COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4662, 13 December 1883, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

The regular meeting was held yesterday. Present: The .County Chairman, Crs Bagnall, Porter, Ball, Thorburn, Murdoch, Fraser, Coutts, and Deeble.— Amongst the correspondence were letters: From Mr Cuff, solicitor, claiming £50 from Mr J. Clarke, on account of the horse of the'latter stumbling over a heap of stones nearKopu; this communication was reserved for the contractor in charge of the work on the road. From the Kuranui Hill Gold Mining Company asking the Council to give an estimate of the cost of laying pipes to the company's battery; the Engineer was instructed to attend to this. From Mr Lush, solicitor for Mr Cumming, Owharoa, claiming £10 damages for the result, of a deficiently constructed culvert; the Council declined to acknowledge any liability in the matter. From Mr F. A. White, asking the Conncil to pay a share of the expenses to b8 incurred in erecting a bridge at Karanga~ hake; the Council decided they had no funds at their disposal for the purpose. From Mr Good, Tapu, asking for £20 damages, alleged to have been caused by County employes in fencing; no liability was recognised, but it was decided to ask the writer who had dene the damage complained. of. From Mr Sleedman, Tararu Extended Company, asking that repairs be made to the Sunbeam Creek road ; it was resolved that this should be done. From Mr Greenville, re damage done to a battery wheel; a copy of a receipt he had signed was ordered to be forwarded to him. From residents in Irishtown asking repairs to the road to their houses ; repairs were ordered to be effected From a number of owners of vehicles, complaining of the state of the road between Parawai and Shortland; it was resolved that the writers be informed that th& work asked for by them was in course of execution. From Mr Trainor, offering to remove obstructing stones in the Eomata Creek at 2s 6d per chain; offer re price declined. From Undersecretary for Goldfields, in receipt of letter re kauri trees. From M. Casey, re state of Tararu tramway; referred to Board of Works. From a Puriri resident, wanting road repairs; referred to the Engineer. From Waikawau settlers, concerning I a track ; referred to Board of Works. From the. Undersecretary for Goldfields, stating that the freehold of the land for the holders of the Ohinemuri agricultural leases was under consideration of Government, and the protection of thß mining interest would demand the utmost care in dealing with the question; this was re ceived. From three applicants for slaughtering licenses ; granted. The Board of Works reported as follows: "Re Hihi Mangakirikiri bridge.—l. The Surveyor's estimate of the cost of this work is about £80, out of which he suggests a subsidy of £20 should be allowed and of which your Board has approved. 2. That the repairs to the road leading from the Puriri landing solicited by Mr Elliott, should be undertaken when the season is more settled and convenient for the work. 3. That as the Surveyor's plans and specifications for works to be undertaken out of the Goldfields' vo f ■) are completed, they should be forwarded at once to Wellington.—4. Xarangahake tramway: That when a necessary and sufficient sum is lodged to the credit of the County by the promoters of the above work, Mr Bayldon. should be instructed to make the survey and plan, the cost of which should be charged against the work.

The Financial Statement to the following effect was adopted :—Receipts : Gold duty, £278 12s 7d; goldfield's revenue, £48 3s 6d ■■■; General Government subsidies, £148 168 Bd} water race dues, £155 18s; County rates, £55 10s 6d— £687 Is 3d; to balance, £2992 14s Id— £3679 15s 4d. Expenditure:._ B.ink balance Ist Nor., £2754 19s; October accounts paid in Nov., £924 IQa 4d— £3679 15s 4d; balance brought dowD, £2992 14s Id. November accounts— Hastings Biding, £59 8s lid; Waiotahi Biding, wages, &c, £49 : 6s 6d; Trainor's contract, dn acr-ount, £95 — £141 6s 6d. Kauacrangaßiding, wages, •fee., £58 6s 3d; Punch's contract, on account, £81 15s—£140 Is 3d.

Parawai Ridiug, wages, &c £12. 12s-^~ £12 12s. Totara Biding, wages, &c, £.U 10s 4d; Otunui road, £8 9s :^£22 19s U. Ohinemuri Riding, wages, &c, £129 14s 8d ; Quinn and Sheahy's contract, on Account, £33—£155 14s Bd. Under Roads and Bridges Construcion Act—Totara Special Bating District, T. G. Comes, £155 13s 61; Cha3. Hart, £5,8 2s fld; wages, £19—£282 Ids. Ohinemuri Special Rating District, wages, £17 7s 4d; Moanatairi Tramway wages, £29 lls 8d ; Water-race wages, £51 15s 8d ; aid to drainage, £20 5 printing and advertising, £663; travelling expenses, £38 16,3 6d ; charitable aid, £5 5,5; miscellaneous accounts, £5 fs; salaries, £54, 3s 4i— £3989 03 3d.

Moaoatairi tramway matters were relegate•) to the Committee appointed to see to them.—A sum not exceeding £,4Q was decided to be spent in connection with a lyapk (q, the scene of; coal prospecting operations at Obinemuri./. Cr moved—"That in view of the desirability of a re adjustment of County representation to enable that of thp outlying districts to be increased thereby, a Commtltee qf this Council be appointed to investigate and report upon the following questions : (1) In which of the Bid ings the representation may be fairly reduged; (2) la whipb. of phe Jljdings should i?epresentation be increased;. (3) Whether it is desirable op not to make any alterations in existing boundaries of the County Ridings. The committee to con^ sist of Crs Brodie, Bull, Thorburn, Murdoch, Porter, and the niovef, j^nd their report to be iiroqglit up at the monthly meeting in Januar7, 1884."—Cr Praser seconded the motion— The matter was. adjourned until l&e rnoqthly meeting te be held in March.

On the motion of the Ohairman, who said that in the coming year about £20,000 would be.sp^at in the Ohinemuri district, it was resolved that a gommittee he' ap-* pointed to consider the question of having a branch County Office at Ohinemuri.— Constable Law'was—subject to the ap^ proval of his superior officer—appointed Inspeptor of J)ogs and SJaqgh^er hpuses in the Ohjnemuri district, Cr Bagnallmoved, "That with a view to better regulating the expenditure and providing for the payment of the County overdraft (1) Separate accounts be kept of the receipts and expenditure of 'each $idjng of thp Cpupty ; (§) th.at th^ per , manenfc charges for interest, salaries, oftjee expenditure, travelling expenses and advertising, excepting such as should be harged to any of the Ridings; should be a first charge on the gross revenue of the Council (excepting Goyernniet grants)

and be charged pro rata to each Riding ; (3) no expenditure to be incurred in any Biding until it is shown that there is a balance to the credit of such Riding when all demands are made, according to the preceding section ; (4) the whole profit of the water race to be applied to the pa-y ment of the bank overdraft; (5) That the Treasurer shall prepare a statement showing the receipts and expenditure of each Riding and the profits of the water race from the commencement of the present financial year, as a basis to work from."— Or Murdoch seconded.—Crs Bull and Fraser said it would be a matter of impos sibility to ascertain the amount accruing from each of the County Ridings.—The consideration of the matter was deferred until February. The allotment of gold revenue was referred to the Finance Committee.—The next meeting of the Council was fixed for the second Wednesday in January, and the meeting adjourned.