COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3552, 14 May 1880, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

The annual meeting of the Council was held at the Council Chambers this afternoon. Present—The County Chairman, Crs Porter, Bagna'll, Carpenter, Deeble, Coutts, Greenville, Brown, Thorburn. The business was the adoption of the Couuty balance sheet.

The County Clerk read the statement, after which the Chairman remarked that it liad not been signed by the auditor.

The Jplork said that Mr Duirau, the auditor, had informed him. that he did not consider it necessary to sign the statement,' having certified to the ha.'f yearly balance sheet. 'J he Chairman said that in accordance with the Act the statement should be signed by the auditor. Cr Bagnall mored the adjouriiment'of the meeting until after the balance .sheet had been received signed by the auditor. This was seconded by Cr Carpenter.

After some discussion the motion was adjourned. . Or Porter draw attention to the fact that the £311 deducted from the Cou ty's subsidy for expenditure ou Charitable Aid was riot mentioned on the balancesheet, and the public might be led to believe that only £8 had been expended under that head. The 1 Chairman explained that this sum. could not appear in the statement, the money not having been expended by the Council, but by the Government. THE BATE. The proposed expenditure and probable income was read over. ■ Cr Carpenter moved that ii sum of £50C0 be allocated for works not provided for by special votes. Cr Bagnall seconded. Or Porter objected. He sho»ve,d that the very first items, " subsidy "aud " sale of iron," might not be received, and thus £1(,2J came off their prospectivereceipts. Cr Bagnall said of course the document was ouly a speculative on 9. They might put down £SC'JO to-be expended, but it they did not receive what they expee'ed, of course they could not spend that amount. It was necessary to show the ratepayers the necessity of striking a rate. The Chairman suggested the incorporaion with the resolution of a clause allocating £5000 to the discharge of liabilities.

Cr Brown supposed the motion, and

approved of the suggestion of the Chairman. He would be glad to see the County free of debt, and working on a commercial basis—only spending what they had to spend. In the course of his remarks he referred to the Chairman as the "Al Chairman of the colony" for getting money—saying that he had no equal. Cr Thorburn thought some provision should be made for bringing in the Hihi creek to the County race. Cr Greenville spoke in a similar strain Referring to the motion he stated that there were many works of great importance that required attention which could not be done if they devoted all their revenue to paying old debts. The Council haviug approved of the statement, a rate of Is in the £ was made for the ensuing year. [Left Sitting.]"