WAIRARAPA WEST COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 160, 15 May 1879, Page 2

WAIRARAPA WEST COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the above was held at the Council Chamber, Carterton, on the 14th inst.

Present—Crs Pharazyn (in the chair), Phillips, Boys, Donald, Jackson, Moore, and Mmchk A telegram from Or Bennett was read,' apologising for his absence,

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed

Tho Clerk reported that 41 letters and telegrams had, since last meeting of the Council, passed between the Public Works Department and Council relating solely to special votes, The department had required from the Chairman of the Council agreements under each vote, certificates from their . own Engineer as to furnishing of voucher and reports on the works. These had all been furnished some time since, but it was not until the Chairman had transmitted to tho department a letter dated sth May, that tho moneys so certified to and requested to be paid under the several votes, had been placed to the credit of tho County fund. The Chairman particularly requested the Press to state that the delay in paying contractors arose from the neglect of Government in not forwarding tho money immediately on receipt of certificate and agreement duly signed, and from the fact that a tho Bank had refused an overdraft, even of a temporary nature. If the Government did not keep pace with the Council in moneys payable under special votes, under the above circumstances it would be impossible to make the payments as they became due. The Government, after making one advance) had declined to make a further advance until they received a certificate that the money received under the prior one had been expended; and as it was impossible to make an estimate of the exact amount that might bo required from month to month, it was not possible for the Council to meet their payments regularly. Unless the system were altered the result would be that contractors would ask higher prices. When next in town he would see the Public Works and Audit Departments on tho matter, The Chairman further stated that, as he had said at last Council meeting, the revenue of the County would be inadequate to meet the demand made upon it for the current half-year. From ii statement made out by the Treasurer it appeared that on the general account there was a balance of L7lO 14s but in respect of money paid to credit of Council fund under special votes, the Council, however, had an unappropriated balance of L92G 10s 2d. Thegoneral account was therefore indebted to the special vote account in the sum of £215 15s 2d. The subsidy payable to County for current half year had been reduced to £IOB os 8d by deduction made on account .of payment to Greytown Borough from the date of the proclamation; to the Road Boards for the months of July and August, 1878 ; and by moneys due to the Public Works Department 31st August, 18y8, the date of the adoption by the Council of the Act of 1876 in its entirety.

UOKKESrOXDENCE. A letter was received from the Colonial Treasurer in explanation of the sum of £194 7s Id paid to Road Boards, The Chairman stated the amount would have to he adjusted between the Road Boards and the Council. Letters were read between the Constabulary Department and the Council, and the Clerk having given notice to the Council that notices of motion had been lodged by Cr Boys in relation thereto, consideration of this correspondence was adjourned.

A letter was read from the Government Auditor requiring transmission of vouchers to verify balance sheet, Tne Clerk was directed to forward the same accordingly.

Letters were read between the Council and Chairman of Licensing Court, relative to the remission of license fees payable by Mr Merson of Lake Ferry. The Clerk was directed to inform Mr Merson that he was appointed ferryman at a rent of £3O per annum, payable in advance, on his forwarding to the Treasurer the receipt for payment of his license. The Chairman reported that Mr Merson had been authorised to obtain a new ferry boat at a cost not exceeding £2O, delivered at the ferry. Letter from the Licensing Court ivith reference to vouchers forwarded by Clerk of Licensing Court in respect of advertising sittings of Licensing Court. Referred to each newspaper respecting discrepancies, the advertisement being of same length in each case, and same number of insertions, though different prices had been charged. The Clerk was also instructed to inform newspaper proprietors that the Council would not pay for unduly extended advertisements, and would ask for a discount in every instance. In furnishing advertisements to the various papers the Council would be influenced by the tlio charges made. CIIAIUTIES, Letters was received from the Coromandel County Council on the above, and ■from the Wairarapa Hospital requesting an immediate grant in aid of £SO. On the last mentioned letter the following resolution was passed That on Grey town Hospital Committee furnishing a list showing amounts actually collected, and a certificate showing that £f>o had been expended, signal by the Chairman and Treasurer, the Finance Committee be authorised to make the payment due on such amount in accordance with the resolution passed at the Conference of the two Counties oil the 20th of last mouth. ESTIMATES, Estimates from all the Wairarapa Road Boards were laid'before the Council, from which it appeared that the quarterly cost of maintenance of main roads was £592 15s, These estimates were exclusive o'f the cost of maintenance of the Forty Mile Bush road. FORTY MILE BUSH. A letter from the Masterton Highway Board on the defective condition of the Forty Mile Bush bridges was received. It was resolved—

