WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2400, 15 September 1886, Page 2

WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

The regular monthly meeting of Hie Council was held yesterday, present Councillors Mackay (Chairman), Hawkins, Meredith, Good, Maunsel, Beetham, and McCardle. CORRESPONDENCE. From Mr Sedcole, asking for copy o the Pahiatua Board Roll. From the Secretary of the Woodvillo Tiraumea Association ns to the value oi the Association's land, _ From the Eketehuna Road Board, asking the Council to give the Board a part of tho old Manawatu river cable. FromThos. Hooker, in reference to rateß on the Castlo Point Hotel. From tho Property tax dopartmout, with a coitificato of £135, the balance on sections due. From Laugdon Bros., enclosing cheque for rates. From several persons, in respect to rates. From Mr R. S. Hawkins, asking for an alteration to be made in the roll. From tho Colonial Bank in reference to rates, From the Registrar General, in reference to the Rating Act 1885, and judgement obtained in tho Court and a clerical error in the description of certain quarter acre sections in Eketahuna,

From Mr Wingato, enclosing cheque for rates, and objecting to such high charges on properties without roads, and suggesting that expanses should be re' duced to a minimum. From Mr A. \V. Sedcole and others ro damages done to the Forty Mile Bush by pigs.

From Mr Alox. Anderson asking why tho rates under the Road and Bridges Construction Act wore. increased year by year.

(The clerk explained that the valuation had been altored). From Bank of New Zealand re arrangment of tho Council for an overdraft.

From Handysido Robertsand Co., asking for a new boat for Akiteo Ferry. . From Mr John Vile statin" that he was quite unablo to pay rates. From John Smith re bush felling on roads on tho Tenui and Eketahuna Riding, From J. H. Taplin tendering for office of ranger, and giving a price for fixing yards at Taueru, and stating Mr 0. Anderson was willing to take the office of poundkeeper as the present poundkeeper was reported to be leaving TAUEKU POUND. Gr Beetham suggested nothing should be done to the present pound but a new site should be chosen in a more convenient situation on Government land whoro thero was more room. Be moved that consideration of the pound stand over to the next meeting.—Carried. CLBABIKC HOADB, Cr Good proposed that the sum of 35s per acre be paid to Mr J; Smith for fall-1 ing bush oa the Tenui to Eketahuna road; and thathe;be employed to fall the rest at the same rate. Carried. •■••-•'■' ;'• _'.'•;. ROROKOKO.' ' ■ Jhe'roadman asked whether -the' co£ tage was to: be ..enlarged so. that. :h,e could use it/fta, he was living at a"dia-

tance and paying 9s per week rent. The present" building at Rorokoko was too small for his family. \ . ' . • • It was resolved to send a reply that the Council was nor, ma position to make the required additions to the present cottage. ASITEO FERR? AND B9AD> Messrs Handyside. Roberts and ■ Co. applied for a new boat as the one re«ently in use had been destroyed by a heavy flood. They ako applied for repairs to the road.—Hold over, THREE CHAIN RQAO, Messrs Rawson and others asked that tho width of their road, which was three chains, might be reduced, It had been originally reserved for a railway lino ai well as a road, but it would tiofc be required for the railway.. Cr Beetham moved and Cr Maunsell seconded That the Council will throw no impediment in the way of the petitioners obtaining the land, from tho Government. Cr McCardle suggested that the Council should go further than that, and moved that the Council cordially agree with the j petitioners." ' • J The motion was slightly amended and approved. LOCAL BODIES GUIDE AHD EATEPAYEJU' MANUAL. Mr Wilfred Badger wrote askln? the Council if they would require any. more copies of his work. It was resolved not to order any more. FERRY WIRBROPE, The Ekßtaiiuna Board having applied for a piece of the wire rope lately in use at the Manawatu Ferry, it was resolved to grant their request. Instructions were ordered to be gif en to the Engineer to removo the rope from tho Manawatu river to a place of stfoty. GAS SUPPLY. Tiie Masterton Corporation wrote in reference to supplying the Couned premises with gas. Cr McCardle moved, Cr Beetham soconded, that steps be taken to have the Council Chambers lighted with gus. Carried. DEPUTATION. Messrs MoMullen, Falloon, and certain other ratepayers residing in tho Wangaehu district asked that the motalling of the Uppor Taueru and Bideford road might be extended as far as possible, as the road was in a very bad state. Cr Hawkins pointed out that tho cost jf metalling there would be vory expensive, something like £5 a chain. Ho suggested that those who paid rates to tho Upper Taueru Road Board on that property should apply their rates towards the intorost of a loan to be raisod for the purpose of metalling that road. They certainly could not got the work done out of the ordinary incomo of the county. Mr McKay said it waa hard oil the ratepayers living there. They got nothing for their rates. Would th» Uppur Taueru Board contribute pro rata towards metalling tho lower end ? The lower end had been. paying rates for years, and the money had been expended on tho upper end. Cr Hawkins said the Upper Taueru would require to raise money under the Act to metal thoir jwn road. They had £2uspent on the lower end from the Waugaehu river to the pah. Mr McKay thought that £2O would bo better in tho County chest at the present time. There were not any ratepayers within tho same radius of Masterton in as bad a position they (the petitioners) were.

