OHINEMURI COUNTY COUNCIL

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 224, 15 October 1887, Page 2

OHINEMURI COUNTY COUNCIL

The ordinary and special meetings of the abovo Council were held at Paeroa on Saturday last. Present: Crj Cook, (charrnuu) Nicholls, Moore, Strange, Walsh, and Butler. Correspondence — Outward : Ec CVmetery : To Colonial Secretary, requesting that the Council bo appointed Trustees of the lo^al Cemetei^y. lie Special Rates, — .To. Bevore and, Cooper 4 solicitors, requesting information as to Councils power with regard to collecting thd special rate, and if it could legally omit collection for the years 1886-7 and resume, coileotion for subsequent years, Eo General County flection.— To Colonial Secretary, statinpr that Council would poutpono the general election of Councillors from •Jth to 16th November, in honour of Priucc of Wale 3 Birthday. Ec £2000 Award to Thames.— To Hon. Minister of Mines directing his attention to the straightened financial circumstances of the County in consequenco of its being saddled with the responsibility of paying £2000 awarded to Thames County, and asking for assistance in the matter of discharging the liability. Eo Proposed £7COO Loan.— To J. A. Miller, solicitor, asking his opinion as to Councih power to raise a loan of £7000 under existiug Acts ; and also famishing him with a statement of County revenue as data for Loan purposes. Inward.— Mr J. A. Miller in reply to abovo communication wrote as follows ; la reply to your letter of the 14th inst, a.9 to whether your Council could raise ft loan, of £7000 under "The Local Bodies Loans Act, 1886," and f'The Government L.oans to Local Bodies Act, 1886," ; with the additional information contained, in your lotter of the22udmst: I am of opinion that at prosent your Coun-. oil could not legally raise so large a loan Presuming you have adopted th.c first mentioned Act as required by seotion 3» it would appear as though Government could j advance to a Comity Council under Section 13 of the Government Loans Act, any sum not oxcoodinc £6000 in any one year, but this, it has boe n hold by tho Auditor General, is controlled by seotion 192 of tho Counties Act, 1886, which emoowers County Councils to borrow only to tho extent of ibuv times thejv

