SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 20, 12 August 1893, Page 12

SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Eeiday, Aug. 11. The monthly meeting was held at 11 a.m. Present —Mr T. Green (Chairman), and Cr SHast, V\ ard, JBaldey, Raymond, McQueen, Gerrard, McCallum, and Fleming. Small bird subsidies were granted to the local authorities in the following districts ; Clifton, Eyal Bush, Wyndham, Otaria, the total sum voted being £i4 13s. An application by J. and D. McLean, Caroline, to have a road through their property closed, being favourably reported on by the Engineer, was granted. J. Anderson, Pine Push, asked the Council to remove the gates erected on the roadline leading to his property, as they were causing him great inconvenience.—lt was decided to inform Messrs Trotter and Aitkin that they must erect good swing gates through block 9, failing which the privilege will be withdrawn in a month—gates and approaches to be to the satisfaction of the Engineer. On the recommendation of the Engineer it was resolved to take the necessary steps for the closure and deviation of roads through the properties of Messrs Hamilton and Allan, Forest Hill district—applicants to bear all ■costs. D. Strachan was granted the lease, from year to year, at the rate of £1 per annum, of the the gravel reserve in block 38, Wallacetown. bubject to the Council’s rights over the reserve. The Gladstone Council intimated that they had no gravel available for the North Koad footpath. A communication from Wellington re vesting the control of the Waikaw.i goods shed and wharf in the Council was held over for ■consideration till next meeting. A circular was read from the Invercargill Laud Office explaining the particulars’ required in future by the Department in connection with the expenditure of d.p. thirds aud fourths.—Bcgarding this the Engineer reported that the proposed conditions could not be readily complied with, and would prove expensive, involving visits to various localities for every small work carried out —in fact an extra official would almost be required to attend to the d.p. work alone.—Councillor McCallum endorsed this view, instancing the action of the Oteramika Hoad Board, which had refused to supervise expenditure under the conditions suggested. The expense of preparing specifications and cost of engineer s ing work, would be out of all proportion to the cost of the work.—After further discussion, the following motion was passed at the instance of Cr. Bamond:—This council having carefully considered the circular from the Lands and Survey Department re expenditure of d. p. funds, desire to state that—within their knowledge—no reason has arisen to necessitate any departure from the present system, which has worked smoothly and satisfactorily to those interested, and the spirit of the Act has always been carefully observed. This council unanimously considers it utterly impossible to give effect to instructions in part, and in the main is convinced that the proposed reform is, for all pratical purposes, unworkable; and this council could not attempt the expenditure under the suggested The Council then adjourned to the second Friday in September.

alteration—a copy, of the resolution to be sent out to the members for the district, with a copy of the engineer’s report. Wv S. D. Trotter : asked the council to carry out some works on the Garston-Nevis road.— Engineer to report when visiting that part of the country. It wat decided to inform the Survey Department that the council does not require section 7, block 2, Oleramika Hundred, set apart as a gravel reserve, but which is useless for that purpose. Alex Diack, Centre bush, applied te have certain road works carried out.—Government to be applied to for a grant to open up the' village settlement block. The Invercargill borough council invited the council to unite with it and the suburban boroughs in bearing a share of the cost of forming and asphalting a footpath to the Eastern Cemetery, which would be a great convenience to the ratepayers of the district. —On the motion of Cr. Fleming it was decided to ask the council to state the probable cost of the work, and the proportion of same expected to be contributed by the various local bodies. P. Leen applied for payment for extra metal erroneously used in connection with his contract on the Otaria-Pukerau road.— The engineer reported that the extra metal had benefited the road to the amount claimed. To be paid at schedule rates, less 25 per cent. Attention was called by 11. Mann and others to the damage done to Flora Koad, Makarewa, through the haulage of logs in connection with a sawmill. —Engineer to report. Queale and Hodgkinson called attention to the m ed for a culvert on the road in block 9, New River Hundred.—Work to be done if applicants supply pipes. The N. Z. Pine Co. applied for permission to extend their tramway at Woodend. — Granted, subject to the approval of the Engineer, and to the existing crossings being put in good order. The Fernhills School Committee asked the Council to improve the road from the main thoroughfare to the School. —Left to the member for the riding. Wilson Hall, Biversdale, wrote that he had received an account, £l2 5s lid for rates due, but he enclosed an account of £75 for work done for the Council, and stated that if they were short of funds he would be satisfied if they kept his rates paid up in the meantime. — On the motion of the Chairman it was resolved that the sum of £l2 5s lid be paid Mr Hall for labour, etc., supplied informing and gravelling over 100 chains of road—amount to be equally divided between the Hokonui and Ureti Hidings. Fourteen ratepayers asked for a light traffic bridge over the Mataura at Birchwood, Mataura Island.—lt was decided, on the motion of Cr. Raymond, to inform the petitioners that the Council could not erect a traffic bridge, but were prepared to erect one suitable for equestrian or foot traffic—cost to be equally divided between the Tois Tois and Waihopai ridings. Complaint was made by several Councillors that Ranger McKenzie had summoned several people for dog-tax who had not refused to pay it, and it was suggested that in future lists of persons to be summoned should be submittel to , the members for the ridings intercste 1 before action is taken. Accounts amounting to £894 4s lOd were passed for payment. A resolution in favour of levying general, mining, and hospital and charitable aid rates, adopted at the last meeting, was now confirmed. J. Hunt, Grove Bush, was granted a subsidy of £1 10s for road work. It was resolved to have 90 chains of tussocking done on the road leading to the Hedgehopc school. It was decide! to ask the Minister of Lands to vote £SOO for district roads in the recently settled blocks in Waikawa ; and for £2OO (£ for £ subsidy), for repairing and regravelling the roads in blocks 2,7, and 11, Oteramiki, damaged by the cartage of railway material. Balances of rate accounts amounting to £265 2s for the years 1889-92 inclusive were ordered to be written off. Seeing that the mining rate is a dead letter so far acthe County is concerned, the revenue being only £3O, it was decided on the motion of Cr Raymond, to ask the Mines Department to vote £2OO to repair the worst parts of the road from Waipapa to Waikawa ; to ask the member for A.warua, the Hon. J. G. Ward, to have £3OO put on the estimates for works in Campbelltown blocks, and £IOO for road works in the Makarewa village settlement, and the Minister for Lands for £3OO for gravelling the Oteramika Gorge“road. J. Martin. Lumsden, was appointed returning officer for county elections, and returning and presiding officer for the licensing district of Oreti. A report from the Finance Committee to the effect that while the Council did not approve of the Noxious Weeds Bill in its present form, they recognised that the Legislature should provide for the compulsory eradication ofsuch noxious plants as gorse, Bathurst burr, and Canadian or Californian thistle, was ad opte 1. In to reference the petition received from a number of Heddon Bush settlers to have that part of Wallace County vested in the Southland County, it was decided that the clerk make an estimate of the indebtedness of the area, and the cost of bringing a bill before Parliament, and to intimate to the settlers interested that the matter now rests with themselves —a copy of the estimate to be sent to Mr C. Henderson, who headed the deputation which waited on the Council.