Cr Hawkins said tho sum of L2O was too small to expend on the part the petitioners wanted, and the engineer suggested that the road should be repaired where it had been done, and he thought that the money had been well spent. Tho Chairman said he did not set any way they could got their road metalled, except by consenting to raise a special loan for the purpose. Ho read the estimate for the year. It was impossible tor the County to do anything out of the rates except maintenance.

Cr Beetham said it seemed to him that the only way out of it wag by loan, but it would be very UHfiir to charge tho coat to the few property owuera who woro immediately contiguous to that part of the road when if. would benefit all tho owners of property abovo that part who used the road, Tho fairest way would be to settle upon a certain rating area. Cr Hawkins said he w»uld ask those gontlemon what they would say if ho put their properties into a rating area for £I4OO to be expended at the other end of their district. Mr McKay said they would decline. It would be inconsistent, & Hawkins said that was exactly the position. If their end woro willing to include tho amount (£140) the lower ond wanted, thoy would not voto for what would bo wanted at tho upper ond, Thoy ought to have a meeting at tho Waugaehu school and decido upon how much they would borrow, and how much thoy would rate themselves, and where expend it. Cr McCardle thought that Cr Hawkiiiß and thoso who lived b»yond that portion of the rond should contribute soiiiothing towards the repair of the lower part of tho road as tho upper end mod it, and not to ask the petitioners to contribute in return to the upper end which they did not use. The Chairman said he did uot soo any gain to bo made by prolonging tho discussion. Tho matter of raising money for roads would be put before tho ratepayers in tho various cwitres, and thoy could discuss the various areas over which the loans should extend.

The deputation then withdrew. FINAXCB. Tho Finance Committee reported is follows :—The Treasurer reported a debtor balance as por cash book £939 9g Cd, receipts siuco August 10th £1478 14s Id. Accounts amounting to L 294 2s lid were recommended for payment. In reference to the Forty Mile Bush road the following recommendations were made: That tho Clerk bo instructed to write to the Minister for Public Works to the following effect—That the cstimntee ot the County Engineer for repairs of the Forty Mile Bush road from the Camp to tho Manawatu, for tho year ondinp 30th -September, 1887, is L 1733 J7« lOd. This includes the repairs of special damage done by the railway eontraeton on which the Ministry has bee.i repeatedly addressed by the Council. That the estimate of the ongineer for ordinary repairs of that Road in ordinary years whore no special or exceptional damage occurs is LI2OO. That the repairs are necessitated to tho annually Increasing smoint, by tho settlement of Crown Lands.' a settlement which yields a rateable value totally inadequate to mertsuch increased cost of repaired That the Council ie informed that the Government- hare

placed on the estimates for the current year which have passed the House, sums for the repairs of .this road, of which' the balance available for the'present year will only amount to thtfsum of L2BO. Under these cirounißtanceijthe Council instructs me formally to iiifcimate to you that Uhless the Governm&ht before, the 2&th inst, notify the Council that the Government is prepared to provid* the>sum : of: L 1374 for the.year ending 30tK September, 18.87, for 'the repair of the JokyMile Bush Road, the Council will ortjho day of October next withdraw? all workmen 'and hereby qotify that the .Council will refuse to |ndertake any longer the repairs of thtfjroad, or- iwy.

