Thames County Council.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2626, 8 June 1877, Page 2

Thames County Council.

The usual monthly meeting of the Thames County Councilwas held at the Council offices at 2,30 o'clock yesterday afternoon. There were present—Crs Brodie (Chairman), Bagnall, Coutts, Mitchell, Spencer, Thorpe and Thorburn. • MINUTES. The minutes of the previous meeting were read over and confirmed, as also were the minutes of the special meeting. LETTERS SENT AND BECBIVED. A list of the letters sent and received since the last ordinary meeting was read over. Cr Mitchell moved that the consideration of the letters stand over for the present. petitions. , Mr Hume, on behalf of the ratepayers of the Parawai District, handed in a petition praying that the Council do not abolish the Road Board.

Mr Spencer moved that the Parawai petition be received. Mr Mitchell, on behalf of certain ratepayers of the Kauaeranga district, handed in a similar petition. It was signed by 251 persons, purporting to be ratepayers. Cr Bagnall said that, looking over the names attached to the petition, he saw several which he had reason to believe

were not ratepayers of the district, although the signatures wero attested. Mr Mitchell stated that all the names were on the roll.

Gr Mitchell moved that an enquiry be made intothe genuineness of the signatures, and for the present the petitions lio over. . This was seconded and carried unanimously. Messrs Hume and Mitchell after thanking the Council withdrew. i. POOE FAMILY. The Chairman stated that he had communicated with Mr Bullen, and he was to supply: the Campbells with rations. Mr Young was to let them have groceries to the extent of 30s. ...THE QFHABQA BRIDGE. .. The letter of Mr "Adam Porter, offering the bridge over the Owharoa river erected by t'.ie Smile of Fortune, G.M.Co., to the County Council at cost price, was referred j to the Works Committee. ■ "MEraßßJlNVliiliE's PEriTIOKV / .

The following letter which had been received from Mr Greenville was read:— " Thames,. ;19th -May, 1877.—T0 the Chairman and Councillors of the Thames County.—Gentlemen,—I have the '■ honor to call your attention to the recent collapse of part of the tunnel put in ■. by .the South British Gold Mining Company under the Karaka Eoad, which also runs underthe sites, of both my old and new residences. I. have applied for redress, without success, to the Mining Inspector. By the sudden settling !of the earth, on Sunday morning last, a considerable portion of my garden has Bunk ; about 10 leet just where the chimney of my late house stood. Had my family beenliving there, I have little doubt* fatal consequences would have resulted, and I consider there is equal danger to them now, as the drive runs; under the new;house which I.have lately erected at a large outlay. I believe that this damage has been caused by the unlawful act of withdrawing the sets from the drive. The company, are at present in liquidation, and I, therefore, beg respectively to apply to you in order that steps may at once be taken to secure the ground in a proper manner, so as to prevent not only any further damage to my property, but also to the public road and footpath, which will, unless steps are taken to prevent it, be rendered quite impassable.—l have the honor to be, &c, W. S. Gebenvilie." ?: ■

On the itibtiori of Cr. Mitchell the matter, was referred to. the Council's solicitor to test the Council's liability; THE MINING INSPECTOR. Several letters from the Mining Inspector, holding the County Council responsible for the damage to Mr Greenville* property were read." One of them stated that if a fatal accident took place they would be responsible to the Coroner. The consideration of the letters was held over. :- -—" '"':-; •■ '■:'-- ' ' ■'" MAP OF THAMES COUNTY. Cr Mitchell moved that the thanks of the Council be conveyed to Mr Percy Smith for the admirable map of the County of Thames. Carried. "OBSTRUCTION OF; HIKUTAIA CEEEK. The following petition was then read: —"Hikutaia, May. 28, 1877. To Mr Brodie and the County Council (about the road to Hikutaia). We are very dark at your having decided to. hare the bridge built at Pikotahi, which is some distance down the Hikufcaia Creek. When we wrote to you some time ago we thought the bridge was going to be put across the creek on the boundary between Mr Alley's and our land.:,As it is, however, we strongly object to the navigation being stopped at Pikotahij but let the bridge be built on the boundary between us and Alley.—Hebewini te Raukai (absent at Te Arohft}? BawieT aM! WikAiTi, Nga-. koho, Maboba Hikobi, Hone Pibiniha, Heta te Weti, Wi Tangatopo, and others." . ""* ~ Cr Thorp moved and Cr Coutts seconded that the letter re the, obstruction of the Hikutaia be acknowledged.'"' : Cr Mitchell ren]karked v thaj; the Works Committee* had not yet taken any action in the matter, of, the punt at Paeroa. The CHairman explained that both the Works Committee and the. Surveyor had \ been very busy of late' of er the Totara Road and other matters. However, ,ap { soon as possible the matter would be attended t0.., , : » &<-. a • ■■

