WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 4, Issue 1188, 25 September 1882, Page 2

WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

A MEET&G of the above Council was held at the comity": offices, Masterton, on Saturday, at 2 p.m. Present: Crs Beeiham (Chairman), Barton, Smith, Williams, Riddiford, and Mackay. A nuraber of the leading settlers of the district' interested in local governing bodies were also present, viz,: Messrs ■Buchanan, 'M.H.R,', W. Booth, Chairman ' County West, W. H. Beetham, K|deri Hawkins, Hood, Morrison, Meredith, and Dagg. The chairman drew attention to the fapt that copies of the balance sheet had not ibeen ■ circulated among Councillors prior to;tho meeting in accordance with a resolution' passed at ia former meeting. Healso'stated that tho credit balance at the bank was £ll4i\s« 51, trhui TOW OAlij,' i A:' letter was read from the Castle Point,., Highway Board, stating that it coiild'rii>t recominond the abolition of the £euui toll gate as.desired by a number of ■ettlen ] who had petitioned : against it, .-—•OrSmith approved of; the reom.mendation of the Board,——Or Williams aaid Mr Soholaßeld, the instigator of the 1 petition; >made his living by 'carting, and was personally Interested in the queation. Cf pokay explained that the petition had, in the first instance Jean : sent to the Highway.Boardi but that body having no p6wer to deal with .it passed it on to the County. -—The / ohairman asked what revenue the gate produced,--Or Maokay replied thai last year it brought £i4o. —The Council concurred in the, view expressed by the Highway Board, OEOW tANpa VOTJ, ' An application was' received from tho Castle Poiat Board for wmittanoe out of

4h>|drown .Lands vote to the County. ~--The,Chairrn«i explained that pay.only be made '.on'presenter | mil. ■ vouoherß for work done under, t he; direct inn of the Board. ■' [ BRIDGE RESERVE, $ 'application was read from Mr Hflrcock tu lease the Taueru Bridge Be« of five aorea.——The. Chairman stated that the reserve in question had not bo jn vested as yet in the County, and that., at present they,,had, no. power to lease it. •' THE EAST COAST FERRIES, - Aletter was read from the Oastiepoini Highway Board undertaking the management of the Akitio and Ohonga Perries for J55 per annum, provided Mr Andrew Chairman said Mr Andrew would'have to be gazetted as a ferryman,——Qr.Mackay stated that.the new boat bought for the East Coaafe was so big that it was utterly useless!for, ferry purposes.—The Colin-, cil authorised Or Mackay to exchange the boat,for a,smaller, one.— offer-of the Castlepoint Highway Board re ferries waa accepted. V.. TOO MAKY BOADS, , A letter was read from Messrs Elder & Co., objecting to, the supcrabundance of roads laid off through their property, and cuttiug up their fenced paddocks, They opposed a road which they alleged had been laid off for the sole benefit of Mr Cross, and pointed out that the Highway Board had refused them permission to erect gates on the- road lines passing through their property,—Cr Maokay stated that the Board only objected to gates on the main line of road, and that the road laid off to Mr Gross's.property would serve other traffic,—The Chairman pointed out thayhey had laid offMr Cross's road for opening up Crown Lands, " The question was one, however, for the Board 'to decide.—Cr Mackay replied that the Board was in favor of the road, ——lt was decided that the Council should not interfere with the aotion taken by the Board. A DILAPIDATED FERRY.' ' Mr E. Meredith, junr., wrote, pointing out the inconvenience arising: from tho suspension of. the Lower Wiiaroama Perry. There was no ferryman, and as for the boatr-its bottom had dropped out. ■ s THE HORUNUIORANGI TOLL, ' ;Mr : Sextan applied for a reduction of ' rent, on the ground that the takings during the winter months had been unremunerative.