PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 108, 27 June 1885, Page 2

PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

The usual monthly meeting of the above was held at Cambridge, on Thursday, 25th inst., at 3 pm. Present — Ors Williams (chairman), J. C. Firth, W. T. Firth, E. Maclean, Brunskill, W. P. Cliepm >11. Minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. JRe A folia Borough. —The Clerk vend the petition sent to the Government requesting that the Te Aroha Borough might n t bu proclaimed until the tramway liability was properly alloted. The following reply to which has been received : Colonial Secretary's Office, Wellington, June 10, 1885. Sir, —l have the honour, by direction of the Colonial Secretary, to l.iform you that your petition, opposing the constitution of part of theTe Aroha Riding of the Piako County into a borough, has been duly received, but that it could have no effect, as the incorporation could only bo prevented by the presentation of a counter petition signed by an equal or greater number of resident householders than those jylm signed the original peti tion. In this case, however., the t,)wn cannot be incorporated, because it does not contain a population of 250 resident householders as required by sub-section 3 of section 17 of the " Municipal Corporations Act, 1876."—1 have the honour to be, sir, your most obedient servant, G. S. Coopbk. The Chairman, Piako County Council. Barker-Cox Episode (ShaftesbUry). — The Clerk was instructed at the previous meeting to write for definite information as ft) whether a Government road had been taket through Mrs Barker's land, at Shaftesbury, or not, to which enquiry the following reply had been received :—: — Memorandum from District Survey Office, Auckland, June 5, 1885. To the County Clerk, Cambridge. In reply to your letter, a roadway 50 links wide has been surveyed through Section 76, Block 2, Wairere District, as you have already been told by the Commifsioner of Crown Lands. It I forms one of the scheme of addition vl | roads laid out by Grant and Foster, and I of which plans were lodged here by them and entered on the public maps. The certificate has been made out subject to this road. S. Percy Smith, A.S.G. Raising a Loan. —The Clerk icported that no reply had boon received fr >m Messrs Hesketh and Richmond in reply to a letter asking whether the Council could raise a loan to pay oil the overdraft, caused by tho Te Aroha Tiamway. It was thought the letter must have miscan ipd. Colonial Exhibition. —A letter was received fiom the Mines Department, Wellington, inviting the Council to f< rward specimens and information re the goldfWd, po ns to bo available for the Colonial Exhibition, to be held in London next year. It was decided to allow the matter to stand adjourned. i !

TRAMWAY MANAGER'S UEJPOUT;. \Vainroii£oinni, Juno 20, 1885. To Chairmm and Members of tho Piako County Council. GiONTiiKMWN, — I :iin sorry again to have to report a very poor month. Our Tour weeks' hauling rustilfiny: in 857 trucks only. I may state that I am doing my best.to make (he tramway pay its way, but it is simply a matter of mpossibility under the following circumstances. There are only two mine I managers on this field, viz., Mr Adams ! and Mr McLiver. These gentlemen ! woul.llike to see the tramway working, daily, but they soetn to forget that to meet our daily expenditure we requir** at least 27 trucks of qnartz 5 thia we do not get, and we have done such a thiny as work a whole day for 14. I would like the Council to give me definite in&lructions re the above matter With reference to your instructions re sand boxes. I beg to state that I caused a couple to be niide and tried them with wry tailings, but could not get them to york as well as I would like. I then placed a little looso sand on the top of the truck, and, by throwing a handful occasionally on the wheels, 1 had no difficulty whatever in easing their speed. This I find to answer better than the sand- I'ox1 'ox proper, and is not neaily so complicate. I have, therefore, ordered a couple of light portable woodci boxes to be made, and hope to have them in use in a day or two. Referring to revision of charges for carrying quartz from various portions of the line, J begto state that a reduction of one shilling per truck might be made for any quartz carried below Butler's Spur. I may state that the whole of the quartz we are now getting is coming from the further ! end of the line. Our charge for carry ing goods uy the line is as follows : For •very 1001b goods, Is ; ioOft timber, 1\; other things, as per agreement, he firewood trollies 1 hope to have I (\ady in about a Week's timd.-=-I hate '