; THE KATXAMANGA BBIDGE. Tke following letter was then read r— "To the Chairman County Council.—-I* Jonathan Hoiles, hereby^giye you notice that I claim compensation in respect of the bridge and road-proposed: to be made and built over land belonging to Mr Spencer, in my occupation, for an uuexpired term of two years from the Ist May instant, and the. particulars of such my claim are aa follows ;—I claim for the land to be occupied by the said road in respect to loss of crop, £55; I claim £165 because at the times of race meetings and other public gatherings in the said gardens, people will view the races and other proceedings at the said gardens from the said road and bridge, instead of paying as they otherwise would for admission to the gardens.—l am, ■ &c, Jonathan Hoiles."

Consideration deferred. liETTEB FBOM JUDGE MONBO.

A letter from H. Munro, Esq., Judge of the Native Lands Court: was read; it referred the Council to clause 106, Native Land Act, 1876, which provided that the Governor could lay off for public purposes, under certain conditions, any Satire lands passed the Court. \ - PETITION FBOJI HIKUTAIA. _ ' j A petition signed by several residents at Hikutaia was read* It prayed that the Council take steps for the erection of a landing stage there. It was recommended that .the work be done. MEBCUBY BAT PETITION. A letter was read from Mr Sanderson, secretary to the Coromandel Highway JBoard, asking what action the Council had taken in the formation of Mercury Bay into a separate County. Consideration deferred. tookey's tbamway. . • The communication from the New Zealand Insurance Company re the payment of back rent due to them on Tookey's train w*y was held over. | , . ■■? „"-: '.-:. ... BEPOBTS. :. -.-,.._. | Cr Mitchell read the report of the Committee appointed to report on the Counties Act, 1877, as follows :—" Your committee have the honor to report that 'after maturely considering the Counties Act, and taking it, in conjunction with the Financial Arrangements Act, 'JRating Act, : Begulation 6f % .Local Elections Act, apd the Public Works Act, they cannot sug-" gest that any material amendments are required. But-your committee are of opinion sub-section 1, of section 25, Municipal Corporations Act, should be

repealed, and the method of procedure in reference to the merging of districts as provided in section 37, and the 3rd subsection thereof of the Counties Act substituted in lieu thereof. Your committee recommend this suggestion to the consideration of the .Council in order to prevent the inconvenience and expense to which ratepaj ers become liable under the sub-section of the Municipal Corporations Act referred to,—o. F. Mitchili,, Chairman."

The adoption of the report was carried on the motion of Cr Mitchell.

Cr Mitchell read the Interim Keport No. 6 of the Pumping Arrangements Committee, the information contained in which has mostly been published before. The Chairman said that the securities as far as the bank was concerned were very risky. Cr Mitchell mpved that the report be adopted. He moved it on the grounds, that they were incurring expense for aa object which was not for their immediate interest.

Cr Thorburn asked if the County was going to step in and relieve the Kuranui Hill's expenditure. He understood that it was for putting in several drives.

Cr Bagnall said that he did not quite see; the force of the recommendation. The companies intended to drive east and west of the main tunnel. They (the Council) wished to extend the drainage area;^ sO that the funds of the County or' Borough should not be touched. Cr Thorburn said that he didn't thin 7; they were justified in paying £300 per month forputting in one drive north. He wanted tW> Thames- to get the greatest benefit of the £10,090, and not one company more than another.

The Chairman said the benefit that the County would get by the north drive was that if the Kuranui Hill got gold they got one half of the Gold Duty.

Cr Mitchell said that the Kuranui Hill were the largest contributors to the main-, tenance of the pump, as the other companies slipped out of it. by saying that they were mortgaged. He did not place the least importance on the report of the mine managers, in fact his opinion of mine managers was that they were all fools. He said that on the grounds.of 25 years' experience. : . . The report was adopted., , • WOBKS COMMITTEE BEPOBT.

