GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2241, 15 August 1891, Page 4

GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the GeMdine County Council Was held on Wednesday. Present— Messrs J. Talbot, W. B. Howell,; iM. l .; Quinn, R. Mackay,': and J. M. Barker. * The chairman being absent, Mr Talbot was voted to the chair. COUNTY, COUNCIL CONSTITUTION. Mr Howell brought up the matter of * he ( pfoposals L bf the Gbraldine and Mount * eel Road for an amendment'of the'Counties Act to provide that the ' cjunty-councils shall be elected by; and from, the various road boards in each county. .He read in the papers that'Mr Rhodes hand undertaken 'to 1 move iii the House in that direction. He would like' to know whether this was at the request of any one or an independent action. It Btruck him as a rash thing for'their member to do such a thing without consulting the county council. The chairman expressed the opinion that the proposed change was totally unnecessary and wrong. It' Would be a worse system than the election of education boards by the school committees, for I the committees were not bound to elect J members from .among themselves only, i Then the town boards were not mentioned in the proposals, and they would be di«- s franchised altogether. The direct system of voting was the best, as questions must arise from time to time,which should bring the ratepayers into direct contact with the mrmbers. ' Mr Basker said ho had asked many ratepayers in, his neighborhood, and hone of them kneV anything about it. Mr Mackay said it was not Mr Tripp's proposal at all." He had heard it 'spoken about at:the road board. Mr Flatman came up Que day* i and ' said i they were going to make a move about it at Geraldine, that was all he - knew about it. ; He did not think it was looked upon with favor by anyone; 1 * : The subject then dropped. ' WATER RACES.

The engineers reported 'oh the water races :—" Wa'itohi; wator races.-afe proceeding satisfactorily. Now the frost is breaking'up'it will be necessary for the contractors for the head race contract to push on with the work as fast as possible, and we propose giving them notice to that-effect. AH-, applications for; branch race extensions ,up to date have- been attended to and laid off." The, special order enlarging the bounds arieaof the Waftohi Flat Water: Supply District,was confirmed. ■ ; Mr D. Bell,Opihi, asked for a second culvert over the' Waitohi headrace.— Members thought'": the [■ ciilyert unnecessary;but it was 1 left 'with Mr Talbot to see to. .

Mr Taylor, South Bangitata; complained that an alteration of the race at the school would be injurious. Mr Marchant explained that pipes were to he used, and if the person taking the water , had not used the pipes, he ; should do the j work over again. , , , I Mr G. Crozier, the Seadown ranger, j was given permission to grow potatoes bin a bit of waste land "at the headwords, a nominal rent to be charged aid ! conditions as to fences .to be fixed. ' ' j Mr J."Greaves was giyen permission to < take water for a drink hole across the Point-Temuka road, he to pay- half cost of pipes. The clerk of works on the Waitohi race contracts reported that No. 2 contract—the 'being well' puslied on, but No. 1 contract wUS/behind and could not be completed to time unlessmore men we put on.—The attention'of '■ No. 1 contractor to be drawn to this and' 'the engineers' reports. s .i .. The rangers in the several race districts reported all in good order." ' It was resolved that as the trial levels for obtaining a water supply for the Tdtara downs from the Tengawai are not satisfactory, the engineer be instructed to.' see if he can get more'satisfactory levels from the Opihi. An agreement between Geraldine and Waimate Counties respecting .headworks on the south side of the Parepra, for ibe supply of races in both counties, was read, approved, and, ordered by resolution to be signed for this council by the chairman and two other members. \ The contractor for the 1 Waitohi branch ■ races wrote respecting a complaint that lie had,not given notice to,owners that he was going to cut fences. He stated that he had done so in every instance. BKIIXJES. The Waimate County Council, to whom the proposal to reconstruct the Pareora bridge as a'stock- bridge had been referred, replied that the' consideration of the proposal had been deferred for a month/ when the council had determined to coasider the question of impairing countybridges generally. The Geraldine Road Board wrote that the western approach, to the "fordat the Oravi bridge was in Si very bad state. It was agrcod to ask the board, to lbok after the approach during : the ; ' feconstructioSii of the bridge. The engineer reported as follows t~ "Bridges—The repairs to the Tengawai bridge and construction of the stock bridge are now The total' cost of the work was £740 i'Os, \; "Orari Bridge—'On Saturday last the contractor for the work of redecking' this bridge informed us that on removing theoverlying timbers the main girders of the . bridge were found to be decayed' in the middle "to 'such' an extent that lie thinks they must be entirely renewed. We have not been able to make a personal inspection before the council meeting. We ask the y council to indicate to us> what, steps »Sve shall itako if the timbers should be as decayed throughout the bridge as on the. pari the contractor ha? opened.up. We made an inspection of this bridge sometime ago, and,no decay was then outwardly apparent in the girders!' * JVIr Barker said he had heard of this the previous night. He was informed on very good authority that when the bridge was erected the contractor ran short of, totara and used some inferior blackbirch: for v irders in two spans, and these were . the "two spans that had, .been stripped. There was good reason that the rest of the girders would be found in good condition; at all events, these two spans ' tiould, for the reason given, supply no criticism. ' : • In reply to a question, Mr Marchant: said if new girders were to be supplied j from end to end the extra cost might be ' about £7OO. • . NBW I-F.OISLA.TION. ' ''The Waimate County Council for-j ■ inrita} a f?s*ota*wa protesting »s*"»*

the introdudtioji 6f thiß |>t"iilciple'of " one man one vote " in county elections, and asking the, Governinent' to '■ excise the clause from the Bill. '"' ' 1 • After some discussion, in which the proposal , was strongly";; condemned, it was carried unanimously this council ' cordially endorses the views of the Waimate , County County Council re striking' out clause 10. of the prdpy~ed Comities Act, such clause being regarded by them us manifestly unjust, and are themiore nrepared 'to- urge upon theirmembers' ! io oppose the said clause." '* A proposal from ; Wellington for tht establishment <bf J "'industrial homes " on the Dutch system, as a means of abolish ing pauperism as it at present exists, and saving'the present outlay on charitable aid; was' considered too vagiiei and was simply " received.?* The'council considered the Small Birds Nuisance Bill, forwarded by Mr A. E. G. Rhodes, M.H.E,.,and decided to inform him that they approved of its provisions. A new draft by-law for regulating the use of traction wasrece'ived from Mr J. W. White, the council's solicitor, and* it was agreed to pass it round for perusal. ACCOTJKXS: . . * ; A letter was received from the* bankers respecting-the overdraft required fer the Waitohi > race' accotmt," and the chairman' and' ; Messrs (Mackay'arid' Barker>were authorised to wait upon the manager after themeetiiig. ' \ After the luncheon adjourninent, a resolution was passed authorising , the incurring of these overdrafts. ■'.'."" A communication was received; from the. Harbor Board asking the council; to. complete the collection the,, harbor rate of 1890, of which a total of £561 remained uncollected.?. \; , The secretary said that he had sent the *' several' claims -to the road and towiv' boards.' The B Levels Road Board: had the Harbor Board: claimedrates'. ;oli; the; full list 'siipplied by the Property' Tax department, making no 'allowance for *the • exemptions reouired.