THAMES NEWS.

Thames Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 10355, 2 May 1911, Page 2

THAMES NEWS.

THE HAURAKI PLAINS.

SEITTLEiRS AND THEI FEIRR.Y SITE

DISCimsISH'ON! AfT CJOHMTT COUN-

CIL- MEETING.

EKPII^ANATIO'N BiY OHiAJBMAN

MiATTEIH TO! DEI.HEILD' UP UNTIL. DISTRICT BNIGINEIEIEI REPOETS.-

In Hioiyingi that the; Haurati settleiW petition with reference, to tfie proposed ferry over the Waihou Rilvier ibtel received, the Chairman said he did not consider thiat the petition complied with the staadinig orders of thid Cbuncil and as tMairrnan of the Council it was his duty to say so in, this as in any other matter Wefora the ; Council.

In 1877 a loanwlas raised and one of the allocations wais for 1 a! road at Matatoki in the direction oi the Piaikd, showing that the ratepayers favored thia site. Fourteen years ago the Minister 1 of, Worils plaoedl £250 j on the! 'Elstimates fort, a ferly uvttt- the Waihou aaidl in the grant it was stated: thalt the site was to he. at Mlatatokle. Altogether five sites have btaen under consideration, namely, Kopu, the Cable Station, Mktatoke, Purari, and Wiharepoa. He had never asked oinel member of the CouinciL to vote for the Matatoika site and yet the" Cbuncil had selen fit to choose thia onje. It had bieien said that he was interested! in having the ferry at this^ particular point, andl ind££<d! he had « large interest, but only the broad interests of tine district as a whole. He had feefti told by several of the Haulralki petitioners for 1 the; site near Kopi>tha.t if they had! undertetotodl , the whole position they would! nlot have adjdied their names). The dbaiinnlan wias sure) that if the petitioners had understood the big, in-•tea-elat thel Cfounty Cbuncil Wa& taking in this matter they would not have shfown so 1 much oppoiaition. In conclusion the dhairman said that if his hoidiing the positioti of chairman was donsidiered 'by tlie ra-tteipiayers to be inimical to the blest interests of the district ati a whole he was pieipareid to 1 resign. CV. DieielMe seidond'edi the motion and thb petition was re'c!&ived.. Or. Law 1 remained that if th« plans prepared! for the THirua-Miafcatoie: site Wy thle 1 Cburidil's engineer' are not approved of by the Department there will ble no: fel-ry at that eate. Consequently approval 61' otnanvise must and tvrt>uld come from the Minister of PuMici 'Work's."

Org. Cbopea* anld Deeble coucnfrecll iri thia -viewl, the latter 1 movingl that the petition lay on tWd table and the Council do nothing until the report, by the District Engiinneetr is uirnish-

Thia was seconded Ibjy Or. Killgour and oari'ied.