WAIRARAPA EAST COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1610, 15 February 1884, Page 2

WAIRARAPA EAST COUNCIL.

Th)|; ordinary monthly meeting of the Wwrarapa East Council was held at the' County Offices, Masterton, yesterday .afternoon. Present—Cra Mc-' Gr(j|dr (Chairman), Meredith, Mackay, McOardle, Beetham, Williams, and Chamberlain.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed,

The correspondence inwards and outwards fas then read,.■.-■ The inward included/communications—From P. O. Madseri'asking permission to transfer his Waimata contract to M, McKenzie; from Crown Lands Office enclosing schedule oi lands sold; from Wi Pinetu asking for the Manawatu ferry because he had Baved Carver in a time of flood, who was in. his opinion incompetent for the work, andleft the ferry in charge of children; :from Public Works Department stating that their application for £397 for bridges tinder the Roads and Bridges Construction Act was granted, but only one-fifth of the sum 'applied for for roads, amounting to £921, could be given ; from Eli Smith, complaining thaMheir contractor, Mr H. Stevens, had failed to pay him for timber supplied on the contract, and asking for protection'; from A, McLeod asking for an extension of time on his contract; from Colonial Secretary re new, boundaries of ridings, recommonding the County Council to consult their own solicitor; from A. Cookburn stating thathis property had been included' in tho new Paliiutua Road district, and opposing it; from H. W, Jackson, enclosing petition of land" owners in Kopuaranga survey district for assistance in opening the road' through the new block so that they might settle on their lands. TRANSFER OF CONTRACT. The Chairman asked the Council to agree to the transfer of the work from Madsen to McKenzie. Agreed to. THE MANAWATU FERRY. The Chairman said that they had no power to grant Pinetu's request.— Cr McOardle'said that Pinetu's complaint that Carver's children conducted the ferry boat required, attention, A about thirteen had ferried him across; the lad was then in sole charge of the ferry.' Cr Chamberlain wished to know when Mr Carver's timo oxpired I—-The Chairman thought it extended for twelvemonths. —Cr McOardle understood that it would continue till the new bridge was erected.—On the motion ot Cr McOardle, it was resolved that Pinetu's request could not.be complied with. THE KOPUARANGA BLOCK, The Chairman said they had re ceivod.a small sum of money from the Government for clearing slips on various roads, and their Engineer might be.instrueted to expend some of it on this' line. -—'Or Meredith wished an estimate to be submitted of the cost of the work.—Or McOardle moved, that the letter be referred to the Engineer with instruction to distribute the available amount fairly between the various lines for which it was forwarded.—Carried. ROADS AND RRIDOES CRANT. The Chairman said at the request of the Government they had reduced their application for Main roads under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act to £SOOO. Of this amount £921 was now granted for roads, and £397 for bridges. Tho sum was very small for [expending on their two principal main lines, but it would be necessary to take the customary polls in order to secure, it.-—-Cr Meredith thought that before the polls were taken the ratepayers should be made aware of the boundaries of Ihe districts covered by the poll— The Chairman replied that the district would bo the same as at the previous poll.——Cr Meredith stated that on the previous occasion he could not ascertain the boundaries, He believed that tho .Castlepoint. properties had been left out altogether.——Tho clerk read the boundaries as entered in the minute book.r—Cr Meredith pointed out that the description in the minute book was difficult to analyse.—The Chairman suggested that a Committee should be appointed to define the boundaries and prepare plan of the district to the rated.-—On the motion of Cr'Meredith, the Works Uommittee were authorised to carry out the suggestion of the Chairman.

