WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2166, 9 December 1885, Page 2

WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

ANNUAL MEETING.

Tjib adjourned annual mooting of the' Wairarapa East County Council was held at Ip. m. yesterday. Present.—Crs Maekay, Maunscll, Beetliam, Dag? Macquarie, McCardle, Hawkins, Meredith, and Hunt, the latter taking his seat for the first time. The minutes of the previous meeting were read, and confirmed. Mr F. G. Moore. County Clerk, stated that the business of the meeting was the election of a chairman for the ensuing year. Cr McCardle moved that Or Mckay be re-elected. CrMackay had been a most satisfactory chairman during the past year, and they could not do better than reelect him.

Cr Matmsell said he took great pleasure hi seconding tTje motion, Cr Hawkins said before the motion was pnfc he should like to hear something of Mr Mackay's probable position during the ensuing year. He had heard that he was likely to leave the district, Or Maokay said he thought the inquiry was certainly trenching upon his "private business, and was therefore very much out of place. He would, however, say that in any case lie should probably reside in Masterton. Cr McCardle thought Cr Hawkins must have spoken under a misapprehensin. Any member of the Council was eligible to fill the position. Cr Hawkins was quite aware of the fact, but they had a perfect right to consider those, matters, and he would certainly consider them. The Chairman of the Council should certainly be a permanent resident in the district. 'He had heard that Mr Mackay was likely to take up a business as Commission Agent in Masterton, and that wa3 not a proper position for the Chairman. He endorsed everything that had been said regarding the care and efficiency with which Mr Mackay had performed his duties as Chairman, and wished to say nothing whatever against him personally. He moved that Or Meredith be elected. Or McCardle had understood that Cr Meredith would decline to stand.

Or Meredith said he had been asked to Btand, but he must decline the honor, as it would be inconsistent wljjh the position he had taken up with reference to his efforts to procure the suspension of the Counties Act. The original motion was put and carried without dissent. Cr Mackay thanked tho Council for re-electing him. He assured them that he should do his best, no matter what Mb social position might be. He regretted that the Council was not now in such a good pbsition as formerly with regard to its .finances, as Parliament had shorn theft) of a good deal. The Council had, however, been very- careful, and he hoped they would continue to be so, In thanking them for the compliment in re-elect-ing him, he hoped he should continue to merit their confidence, ■ ORDINARY MEETING, The ordinary monthly meeting was then held, the same members being present. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The Clerk read the correspondence inward and outward. RESERVE, A letter was received from the Minister of Lands, stating that it was proposed to set aside a section of land in the Alfredton Block as an Education Reserve, and asking the opinion of the Oounoil,

The matter was left in the handa of Or Macquarie. GRAVE! RESERVE, A letter was received from the Public Works Department declining fallow the Council to take gravel from a reserve near on the ground that the removal of gravel raid, <k m . a ge the railway line, CrMcCardle stated that he had seen "the locality, and found nothing to convince him that the line would be damaged, The Engineer said that the only alternative was to take gravel from another reserve, which'would increase the cost by ilb'otu; fme hundred per cent.' In any case [they .wouid have to cross t])e' line, and permission to do that had been refused so far as tie reserve was concerned. It was resolved tliat the Government be requested to allow their engineer to' con; sjjlt with the County engineer on the/ subject. '" .• ' " , AN INJUSTinE. Mr G. Beethamattended, and asked the Council to correct an error which had

been committed while he was Chairman of the Council, mjght be reotified. When' the Eketahuna-Tinui special rating- district was.defined, it should have included the Casfclepoint riding, ; but they were then in a Btate' of transition between the two Councils, and the error .occurred through the minutes being incorrectly taken. The effect was that the Eketaliuna end was responsible for some £BOO or £9OQ on account of the Manawa bridge, for which the Casfclepoint riding should also have been responsible. The Chairman was very glad that the matter had been brought under the notice of the Council. He had certainly been under the impression for some time that the Casfclepoint district was equally liable. As one of the members for Castlepoint he moved that the matter be adjusted. Seconded by Cr McCardle, and carried. WHAREAMA ROAD DISTjftICT. A deputation consisting of Messrs G. Moore, Elder, Morrison, and Tatham attended in connection with the proposal to form the Whareama Road District. Mr Moore said that the movement had been set afoot without proper publicity being given. They, at the southern end, protested against the district being formed unless their properties were also included. They also proposed that there should be five subdivisions. '

Mr Morrison said unless the request were granted he should withdraw ,his name from the original petition. Mr Moore continued to say that if they were not included, they would be altogether cut off from the remainder of the Masterton Distriot, and they would thus lose their road. An irregular discussion followed, in which Cr Meredith, Mr Moore, Mr Morrison and Mr Elder differed as to whether a petition had been taken round by Mr Moore or not, and whether Mr Elder had protested to being included in the new district. In reply to the Chairman, Mr Moore said Mr Tatham and himself had no desire to alter the southern boundary. What they were anxious about was that the southern end of the Masterton District should not be isolated.

