WAIRARAPA WEST COUNTY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 209, 11 July 1879, Page 2

WAIRARAPA WEST COUNTY.

A meeting of -'the ■ Wairarapa 1 West | County Council was held in the Council Chambers, Carterton,.on the 9th instant. . Present—C. Pharazyn (in the chair), and Crs Moore Jackson, Donald, Boys, and Bennett. The minutes of ; tho previous meeting were read and confirmed. CORRESPONDENCE. The following correspondence was also read : . Inward, From the Treasury with copy of voucher for payment of balance of subsidy.—From Masterton Highway as to receipt of proportion of amount deducted from subsidy, —Two telegrams from Treasury as to payment of '£l2oo to credit of County fund Opaki to KopuaVote— From Public Works department enclosing copy _of agreement with the natives as to working the Manawatu Ferry. From PublicWorks Department and Native Minister as to information and copy of papers relating to punt and ferry service in the 70Mile Bush.—Two letters from Hastwell and Macara re same.-Letter from Public Works Department re Waiohine bridge at Woodside—From A. Gallon re same.'— From Waipawa County Council, edclosing resolution re Opaki to Manawatu road.— From .Grey town Borough Council enclosing notification of amount of subsidy received from Government.—From East County Council, enclosing copy of resolution re Hospitals and charitable aid.— Estimates fronvßoad Boards and Feathersten Local Board as to cost of maintenance of main load.—From J. Merson, enclosing license and agreement to work the Lake Ferry.';' .Outwards, /

Letter to Colonial Treasurer, enclosing resolution, adopting balance sheet for half year.—To same, requesting further information as to deduction from subsidyLetter to Masterton Highway Board as to whether proportion of deduction from subsidy had 'been paid to them.—To the Colonial-Treasurer as to deductions from subsidy.—To Public Works Department and Native Minister re Ferry at 70-Mile Bush.—To Native Minister as to working of Manawatu Ferry.—To Public Works Department, requesting that no immediate action be taken in tile matter of the bridge, at Woodside.—To Chairman of Waipawa and Manawatu County Councils re Opaki to Manawatu road.—To Wairarapa Hospital Comrnittee, enclosing a cheque and

ctijf of Oouiity, atid to MiiatsJton and 'Owytpwu BoroUgii Councils requesting'iiiforiftiiti'aili as. to from GoVei'nmenti —Letters to MaSterton Hospital and Colonial Secretary enclosing copy of resolu-tion.-rTotG. V: Dixen re his contract,— Ho Messrs Fairbrother and Merson as. to remission of lisense fees.—To Feathferston Local Board as to cost of maintenance of portion ef main road, In relation to the correspondence relat-. ing to the deduction from the county subsidy, the Chairman strongly urged the Road Boards at once to apply for payment of the second portion of the deduction, which the Treasury stated was. available] for distribution, With regard to the charges made for the maintenance of the Gorge Road, the Chairman further stated that the deduction was altogether illegal, and application had therefore been made to the Treasury requesting that theamount might be at once refunded to the county. In reference to the working; of the Manawatnand Mangatainoko punt, the Chairman stated that some months ago, when the balance of the Provincial vote for the punt • service, vote 59, item 18, amounting to £lB2, was placed at the disposal of the Council, he had applied to the Public Works Department for information on the subject, and being referred to the department of the Native Minister, found a mass of papers on the subject. Since his application a voluminous corres-

pondence had passed between the two Government departments, the natives, and the Council Clerk on the subject, which had ultimately resulted as follows—[Letter and agreement from the Public Works Department and letter to natives, to be published in our next issue.] The matter was now in the hands of the Council, and'having regard to the safety of travellers, he thought urgent action should be taken in the matter. Cr Jackson■ thought the matter should be seen to at once. Privately and through the public Press it appeared the natives had been guilty of gross extortion, and the working of the ferry ought, in his opinion, to be taken out of their hands and placed in the hands of those who would efficiently discharge the duties appertaining to the service. Cr Donald suggested that before the charge of the ferry was taken out of the hands of the natives, inquiries should be made respecting the complaints made, It

behoved the Bouncil, under the existing state of affairs, to act cautiously, so that i„ as might possibly be the case, difficulties arose hereafter on any action taken by the Council, they might be able to show that all due precautions had been taken. Cr Moore agreed with Cr Donald that it was advisable to interview the natives on the question before any decisive steps were taken. The only difficulty occurring to him as to this'coucse being-pursued was the public inconvenience that might arise

in the interim. Still, as affairs with the natives generally were somewhat shaky, he thought that the course of action suggested by Cr Donald was the most judicious.