general lafe. In the case of >our Council your general rate, including Crown and Native Lands, wliich you me entitled to do amounts to £1200, 'multiply this by four brings i'l,Boo which is the largest, amount Tou can borrow, but from this niu-*tbe deducted any monies already bonowed by jour Council under the "Roads and Bridges Construction Act," tho debentures for wliich hato been inscribed, taking tho inteiest you are charged with half yearly, vu. £'.Y$ l-\-3d, I gather the prinefpul of this loan will bo in round figures about £1340. Deduct this sum from £4800 leave £34.00 as the largest mnount you aro at pre-ent entitled to borrow under the Acts referred to. Next sef-sionit is more- than likely that section 1<,)2 of the Counties Act, will be vopealcd and then you would bo able to bonow £7000 or more extending over a peiiod ol two ) eais, as I believe it was never intended that Counties adopting the Local Bodies Loans Act, 183(3, ehould be limited to four times their general, rate, when borrowng horn government. Letter Received. I From Waitoa Ratepavoi a.— Applications were real from a number of latepayers in the Waitoa Riding requesting peurussion to work out their rates by improving tho outlet roads in th< ir Hiding. Resolved That n<s the matter was important it be not. dealt with till tho next meeting of the Council when a full atten lance of members is expected. River Conservancy.— Tho Clerk of the Pialco Comity Council wrote acknowledging receipt of a letter asking for co-opeiation in the matter of opposing the extension of the Thames Haibour Board boundaries and stating that steps in that diiection woald be taken afconee. Received. A letter from Mr L. J. Bagnall informed the Council that the feeling at Tnrua was decidedly in favour of an elective River Board, and that a repiesentative wouul attend ; any meetings held in Paeroa to further tn&t purpose. Received. Greenville's Tramway, Owharoa.— Mr Green\ille xequested the Council to refund any gold duty accruing from the treatment of stuff from the Me andßowc claim, Owharoa, j in order to enable him to recoup his outlay, j amounting to £40 in the construction of a j tramway to connect his mine with the Smile j of Fortune battery. Referred to the Board of Works to enquire and report upon. Financial Award.— From the Thames County Clerk lequesting payment of the sum of £363 133 4J being proportion of.award with interest thereon, now oveulue. The Chairman atated that the amount was ! payable on the Ist inst., but he had made ■ such arrangements with the Thames County Council as would enable them to tide over the difficulty pending the receipt of assistance from Government. ! Tui Creek Tiaek.— Mr K. Cleary made application for assistance towards repairing the above track, so that quartz could bo conveyed to the flat. | Referred to Board of Woiks i Karangahake Hill Track.— Mr Dickey i wrote diiecting attention to tho bad state of ; this track, and requc ing that it be le paired. | The Chairman sta I that men had been put on to do the work j Track to the New ] nd at Maritoto.— Mr Henry Alley wrote urging that the Council should take immediate steps to construct this track, otherwise the traffic would be diverted by the Thames County. The Chairman said a road upon this side of the river had already been selected by Mr , Percy Smith, and that Government woul 1 _ be applied to for money to carry out its formation J as soon as the place weie rnoie de\ eloped and its prospects warranted the expenditure. '1 hames-Pacroa Road.— The Chief Postmaster at Thames wrote di> C ounce's attention to the fact that the poition of the above roal, within Ohmemuri County, uas now h o bad i's to criU-e cciMdeiable delay m the tiniiiit cf nuuU, and something should be (."'one in the wa,> of lepnii 1 -. r lht Clniiiman *>u I that the Council na^ doing all itcoul'l with the limited nio-ins nt iv ; coi< ni.nil. but noll'.iM -hoit of extending the oiii(a!i diain^ 'low:: to the iailwa\ line. w>wll U'ett the njqi-ncmenU an 1 that would neeo^Bilate a consu'eial'le outla> of mnn<\v. j Geneial Kate^.-llie Pioputj Tax Com- | jnissione) advised (Vmncii that no moncj luvi tyen\o.elU tie Awmbly for pa uncut of rates on Ciown an 1 Nati\e lands within the Count}. Mr James Laverv v rote enclosing a cheqno j for a proportion of the late levied upon him, | and repudiatal all Lability for the balance, on the grounds that lie had no tile to the land for which it was claimed, and requested that his name be struck off the valuation 1011, as the owner of such propeity. Mrs Dance applied to have her name removed from valuation roll, as the owuer of an allotment at Waitekauri. Resolved that both requests be complied with. Special Rates.-Wiih respect to this Messis Devore and Cooper, solicitors, Auckland- wrote as follows : Under Section IGO of the Counties Act, 1886, the Council may amend a special rate, by increasing or diminishing the Bdvae if necessary, but in the circumstances of your council there is no necessity to either increase or diminish the i ate.but leave it asit is, nnd collect so much of the special rate only aa shall suffice to provide interest and sinking fund, if any. The Council can omit the collection of the rate for any one year, and take it up the next if necessary, and the interest on the loan inscribed under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, must bo paid out of the special rate, and not out of the general county revenue. Received. Tramway to Bailey's .-- From the Mines Department, to the effect that the subsidy of j £200 in aid of building this tramway would i be forwarded on condition that the miner** j were satisfied with the scale of charges laid down for the the treatment of ore at Railey's mill. Received. Contractors Payments.--Mr J. P. Lawlor Bent in an order on Mr W. Bsrrett for the sum of £4 3s. Resolved that the applicant bo informed there was no money due to Barrett on the tramway contract. Mr T. Shaw sent in a letter protesting against the manner in which he had been treated for extra work done in connection with his contract on the long swamp section of the main road. Cr Nicholls tfaid that the amouufc claimed was £28 4s, but after reading the Engineer's report the Finance Committee had decided to advise the Council not to pay more than £20 9s. Resolved that the decision arrived at by the Finance Commttee be adopted. General Business : Cemetery Regulations.-- & copy of the rules together with a schedule of charges to be made for burial purposes waa read, reviewed, and adopted. Owharoa Tunnel.-.-Cr Walsh requested information as to whether the balance of the money due to the prospectors for driving the above level was forthcoming, The Chairman replied that the amount still owing, £49 16s, was the Council's proportion of the subsidy, andjthe first monies accruing from Crown and Native Lands Rates, would be appropriated for its payment, Receipts and Expenditure.— On the motion of Cr Strange seconded by Cr Nicholls it was resolved that the clerk be instructed to prepare a statement of receipts and expenditure ior each Riding for the year ending 30th September, 1887 to be submitted to the Council at its next meeting. Special Meeting.-This meeting was conveped to consider the application of the late-

payers of the Netherton district for tho creation of a new Biding to be leprescnted by one member in the Council. After a consideiable amount of discussion it was resolved that in consequence of the absence of Crs Humphrey s and Corbett this business bo postponed till iho noxfc nxectin u the Council which will take place on the of November, prox.