THE PETITION. A letter was read from the Colonial Secretary, enclosing the county suspension petition for the purpose of being scrutinized, and asking the Council to report whether it contained the statutory proportion of signatures, The Chairman said the best thing they could do wastorelogateittoacommittee to examine it and report.--—Or Beetham moved', and Cr McCardle seconded, That it be handed over to the Works Committee,—Carried.—CrMoCardle hoped'.that members of the Committee would attend to examine it.——The Chairman thought they would muster forsuclvavpurpose in great force, • treasurer's report. The Treasurer reported that the debit balance of the general account was £255 4s sd, and the credit balance of the special aocount was £86813s 6d, He also recommended . that- imprest advances should be obtained for vote 3 under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act to, obviate the delay which was now experienced in paying contractors. .' MUNGAPAKEHA .HETAIiING, ; The Chairman suggested that the Engineer should make all arranger ments necessary, for inspecting the work. Cr McCardle suggested that the contractor might pay half the inspector's wages, and employ him in spreading metal. Cr Beetham thought the suggestion a good one if a suitable man could be founl—Cr Chamberlain was averse to increasing the -existing number of inspectors if possible. —It was resolved that tho Engineer make such arrangement as he might deem expedient. AWREDTON AND BIDEFORD ROAD DISTRICT. The .boundaries of the above Road, districtsyas recommended by the Committee specially appointed to consider them was read, 1 "'• ;

ALFREDTON ROAD DISTRICT. Or McOardle mored that the prayer

of the petition fronuhe Alfretlton dig. tricfc' be granted, aud that the boundaries as recommended beadopted.— Or Beetham; seconded the resolution, He understood .tbat ; Mr Clapham was wrath at being included in the district. He, .however, had been assured that the homestead and land of this settler were within half an hour's ride.,of the Alfred-, ton road. He therefore thought they were justified in including it, —The Chairman said there existed a misapprehension in the; minds: of many that the Council! were granting such applications at random, He desired to explain that the Council had no power to refuse them. He believed ; himself that the ratepayers wero now exercising their powers of signature to their own hurt in the petitions they were signing and the result would be that anything like, continuous; road making on any definite principle would be impossible. In new country roads' would be badly located and graded. As'the law now stood, there was nothing to prevent settled districts like Te Ore Ore and the Upper \ Plain from taking advantago of permissive legislation, and so escaping the payment of rates. By-and-by' they would see the result of such mischievous legislation. He only wished to-record his dissent at the sub-division which was now taking place, Cr McCardle held that the oxisting confusion arose from the want of locul boards for outlying districts. He differed from the Chairman, and regarded the sub-tlivi-flion into small boards as a healthy sign. . Instead of these boards being small and miserable, they would in time. {[row into local bodies of large importance. These new districts shewed that they were on the forward march to settle the waste lands of the country. Mastertoh people could not do justice to outlying districts. Their representatives were necessarily swayed by the opinion of the settlers in the centres of population,—Cr Beetham agreed with many of the remarks of the Chairman. Small boards could not employ a skilled engineer to do that work which members of road boards could not undertake from want of professional kuowle'lge. (Cr McCardle : We can learn). It took almost a lifetime to become a proficient engineer. He was not going to object to cutting up the district if the people desired it, but some central body was required to connect the roads of the smaller bodies. He should be sorry to see the County extinguished, It had an efficient staff, which could be let out to smaller bodies. With the the Couuty in existence, he did not so much object to the formation of small boards.—Cr Williams agieed that as long as the County stood small boards would not be likely to do so much harm, but if the County were suspended, the evil would be great. The district would become povertystricken for want of engineering skill, He had had favorable experience of small Boards in South Australia, and could not agree with the Chairman on this point, But if a district was not in the position to maintain an efficient engineering and clerical staff to aid the small Boards, things would get into a great mess, For attending to local wants small Boards were efficient and economical, Cr Meredith, agreed with Cr Williams excepting as regarded engineering. They were likely to have a plethora of them, With the reduced 'grants from the Roads and Bridges Construction Act whore was the money to come trom to maintain such staffs as they now possessed 1 (t was quite time too that people realised that their valuations had been raised and their property tax based on their increased valuations. The Government had giveu them permissive legislation to enable them to escape taxation, and he held that it was necessary to resort to it. The resolution 'constituting the Alfredton district was then put and carried,