That the County Engineer be instructed to mako an estimate .to lay before the Government, of the* probable; cost of repairing and maintaining the bridges on the Forty-mile Bush road, and that the Chairman correspond, with the Chairmen of the Waipawa anil Maiiawatu County Councils, requesting their co-operation with the Wairarapa West Comity in bringing under the notice of the Government the fact that the road is a purely colonial one, and that the expense of building and maintaining these bridges is one that the revenues of Counties arc totally inadequate to meet, and that it should be lent out of the general revenue of the colony.

SUBSIDY. A letter was received from the Greytown Borough Council requesting a grant in aid of maintenance of main road through the Borough, The Chairman thought this opening up a largo question, and did not. hink Council should recognise the claim, as tho Borough had its own rates to work upon, and contributed nothing to the County. Cr Phillips agreed with the Chairman. Cr Jackson thought Boroughs took too much work upon themselves. The Greytown Borough had taken over uine miles of road, for which it received LSO to keep in repair.

The following resolution was passed

That the formation of the Greytown Borough having deprived the County of an amount of revenue equal to the rates of that district, this Council docs not feel justified in diverting funds urgently required for other purposes, in aid of a body which has deliberately assumed the responsibility of niaintainining tho road in question. A letter was received from Mr R Wakelin drawing attention to the return of electors for tho various Ridings of the County published in the Wairarapa Daily on the 22nd April, and requesting that official information of a similar nature might in all cases be forwarded at the same time, and regretting his inability to insert the returns because they were inaccurate on the face of them, and requesting that the requisite correction might be publicly notified. The Chairman stated that he had referred the letter to the Clerk, and found that Mr Wakolin was laboring under a misapprehension, both as to the accuracy and the manner in which it was supplied. The Clerk reported that the term of the Council's lease of premises had expired, and was authorised to arrange for a further term,

Cr Phillips thought the Press did not report the Council proceedings in a sufficiently full mannei. It was pointed out that the Wairarapa Daily always gave full reports. A long discussion took place on a letter enclosing an opinion re the position of the Council iu the matter of a subsidy which had been lost owing to tne CartertonTaratalu Local Board uot having made a valuation or levied a rate as . equired by law-

■Cr Phillips questioned whether the Local Board could be said to exist under the circumstances. The Clerk was instructed to confer with the Chairman of the Carterton-Taratahi Highway Board, and to procure the Provincial Statutes and Acts of the General Assembly for 1877-78. The Council then adjourned for lunch. On resuming, the notice of motion standing in Cr Boys' name was withdaawn by consent, and the following substituted: That the Council accept the charge of the pounds within the County, in accordance with the letter received from the New Zealand Constabulary Department, and that the Public Works Committee bo authorised to make all necessary arrangements.

Moved by Or Boys, seconded by Cr Donald, and carried, The question was raised as to whether the present poundkccper at Carterton, Constable Connor, should receive compensation if the Council took over the present pound, v.-liicli had been erected at the expense of the poundkccper. Cr Donald stated that at Featherston one constable on leaving had sold the pouud there to the constable who replaced him. Cr Jackson thought the matter should be seen into, and a fresh pouudkeeper appointed as soon as possible. Cr Boys thought Constable Connor entitled to compensation.

