OHINEMURl COUNTY COUNCIL.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 130, 28 November 1885, Page 2

OHINEMURI COUNTY COUNCIL.

On Wednesday last the first ordinary meeting of the al>ove was heM in the Public Hail, Paerot. Present : Crs Cook (cliairaiaii)y Nicholls, Butler, Moore, (Jorbett, Walsh, Humpureys, and •Strange. The Council met at noon and adjourned till 2 p.m.' The minutes of last meeting 1 having bijen read- und confirmed, Cr Mooro salt: Every County Council would meet that day .(fourth Wednesday 'in - November) in conformity to Act of Parliament, to elect a chairman for < the ensuing year, being the day fixed. for the annual election of a chairman. This being so it would be their first duty at that meeting to elect a chairman. Cr Cock (chairman), having vacated the chair, it was -moved by Cr Humphreys that Cr Moore take the chair. Cr Moore moved us «m amendment that Cr Strange take the chair. •Seconded by Cr Butler, and carried nem con, Cr Strange having accepted the office ol chairman pro tern, declared the meeting open for the election of a chairman for the ensuing year. Cr Moore said: It should be their first business to decide the question of salary with respect to the chairmanship. At the last meeting it was decided a salary of £100 per annum should be given the chairman, but be understood that decision had given great dissatisfaction, and the general feelingwas that the position should be more an honorary one, at least for a time. Still he could not see that their chairman , should have nothing at all voted him, and have just to depeml on their good nature. Some salary should certainly be fixed, but it was the general feeling that it should be reduced. Being one of those who voted that the salary be £100 a 'year, he did not care ■' to move in the matter himself, but, felt it his duty to state to the meeting the general feeling that was expressed on the subject. , •„''! Cr, Humphreys said; that before fixing a salary the Council ought first define what work would be expected' from 1 th|e olia'hShbuV "If likely toinvolve much work a salary should certainly lie "granted, but if the main portion of thje work was to be performed by the secretary, etc! 1 , fche v mon*y ! ought '^o tb y tlje mail who did the work; V

A r Or Corbett meetingjby, nir wm^SQwlS^ •yimii is^W^^^W^itt™ \tary\wjls fy bMr/asn^X^fl^l^^Cc^ »»tc. r there would reallytte but little Jork for the chaii man to dovV. Cr Moore th< ught tbe Co^Wmtoul<! be able to obtain the services of a good man, capable of discharging- the duties of secretary, treasurer, foreman of works, and rpllecipV^sfacjkorily, and approved of the "resolution passed at lastf meeting JhaU.ucji. be. advertised -Jor^He^alsa considered it would be well to assist fcim by giving a reJiabfe *m*ti 2iJ to 8a a day over., ordinary,, wages, .aa.^teguht j working foreman, under t hira. . i Cr Strange said :It was useless g<H , ing intq any, dfscussionl tfntil th,jy Jbhd I elected their chairman ;.>one thing ho .felt" certain of, aiii tliatf'.was that they i would require aDilietf money for «xpeoditureon thei^oa9»/- * { - : •'''!'l ; Cr Humphreys' sjiiJ; Separation 'b'fdbeenpbtained on thescMer 1 of ccofiorny,: and it would ill become tlieni, to/ vote '» chairman's salary until they brievr htiter. what their income and expenditure woiildf be ; lie would move that, the: chairmanT be pnltl no salary for the first rslxmoiithsvr s1xmoiithsv if at the end of that time their fnnds would admit of so doing -they cooldfth^A vote their chairman a, honorarium. -, The motion having been seconded bjt Cr Walsh, and put to the meeting, the following voted for it, viz. ; Qrs Nicholls, Moore, Butler, Walsh, and Humphreys, declared carried ;• Crs SUange, Cock, and Corbett, took . nq^part in the voting. * . _ . % Cr Humphreys moved ~ th.at Cr P. Cwk be appointed chairman' for the' ensuing year, Cr Moore seconded the motion, which was carried. Cr Strange having vacated/the chair, Cr Cock, on taking the position, said : He had asrain to thank them for the honour they had done him in electing him as their chairman ; and he appreciated the honour none the less?. because the- Ralary> voted on the previous occaiioa had been done away with,. r

Correspondence. The outward correspondence was next | read, none of which was of any special interest. The correspondence received since last meeting included an account for £25 from Mr N. Dickey for work performed on the county roads since the constitution of the new county, and which, had it not been performed traffic would have had to cease. Mr G. H. A. Purchas, C.E., applied for the position of surveyor to the council, and the following letter was received from Mr 0. A. Comes :— Thames, Not. 24, 1885. The Chairman Ohinemuri County Council. Sir, — I beg to inform you that I bare lodged a protest against the seat of Mr Thomas Mace Humphreys, and. wood request you to make such fact known to the members sitting in Council at the next meeting. — I have the honour to be, Sir, yours, &c, C. A. CorneB. Thirty-one ratepayers and others signed a letter to: the Council drawing their attention to the inconvenience they at present laboured under through .the Paeroa junction road not being opened out '0 the river. The following letter from the Undersecretary to Mr L. Q., Grace* M:H;K., re Waihi brMge was also read • T -' Public Works Department, • • •• J Wellington 1 , 27th Uct., 1885. J Sir, — In reply to your application for a grant in 'aid of tihe rebuilding- bf^the Waihi brid#£, I am directed, by t.ie • Minister of Public Works to express 'Ms regret that be is unable to accede toyorrr request, owing to the absence of any fund ( out of which such a. , ;gj;ank 909} I be made, but the matter has he^n rei erred to the Mines Department in the hope .that, some coutrtbu ion ,may be made' l>y that department towards the erection of the bridge. Some discussion took 1 relative 1 to the subsidy of L4OO promised by Government towards a low level tunnel at Owharoa. ' j ( - Cr Walsh had wrivten requesting that an effort should be made to retain the subsidy. The Chairman said he had interviewed Warden Kenrick on the subject, and as a result would advise.the council to consent to L2OO beirig diverted to, the Tui track, as the other. L2uO would still be available, and there was a probability of a large revenue accruing from the Tui district. , ; It was agreed to consent to, the diversion *of the amount for the purpose named. ■*" Cr Walsh proposed That Crs Humphreys, Corbett, Nicholls, and the Chairman, be appointed a Finance Committee. Carried. On the motion of^ Cr Moore it was resolved That every member of the council be a member 'of-'' the Board ot' Works ; four to." form a quorum.'* Resolved, ,Tiiat Cra JN'ich'oll* and Humphreys be authorised to sign ; all cheques on behalf of the council iri conjunction with the Ciiainnan,! the latter being requested to act as treasurer pro term ■•• ' : *■ < - ■/ ; > - Mr Dickey's "claim was re'FerreJto the Board of Works, and, other correspond i dence held f over t till .nejft' meeting, I^.ith reference to ; squaring up .with the Thames County Ccun<?il, on . the jnotibn *of Cr Moore it was resolved That the Chairman of the Finance Commitiee v arrange,'witir the Thatn^es Ci>unty Cbrk-j^ipprtiii'tirig' a* dliy Tor^conferenc^ the two committees for the ad-