SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 11, 10 June 1893, Page 9

SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Friday, June 9th. The monthly meeting was held at 11 a.m. Present —Mr T. Green (chairman), and Crs. Baldey, Hast, McQueen, Raymond, McCallum, Fleming, and Gerrard. Mr A. Dolamore, mayor of Gore, waited on the council on behalf of the borough authorities, and asked fer assistance towards a much needed work —the construction of a traffic bridge across the Mataura at Gore. He mentioned that the Governmemt had promised £IOOO towards the cost, which was estimated at £3500 for a stone, and £2500 for a pile, bridge. The Gore borough would contribute £I6OO, and would ask the council to give a vote of £9oo.—Mr Dolamore having retired, Cr. McQueen moved, and the chairman seconded, that the application be declined. —After some discussion Cr. Raymond moved as an amendment —That the Gore borough council be informed that the council cannot see its way clear to make any direct contribution towards the cost of the bridge, but would suggest that the promoters should ascertain by petition whether the residents in the district east of Gore would be favourable to the creation of a special rating district, to provide a fair contribution towards the cost of the work.—Cr. Baldey seconded tbe amendment.—Cr. McQueen pointed out that the amendment only differed from the motion in that it made a certain suggestion re the bridge. Like the motion, it refused the request for a vote.—On being put, the amendment was lost by the casting, vote of the chairman, and the motion was then passed by his casting vote. M. Garvey, Mabel Bush, complained of the existence of a swamp on the roadline near his land.—Engineer to report.' A letter from T. Hicks, Hokonui, in reference to the bad state of the road near his property, was left in the hands of the member for the riding. A request from the Gore Council for payment of £B4 10s, cost of works on Broughton street, was referred to the Finance Committee, D. McLeod resigned the office of poundkeeper at Wallacetown. —Accepted. W. Scott, Hokonui riding, asked that some tussocking be done to enable his children to get to school without wading to their boot-tops in mud.—Surfaceman to do work. D. Gillandcrs wrote that the road at the corner of the pre-emptive right, on section 327, Waikaia, required to be ditched and gravelled. —Surfaceman to attend to ditching. W. Russell, on behalf of W. Lawrence, presently absent from the district, addressed the Council in reference to two road exchanges on his property in the Wallacetown riding.—Referred to the Engineer for report. The Invercargill Borough Council asked the Council te pay its share (£37 18s 3d) of the cost of repairing the culvert on Oteramika road, where it crosses Elies road. It appeared that the Council had previously declined to recognise any responsibility on account of the work, and it was decided to to refer the Borough to the reply already made. The Geraldine Society invited co-operation in the direction of securing legislation to enable the small birds nuisance to be more effectually dealt with than is possible under the existing Act.—The matter was held over for consideration. T. O’Neil and a number of other Forest Hill settlers petitioned to have the road at Cosgrove’s made passable.—Held over. The Land Board notified that the Government would be recommended to set apart sections 2 and 3, block 12, Limehills as a gravel reserve, A. G. Earle and E. Horrell asked the Council to step the dotted track through sections 6 and 7, block 8, Wendonside. —Granted, applicants to bear cost. P, Leen was allowed payment for 5 extra yards of gravel in connection with the OtariaPukerau road contract. F. L. Whitmore applied for permission to lay a tramway through block 22, Invercargill Hundred. —Granted subject to Engineer’s approval.

An application from J. Brumley and others for works at Centre Bush village, was held over owing to want of funds. > Twenty-seven settlers on the Bluff Road, between Invercargill and Seaward Moss, wrote that they had lived there a number of years, and had never experienced any nuisance from the passage of R. Treloar’s nightcarts in connection with his contract with borough of Invercargill.—Received. A letter from J. and D. McLean, Caroline, re the closure of a road, was referred to the Engineer for report. A. McKenzie, dog tax collector, addressed the council in reference to the difficulty experienced in some cases with dog owners, some of whom, particularly in Awarua riding, were learning bad habits, and trying to make out that terriers, greyhounds, and bull-dogs were used as cattle dogs.—The matter was left in the hands of the chairman. —It was decided that the Waihopai riding contribute £1 a year, and the Awarua riding £2 a year, to Mr McKenzie as ranger, in order to cover loss of driving fees in cases of cattle impounded not realising enough to pay same. J. Campbell, Waikawa Valley, wrote that he would have to give up his land unless a road was made to it.—Copy of Engineer’smemo to be forwarded, and applicant informed that the council will pass a vote to assist in the work if the Government declines to contribute. The following resolution was passed, on the motion of Or. Raymond, seconded by Cr. Fleming—That the Comicil is now prepared to receive applications from farmer’s’ clubs, road boards and town boards, and properly constituted committees for subsidies towards the destruction of small birds, and to vote £ for £ up to £2O for any riding—such votes to be paid on the certificate of the chairman of such club or committee that double the amount applied for has been properly distributed for bird destruction. With tire view of securing united action this offer will only remain open till the meeting in July. — Cr. Raymond pointed out that the last clause would remedy the evil complained of in several quarters that some settlers neglected to take action at tbe same time as their neighbours, whose efforts were thus neutralised. He admitted that the specifics now used were not all that could be wished, and thought the Government should offer a bonus for the discovery of a more efficacious compound. On the motion of Or. Baldey, the report of the Finance Committee recommending payment of accounts amounting to £1373 12s 8d was adopted. On the motion of Cr. Hast, J. Handyaide was appointed returning officer in respect of county and liecensing elections at Waikaiaand P. R. Clarke ranger for Switzers commonage, and dog-tax collector and registrar of dogs for Waikaia riding. On the motion of Mr Baldey £25 was voted for a new bridge over Tomoporaka Creek on Wilson’s road —the cost to be equally divided between the Winton and Wallacetown ridings. At the instance of Cr. Raymond the surfacemen were instructed to forward for next meeting a list of property-holders who have allowed gorse to encroach on public roads. It was agreed, on the motion of Cr. Fleming, that the Council would cart and spread 80 yards of gravel to make the North Road footpath between Avenal and Gladstone provided the Borough of Gladstone give the gravel free from their pit adjoining the footpath. The Engineer was instructed to obtain a further supply of 100 yards of metal for repairing the main north and east roads. The Engineer was instructed to lay off a new road on the bank of the Mataura, through section 12, block 4, and give estimate of cost of making same passable, and carry out a deviation on district road through section 35, block 8, Wyndham district, prepare plans and call for tenders for tussocking said road for a width of half a chain. The Council then adjourned to the second Friday in July.