WAIRARAPA WEST COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 477, 31 May 1880, Page 2

WAIRARAPA WEST COUNTY COUNCIL.

', A sPEeiAL meeting of the above was held at the County offices, Carterton, on Saturday last. , Present Ors; Pharazyn (Chairman) 1 Phillips, McGregor, Moore, Boys, and , Bennett, , The minutes of the previous meeting , were read and confirmed CORRESPONDENCE, 1 Inward— From Provincial. District Auditor's Office, returning balance-sheets as requested, ' From Public Works Office, acknowledging receipt of letter requesting permission to. apply a portion' of the £SOOO grant to the improvement of Ferry arrangements. From E. Cole, applying for office of ferryman at Manawatu. From Masterton Highway Board, asking when the £2OO voted by the Council some time ago would be paid. From Masterton Hospital, requesting payment of subsidy due- to 31st March last. From Public Works Department, stating that the County'B application to be empowered to deal with.all matters relating to the Manawatu Ferry would be referred to the Native Department, and a reply forwarded as soon as possible. Outward— To Colonial Treasurer, enclosing return of rateable property in the district. To Jorgen Nielson and others,, stating the Council had no power to interfere in the matter of stopping monies from Mr Harvey's contract. To the Minister for Pubiic Works, calling his attention to the state of the Wiipoua River .on the Opaki, and requesting permission to use a "portion of the vote on the Seventy-Mile Bush, in order to assist the settlers. To same, re punt at the Manawatu Ferry, In opening the meeting the Chairman Baid he thought the Council might like to hear from him a general statement as to the position of various matters in which the County was interested. He must in the first place apologise for his absence during the last few v meetings. He had been asked quite unexpectedly to accept appointment on the Civil Service Com- ,| mission and had considered the. work so ', important that he did not feel justified in | refusing'..- Councillors were aware he had i been travelling all i over New Zealand,, and therefore his attendance ,at.,meetings.. had been impossible, He had at firafej, thought of resigning his position as* chair* 1

man, but on reflection had. folt that he might for the present be able to render more efficient services to'the County, as there were a number of matters to arrange in Wellington which he could attend to. Should he find that his .time-became too. much occupied to do what was required for the County, he would resign.;.; He" wished to point out that this was really, a most important meeting, as it was neces ; sary for the County now to. carefully consider, its position.- He was.convinced, from his knowledge,of the, state of the colony, that it was useless to depend on Government money any longer. Subsidies must absolulely cease to be paid on the present basis simply as a matter of absolute financial necessity—though, as indicated in the Governor's speech, it was' proposed to provide some funds with which to assist local bodies in certain cases. In this County he believed the offect of the proposal would be relieve them of the cost of maintaining the 70Mile Bush road—but nothing move. That this would bo done lie had little doubt, as he had clearly explained to the Government that it was absolutely impossible for the County to keep it open. The cessation of subsidies he looked upon as a most serious matter, but they must accept the fact as the inevitable result of the reckless manner in which the so-called great Public Works Policy had been carried out. He had in the course of his travols carefully studied the real position of matters, and the opinion he had arrived at was, he was sorry to say,that the colony has a very severe struggle to go through, and rigid economy must be the order of the day. The sooner this fact was recognised the better. He always found that when once an English speaking race saw distinctly what a difficulty was they conquer it, the real danger being that the facts are.not understood in time to avert the crash, They-had now to consider the position of the County for the future-should they continue to exist without more than a trifling revenue, or should they levy'a County Rate? The latter course he thought was out. of the question at present, as'the settlers- could not bear further taxation;'' That the Council would find plenty of most useful work to do, though their, .'revenues were small, -he was quite assured. . They would have any special votes front-Government for opening new blocks, to. expend, and' also any sums which may be received for main roads, in lieu of subsidies, This would givothe Counties a large amount of useful work to do, and he believed that gradually, if they proved thomselves capable of dealing with questions, the Government would be very glad to five them larger powers in dealing 1 with a variety of local matters. The great mistake, in his opinion, made : by many.couhties was that the Councils had become mere Road Boards, doing exactly the same work in. the same districts with those bodies. His object had boon/that that Council should take a higher position and' he thought they might fairly congratulate themselves on having done .so, and on bejng able to do so much...real good. With reference to various, purely local matters, he had" to inform the Council that the sale of land in the Mangaolie Block had been, in his opinion, a success, Only 54 acres sold'for cash, realisng £lO9. of which the County would received' one* fifth; but 1456acreshadsold'ondeferred payments, for £2465, payable in.ten years, or £246 per annum, of which! the, Oouii-" oil would receive one-thirdj,or £B2, and there were inquiries for further blocks, The sale was really satisfactory from the fact that, as he was informed, they were not speculative purchasers, but bona fide settlers, He would here stato that from all he had seen he was convinced that deferred payment settlers on bush land will succeed when those on the open will fail. He said this from careful observation over the colony, and if he was right, it pointed to a most satisfactory future for the country north of Masterton. He said in conclusion that it was satisfactory to be able to state that the railway would be open to general traffic as soon as possible. ' Or Phillips thanked the Chairman for his statement, and hoped the reporters would take a full note of his remarks, The Chairman said he would trouble them again. In reference to Mr Buchanan waiting on the County at last meeting about subsidies to the Masterton Highway Board, it was a misapprehension, The Board would have lost a good deal more if the work had been done by the Government instead of the Council.

