GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2752, 18 December 1894, Page 3

GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the Geraldine County Council was held on Saturday. Present—Messrs J. Talbot (chairman), R. Mackay, A. White, M. Quinn, G. J. Deunistoun, J. Murray and A. Kelman. The clerk, Mr Stubbs, as Returning Officer, reported the result of the elections to fill the extraordinary vacancies. The chairman said the new Slaughterhouses Act would repuire attention to bring it into working operation. It was stated that tho Levels County is qqt of the South Cantorbqry Hospital and Charitable Aid district, so'that qo demand gap be made upon then) for a ooqtljibut j >n.

It was merely a techinical objection, and he had no doubt that the Levels would find some means of getting over it. The last demand being made before the severance, it would no donbt, if paid by this council, be dealt with in the general adjustment. The division of the county would seem to require some readjustments of other matters, and it would be well to call a meeting of representatives of the local bodies in the county, to consider what arrangements would be the best for the future. He noticed that a meeting had been held at Geraldine, but a publie meeting was not a desirable manner of discussing such a question; a meeting called at one centre could not be represiantative of the whole district. The representatives of the several local bodies should meet and talk the matter over. At the last meeting, Mr Quinn and himself were requested to make iuquiaies and decide between two tenderers for making the valuation of Temuka riding; they made the inquiry, and appointed the lowest tenderer, Mr Amyes. WATER RACES. A number of reports respecting the water races and election of supervising committees were read. G. Crozier, ranger, Seadown, reported all the races in very good order. Mr J. Murray reported the election of a committee for the Orari-Rangitata district—Messrs Amyes and Airay (lower) Metcalf and Murray (middle), Wharton and Proudfoot (upper). Mr Murray was elected chairmau. Mr H. F. Brown reported the election of himself (chairman), J. M. Barker, Turton, McDonald, and Squire, as a committee for Woodbury district. They had accepted the tender of J. Reilly at £2O a year as ranger to take charge of all races.—Approved. , For Orari-Waihi the old committee were re-elected. There was a good supply of water throughout the district and everything was working satisfactorily. Geraldine Flat reported that there was not a quorum present to elect a committee. Another opportunity to be given, Waitohi Flat reported the election of Messrs W. Wright (chairman),Orr, Moore, Walker, and Smart as a committee. Complaint bad been made of an overflow caused by an obstruction placed in the race by a neighbor. The latter had admitted this and expressed regret. The complainant’s paddock had been “ made a proper mess of.” Mr T. Knight waited on the council to ask for some pipes for a race culvert within his property, and to complain that Mr Radford had pulled up his culvert though not obstructing the flow of water. The application for pipes was refused, but the applicant was given permission to make a ford crossing. A promise was given that his complaint should be inquired into. An application for water from the Four Peaks races was referred to the ratepayerowners to agree to a fair charge. engineers’ report. Meessrs Meason and Marchaut reported as follows: “ Pareora protective works and bridge. —These works have now been taken over from the contractors, subject to maintenance conditions. There was a slight freshet in the rivers a few weeks >ago, when persons who were stopped by it from crossing tbe ford broke down the barriers which prevent horses from crossing the bridge, and so used the bridge for the passage of wheel traffic. Whilst this bridge is good enough for sheep traffic, it positively is not safe for heavy draught horses, which impose great weight upon individual planks, and many of these are much decayed. If people will persist in so using the bridge during floods they ought to take all risk of accident in doing so. We. think tbe attention of the Levels Oonnty Council should be drawn to it, as we presume they will be taking over the works shortly. “ Orari Bridge, Riverslea. —The work is proceeding satisfactorily. The piles are all driven and the protective work completed. We wait now for the ironbark timber to enable the work to proceed. “ Rangitata water races. —There has bean great trouble in getting the water to re-traverse those of the races which failed at Mr Rolleston’s. Just as much time is required for it to do so as if the races were new. Everything that we could do has been done, and we hope they will all be running again in a Jew days.” It was decided that the attention of the Levels County be drawn to the clause of the report relating to the Pareora bridge. DOGS AND RABBITS. A letter was read from Mr Tripp, urging that the dog tax should be reduced upon rabbit dogs, as the fee of 10a each becomes a heavy tax ou those who have to keep large packs of rabbit dogs.—After a good deal of discussion it was resolved that dogs kept bona fide for the destruction of rabbits shall be registered at 2s 6d each after the first two at 10s each, all persons claiming, the concession to make a declaration that the dogs are intended for rabbiting only.—Sub-registrars of dogs were appointed for different centres in the county. MISCELLANEOUS. A comparison of the coit to the county of the licensing elections and local option polls 1891 and 1894 showed that tbe former was about £57 and tbe latter about £l3O. —Tbe clerk pointed out that the Geraldine riding had to pay a great deal more than was received in licenses. An application for a remission of rates by a widow unable to pay was granted. Another applicant for a reduction of rates to be informed that the council cannot reduce a rate. The harbor board’s resolution against reduction of railage rates on frozen meat, if intended to favor one port agaiqst another, was received, and the chairman explained ifs meaning and the reasons for its being passed and passed round the local bodies. Also the petition drafted by the Timaru Chamber of Commerce for the same purpose. —It was resolved to endorse the harbor board’s resolution, and to sign the Chamber of Commerce petition. Mr Templar, valuer for Mt Peel riding, wrote that he had made a mistake in his tender (£l6, the next one being £3B), and asked that if his work was found satisfactory on its couslusion the council should pay him an extra £LO or £l2. — Reply to be sent that the council regretted that he had taken the work so low but they could hold out no hope of his request being entertained, as to do so would be a dangerous precedent. THE COUNTY QUESTION. Messrs Orhell, Mae, and Pringle, members of the Levels County Council, w^lt a d on the council to request that a joint committoe be appointed to proceed with the adjustment of accounts, etc., between the two counties. After some oouv^- rßa ti ou on what bad to be done, deputation retired, a promise btiiig given that a committee would be set up at once. The chairman and Messrs Mackay and White were appointed a committee to meet the Levels committee, to report to the council tho result of ihoif conference. Tho Council then adjourned for lunch, and on resuming went ino committee to consider necessary rearrangements of