THE UPPER TAUEUU DISTINCT, The Upper Taueru District petition was then considered. —Or Beetham moved that the application be granted 8s they had- acceded to the Alfredton petition. Cr Meredith seconded the motion. He regretted that they had not giyen the settlers in the Upper Taueru district the opportunity they had afforded to the Alfredton settlers of bringing forward objections before the committee. —Mr Hawkins, in explanation, stated that Mr McKenzie, the only one who objected to tho boundaries was specially invited to attend the meeting held at Bowlands, but he met Mr Meredith, and after that did not put in an appearance. Mr Dagg presented a counter petition signed by the Wangaehu section of the proposed new district, protesting against enrolment. The petition included all the settlers who had property in the Wangaehu Valley, and it included the names of several who had signed the original petition and now desired to withdraw from it.—-Mr Hawkins, on behalf of the petitioners, fixplained that the proceedings to constitute the new district had not taken place in the dark. An invitation was addressed to every settler he knew in the Wangaehn valley to meet at Bowlands. If Mr Dagg's name was omitted it was the fault of Mr Mawley, who had been asked to see that every property owner there was communicated with. There was no wish on the part of the part or. the Bideford settlers to include Wangaehu. It was understood that Mr Mawley wished Wangaehu to jointhe new board. If people, after taking a decided course, turned round and backed out, all hope of doing business in a frank, honorable way was at an end, If the Wangaehu settlers did not want to come in, let them stand out by all means. They wanted no unwilling men in the new district. He must throw the blame on Mr Mawley for what had occurred. ' Cr McCardle thought men sending in requests to have their name withdrawn from a petition should bo ignored. Settlers ought to have sufficient stability, ate signing a petition,.to adhere to tho position which they had taken up.—-Cr Beetham said that if the petitioners constituted, the, majority of the ratepayers .he.swQuldi.feel it his duty to support the petition. Cr Dagg said that if the Wangaehu settlers were linked with the Upper Taueru Board they could separate from it by another petition.——Or

Beetham did not wish to force the Wangaehu settlers into a district which thoy did not desire to join, but by law they could only give effect to the expressed wishes of the majority. —Cr Meredith thought it was the duty of the Council to. decide whether the Wangaehu settlers should be included in the new district.-rr--Cr Chamberlain held that if 'Mr Hawkins did not want the Wangaehu Bettlers it would he better to strike them off.---MrDagg; defended the right of settlers to withdraw their names from the petition. They had signed under the influence of plausiblo speeches.— 7 Mr ' Hawkins denied that Mr Mawley had been subjected to plausible speech on his part, He had understood that Mr Mawley's interests were identical with those of the Upper Taueru settlers,—-The Chairman said it was a pity that the objection was not raised earlier. The notice of the new district was given through the Press two months ago. Bye and bye every man would become, by endless sub-divisions, his own road warden. The Upper Taueru district was tco small before, and with the Wangaehu slice, which was about a third, cut off it, would be still smaller. It was eventually agreed that tho Upper Taueru road district should be constituted without including the Wangaehu valley. FINANCE. The report of tho Finance Committee was read. Accounts recommended in the report amounting to .£1355 13a 8d were passed for payment. The report recommended that the Engineer reduce his staff in view of the fact that the special grants under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act were nearly exhausted. The Counoil confirmed this recommendation. Certain alterations in the valuation roll of the Castlepoint riding necessitated by a change of ownership were agreed to. A further leavo of absence to Cr George Beetham was granted till the end of May. The Engineer was instructed to supply the Morgue Committee with plans for a suitable building. The chairman moved in terms of his notice, That all county and main roads within the County be now placed under the immediate supervision of the County Engineer.—Cr Beetham seconded the resolution and Cr Williams spoke in favor of it, The resolution was opposed by Crs Meredith and Chamberlain on the ground that the County would shortly be done away with, and the Road Board would reassume the responsibility. Tho Chairman, and Crs Williams, Beetham, and Mackay, carried tho motion on the voices.

On the motion of the Chairman, .the special rates made in the county for the purposes of the Roads and Bridges Construction Act for the year 1883 were ordered to be collected. This resolution was carried unanimously, the Chairman stating that they were forced to take this position to protect their legal status, though, in his opinion, the previous arrangemont was a more equitable one,

Cr Meredith then moved that a sura equal to the amount of the special rate collected in the Masterton Road District be handed over to the Masterton Road Board. Or McOavdle seconded the motion \m> forma, stating that if it included other road districts he would support' it unreservedly. After a brief discussion the motion was lost The meeting then adjourned.