GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1166, 17 April 1884, Page 3

GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

~*" The regular meeting of the Council was held yesterday. Present—Messrs J. C. McKerrow (Chairman), J. Talbot, it. McKay and A. Sherratt. "* Mr Moody telegraphed an apology for absence, and asked that discussion of the following motion, standing in his name, be postponed :— * That each district bear its own special rate for works carried out in it under the Boads and Bridges Construction Act.' The motion was allowed to lapse. •The Secreiary read an abstract of the correspondence received since last meeting. He reported that the grant cf < £2938 for re-constructing the Opihi bridge had been received from Government, and that the returns from Geraldine and Woodbury had not yet been obtained in full, but that they would not affect the result of the poll. A discussion took place on the mistake of "the Deputy Beturning Officer at Geraldine, Mr C. E. Sherratt, in depositing the voting papers in the B. M. Court, at Geraldine, instead of transmitting them to the Secretary, Mr Stubbs, the Beturning Officer for the district. A resolution was passed asking Mr Sherratt to forward the papers, directing his attention to Clause 36 of the Local Elections Act. It was stated that a claim from the "*"**- Ashburton County Council of £6 5s 3 half the cost of planking and decking a portion of the Eangitata Bridge, bad been approved and paid by the Chairman. Communications were also received from the Public Works Department with reference to the application for a grant of £159, under Clause 18 of the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, for repairs to the approaches of the Opihi Bridge. It was intimated that the grant had been raade conditionally on all tht V requirements of the Act being carried out. it was resolved that the Chairman be authorised to take the necessary steps to comply with the Act, A letter was received from the Manager of the Bank of New Zealand, stating that in accordance with the Chairman's instructions, he had placed on fixed deposit £3OO for six months at 5 per v cent, and £SOO for 12 months at 6 per cent. A petition was read from Mr C. G. Tripp, and other settlers io the Woodbury district, on the south side of the Waihi Bush, asking the Council to send their Engineer to report on the feasibility *_ of a water race in that district.—lt was resolved that Mr Meason be directed to report upon the probable cost and acrenge that can be watered in the district. A petition was also read from the ratepayers of Waitohi Flat asking the Council to constitute the district for the J- purpose of obtaining a water supply, * Reports and plans were received from Mr Meason, C.E., on the water supplies * for the Levels Plain and the RangitataOrari Plains districts. The Levels Plain scheme provides for the watering of from 12,000 to 13,000 acres, the supply to be taken from the Opihi river, about 1| miles below Pleasant Point, the estimated cost being about £IO6O. The report on the \ Rangitata-Orari district shows that by ' taking water from the Orari river at the Gorge, the whole of the dry Rangitata

plain could be supplied, viz : about 25,000 acres, at a total cost of £2122. With reference to die petition of the ratepayers of Waitohi Flatre water supply, it was moved by Mr Talbot, seconded by Mr Sherratt, and carried unanimously—- • That the necessary steps be taken to comply with the petition re water supply for the Waitohi Flat, and that the plans be deposited for inspection, as provided by section 34 of the Counties Act Amendment Act, 1883.'