—'The Chairman regretted that Cr Bunny naß not present to advise thorn on the subject.—Or Smith thought I the good snmmer tolls might make np for the bad winter receipts. The Chairman said the lease matured in November and Ihey could decide the question of rebate then, A MAORI APPLICANT, A Coast Nrttive wrote complaining that the rent of the Ohonga Ferry reserve was i five months in arrear.—The Chairman I said the rent was usually paid through Mr McHutchnu. ; THE'BOUNDARY QUESTION. The Chiirman invited Mr Booth, Chairman of the. West County, who was in attendance, to assist them in discussing tho question of boundaries. The position of the district with respect to Highway and County boundaries had ' been materially altered by recent legislation. In the Wairarapa, tho only Highway boundary which was co terminims with a County boundary was the Castlepoint Highway Board, arid even in this district alterations were asked for by Mr Hawkins. Consequently all the boundaries in the district would, in consequence of the Counties Amendment Act, have to be re-arranged, It was a question whether they should have one , County for tho whole district, or a , Wairarapa JNorth County,'including the Castlepoint and Musterton Hiahway Districts, and a Wairarapa South County, including the Carterton and Featherston Highway Districts. He thought that ■ the Highway Boards had done most of 1 the work in the distriot. durine the past, and that the might be regarded as secondary bodies to them. It would therefore be better to re-adjußt the boundaries of Counties than to burst up Highway Boards. Mr Buchanan and himself had endeavored to exclude this district, from the operation of the Counties Amendment Aot, on account of the special complication of boundaries within it, but they had stood alone on this point. The best thing, therefore, for them to do at the present juncture 1 was to alter their boundaries as speedily as possible, and send in their applications under the Roads Construction Act, Mr Booth said ho had always been of the opinion that the division of the district into East and West had been a mistake, but the division having been made, r he thought it waa not wise to attempt an , amalgamation, The union could not be • accomplished without arousing a consid- ' erable amount of antagonistic feeling, i The question rested with the ratepayers, who strong looal feelings, and without their concurrence even the i Governor himself could not make the i Wairarapa one County. The Bills • passed during the past session might be .. regarded as a permanent provision for ' country bodies, and if they cculd adjrst i their boundaries in a satisfactory manner i they would have an opportunity now of i placing their local bodies on a permanent basis, and making efficient arrangements for through lineV'throughout the district. Under these circumstances, he suggested the Waingawa River, as far as its junction ■ with the Euamahunga, as the division i between North and South which would f prove generally acceptable. The Gladi stone Ward of the Masterton Highway ; Board could be transferred to the Southern division, and the TaratahiCarterton Board could give to the Northern division any slice which could he better served by the Masterton Board, This adjustment between the : Masterton ! and Taratahi-Curterton Boards would be necessary unless a new Coast Highway District were formed. Bv aoceptin" a divisnn of this kind a contest would°be avoided, and they would save themselves from the alternative of having alterations forced upon them from outside, With respect to a Northern County, he pointed out that the works in tho Forty-Mil# Bush could be more easily and cheaply supervisedfrom Masterton than from Carterton, and had not their present action been forced upon them the existing arrangements would not have sufficed for anv length of time,- . • . ' :