Cr Mitchell read the report of the Works Committee as follows:—"Your board have the honour to report as follows:—Hastings Road:—Some dangerous obstructions having been reported, men were immediately employed in removing them, and are still employed upon the track. Waiotahi Creek Koad: The contracts for this' road hare been well carried out; many of them are finished, and the entire line, will in a short time be opened for traffic. An application has been received from shareholders in the New Candlelight for the Council to make a short road to connect that claim .and others in the ricinity with the main line.* Your board recommend this work should be done. Kauaeranga Bridge: Plans and specifications have been preprved, and tenders called for the execution of this •important work. Some: little opposition to the undertaking was made by few a parties who imagined their personal: ;interests ' were J to:-some Jextent ! prejudiced by the position of the bridge, ; but your board feel satisfied the best possible site has been chosen,- and hare considered the public" convenience above all other "considerations. Native negotiations : Your board have spared neither ■time nor trouble in their endeavours to ; secure from the native owtters a right of road through their lands, commencing from . ths Kauaeranga river, thence < through TdJara, J£erikeri, Wharehou, to • Puriri, and the Council may be congratu- ; lated upon the signal success which has ; attended . their endeavors to attajp this object. . It should be remembered this road passes through some portions.of native tapus, which, for the past seven or | eight years, have been most' jealously guarded by the natives, and every endeavour to obtain a right of road has most signally failed. The natives themselves jhaveby contract cut the line of tho.pro- ■ posed road, have assisted the surveyor in his work, and have in every Way shown itheir appreciation of the work; ;;Thcy have entered into an arrangement with the Council in respect to ; thia road, the prin-. cipal conditions of which are—the Council* to fence their cultivations through .which ; the road passes ;to fence their tapus, to secure them from .desecration; to pay, for the land occupied by the road a sum •(if not agreed upon by the principals) to be fixed by arbitration; and to be absolved from the payment of road rates. Your Board have been materially assisted in their negotiations by the good offices of E. W. Puckey, Esq., Native Besident Agent; Mr Wilkinson, native interpce-' ter; Mr Tookey, and many of the leading native chiefs. The tenders for •ithe bridge being returnable to-day, the following nave been received, and were opened in the presence of the contractors :. —List of tenders for the Kauaeranga Bridge: John Gibbons, £924; John Britton, £879 16s 8d ; O'Brien, £991 9s; Carnie and Go., £916;' Oram and. Co., £878 10s; Thorp and Wallace, £911 2s 9d; Wells and Maekay, £981 11s; Mclntosh and Co., £88$ 6s lOd ; Cullen ! and Boyer, £839 4s; James Macandrew, £960 6s; E. N. Smith, £1056 4s 6d; J. Thompson and Co., £924 8s; A. Somerville, £973 17s ; McDermott and Co., £941; John Taylor, £1130; Palmer and Clayton, £950;cWm. Sims, £880. The old road from, the Kauaeranga river to Puriri has been repaired and made passable at a small expense, but as this portion of the road to Oninemuri will be altogether abandoned as soon as the new line of road is open for traffic, no more has been done than was indispensable. Men are now employed in repairing the track to Tairua. Hikutaia Works : The Works being executed in the vicinity of Hikutaia for the purpose of avoiding the steep hills on the old track, are progressing favorably. Goldfields Eoads and Tracks : The goldfields roads and tracks in the Ohinemuri district have been corduroyed in all the worst places/and the lines throughout are now in good condition, and can easily be maintained in that state. Maekay town to Owharoa: A line to effect a necessary alteration in the road from Maekay town to Owharoa has been cut, which will give good gradients, and avoid the steep hills and gullies on the present track. Paeroa: A contract has been let for building a wharf at Paeroa on the site of the old one. The timber is delivered on the ground, and the work .will-be completed in about ten days. A petition has been received from residents at Hikutaia for the Council to erect a small wharf or landing stage, for the use of steamers. Your board recommend this work to be

done.—A. Bbodie, Chairman Board of Works." Cr Mitchell moved, and Cr Spencer seconded, that the report be received. Carried. Cr Mitchell expressed himself gratified with the way that different works had been executed. The report was then adopted on the motion of Cr Mitchell. Cr Bagnall read the Interim 3?eport No 6 of the Finance Committee. It showed an expenditure of £1144 18s l£d. Cr Bagnall moved that the report.be received and adopted. Seconded by Cr Mitchell and carried.

