Patea County Council.

Patea Mail, 7 July 1882, Page 3

Patea County Council.

Tin' quarterly meeting of this Council was held on Wednesday. Present: Messrs Horner (in the chair), Taylor, Bridge, Dune, Wilson, Chapman, and Foreman. Hawera County Claim. . A letter from the Hawera County Council asked for payment of balance due on settlement of accounts agreed to at the separation. Answer was directed to he sent that this County has a contra claim against Hawera for half coat of rebuilding Manawapon bridge, Extension of Contract Time. Patrick Murphy applied for extension of time to complete contract for stonebreaking and carting at Manawapon. Agreed to let him resume work at snch time as. the Engineer may direct, according to the weather. The contract should have been finished April 20th. Gorse at Momahaki. In reply to letter, the Council were informed that the gorse on the road at Momahaki Station is being cleared. M’Lean’s Contract Claim. J. M’Lean, who lately sued the County Council for payment re portions of Mountain road contract, and gained one action against.the Council but lost the other, has been petitioning Parliament for payment of that portion of one contract which was not authorised, and for which the Council did not pay. There was a question of deviating the road, and the contractor’went - on with the construction without authority, the result being that two lines were eventually cleared and formed near Stratford, and the portion ,done by M’Lean was useless. He claims for this work, and his petition is understood to be an appeal to Parliament for justice in the matter. The chairman of the Petitions Committee in Wellington had telegraphed for documents and plans relating to this petition, and Mr J. Black took them to Wellington, and gave evidence before the Committee. The matter now came formally before the Council in the shape of correspondence, Nothing was done at this stage. Licensing Act. Returns were asked for by Government as to the total expenses incurred in working the new Licensing Act. Slaughtering. Isaac Lnpton was granted a slaughtering license for section 316, Okntuko block, near Waverley. Finance. Receipts for the month were £456 19s 3d, arid expenditure £7B 10s 9d. Accounts passed for payment were: J. Paterson £5 18s 2d, News £3 ss, Pye 11s, J. Gibson £6 11s 9d, J. Anderson £9 10s, H. F. Mason, licensing expenses £5 18s, Buckley for bread £1 10s 2d, Barraclongh for meat £5 11s fid, J, O’Brien 9s 6d, G. Harden £l, J. Hurley £5 0s 6d, Hamerton £1 3s 2d, W. Dale £lO 15s 7d, R. Baldwin 5s 6d, S. Taplin £l6 6s 2d. Also wages for month £67 3s. Councillor Wilson was appointed to sign cheques in place of Councillor Chapman. SUBSIDY FOR ROAD AND BRIDGE. Councillor Bridge raised the question of again applying for a grant in aid of road maintenance. The Government bad said, in reply to an application dated March 30, they Would contribute £4OO towards repairing the road between Waverley to Patea, in consideration of the railway sleeper traffic ; the Council to contribute not less than an equal sum. As to Manawapon bridge, for which the Council also asked a grant, the reply was that this must come under the general provisions for assisting local bodies. In a second reply dated April 24th, the Government said that as the Council had accepted a road contract for £2OO, an equal sum would be contributed in aid. Councillors now argned that up to date further contracts having been made amounting to about £4OO, an equal sum should be applied for in accordance

with the previous promise of pound for pound up to £4OO. Resolved, “ That the claims of • this County for assistance in erecting the Manawnpon bridge be placed strongly before Major Atkinson, and that he also be requested to obtain assistance for the Council to place the main road in a good state of repair ; likewise that a copy of letter No. 73, February 15th, be forwarded to him,” Hospital Tenders. Agreed that the Chairman be. authorised to procure a supply of potatoes?, arid that separate tenders be called for supply of meat, bread, groceries, and medical comforts. The Hospital Surgeon reported that during the month 6 patients were admitted, 1 discharged, 1 died of paralysis, leaving 9 in Hospital, namely, Leslie Charles, paralysis ; W. Brown, ulcer; H. Williams, rheumatism ; J. Roberio, paralysis ; E. Lytt.elton, neuralgia ; W, Stewart, nicer; G. Bloom, iritis; J. Keohano, epilepsy ; Annie Churchill, ulcer. Engineer’s Report. Mr Harden reported for the month ap follows :—The metalling at Manutahi is about two-thirds completed. Manawapou bridge construction is temporarily suspended, the contractor being unable to get the timber until the repairs of Rangitikei bridge are completed. An estimate of required expenditure for year ended 31st of March 1883 will be laid before yon. ’ I may add that although the amount, far exceeds the amount of rates, yet if the Council can see their way to carry out this expenditure, a saving of £4OO per annum can be made in the reduction of maintenance labor. I may also suggest the advisableness of commencing the work early, in order to allow the gravel to set prior to wet weather setting in. Estimates. Mr Harden’s estimates of expenditure required for next year were as follow (in round figures) : Patea West, metalling, gravelling, bridges, culverts, and day wages ... £2,410 Patea East, ditto ... ... 980 Wairoa, ditto ... ... 2,175 Contingencies ... 50 £5,615 NEW RATE. Councillor Wilson moved and Councillor Foreman seconded “ That, a rate of Is in the pound be struck on all rateable property in the County ; payable October sth.” Councillor Dnrie moved and Councillor Chapman seconded an amendment that the rate be 6d in the pound. Motion for Is rate was carried. Dog Tax. The collector having sent in no returns since his appointment, the Council resolved that Mr G. Beamish’s appointment be cancelled from this date. Auctioneers’ Licenses. A letter from the Borough Council asked for a refund of licenses paid to the Comity Council by the following auctioneers: —W. Cowern, W. Dale, C. F. Barker. Agreed that these licenses be refunded to the Borough Council. The Council adjourned.