Crs Dagg and Beetham spoke in favor of the addition at the southern end of tho district being made. . Cr McCardle thought it. would be as well if the two parties were to hold a consultation upon the subject. He thought there should bo no objection at all to include the properties of those who now opposed the formation of the new district. He hoped that Cr Meredith would have no objection to the enlargement, •

Cr Meredith said he had not the slightest objection to the enlargement of tho district, as they always looked upon the Kaiwhata as their northern boundary. But they should not do anything illegal, and he thought that they could not enlarge the boundaries. Cr McCardle considered that if the landholders petitioned to be included, the Council could legally include them in the Board.' Cr Hawkins said it was really left with the Council to fix the boundaries, and they could, he throught, just as legally go outside of tho boundaries proposed by the petitioners as inside of them, The Chairman asked what community of interest was there between the properties of Messrs Mace and Vallance and those lying on the coast. There was absolutely none. He had travelled along the Blairlogie road a good deal, but had • never seen any of Messrs Mace or Vallanco's traffic on it. He also objected to the inclusion of about 4,000 Mr Elder's property. Cr Meredith would prove that the Chairman was altogether wrong with regard to Mr Elder's property. Mr Elder's partner actually invested £2OO in the County debentures on the Blairlogie road, although advisedby his solicitor not to invest unloss he was interested in the road. Afterwards, Mr Elder himself took up £IOO worth, He brought forward several other arguments bearing on the sameßubject, amongst others that sale yards were likely to be erected on the road,

Mr Elder replied, and said he had nothing to do with hJB former partner taking up debentures, and he should not have done so, As to the proposed sale yards, they were scarcely on the road, but at the junction. The deputation then withdrew, FINANANCE COMMITTEE.

The report of the Finance Committee was brought up and read. It was shown that the ordinary account showed a debit of £82310s Ud and that the bank overdraft was £755 9s 9d, The Committee recommended the payment of accounts amounting tp £689 4a 2d, • The Committee roported the receipt of a resolution from the Hawke's Bay County Council asking the Council to join in testing the substituted valuation rolls of Native lands, and recommended that the request be agreed to, provided no less than four counties joined, the expense to the County not to exceed £2O. The' report was adopted. ' WHEEL TIRES. No report was brought up by this Committee, there having been no meeting, It was resolved that tho name of Cr Hunt be substituted for that of Or Chamberlain (resigned.)

Cr Meredith said ho had consulted the Castle Point Road Board, and th<> opinion of the members was that the road from Masterton to Whakataki should be a section on which only broad tires should be used. This was, however, opposed by the Manager of the Langdalo estate, who said they they had to use a portion of the road while carting fire-wood. Cr Hawkins said fcnaji the opinion of the Upper Tautru B.pard was that the proposal was premature.' The Chairman said that they should allow settlers to use the narrow tires during the summer months, Several other Councillors spoke, the discussion being brought to a olose by Cr Beetham pointing out that the matter had been left in tho hands of a Committee. > (At this stage the deputation regarding the boundaries of the proposed Whareama Road District returned, and the Council rescinded tho resolution passed at the previous meeting constituting tho district, for the purpose of including the properties at the southern end, and the boundries as amended were then adopted, the district to be subdivided into six wards. On the motion of Cr Hawkins the question oj making the subdivisions was referred to the settlers present,) ENGINEERS REPORT. "' The monthly report of the Engineor was read. There was a long discussion on the question of the expenditure on the Mauriceyille loop line, it being shown that the expenditure had already exceeded the sum of £SO originally voted, by £45 7s 7d, and it wa9 eventually resolved to keep the rqad'ipp'alprgpl; (jn f]je roai there fop another month/ ; ; TENDERS. Three tenders were received for No. 8 contract on the Masterton-Waimataroad, that of Messrs Mulljgan and Smith being accepted. For No 9.contract on the .same road there were five'tenders, that of Messrs Corbett and Co, being accepted. For Ifo 9 contract on the Te Ore Ore Bideford road there wjjre also fiye tenders, Mr J. McGfee's' being the successful one. JJRITI LANDING PLACE. . MrG, Mooro asked' Mr Merodith to; modify the' ■ conditions'.. uiider which' he would grant the land for the' Ur'iti landing place.'■■■ ' : ' - Mr.Meredith stated that he only vested

the land in the Council for public purposes, and if the Council wished to let any portion of it ho had no. objection. It was then resolved on the motion of Cr'Dagg, seconded by Or McCanCllo, to grant a lease of a piece of laiid 50x20 ~ feet to Messrs G. Moore, H Donald, and F. E, Tatham, for 21 years, subject to conditions 2, 3, and 4. Cr Meredith asked the 'Council to take care in granting the lease not to lose the best access to the place to other ratepayers, . EKHTAHUNA-TINUI ROAD. On the motion of Cr Macquarie it was resolved that the Engineer be instructed to examine'the Eketahuna-Tinui road line towards Burling's place, and that he be(i authorised to expend £ls in opening the T road, on bush-falling along Section 8, £5, V three chains metalling to be done from ' first truss bridge from Eketahuna; tenders to be called for metalling 21 chains at the swamp, and 40 chains about 11 miles from Eketahuna'.SLAUGHTERHOUSES. ' , The Clerk was instructed to bring up a . by-law for the regulation -of slaughter houses at the next meeting. . . This concluded the business. , ■ i