COUNTY COUNCIL BAST.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 174, 2 June 1879, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL BAST.

A meeting of the Council of County East was held at the new offices of the Council on Saturday last, Present—Mr Beethum (chairman), and Cra Smith, Wingate, Pharazyri, Maurisell, and Riddiford, ' Tho minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed,. CORRESPONDENCE. Outward. To tho Colonial Secretary, re. proclamation of Wharoama Highway District. . To Mr Gover, re compensation. Inward. Prom J. Bennet, remitting an amount for debentures; and complaining of rates being frittered ' away, and the settlers having no control over the expenditure of them, . ' It was resolved, on . the motion of Cr Smith, that the Chairman interview Mr Bennet with respect to" his letter. From Mr Meredith, stating that his promise to take up debentures was conditional, and that, without first consulting with others in his district, , he was not prepared to pay the first instalment, treasurer's REPORT, Masterton, May 31,1579. The Chairman, Wairarapa East County Council. Sin—l have the honor to cncloso statement of the financial position of tlio Council to the present date. The actual state of the funds is aa follows; —On the General Fund there is an overdraft of £421 19a Bd, and on the Special Fund (loan) account a credit balance of £736 13s 4d, Of this latter sum there is an amount

of £327 16s 7d to the credit of the Hiiruhuiorangi Fund, and tho balance £'loßl7s 9d is owing to.tlie General Fund, By transferring the latter item to the General' Fund, it 'will place that Fund £l3 Is lid overdrawn at the Bank, and still leave £437 19s 2d due to the General Fund from Special Eiind account. Omitting the current liabilities, the Council will baro £GBi 14s Gd to its credit' when the assets aro realised, thus-" ' £ s. D. Duo from Special Fund Account 84G16' 11 „ Hurunuiorangi Bridge 129 10 „ Mungapakeha 167 9 7' £1,143 7 6 £ S, D, To overdraft .. „ ... 42119 8 To County West 3613 4 £458 13 0 . . . 1.142, 7 6 £684 14 6 Your obedient servant, I!, WILSOSE, Treasurer. HURINUIORANQI BRIDGE, The Chairman reported that Mr Thompson's tender, £3,267, was recommended for acceptance by the Public Works Committee, provided proper sureties were forthcoming. Another tender was received at a higher rate, which was held over pending the acceptance of Mr Thompson's tender. Tho Counsel endorsed the report of tho Committee, leaving the Committee power to act in the event of Mr Thompson's tender not being accepted. JIANGAPAKEIIA EXTENSION. Oil the recommendation of the Committee, the Council accepted a tender, amount £SOO, from Messrs Madsen and Johnson far one mile and twenty-nine chains of the above road. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS. The Chairman reported that tho Public Works Committee recommended the distribution of £4OO, being the balance considered to be available, as follows Cashpoint Riding, £143; Awhea Riding, £52; Wainuioru Riding, £205, the amount being proportionate to the rates received. Or Pliarazyn moved, and Or Riddiford seconded, that £4OO be distributed. Or Wingate moved as an amendment—•That a proviso should be added to tho eil'ect that one-sixth of the Wainuioru share should be paid to the Castlepoint Highway Board in consideration of the length of main road it had to keep in repair,

Cr Smith supported the amendment, which was agreed to by the Council. The Chairman desired the Council to decide whether in giving the subsidies the Highway Boards should be directed to expend them on certain specified roads. Cr Maunsell said that the Castlepoint Highway Board spent the subsidy exclusively on the main line of road. Cr Wingate advocated provision being made for subsidising the Upper Whareama Bridge. The Alfredton-Tinui line was as much a main line as the through road to Castlepoint.

The Chairman read a list of the roads on which the Public Works recommended the subsidy to be expended—viz., the Uriti road, the Masterton and Castlepoint road, thcHurunuiorangi bridge road, Haututara and East Coast Road, and the llurunuioVtiiigi-Gladstono roacl.

Mr Wingate moved that the Upper Whareama bridge bt) included in the list. Cr Maunsell opposed the motion, as the Castlepoint Highway Board could not aftord-to lose any of its subsidy. The Chairman thought that after taking a slice from Wainuioru to help Castlepoint, it would be wrong to give that slice .to the Upper Whareama. Cr Pharazyn supported the Chairman's view. It would be inconsistent to divert any of the subsidy from Castlepoint after affirming the necessity of that Riding having a special grant. He sympathised .with the work required to be done in the Upper Whareama, but the road was not a main line, and from a County point of view they were not justified in subsidizing it.

Cr Wingate contended that it was essentially a main line of road, Cr Smith stated that fully one half of the wool in County East camo over that road,

The question being put—Cr Wingatc and Smith voted for, and the Chairman, and Ors Pharazyn, Maunsell, and Riddiford against the resolution. Cr Smith moved—That tho subsidy should be divided without any directions being given as to how it should bo expended ; but the motion was defeated, and the recommendation of the Public Works Committee affirmed. HOSPITAL SUBSIDY. A letter was read from the Secretary of the Wairarapa Hospital, at Grey town, stating that at the present time it was in debt itO ; that its annual maintenance cost £400; that the Committee could only depend upon voluntary subscriptions to the amount of £SO por annum, and that unless special aid were granted, the Hospital would have tq be closed, An application was also received for a subsidy for the Masterton Hospital on subscriptions amounting to £94; the subscriptions shewn in the return from Greytown amounted to £64. Cr Pharazyn said tho Greytown Hospital had taken an improper course by writing to the Colonial Secretary stating that the Hospital would have to be closed, as the County had not subsidized it, On receipt or this letter the Colonial Secretary instructed the subsidy to be deducted from the County and given to the Wellington Hospital, but on explaining to the Government that the fault lay with the Hospital authorities and not with the County, the.Colonial Secretary rescinded his directions, and expressed approval of the course adopted by County West in respect to the Hospital subsidies. He reported that County West had advanced £SO to the Hospital, and recommended that County East should advance £SO to the Masterten Hospital on account. He estimated that a sum of £3O was due from the Boroughs to the Hospitals. On tho motion of Cr Pharazyn, £SO was voted to the Masterton Hospital, as an advance for year 1879. The mover explained' the arrangement made by the two Counties viz., that they should contribute proportionately according to the amounts they received from Government, giving to the Hospitals pro rata (not exceeding £ for £) on the subscriptions collected by them. He also calied attention to the fact that the Boroughs were bound to act in a similar manner, and that if tliey did. not do so the Government would deduct the amounts due to tho Hospitals from the is subsidies.

Or Smith moved—That a special graut of £3O be given to the Masterton Hospital to enable it to defray certain initial expenses in furnishing and fitting, The motion was opposed by Cr Pharazyn, and was not pressed,

ACCOUNTS. The following accounts were passed for payment Sundry expenses-Elections, sta- £s. d. tionery and stamps 12 14 5 R. Wilsono Hilary ~ .. 29 3 4 Treasurer's salary .. .. 12 10 0 J, Pay ton & Co,, advertising 117 0 J. Watt ... i. ~340 Travelling expenses, Councillors 29 0 0 W. H. Smith, printing .. .. 210 0