MASTERTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8510, 14 August 1907, Page 5

MASTERTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

FINANCE COMMITTEE

The monthly meeting of the Finance Committee of the Masterton County Council was held yesterday morning. There were present—Crs W. J. Welch (chairman), C. E. Cock-burn-Hood, W. Harris, and J1 Colquhoun. The Treasui'er reported as follows: —Bank General Account, dr., £2,914 ,Is 2d; Local Bodies Loan Account, ci\, £346 2s lOd; Accounts, dr. balance, £2,749 16s 10d; receipts for the month, £53 5s 4d. Accounts amounting to £1,360 9s 2d were passed for payment. It was decided to ask the owners of premises in respect of which a charge for disinfecting has been made by the Public Health Department, to refund the several amounts paid on their behalf by the Council. It was resolved to recommend the Council to advise Mr Eli Smith, in reply to his letter on the subject, that no portion of the Council's property in Chapel Street and Victoria. Street is for sale at present. Tha committee recommended the" Council to appoint a select committee to confer with the promoters of the various telephone lines in the district, with the object of arranging a fixed scale of terms for the use of telephone lines by persons other than the promoters, who may wish to make use of existing lines. The Engineer was instructed to effect sundry repairs to the cottage at the Opaki-Ruamahanga bridge.

COUNCIL MEEriVG. The ordinary meeting of the Council was held in the afternoon, there being present—Crs C. E. CockburnHood (chairman), W. Harris, A. Murray, J. Colquhoun, H. O. Toogood, and W. J. Welch. Apologies for absence were received from Crs R. F. R. Beetham and C. C.Kebbell. Mr A. J. Percy, of Te Ore Ore, waited on the Council with reference to a complaint that the self-opening: gate leading to his property was a source of danger to the travelling public. He stated that in their opinion there was no danger attached to the gate, and asked the Council to restrain from compelling him to remove it. It was stated that a portion of the gate was fixed on the public road, and while it would- be hard to compel Messrs Percy Bros, to remove the gate, owing to the cost attached thereto, the Council had to protect the travelling public from danger and themselves against actions for damages arising out of accidents. Cr Murray moved that permission to erect any portion of the machinery of self-opening gates on public roads be refused. He wished to explain that this resolution was not moved in any hostile spirit to the applicant. Cr Toogood seconded the motion. Cr Welch supported the motion. He regretted having to do so, because it was really preventing progress, but the Council had to protect themselves. The resolution was carried. A letter was received from Mr A. Wilton asking that the road leadii g to his property on the GlendonaldWairere road might be opened up. Mr J. Johnson waited on the Covncil with a similar complaint concerning another part of the same road. The Engineer was instructed to attend to the matteiija*Mr H. Dunn aswnded and asked the Council to do something to clear the water from the Tawalaia Rofed near his property. The Engineer was instructed to put a man on the road to clear away the water. Mr J. Williams, roadman, wrote complianing that the Ranger, threatened to impound his horses because they were grazing on the roads. It was decided to exempt the roadman's horses from impounding. Mr A. Buick wrote asking for permission to lay a cement pipe to take water across the road near his property at Opaki. The application was granted, subject to the approval of the Engineer.

The Chief Veterinarian wrote forwarding a slaughterhouse license in favour of Mr J. P. Asbbury. The Valuer-General notified that he had sent to the Treasury a voucher for the payment to the Council of £1,540 Is 9d, being subsidy due for rates collected during the year 1906-7. The Treasury also advised the remittancej>f the above amount. The Chief Inspector of Stock wrote forwarding a slaughterhouse license in favour of Mr A. Kirk, of Kopuaranga. A committee, consisting of Crs Welch, Toogood, Beetham, Kebbell, and the chairman, was appointed to meet the promoters of the private telephone lines in the county to draw up a scale of terms governing the use of such lines by other persons. It was decided to meet the promoters on August 21st, at 3 p.m. On the motion of Cr Toogood, Crs Harris, Welch and the mover were appointed a committee to review the East Coast rating area.' The committee will meet on August 21st at 11 a.m.

The question of removing the tollgate cottage from the Taueru to the Rorokoko roadman's paddock was left to the representative of the riding, Cr Toogood. Cr Murray moved that application be made to the Government, through Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H.R., for special grants for extraordinary damage done to the roads in the Alfredton riding by recent floods. He said that the rates were totally inadequate to pay for the damage done. The motion was seconded by Cr Toogood and carried. The matter of taking steps to devise some means to prevent cyclists from riding along the footpaths between the Waipoua bridges was referred to Crs Welch, Morris, and the Engineer, with power to act immediately. Crs Welch, Toogood, and CockburnHood were appointed a committee to frame by-laws to control motor traffic in the county and report at the next meeting.