COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3492, 4 March 1880, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the ""Council was held yesterday afternoon. Present— The Chairman, Crs Carpenter, Porter, Greenville, Deeble, Bagnall,. Thorburn, and Brown.

COBBESPONDENCE OUTWARDS. The correspondence outwards since last meeting was read. OBF)IANAGE.~ The secretary to the Orphanage Committee wrote applying for water from the big race to supply the Orphauage with water. .

Cr Porter moved and Cr Carpenter seconded that the request be granted. Cr Bagnall objected to any further concessions being granted until the matter of water-race had been settled. Cr Deeble followed in a similar strain. The motion was carried; The Orphanage Committee also wrote applying for some old wire rope in the possession of the Council for the purpose of constructing a .bridge across the l£anaeranga for the convenience of the inmates of the Orphanage and settlers. It was decided to grant the application. CALEDONIAN. Mr C.J. Stone wrote, stating he was prepared to enter into negotiations on behalf of the Caledonian Gold Mining Company, to purchase -the Caledonian mine, if Mr. Rowe failed to complete his purchase,

HILL STREET. A letter was read from Mrs Tetley applying for a culvert to carry the water from her allotment. Referred to Engineer. ' MB HOWE. A letter was read from Mr Howe, trusting that the Council would not hesitate to return his deposit. Or Br,own moved the reference of the matter to the Finance Committee. Cr Porter said an impression was abroad among the men of the corner and others that the Council had used Mr Rowe, and Mr Eowe the Council. It would be better if the Council would at once show that there was no connection between the two. j Cr Bagnall did not see what was to be" I gained by leaving over the matter. It was purely a business transaction. Cr Thorburn seconded the, motion, which was thereupon carried. SLATNJHTEB-HOUSE LICENSE. Messrs Kilgour and Coombes wrote stating that in paying the £5 to the Council for a slaughter-house license they had been laboring under a misapprehension, not being required under the Slaughterhouse Act to take out a license for slaughtering for their own use. / - The Chairman said that the fact mentioned in the letter was correct, but the question was, could the money, having been paid, be returned. It was resolved, on the motion of, Cr Dceble seconded by Cr Thorburn, that the license having been issued the application cannot be entertained. . APPLICATION. Mr Carran's application for the sum of £30 for extra labor done by him for the Council was refused. DKDUCTIONS FOB. CHARITABLE. AID... The Chairman was instructed to hseertain why so large a sum as £311 for charitable aid had been deducted from last year's subsidies. MOT-LOCK TIP. ' Mr Comer wrote asking permission to divert the Moanatairi Creek so as to leave space for a mullock tip. Referred to Board of Works. HAPE CBEEK. A letter fromJVl. Driscoll asking the Council to reconsider the deduction of £78. Referred to Board of Works. SUBTEYOB's EEFOBT BE WATER BACE. The surveyor reported the race to be in good condition, though the water had scarcely been sufficient to keep the race full, owing to the storing of water during the dry season in the driving dams of the Shortland Sawmill Co. The report was adopted. bueveyob's bepoet be wobks. . The surveyor reported that three chains of fascining had been done.on the Tapu road, and several slips removed. Several portions of the road would require to be widened and metalled before winter.; ihe Waiotahi road had been repaired. The road to connect Hape creek and the Una tramway would be completed in a week. It was recommended tliat 150 loads of hard, mullock should be put on the Richmond and Sarides streets contract. 'J he road from the Booms ,'to the Recreation ground had been improved, as also had been the roads aud-lracks iv Ohiiuemuri riding.

The report was adopted, it being also resolved on the motion ofJJr Brown that a sum of £50 be expended on the construction of a road to the proper left bank of the Thames opposite Hikutaia, and the Chairmain, Cr Porter, and the Engineer be empowered to. spend that money to the best advantage. FINANCE COMMITTEE'S BEPOBT. ■ The Finance Committee that they had passed the following accounts: —floffid of "Works, £814 9s lOd ; Water Eace Committee, £334 15s 8d $ printing and advertising, £10 16s 9d ; bookbinding, £b 16s; -stationery, £2 13$ 3d; Mrs Morris, £5 ; progress payment on valuation list,. £35 ; rent, £4.6s 8d ; salaries, £69 Is Bd. Total, £1277 19a lOd. The report \vas~adopted. THE WATEE KACJ3 IBON. The Chairman announced that the next business was tl'so consideration of the mat* ter of the "Water Ilace Iron, brought up by Cr Greenville at last meeting and postponed. A. return had been prepared do Cr Greenville's*'notice of motion.

' r Greenville said he had a great deal to say on this matter, but the return provided was not what he wanted.■/■. He had applied for quite a different return, and ho asked any gentleman present was that the return he bad asked for? .-.■->. :

Or Bagnall asserted that the return on the table was quite in accordance with the motion.

The difficulty was got over by the County' Clerk, endorsing the return as correct. « " The Council then went into committee of the whole.

Cr Greenville again referred to the return not being what he asked.

