PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 321, 1 December 1888, Page 2

PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

The annual meeting of the Piako County Council whs held at the office, Cambridge, on Wednesday, Present: Messrs Chepniell (chairman), Heany, Muiphy, Mills, f Horrell, Bruuskiil, Browning-, /Hunf, and William?.- Mr Chepmell/wtd re-elected Oiiainuaa for the eusuiuig- year. - •

„ ' Ordinary Meeting. Messrs W. P, Chepmoll and 0. M. Brunskill were re-elected to represent the Council on the Waikato Hospital and Charitable Aid Boaal. A letter was read horn the Matamat* Road Board consenting to superintend the expenditure or rates derivable from native lands hi ihe tiding, as suggested by Council, The Colonial Tieasuivr notified that £ 150 additional loan, asked for I >jr Council to complete the JLieh field- Te Aroha road (Patetere Ridhig) had been lodged to the Council's ciejilit, making- a total loan of £1650 now granted for this woik. The Colonial. Treasurer forwarded a statement showing that the sum of £633 9a lOd, due to the Council by the Governraeut, had been applied towards a reduction of the claims* of the Thames Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, which, with the amount, ah eady paid by the Council, shows' an excess of £240 16s over the. amount due. Mr F. D. Rich wrote asking the. Council to open.a road from the Hot 'Springs through the Auckland Agricultural Association's land to Okoroire railway station. A petition from several ratepayers was presented by Mr A. Isaacs supporting- the application. It was resolved that Jlessis Williams and the Chairman be a committee to ascertain from Mr Bailey if the Auckland Agricultural Co.npany/ are willing to dedicate the proposed road, and if so, to meet him and Mr Rich to decide on the route, and report at the next meeting. Considerable discussion took place with respect to a proposal to change the place of meeting back to Cambridge, as of old ; and it was resolved that in future the meetings of the Council be held at Cambridge, the next meeting to be on Thursday, December 25t'n. Messrs Brnnskill and Chepmell wete aafchorised to arrange for a room for the Council meetings, and it was finally agreed to rent the rooms over Mr Wella' store as Council offices.

Mr J. McNicol held a very satisfactory live stock sale at Paeroa on ' Thursday ; 114 head of cattle being sold, and about a dozen horses. There was a good attendance. Mr Dodson, M.H.R. for Wairou, Marlborough, who has just returned from a visit to Australia, is reported by the Herald to have thus referred to the condition of affairs on the other side :—": — " One squatter had cut the throats of 35,000 sheep to save the grass for the balance. Those killed were so poor that they were not fit to boil down. Another had disposed of thousands at fourpence a- piece. The gravity of the situation. was not vet realised, for the Australian summer had not fairly.' set in, and they could look for littleielief till the end of February, /while they were' yet in No-, vember with watercourses dried up already tie shrunk from thinking of what- might happen in these di ought-stricken districts within the next two or three months. New Zealand should be "able to dispose of her stock of cereals and other produce to advantage. There' were large quantities of Wheat fatill held in the South owing to the , want of "shipping facilities forpxpoit. The .day he left bv«iriey"'Oaten chaff had gone up at a bound "30s a ton, and Btood v at L 9 10s, jjud the farmers were now glad to get wheateu' chaff. f Mr.' Dodson say 6 he conies back to New j Zealand, after travelling {he whhlebf the colonies, more and more satisfied that.it is a r country of which we ehould.be proud, and in which, with thrift and industry, we might bo happy and contented. ' '-,