COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1067, 29 April 1882, Page 2

COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

An ordinary meeting of the Council was held on Thursday evening, at 7 p.m. Present i Crs. G. W. Johnson (Chairman), Westrup, Common, Ferris, Clarke, and Weston. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. Outgoing Correspondence. To Minister of Lands, asking for £1,500 for completion of Gisborne-Wairoa Road» To Messrs. Brassey and Fraser, submitting Mr Rees’s claim, £25, re Rivers Bill, for opinion. Cook County Rivers Bill. Mr Rees’s claim, £25. An opinion was read from Messrs. Brassey and Fraser to the effect that Mr Rees had no substantial claim on the Council, as he was acting throughout fdr the Rivers Committee in the matter, quite independently of the Council. The Council incur no liability in the matter. From Mr Poynter on the same matter, urging Mr Rees’s claim as substantial.—Cr. Westrup said that the action of the Rivers Committee was for the general good, and intended to deal with such lands as had been flooded ; the bill therefore was rendered sufficiently comprehensive to include the whole County of Cook. The intention was good, and therefore he would ask that the item be passed.—Cr. Ferris, in seconding the motion, recognised the fact that there existed a moral, if not a legal responsibility. He thought the Council should undertake the responsibility of the payment, with a view to assisting the other body who were co-operating with the Council.—Cr. Weston thought that the opinion of the solicitors should be acted on. The arrangement was a totally private one.—Mr Clarke said the Bill was a private matter to start with. The Council offered certain suggestions, but hardly any were taken notice of. The Council might be flooded with accounta at, this rate.—The Chairman disagreed with the arguments of Crs. Westrup and Ferris, but on the fact of the late Chairman of the Council having consulted Mr Rees, he thought it best, in the interests of the Council, to uphold them in the main.—Cr. Common was decidedly opposed to the payment of the account. —The Chairman thought the Council stood fairly committed by the words of the late Chairman, Mr Graham.—Cr. Clarke proposed that the opinion be referred back to Messrs. Brassey and Fraser for consideration of this point.— Seconded by Cr. Common.—Carried.

From Mr Fraser, requesting use of track across Mangat.u Road. From Mr Colebrook, re Drains and Tramway at Waerenga-a-hika. From the Chairman of the Wairoa Highway Board, re Importation of Sheep. To the Colonial Secretary, requesting an Order in Council to be made prohibiting the importation of sheep from Auckland. From Mr J. O. Barnard, Inspector of Surveys, reGisborne-Wairoa Road. From the Minister of Lands, Survey Office, Wellington, granting £1,500 for Gis-borne-Wairoa Road. From the Customs, Gisborne, acknowledging receipt of correct accounts ; a special meeting on this matter was convened for Thursday week. A petition in Maori from Wi Tare and others, asking for inquiry into excessive charges made by the ferryman at Waiapu River ; also asking for a ferry to be made at Wharepaia. Resolved on the motion of Cr. Ferris, seconded by Cr. Clarke, that a subsidy of £5 be offered for this purpose, with a ferry tariff of 2s. for horse passengers, and Is. for foot passengers, to be paid only in cases where the ferry is actually used.

A letter was read from W. Cooper, Wae-renga-a-hika Hotel, respecting the state of the road near his house. On the motion of Cr. Ferris, seconded by Cr. Common, it was resolved that this matter be attended to by the Engineer.

From the Colonial Secretary, Wellington, rf> error in letter ; acknowledged. From the Wairoa County Council, notifying that they will co-operate with the Council in amendment of the Native Lands Laws.

From the Southern Cross Petroleum Company concerning Kuparoa Road ; Company have resolved to give £5O in aid, if Council will undertake the work necessary to improvement. Proposed by Cr. Common, and seconded by Cr. Weston, that the Council give a pro rata subsidy of 10b. in the £1 towards the matter. Carried.

From Mr Allen, asking for extension of time, 14 days, re Gisbornc-Wairoa Road gravel contract —Mangatu Road. In discussion it was decided to send for Mr Allen, and

ask if he was willing to relinquish the contract? Mr Allen appeared, and said he would prefer carrying out the contract if allowed.—Cr* Ferris proposed that the penalty be enforced, and tlid contract carried out. —Cr. Weston seconded.—Carried;