The Chairman said Cr Greenville was takinar up" tbe same ground as at last meeting.

Cr Greenville : I am sorry to see the Chairman in a fog. If this is a sample of the way business is conducted- by our clerk, all I have to say is that it is very loose.

Cr Porter assured Or Greenville that the return supplied was the one he had asked for.

Cr Greenville said he got a return that morning, but it had mysteriously disappeared. He then proceeded to give .the result of his researches into the transactions of the Thames Produce Company. He said: In the first place he found that the Company had sold 20 sheets of the iron to the ton whereas the invoice weight from Home was 18f sheets per ton. Some timo ago the Council decided to let the Joke* shareholders have some of the iron at the, reduced rate of £4 per ton, but in addition to them several other parties had purchased the iron at the same price. He, as one of the committee, did not know of any instructions being given to sell these cheap parcels, with the exception of the lot to the Joker. From a return be got from the Engineer lie found that 50 sheets were missing and could not be accounted for. He wanted to know who got back the 25 per cent of the advertisement money. He thought the County Council were entitled to it as they v had paid for the advertisements. According to his reckoning there were 50 flat sheets of iron short. Where had they gone to he would like to know. He was very much dissatisfied with the statement prepared, and said the whole thing was a big job. He moved a resolution to the effect that the return was unsatisfactory. Cr Porter said that this matter was a piece of personal spleen on the part of Cr Greenville. If the 50 sheets were missing who stole them P That very day in committee the Surveyor volunteered a statement that there was tome 70 or 80 tons more thau he thought there wa§. Hr

would second the motion pro forma for the reason he said of satisfying Or Greenville, who thought they wished to burk enquiry. ,

Cr Greenrille : I do; I'm sure of it. (Or- Greenville here excitedly offered to bet Cr Carpenter £§,0 that the s'atement was wrong.)

Cr Porter said, so far he might say, Cr C4ceenville had mado out uo case. He simply asserted thait a Councillor had made away with County property. Cr Greenville rose to a point of order. He did not accuse any Councillor. Or Porter : It was tho Thames Produce Company then ! Instead of offering to bet £50, Or Greenville should say that Tom Johnson up some creek had purchased some iron which had not been accounted for. It was quite probable some mistake had been made. Cr Greenville had made out.one of the lamest cases he ever heard in his life.

Cr Brown said Cr Greenville had been a great deal out in the sun of late, and there was something wrong with him. Cr Greenville:, I rise to a point of order. I will not stand an insult—

Or Brown: If the honorable gentleman assured him that he had not been in the sun, he would withdraw his statement. Cr Greenville insinuated certain grave charges against Cr Carpeuter, but the conduct of the gentleman had been most fair and straightforward throughout, and Cr Greenville should retract since he had failed to prove them.

Cr Greenville said he would not retract. He could prove every assertion he made. ,

Cr Carpenter said the return was, so far as he was aware, a true and complete return of the iron transactions of the Thames Produce Co., though there might be some mistakes. He said he did not know of any iron that was missing, and might say that the 25 per, cent was the usual commission deducted from auction advertisements.

Cr Deeble said that the advertising and commission was very heavy, being 18a per ton. He thought the Thames Produce Co. had had the best of the Council.

Cr Carpeuter pointed out that the cost of adrertising was very large in proportion to the amount of iron really sold, he havbeen instructed to go up to £50 to advertise the iron in the south.

Cr Brown followed a similar strain. Cr Greenville having replied reiterating his accusation.

Cr Bagaall rose to move as an amend tnent " That the return supplied is satisfactory to the Council." The affair was a fair, legitimate, business transaction, and he thought it disgraceful that it should be called a job. The return was exactly the return that was asked for. No doubt Cr Greenville would say that he was the only virtuous man in the Council, and all the reat were cloaking a job. Cr Greenville again rose to a point of order. He would allow no one to put words in his mouth. Cr Bagnall said he believed the stock on hand tallied exactly with the return sent to Government by the Engineer. Cr Thorburn having seconded the amendment, it was carried unanimously, Cr Greenville wanted the Chairman to pub the motion afterwards, but the Chairman ruled that this could not be done. ', " DOING'?' THE COUNTY. Cr Porter wanted to know when the Councillors would return the visit they had inveigled him. into to Hastings and elsewhere, on condition that his riding should be next visited. He referred to the general ignorance of of the Council on Ohinemuri matters as shown by the votes on native questions. The Chairman said it was a matter of arrangement between Councillors. , Cr Thorburn caused some amusement by bis description of how they had "done" Hastings. They rode at a break-neck speed to Waikawau and thought they had seen Hastings. COMMITTEE-BE BUTLEe'b APPLICATION. The committee appointed to investigate Mr Butler's application for the sum of £25, retained by the Council for non-ful-filment of conditions of contracts, reported that they were of opinion that the penalty in contract No. 64 should be reduced to £10, and those in contracts Nos. 70 and 72 be remitted. Adopted. The Council then adjourned.