Cr Jackson expressed his opiniou that we had delayed with the natives quite long enough, and that it was time we took the bull by the horns. He suggested that Councillor Minchin, the representative of the district should at onco be authorised to see into the matter. He had heard the natives did what they liked, charged what they liked, aud had even gone so far as to demand the gold studs out of a man's shirt before they would couvey him across the river. He thought no ferry should now

or for the future be established with natives to perform the service, It would be preferable to buy the necssary land from them even if an exorbitant price had to be paid for it, and put the works under the charge of Europeanr. Whatever action the Council intended to take ought to be effected immedietely. : The Chairman supported the opinions expressed by Councillors Donald and Moore. Mr King was going through the Forty-Mile-Bush in a few days and he thought instructions should be given to him to enquire into the matter and report to the next meeting of the Council. The following resolution was ultimately passed" That the County Engineer b® instructed to ascertain tho position of the question with regard to the maintenance of the Seventy Mile Bnsh Ferries, and if in his opinion the natives are not conduct; ing the same properly to inform them that the Ferries will be placed in charge of some other person. Should immediate action be necossary, the Engineer is to consult with Crs Moore and Murray, and to take such steps as may be deemed best to ensure the safety of travellers." . .The Clerk was directed to forward a copy of- the above resolution to Messrs Hastwell & Macara with the correspondence that had passed between the Council and the Hon Minister of Public Works aiid the Hon the Native Minister,- and the natives and to transmit to the Public Works Department copies of the resolution and the letters from Messrs Hastwell and Macara, informing them what had been done.

Opaki to Maxawatu Eoai 1 . The Chairman stated that doubtless the Councillors had seen, through the medium of the public press, that action had been taken on this question on the resolution passsd at the last meeting. The matter had been taken up by the newspapers throughout the Colony, and from being a originally a local one, the question had resolved itself into a Colonial affair. As a specimen of the losses that had arisen in the past' through faulty engineering he might mention that a bridge on this road that had given away, was originally about 67 feet long, had been replaced by a culvert of a capacity of two feet by eignteen inches in the clear, of heart of totara which would probably last and meet all necessary requirements for the next thirty years at a cest of about one-fourth of what the original bridge works had cost. From conversations he had had with Mr King since he had sent in his report, it was probable that the estimated expense might be reduced, but it was not fair to blame the Connty system for the result of errors that had tieen committed in the past by the Government. If no action were taken by the latter on the question brought before the Hon the Minister for Public Works by the deputation that had waited on him, the matter would be brought before the House by the representatives of their own and adjoining districts.. In the meantime as the road had not beeri' declared a County one, the responsibility in the matter rested with the Masterton Highway Board. He thought that it was in questions of this nature that the very great use of County Councils was apparent as with the large interest they represented they were enabled to bring under the notice of the Government questions which would probably be shelved by smaller bodies. On this ground alone, he consw deredthe County Councils, so far from being a failure were of inestimable advantage to the'community at large, Hospitals and Chakitable Aid.

