HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Shannon News, 17 July 1923, Page 2

HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of 1 the Horo- \ whenua County Council was held in I tlhe Council chambers on Saturday, | the chairman, Cr.. Monk, presiding over a full Council. ! CORRESPONDENCE. I The District Electrical .Engineer , wrote complaining that the County j lorry had been pulled out when stuck in Kingston road. Shannon, by means of a lead taken to a strainer in a! transmission line g a te, with the result that the latter was. out of plumb. He asked tlhe Council to take out the styainers 'and re-ram them in position. The Engineer explained that the matter was being attended to. The Waiapm County Council wrote asking the Council’s co-operation in a deputation to the. Prime Minister to represent 'as forcibly as .possible the unsatisfactory and unfair position of County Councils in regard to unpaid native rates and non, payment of rates on customary and Crown lands. The chairman said that this County was not so deeply interested in this matter as was the Waipu County, but he considered that the County should have every assistance. Every acre of land should be made to pay rates if it were possible. He moved that the deputation be supported—Agreed to. The Engineer to. the ManawatuOroua River Board wrote stating that, owing to the surveys not being completed, it would be impossible for the conference of engineers to< report on tlhe Shannon bridge to meet for two or three weeks.—Received. PUBLIC WORKS ESTIMATES.

Mr J. I.inklater, M.P., wrote stating he would give the different grants required in the County his best, attention and would endeavour to have the amounts ola,ced on the estimates." Mr W: H. Field, M.P., wrote asking for a list o-f grants applied for so that he could give them his support. The clerk was instructed to furnish the lists asked for. The Ohau School Committee wrote asking the Council to put in a culvert in the water-table in front of the gate to the .boys.’ playground at tlhe school. Some provision was urgently needed to take away the water that accumulated there in wet weather,— On the motion of Cr. Harkness, the Engineer was instructed to have the matter attended to. . The Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association, in answer to> a request, forwarded the Taranaki Joint By-laws, it. stated these cost over £llOO, of which'amount 350 guineas were legal fees. It had been decided that any local bodies desiring to adopt these by-laws should contribute a proportion of the legal expenses, which bad ben fixed' at 12 guineas. . The chairman said that these might be excellent by-laws, but it was hardly advisable to go in for them just now Under the proposed amalgamation for the Main Highways scheme, it would be necessary to. draft uniform by-laws, and when the district was finally settled, the provision of such would have to be considered. It would/ be ridiculous that this County should then have one set of by-laws, and Hutt, for instance, a possibly contradictory set. . . Cr Broadbelt supported this, pointing- out that the. matter was a costly one and it was better that, the several counties should share it. The letter was received, the County clerk pointing out if it was decided to make use of the by-laws, some return could he made. , . The Levin. Fire Board wrote asking that white posts be placed at fire plujzs on County roads to serve as indicators to the Brigade -Agreed to. Mr G Tully wrote stating that the road opposite" his property a,t Ihakara was being used as a cutting-out place ' for cattle, with the result that the gateway was rendered almost impassable for women and children. The cattle also did a lot of damage to the

water-tables and metal dumps. '"Cr. Gatley said this was a difficult matter to deal with. It was- not a regular thing, and could not easily be prevented. He. suggested that it the engineer went tactfully to this man, or the clerk wrote pointing out the damage that was being done, it would probably get over the trouble, and ne moved to the. effect that this be done. Cr Ryder supported this. ineie was no doubt, he said, that it was often a convenience to be able to cut out cattle on the road, and he thought that if the action suggested were taken, the difficulty would be oveiCOme ' GENERAL. • Accounts amounting to £1125 6s 6d j were passed for payment. fi I The County Rangers report statin,, ] that he had impounded 35 head of stock during the month, was .received. , The reports of the councillors Toi ( the different ridings drawing atten-, tion to local matters to be dealt w ith , were discussed at length, and e , meeting concluded with the customary . vote of thanks to the chair '