Cr Smith pointefl pnt that the Onuntiei Amendment Act hardly met the requirements of the Wairarapa. In no place in New Zealand had' boundaries been so completely botched. .(The Chairman: Hear I hear I) He pointed out the conflicting highway board, couiity, militia, and electoral divisions in support of his assertion. If the people of this district desired one county ha would yote' for one, hat they , could not very well more in the matter without the' consent of the ratepayers,;

Mr Booth pointed out they were in a position to make a recomniendationi' being tjiven' so that ratepayers would have an airtple. opportunity of making their views known, The prinoipal change, as far as County, East m ooncerned, was in theAwhea Riding, whioh should, in his Highway .Board,, with which it had a community of interest, : ■ Mr Booth considered that any arrange-' m»jil agreed to by forth Ovanties would

become lair, unless it were upset by petitions from ratepayers. The Chairman did not anticipate any difficulty as far as the Masterton Highway :" Board was conoerned, Or bmith Baid they had two points to consider—lst, Mr Booth's proposal; 2nd, the alternative of amalgamation, Mr Booth deprecated amalgamation, as it meant a fight in which their chance of getting applications through under the Boads Construction Aot .might be prejadiced. . Cr Smith held: that with a cross line east and west all the arguments fell to the groutid on which a "division of the dißtriot had formerly been effected. Mr Booth' replied that the feeling down the Valley was strong against amalgamation./ The present arrangement for working the Forty Mile Buah country from the southern portion of the district was. an inconvenient one. The Ohurman expressed his> that they could, riot deal with ? 'ths) question of boundaries oxcept on petition from'the ratepayers, ■lf so they had better arrange at once fbr petitions to be v signed both in the North and South parts of the district, Mr Hawkins pointed out that the signature of three fifths of the ratepayers were necessary to a petition before it could be dealt with. Mr Buchanan thought that alterations could be effected under the Road Board Act without having recourse, to. petitions. Mr Hawkins did not "think they could constitute new Counties under the provisions of a Boad Board Act. Mr Buchanan suggested that. the difficulty might be met by calling County North " County Bast," and County South " County West." ' • The Chairman stated that under the Boad Board Act the alterations could not be made till the Ist day January, . Mr Hawkins considered that the Government would not confirm alterations effected by a Road Board Aot, when a Counties Act had been passed specially to dial with them; ' • - Or Smith moved that the Chairmen o the two Counties and the fourHihgway Boards, be appointed a Committee to consider the best boundaries available. Ha thought that the question was too important to be deoided without,further investigations, The Chairman advised that the town boards of Carterton and Featherston .should be represented on the Committee, as they were by law Darts of the County. Or Smith did not object to adopting tbo suggestion of the Chairman, and added to his resolution the names of the: Chairmen of the two Town Boards, D. MoGregor, and the mover, "The, Chairman weu'ld, .lie T said, like to see tlie 'Committee empowered to take the initiatory steps for obtaining signatures to petitions. Or Smith objected to any action being taken before the Committee reported, The Chairman replied that the Council would have an opportunity later of puttins; a veto on any nutter of which it disapproved. Any elector had a right to get np a petition. He was anxious not to lose a day in getting the question settled, .. ' Mr Buchanan pointed out that the alteration desired might be effected under the Boad Board Act by Wairarapa E f, annexing that portion of/.the Muster! : i Highway Bjmrd which 'ljjy'/iiri the |W«-S----tern County! and by VVajranioa yW,'- ! i doing Ihe same portiott/flf t.e Eastern County.which it desired to obtain, The two counties would then be " clenrly defined without a petition, J Cr Smith said the change could only be effected with (he consent uf all the governing bodies interested, Mr Buchanan assumed that the looal bodies were favorable to the proposed alterations.

Mr Booth added that they were arranging matters to meet the wishes of local He expressed his approval of the. committee; proposed bvj> Smith. Mr McGregor, as.-chairman of'the Works Committee ofthe.West.Oounty was a desirable addition to it,

Or Smith's resolution waa then formally put and carried. / .; engineer's report, Mr King reported as : follows on the main roads in the two counties, which in his opinion should be undertaken. , WAIRARAPA Eketahuna-Tinui road, 7 miles formation including bridges and culverts, and 18 mile* metalling. . \ > Masterton-Tinui road, 5 .miles formation, including bridges and culverts, aud 6 miles metalling; Te Ore Qre' and Bideford, 5 miles formation, _ including bridges and culverts, and 9 miles metalling.

EAST COAST, Alfredton •to Tiaui road, 11 miles formation, inolud ing bridges and, culverts and 18 miles metalling. Taueru to Tinui road, 4 miles formation, including bridges and oulverts, and 14 miles metalling. On the suggestion of the Chairman the report was referred to the Public Works Committee. X

MAIN ROAD, Or Riddiford asked the Chairman if the road from Maryborough to Pahaua was in the schedule of main roads, The Chairman Bald that the Wairarapa already had more main roads on the schedule than it was entitled to, It did not follow that because roads wero put on it that they would be made unless they passed the ordeal of the Government Engineers inspection and obtained a oartincato from the .Colonial Treasurer. Mr Bnohnnin and himself had been careful to plao'e on the schedule only suoh roads as were likely to be passed by the Fngmeer. ■ . Cr Mackay urged. that the Engineer should be instructed to'prepara plans aud specifications of .all roads for which they intended to make ujrohoation as soon as possible. Ee movsd that the various to the Pubiio|Works Committee sb soon as possible the works which should be, in their opinion, undertaken. Cr Williams with re?peot to crowding a schedule with main roads, explained that " the same thing had formerly been done in South Australia. So many roads were shoved into the schedule there, that they were shelved. At last the Parliament to meet theiifficulty, had to strike them out of the schedule. He was the same mistakfl Was beini> made iu'&evr Zealand, and the consequence would: bB that a great many roads would neither be benefited one way nor the bthe'r..iJliS6uth Australia log rolling was not allowing private members .as ■,n Ner Zaalaqd to place roads on the sohedule. . ' THE BMRIOQIi KOAp. Messrs E. Meredith and John Morrison then, interviewed the Council re the above road. Mr Meredith desired the position of the road to be defined. Some years ago the settlers,desired to have a separate Highway district in the neighborhood of this road, and 'subscribed SOO towards its constrnbtion. This, however, was not allowed, and on the recommendation of the County they raised £IOOO by deb'en* torea to construct it. They desired to know what body was responsible now for its maintenance. The Chairman replied that as they had never declared the Blairlogie road a County line it was within the jurisdiction of the Highway Board. , Mr Mettdith lis there any machine (f