Cr Phillips would not object to a small sum being granted if a loss were sustained. After some further discussion the matter was ploced in tha hands of the Works Committee, EXTRAORDINARY BUSINESS, This consisted of passing the balancesheet and reporting on by-laws. The adoption of the balance-sheet was moved by Cr Donald, seconded by Cr Moore, and carried. BYE-LAWS. Cr Phillips reported that the sub-com-mittee appointed for the purpose of drafting the by laws had done so, and forwarded the copy to the Clerk to have printers' proof-sheets iirst submitted to the Council. The copy had been placed in the hands of the printer in a different form to that supplied by the sub-committee. The printer had not submitted proof-sheets to the Council, but had completed the number of copies ordered, giving as excuse that he had not sullicient typo to keep the work standing for the time required. The book before them was entirely wrong. Through some alteration of the copy two distinct things were mixed up together. He thought the whole of them should be destroyed and a fresh draft prepared. The Chairman thought the by-laws need not necessarily be published yet, and that the book before them might be passed and adopted, not as by-laws, but for the guidance of the Council.

Cr Phillips held it ivas very important thnttheby-liiws should he properly printed and circulated for the benefit of Councillors as well as the public. He thought Councillors did not attach sufficient importance to the Council as a governing body. He strongly objected to any one of the copies of the so-called by-laws being in existence, and advocated that tliey should be destroyed and fresh ones printed, Cr Moore thought they should bo destroyed, as they had the consent of the Council on the face of them.

Cr Jackson fully endorsed the views expressed by Cr Phillips. Cr Moore thought the simplest way to meet the matter was, that the part of the book which was correct should be kept and the rest cut out, and each fresh bylaw could be printed as made by the Council and pasted in the book, and finally the whole could be revised and printed.

Cr Phillips held that they should be entirely destroyed. The Chairman -suggested that they should adopt the book as printed, and simply use it in Council. Cr Phillips read the portion of the Act referring to printing by-laws, and showed that any ratepayer could ask for by-laws, and the Council was bound to have them for him" in a correct form; Cr Boys thought the matter should stand over, taking the by-laws as printed for their own information in the meantime,

It was finally resolved on the motion of Cr Pliarazyn, seconded by Cr Phillips

That rules and regulations printed as byelaw No 1, be accepted as printed, by the Council for guidance in the conduct of its affairs for the present, and that the sub-com-mittee again prepare the necessary bye-laws, including No 1, so as to pass the whole together in a final manner. Also, that it be an instruction to the Clerk to secure the whole of the copies printed of thcso-called bye,laws and destroy them all with the exception of ten copies for the use of Councillors only,

. ACCOUNT, M. Caaelberg's & Co's. account, for tools supplied, was ordered to be referred to the Featherston Highway Board to know by whom the articles were,ordered, TE ORE ORE CONTRACT.^-—-A letter was received from Jflr Dixon complaining that he had not«ffii fairly treated at the hands of the CoWicil, and asking for an extension of time'for eompleting the contract. The Clerk stated that notico lujd been given to the sureties to complete the work to contract time.

Mr King reported that the work had never gone on satisfactorily, and did not think the metalling could bo completed this winter, unless a tramway were laid down,

Cr Boys stated that Mr Fairbrother, one of. the sureties, had offered to take over the work by the Council's consent, Cr Minchin stated that he thought the road would be impassable in the winter if not metalled,

Cr Moore thought the sureties should proceed with the work at once, with a six weeks extension of time.

In the absonce of tho Chairman, Mr King stated that work could be completed in that time if the contractor put down a tramway.

The Council refused to grant extension of time to the contractor, and the Clerk was instructed to write to the sureties informing them that if the work is gone on with satisfactorily at once an extension of time of six weeks from, date will bo gianted, but failing this, the work will be taken over by the Council on the Ist June and completed at the expeuse of the sureties.

ENGINEER'S REFORM Mr King, County Engineer, reported on works proceeding on the Opaki to Kopua road, Mangaoni, Taueru, and Rangitumau Blocks. [These reports will be given in our next issue.] PAYMENTS.

After several accounts had been passed tor payment the Council adjlourned.

rTIHE REV. THOS. HARRINGTON will deliver a lecture in the Presbyterian Church, Masterton, on FRIDAY, 16th May, commencing at 7.30 p,m, Subject: "The Influence of Christ's teaching upon the World an evidence of its Divine origin."