all agree with the remarks of Councillor Chew.

Councillor Chew would repeat that he had always been of opinion that the money should he used upon the county roads. The county was npt in a position to make a single foot of road, and yet the districts wanted a part of their very small funds. He said that the county funds had been misappropriated, and that was why he opposed the motion.

Councillor Dick drew the attention of the Council to a resolution passed some time ago, on the minutes, to the effect that all money should be expended in the riding in which it was raised. Councillor Lancaster would remind the meeting that Karori was quite isolated from the other parts of the county, and after paying their fair share of the money of the county, they were certainly entitled to receive their fair share. The motion was then put and agreed to, with two dissentients. A number of aooqunts tq the amount of £607 lls. were brought up, and after some slight discussion, ordered to be paid. Councillor Monaohan thought the amount was excessive, but the Chairman reminded him that this was the worst time of the year. charitable aid. It was resolved to grant rations to a family of six, the head of which was out of work. SLAUGHTER-HOUSE INSPECTOR. A considerable number of applications were opened for this appointment. Each applicant sent in his own tender. That of Mr. H. Damaut was accepted, at £75 per annum—three months’ notice on either side. This was all the business, and the Council adjourned.