From Mr Reeves, enclosing account; £25, for work done on Tologa Bay Road.—Mi* Winter said the Work Was thoroughly well done; but he thought the price too high. Thd road was better than he had ever seen it, bdt Mr Reeves should not have incurred so largd an expense without a definite authority.—Cr. Common proposed, and Cr. Weston seconded; that the account be paid.— Mr Clarke proposed, ahd Mr Ferris seconded, that a letter be written to Mr Reeves; pointing out that he had acted in excess of instruction; and asking for his authority for so doing.—Carried. The following payments wefe passed • —C. D. Berry, refund of dejiosit, £5 ; 13. Wilkinson; do., £5; E. McCartney, dd., £5; L. Burke, do., £5 ; J. Weston, do., £5; M. Boland, final payment, sec. 1; Gisborne-Wai roA Road, £66 ss; E. Peheia, loan poll, £1 Is; J. Nicholas, do., £1 Is; R. O. Stewart, do.; £1 Is ; Witters and Byne, final payment, Makaraka, £59 9s 3d ; J. Williams, Gisborne and Wairoa Road, £200; McLeod and Cooper; £lOO ; C. Young and party, labor; £7 4s ; D. Malone, £37 16s 9d • W. stevensdn, £26 10$ 8d ;J. Wall, cartage, £1; Large and Townley; fent and supplies, £l5 6s 4d ; F. J. Allen, refund o£ deposit, £5 • Malone and Co., do.; £5 j L. Burke, do., £5 ; Returning Officer, Tdldgtb Bay, loan poll, paid subject to Mr Cannon’s signature; £6 3s; Salary Engineer, £5O ; petty cash, £lO j D. Malone, refund deposit, £5; 8. P» Craig, advertising, £2O 13s dd ; G. L. Grdetiwood, Licensing Commissioners expenses, £2 Is; C. Young and party, labor, £8 12s ; E. McLeod; Gisborne-Wairoa Road, £100; J ; Williams; do., £153 15s, Brandt and Co., do., £lO5 ; Witters and Co., Makaraka Road; £3l ; D. Malone, Makaraka Road, £53 7s 3d • W; Stevenson, Waerenga-a-hika Road, £l9 13s 8d ; Watts and Bell, Makaraka Road; £l5 ; J; Williams, Wairoa-Pat.utahi Road, £l9 16s; A. R. Martin, East Coast Roiul, stand over j O. B. Hubble, £8 17s 6d. With regard to the Road Board valuation refund, it was resolved that this matter stand over until letters on the subject be written to the various Road Boards. Resolved that the balance-sheet be Considered at the next ordinary meeting of the Council.—Thursday next, at 10 o’clock, was appointed for the meeting of the Public Worke Committee.

Cr. Ferris suggested that in View of thd nearly approaching session of Parliament the difficulty of raising local loans, and the littld aid received by the district from the Government generally, that the Government should be asked to supplement a £7OOO or £BOOO loan on the £1 for £1 system. He would propose that a letter be written to the Government urging this matter. —Cr. Westrup suggested the possibility of the Government granting a loan of say £20,000, to be re-paid in say 40 years* He agreed with Cr. Ferris that a letter* should be written.—Cr* Common thought that the Government should be Urged to build a railway to Patutahi in order to procure the cheapest metalling, or it might be put as an initiatory step of railway extension to Napier; —The Chairman agreed with Cr. Common, but thought that at present the proposed letter? should be written.—-Cr. Ferris's suggestion was agreed to. A copy of the letter to be forwarded to Mr McDonald, MJI.R* Cr. Ferris thought some means should bd adopted to prevent loss of time in completion of contracts and prevent contractors failing in carrying otit their contracts from being granted any further contracts under 1 the Council. Cr. Clarke called attention to the state of the Waipaoa Bridge.—Cr. Weston gave notice of motion that in the future the penalty by contractors would be strictly enforced.—Cr« Ferris gave notice of motion (as an amendment) that the penalty in the future should be £5 per diem, and strictly enfofeddi Tenders for the formation of the GisboVndWairoa Road were opened i —No. 6 section; C* D. Berry, £799; McLeod and Hubble; £985; M. Boland, £950. No tender’s accepted. Fresh tenders to be called for. No 7 section—* 3 C. I). Berry, £649 5s ; McLeod and Hubble; £1234; A. Banks and P. Hayes (accepted); £580) M; Boland, £921. No. 8 section—M. Boland, £705 j C. D. Berry, £528 ; A. Banks and P. Hayes (accepted), £475 ; McLeod and Hubble; £882; In the event of accepted tenderers not coming forward the nett lowest tender to be accepted. Contract time to be extended in consideration of the tenders having been kept so lortg in hand. Cr. Ferris gave notice of motion of the necessity of permanently appointing a road overseer to act under the Engineer’s directions.— Cr. Westrup followed in support. He considered such an appointment necessary to protect the property of ratepayers from injury by narrow tires cutting up the roads.—ThaCLair* man thought by-law No. 7 met the case. Cr. Westrup gave notice of motion re erec* tion of toll gates on main road*