the honour* to be, Gentlemen, jour moat obedient servant, EbMUND COOKSON, Tramway Manager. The receipts for the month were £17 less than the wages paid. The Oil airman said the only way to make the tramway pay would be to let the minors send their own stuff down and pay a small royalty. Or J. C. Firth thought that would not be a wise course, as the Council would have to retain control. He thought things would be better noxf; month. The Colonist mine wns ai»ain at work, and tlvtmeau't. increased traffic over the lino. This mine would most likely be employing ]0 | head o5 stampers next month, in which j case they would probably send down 150 to 200 trucks. The New Find was crushing with 20 head. If the tramway continued to show a deficit, they would have to raise the freights*. They should suggest to the mine managers that if there was not sufficient traffic to pay expenses higher rates would have to he charged. Some n^w drills would soon be at work on the goldfield, which might be the means of some other mines going to work. It would be best to wait and see what the Oolonisr did next month. The mine managers ought be requested to inforu. thpir companies that freight over the" tramway woul y have to he increased) unless the tramway receipts covered working expenses. It was only by the companies sending down more quartz; that the tramway could be mide to pay expenses. The matter therefore rested with the com panics, who had the remedy in their own hands. j The Chairman said he had been told j at Te Aroha that quartz was conveyed I cheaper over the Aroha tramway than on any other in the colony. At the Thames, and on other lines of tramway, he believed as high as 7s 6d per tiuck I was charged for conveyance of quartz. I Or Maclean said it was better to shut | the tramway Up than lose money by it month after month. The Chairman remarked it were better to raise the freights than t© stop the line. Cr Chepmell said the Only way lor the managers' to keep rates down would be to send more stuff over the line. The matter was allowed to stand over to see what would be the result of the next month's working. Me Leveying a County Rate. — Cr Maclean said he would prefer that a rate be struck which would bring in about £3000, in order to pay off some of the overdraft if Government would give a distiuct pro mise to grant an equal sum. He did not think it right that £500 to £600 per annum to the bank for interest should I be continued. Cr J. C. Firth said that the Govern | m nt was pledged to place on i\e Estij m ates £3000 for tl.u Council, oa tlie condition tiiat ivhon thi« new Comities ; Act was passed the Couut.y would be in a position to raise a loan Th • £3J'>o was not promised on the condition tint a rate should be levied ; ho therefore thought it would be belter to let the nutter stand over for the present, until tl.jy would se.j w.r.it the now Act would enable thr.n to do. Lot v-< fir 4 exhaust all our resources and opportunities, and what will bo done this session, we civa but fall back on the late at last. Cr Maclean differed from Cr Firth, and did not think a loan could i>e raised, as suggested. Ho wished distinctly to say that ho should oppose th" levying of a rate for any purpose whatever, but the one, viz , the reduction of the Council's indebtedness. It appeared that there was an opinion abroad that the Council should make a connection to another company's battery from the County tram way. It seemed to him to be a work of a private nature, to a private company. Cr Williams : Certainly so. Cr Mar-lean : I would not raise Is of rates for such a purpose. Cr Chepmell said they would soon have to face the question of their heavy | liability, and thought that a rate suoulu I be struck. Cr Maclean said the heavy interest now being paid was pressing very hard x on the Council. Cr Chepmell : The amount now expended in bank interest would permit of a large amount of useful work being done in the County. He did not think whato\ er the now Act might be like", that j it would enable them to raise a loan for I works already carrieo out. The Chairman said he thought it would be better to wait a little longer. Cr Maclean said the tramway wa*« really a Government matter. They were equally responsible with the Council Had it been ii* the South t-e Government would almost certainly have found tho whole of the money required for its formation. It was a most unjust thin>> ! that the outlying 1 districts should be taxed For it. Cr Chepmell coincided, Mid remarked the Thames County had dene well in that respect, anil had received very large sums of Government money in developing their goldfield. Proposed Abolition of Gold Duty — On the motion of Cr J. C Firth, the following resolution was passe 1 : "That this Council sfcrong-h objects to the abolition of tho gold duty, because such abolition would practical \\ close the goldfield within the County.'" Further resolved thai a c°py of the resolution be forwarded to the Colonial Treasurer, and also to tho member for the County, Mr J. B. Whyte. Slaughter-house License. — <■ Messrs Graves and Co.'s application " for n slaughter-house license for sectioi 32, Thames High School Endowment, at Waiorongomai, was granted. The omission of the Pinko Oountv ' Council from the schedule of eoldtields

counties, in the Lbcat Bodiei H^indnpd\ and Powers Act ,wa»; referred t^anil^the; action of the Ohairraail— who ; baci^wired: both tUe t obleirial Treasurer and Mr : J. B. Wbjte, M.H.R., drawing afctehtioil to the omission — was approved and confirmed. A number of accounts Were passed i for payment.