Cr Boys said they would like to know what had become of the subsidies to this Board.

Cr McGregor said the Chairman did not fully understand Mr Buchanan's complaint at last meeting. The Taueru road was the most important one in the district, and the subsidy should have been spent on it. • The Board had had to maintain this road without receiving anything in the way of of subsidy for the same. The Chairman said that if a bridge had broken down the Council had to repair it, and they would not have received this from the Government, who must have charged anything they did against the Board,

Cr Phillips asked if there was any probability of proclaiming the Taueru road, or part of it, a maiu road. The Chairman said that he could assure the Board that they could not possibly have got more, although they might have got less. Or Phillips said that if the Taueru road was a road much used it should be kept in repair by those persons benefitted. Or Boys said he thought it hard that subsidies should be doled out in the way they had. The Clerk was instructed to reply to the Minister for Public Works to the effect that the information asked for was not > upon any question concerning the N.ative Department,' but only under subsection 89 of the Public Works Act. The Chairman said it would be advisable to commuuicate with the Chairman of the Waipawa County Council relative to what they suggest in the matter, CONTRACTS. A letter was received from Mr James Harvey asking for an extension of time on his contract, Forty-Mile Bush road, ■whioh was granted on the motion of Cr McGregor, seconded by Cr Moore. 7 A letter was also received from Mr Roderick McKenzie of the same nature, and which was agreed to on the same terms as Harvey's. Mr R. Fairbrother, sen., waited on the Council, and requested to be relieved of his contract on the Te Ore Ore, as there was work' required from him that was not in the specifications, , It was moved by Or McGregor, seconded by Or Boys-" That the Engineer be instructed to examine Mr Dixon's contract on the Te Ore Ore road, and estimate the cost of completion According to specifications. This amount to be deducted from amount payable to Mr Fairbrother, and the balance eertified for paynwnt to him?'-Carried. - : HNANOE COMMITTEE..; : '. ,'.' The Finance Oomrailtee passed the following -accounts for payment;-Jamei