The Clerk laid before the meeting an estimate of the proportion of th» subsidy

piiittldHa itks And Maflt-dVtoct' . Hospitald to bo pitirl %• «uch yf tlli< (/'jllir■ty And Borough CbuUdila ji— : Subsidies— Proportion West Coiijity Odurlcil £2932 5 3—23.5Q East County Council £1693 1 11— Masterton Borough £ 426 3 2 4.40 Greytownßorough 84 5 10- 1#: $;

Total ... £4,535 i 5 2-45.48 On discussion the Clerk Was directed to obtain, the amount of contributions paid to the Masterton Hospital, and then carry the following resolution into effect on the abova estimate, and send accounts to each Hospital Resolved—That on receipt of the return from the Hospital showing the amount of voluntary subscriptions re- . ceived by that body, the Treasurer be .*• authorized to make such payment as may • be found to be due in accordance with the resolution formerly passed, aiid with'ihcijf! proportion payable by each body as ■, tained by him- ~ '''' A short discussion then took place as to subsidies in aid of maintenance' to the main road to be granted to Road and Local Boards which was ultimately ad--,C' journed till later in the sitting, pending \ the arrival of information expected from v the Featherston Local Board, and awaiting the arrrival of the deputation from Matarawa settlers relative to the combined Railway and Road Bridge over the Waioliine Rive.t at Greytown, the Council resolved itself into a Finance Committee;

and then adjourned for lunch, On the resumption of the Council; Messrs Hart Udy sen. , and W .G. Welch waited on the Council relative to the combined bridge over the River, near Woodside. Mr Welch, in laying a sketch of the locality and the proposed -works, bafore the meeting, stated that the Government, although they had originally promised to-construct the bridge, now refused to do so unless the Council or the lccal bodies undertook to make the approaches, The Government already promised four chains, and he was authorised by Mr Revans, who owned land on both sides of the nver, to state that he would gi/e all land required for the alteration of the road and the contemplated works, and the objection now urged by.- the Go-

vernment that there was no access to the bridge if the original promise made were fulfilled, therefore at once fell to the ground. There would really be only ona approach required—that lying within; tho Carterton-Taratahi District, and there was no difficulty in bringing ths road' up

to the bridge. It was proposed to form the road about GO chains in length on He south side of the railway embankment, which would therefore serve as a protec-

tion to it, and thus the road, when formed, would entail but a small expenie for maintenance on' the Road Board within whose district it lay. The estimated cost of formation would not in any case exceed £IOO, and it was not thought that even an expense to that amount would have to be-incurred.' About 14

feet would have to be made in the filling and sloping, and the spttlers therefore respectfully requested the Council to assist in making the approaches, The Chairman having read the. letter sent to the Council on the subjact some short time since, stated that he found on inquiry that the main objection of the Government to proceed with the work was that if the promise made were fulfilled it would be necessary to keep a man at the bridge to warn travellers of approaching trains and keep the line clear, and the department were unwilling to incur this expense.

Cr Murray stated that in the South, where combined bridges existed, a mar® was stationed at either end of the bridges™. for the purpose mentioned by the Chairman. Mr Udy stated that owing to the river works, unless the Government promise were carried out, the probable result would be that the Matarawa settlers would have no means of reaching Greyfcown except by rail, and in cases of emergency this might bring about most disastrous results, There was- a large quantity of land in the district affected of great value. It was probable this would shortly be subdivided, and a large population might therefore reasonably be expected erelong to be settled in the locality. Cr Moore pointed out that in the case of the Black Bridge failing this bridge might eventually form the only alternative means of communication between the northern and southern ends of the valley, and the prosecution of the work w»» therefore one that affected not only th& Matarawa settlers alone but the district at large, and he strongly advocated all possible pressure being brought on the Government to compel the fulfilment of theiroriginal promise. After some furthor discussion , and explanations on the subject from the members os the deputation, the following resolution was ultimately carried •'—That the Clerk of the Council write the Minuter for Public Works, informing him that the land for the road will be guaranteed by Mr Revans; that a deputation has waited upon the Council and shown that

some of the objections raised in his letter of the 30th May last to constructing the Waiohine Bridge for combined cart and railway traffic are, in the opinion of th» Council, insufficient to justify the Government in declining to fulfil the promise made, and if found necessary to compete the approaches to the bridge, a sufficient lum will be voted by the' Council for tha

purpose. As between the Council and the settlers, the sum to be voted is not to exceed £IOO, the. excess, if any, to be found by the Highway Board and the set' tiers immediately interested," (Report continued in next issue.)