TOWN CLBBK's LETTBB. " The consideration of the Town Clerk's letter was then brought on. The letter was read as follows: —"Council Chambers Thames, 21st May, 1877. Sir,—Notifica-' tion having been forwarded by the Colonial Government to the Thames Borough Council that a farther sum of £1,653 6s 5d gold duty and goldfieldsi revenue had been remitted on the J4th instant to the County Fund account, I have the honour to make application for this Borough's share of same, amounting to £269 0« Id, and to ask the favour of a cheque for the amount. —I have, <fee, F. C. DtATS. The: Chairman County Council." Cr Mitchell moved that the Town Clerk be referred to the" memorandum of agreement, in which was a clause which' held :.ti>at the Council-should hand over the revenue -for pumping matters., ; -;-, -. The Chairman remarked that thert^ were three; other deeds, and by them they had to hand over the duty raised within the Borough to the Borough. Gr Thorburn did not think they should stand so much upon their dignity. He ' thought that if they wanted it they should have their duty, and use it for the purposes contained' in the agreement; Tha easiest way was to give them a cheque for the amount. .-

The Chairman said that, he thought calmer reflections would let the Borough Council see that they (the.County Council) were doing the best for the Borough. They had devoted a great deal of their securities and revenue for the relief of the Borough, for the pumping xnaini teuance. They might postpone the matter till Saturday next, and then they would have data to go upon from Messrs Whitaker and Russell.

Cr Mitchell said that the Borough Council should have no consideration in the matter. They *had been treated too well.

Cr Bagnall thought that this. was a matter that admitted of no delay. It had been arranged that the Government should hand them the money, and then they should give the Borough it* share. They would have to do what they-had agreed to do. The Chairman said that at the conference with Mr Whitaker Mr Rensnaw had said that the duty raised within the Borough should be taken by the Borough to hand to the County Council, so as to let the Borough assert its right to the duty.

Cr Bagnall said that the original in* tention was that the Government should hand over to each body its own share. They had, however, not been able to divide it, and had given it over to the, two bodies'to arrange about the division. He would move that the Town •' Clerk's ' letter be acknowledged, and the amount of duty.be paid to the Borough.' '-:' Cr Thorburn seconded the motion. Cr Mitchell said that he did not acknowledge the words of the Premier as law, He intended to, divide the, Council oh the motion.^ 1 J i--fi ;j r J

Cr Thorp seconded Cr Mitchell's motion.

The amendment and motion were then put to the meeting, aud the amendment was carried.

Cr Mitchell mored, and Cr Thotfp seconded, that as a road to Ohinemuri is a necessity, the-Council takfe. immediate; steps to make the road between Kurere andPaeroa. Carried. _ Cr Mitchell moved, and "Cr Thorp seconded, that the road between Puke and Mackaytown be declared & County road. Cr Bagnall »aid that making a road like that Was a great deal of Itarm. An erroneous impression had got abroad that the Council could keep nothing up but. County roads. Ohinemuri was not a road district, and he could assure them that jt would do a great deal of harm. Cr Mitchell still would press the motion.

Cr Bagnall said that no. good could come of it. It would not make it any more a County read than it was now, and it would only be taken as a. supposed proof of an erroneous impression. After some further discussion it was resolved that the matter be referred to the County Solicitor, Cr Mitchell in the meantime withdrawing his motion. :;

BOCK AT TAPU BOAD. It was stated- that the Surveyor had already removed the rock on ..Tapu road, so that Cr Thorburn's motion that the work be done was not required. , ICACKATTOWW AND PAEBOA KOAD. Cr Thorp .withdrew the motion standing in his name re the completion of the Mackaytown and Paeroa road, as the appropriation for that purpose waa expended. Cr Thorp moved that a- road be surveyed to connect the Waitekauri road with the main line of road. Carried. THE OWHABOA BBIDOE. . The offer of Mr A. Porter was referred to Works Committee. The Council adjourned till Saturday at . 11 o'clock. ''.''.