Harvey, progress payment, L 115; Geo. I Fannin, drawing plans Mangatainoke Bridge, L81,ls; R, .Wakelin, advertising,; LI 17s 6d; Payton and Co,, advertising Lll7sGd. y .An amount of Ll4 33 8d from Master•tpn Hospital for subsidy on amounts collected up to 31st March last, was ordered to be paid on the Chairman of Hospital certifying tty-ils- correctness. : ■■ BALANCE-SHEET.' The balance-sheet .showed a total expenditurFforlhß Hwelve"'" months of L11,67517s 9d, and the'balance at credit at 31st March L236410s 4d, . A -bond from the Union Insurance OoinTJiihyforLlOO.as security for Mr I. R. Oakley, County' Clerk, was laid on the table, and; ordered to be placed in the safe. , ADVERTISING. Or Phillips said they had several large accounts recently for advertising before them, and he should like to see advertising in both papers equally divided. He should like to see a little more notice taken of the Standard aud a little less of the Daily. He would give a notice of motion on the same. ■ Or Pharazyn said if the account was his own he should certainly see that the advertisements were not spread out. They did not require the Royal Arms over their advertisements. Or Boys could not agree with the Chairman as regards the Royal Arms. They were placed over the Government advertisements. Or Moore was quite as anxious as the Chairman to curtail expenses, but he could not agree with him in the matter of placing the Royal Arms over them. He could not see that that the advertisement in question had been unnecessarily spread out. The Chairman said it was very disagreeable to him to call attention to this matter, but if the Council likod to take the matter out of his hands well and good. He would like the ratepayers to know that this was his opinion. He did not think money should be wasted in that manner. Or Boys said that to do so was false economy, and arbitrary, The accounts were then passed, the Chairman saying that as the Councillors .. had taken a different view from the resolution passed by them at a former meet- . .ing, he would now do the same. NOTICE OF. MOTION. Or Phillips-" That the resolution of this Council referring to printing and advertising, arrived at on October 9th, 1 1879, be rescinded, and that the necessary 1 advertising required by the Council be fairly distributed among the local papers in the district with due regard to eco nomy," LAKE FERRY. ' '■ . .Or Phillips would move that -the petition of residents in the Lower Valley, relative to the appointment of W. Taylor to the Lake Ferry be granted, on the understanding that the appointment depended upon his good behaviour. It was agreed that Mr Taylor's salary i should be L7los per quarter, he paying a license, fee of L3O per annum. It was also agreed that the Chairman be authorised to supply a boat for the LakeFerrry,at a cost of not exceeding . L 25. PUBLIC WORKS REPORT. (The report will appear in our next issue.) BUSH FERRY. Or McGregor said they had carefully interviewed each applicant for the office, and had thought it best the appointment should be made by the Council. It was also desirable that the applicant should thoroughly understand the Maori language, and Mr Carver did so. .. The report was then adopted, it being understood that the Oounoil was not to be. i held liable, provided the Maories obstructed in'any way. The Council would do their best to get him installed. Mr Carvor, who was present, asked whether he should be allowed to remove the house, provided he erected one, on i the agreement between himself and the Council being closed. It was understood that it should be inserted in the memorandum of agreement. ENGINEEKLVG ASSISTANCE. 'lt was resolved on the motion of Cr Moore,'; :that the question of providing ■extra' engineering assistance' for surveys of roads'under the special votes in the Palmutea Block be left to the decision of Crs McGregor and Moore COUNTY OFFIOES. Or McGregor said he was sorry that the. motion should come on at that meeting, as several Councillors were absent who, he believed, would support him in the matter. They were of opinion it could not havo come on before the next general meeting, He pointed out.how hampered they were in having the Engineer in one township, and the Clerk in another. The delays were injurious to both Council and contractors. It was manifestly impossible for matters to go on in a proper manner without the assistance of Mr Oakley in the office with Mr King. It was impossible to do business such as they were doing 'by latter. They were paying an Enigneer L4OO a year,' and he was half the time doiug work that could be done by Mr, Oakley. It placed matters in a great deal of confusion to have the two separated. • Ho did not oare whether the offices were in Carterton or Masterton, but what thej wanted was the Engineer and Clerk together. All their works lay on the other side of Masterton. He hoped that Councillors would trke the matter into earnest consideration, and vote according to their convictions. The interest of the Council demanded a change. It might be urged that it would not be to the interest of Wardens to have the offices changed, but he would say that Wardens should sacrifice their own interests to enable the County business to be carried on in a propor manner, He would therefore, move that after the opening of the railway to Masterton the County offices be transferred to that place. The motion was seconded by Or Moore, who said he fully endorsed the view taken by Or McGregor. Cr Phillips was of opinion the matter should be left over until the opening of the railway, when there would be plenty of time to decide. Councillors must not forget that they had entered into arrangements with the Taratahi-Cartorton Highway Board,' and if their Engineer was using his time with other duties, Councillors must not forget they were receiving a fair equivalent, for it from the other Boards. He would move as an amendment that the matter stand over until the opening of railway. _ The Chairman, in putting the resolution, said that people looked at the removal of County offices from-a 'business' point of view. At. any rate, it was rather an injudicious time to''change. 1 He did not think that any |Counoillor would be. prepared to sacrifice tw6 r .dayß:to. County - business, It was true the work now laid ! near Mastertori'/bttft ; .to ohange officeaibefdre the railway ppenedi ;■;

perhaps fay that time' work might be nearer to Carterton. '.. • • Or McGregor said he was sorry to see that Councillors did not look at the matter in a proper light. What good did the name pi County town do to Carterton ] ' A few Councillors came there once a' month and had their dinner, and that wai all. They did not want the name of ' County town for- Masteiton-it was ; only.; to facilitate business.' : —--''•'•••"■•' "•' ■ /"Ssu. Mr Booth, who attended as "a deputa-. tion from ; th»' way Board, said Councillors, forgot; that Carterton had no borough, and if the County offices were removed, the Council' would lose a good L6OO a year frora'ratesr'' which they would not have if Cartiftton was made a borough, The chanie'jJhouJd i not be made without some/more practical reasons. - \;' _ ~,.,; \ The Chairman said he wished to im-| press upon the minds of Councillor that they were not advocating the .removal of County Offices from any selfish motives.. The amendmont was then put and caN ried. The clerk stated that if Mr King would let him know a day each week when he would be in Masterton, he would make it his duty to go there and help him, which was agreed to. OHAKITABLB AID. A copy of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill was laid before the Council, the chairman explaining certain portions of it, which he characterised aa being very loose and tending to give rise to eitravaganee. Or McGregor spoke in favor of the latter portions of the Bill, which he said . wore the only parts having any good in it. It was decided to send the following to the Government as the Council's opinion on the Bill .-—That the Council having considered the Hospital and Charitable Aid Bill, sent to it for consideration, ia strongly of opiuion that the proposal to constiiufce bodies which will have to expend funds which they are not called upon to raise, and apparently without any limit fixed, can only lead, if carried out, to a system which will go far to pauperise the whole colony. That the fact of committees being empowered to call upon the Government to levy any sum required from the " constituting bodies, 1 -is quite inconsistent with the principles of local self-government. At the same time they would state their opinion that the principle embodied in clause 90, which appears to form no part of the original scheme, is one which would meat all the requirements of the County, without; involving any of the consequences which the Coun-cil-would contemplate if the other portions of the Bill became law. ■ It was deoided that Or Minchin'a notice ■of motion at last meeting should staud adjourned. ■ ' The Council th»n adjourned for a fortnight. -■■■' ;...-.■'