responsibility in connection thererith.. Upon the reply from the Castlepoint Road Board their declining to, provide fund*, for the maintenance '''orto'*' Masterton • Waimate fioad, tho + (?i#. mittee recommend that' w:%Wmt answer should.. \Ee" Vent:— ThVftmu* cil extremely . regret that; li. the'. ■ interests of the inhabitants, arid:; ratepayers usinir ■ the.. Ma'sterton'Waimate road, the decisiondf. the. Castlepoint road district; The Council have*done'all in their power and devoted a good deal of attention to the service of the road, ' being strongly sensibkof the great importance ofaecuriiigfqf the Whareama and East Coast a serviceable arterial road to Masterton, and the railwayjf The Council, straining their general resources and in order to assist the district allowed the riding account last year to be overdrawn by 'he sum of L 752. With a view to oaßing off the discharge of thttebt the Council resolved to divide tHJHlebt into two sums, alloting one half for payment in the current year, and the other in tlie year 1887-a • The Council mint inform your Board that providing only for the discharge of LS?O (one half the debt) in the current year there will be only L 328 availablo for repairs up to the 31st March, 1887, to which may be added tho sum of L 250 Government subsidy. The Council mußt warn tho Board that this sum is totally insufficient to keep tho road open, and unless the Board come to thoir aid and assist substantially in the repairs, the inhabitants and others using tho road will suffer vory great inconvenience. The Committoe alflo recora* mend the Council to instruct the engineer to prepare revised estimates in accordance with the sum available for expenditure ill tho Castlepomt, Riding, and iu such estimate make ample provision Jor contingencies, such estimate to mitted to the Works Committee for approval. On the question of tho employment of additional engineering assistance in view of increased works under the Local Bodies Loan Act, the Committee recommend that no further expouditure in surveys aud propagations, of estimates bo incurred until thuwjiug of the ratepayers in the severalmlingß has beon tested with regard to obtaining further loans. Mr MeLaehlaii interviewed the Committee relative to the proposals for purchase of a site at Eke> tahuna for the County office there, but in view of tho suggestion to reduce the width d tho main road through tho township the further consideration of tho question was postponed.'

FORTY MILK BUSH ROAD. The Chairman said instead of the Government granting them a sufficient sum to keep the Forty Mile Bush Road in ordor thoy had voted them but £2BO. The Engineer's estimate for repairs was £1,733. Cr McCardlo said lie heartily endorsed tho action of the Finance ComjPfec. The road would cost more to ropair next year. Heavy traffic m connection with railway works was being carried along that road and. settlements wereboing formed. He could not understand how any .Government,could think of, saddling the few ratepayers of that district with tho. maintenance of that road. He moved the adoption of that pa^jfcfthe Cr Beetham seconded tho motion. Tho Government had recently accoptod a tender from Tahoraite at a small item above the Carterton tender. The former would go along and damage the md whereas the latter could have gone up tho railway line. • Tho motion was carried.:

MABTERTON WAWATA ROAD. Cr Maunaoll moved the adoption of that portion of the report boaring upon tho above road. He had brought the matter before the Castlepointitqad Boafd, As there was a movement giting uii for a separation in the Board district, thoy did not seem inclined to agree to the request of the Council to hand thorn over £700,0Q0. Thoy looked upon the request rather in tho light of a detoand from (Jjjjj Council, They seemed to have a wish tW& in the event of a loan being raised tho expenditure of the nioney should be supervised by their own, instead cfithe County Staff. Or Beetham seconded the adoidfe of the clauso, which was put and <!afm The remainder of the clauses wore adopted. SPECIAL OHDERS. The alteration of boundaries made by ipecial order was confirmed. AKKTIO DISTRICT. Tho potition of ratepayers in 6 and 1 Bubdivisions (Jaetlepoint Road Board to to bo declared a separato road district waa granted. The same petitioners prayed to be constituted a separate Biding. The petition was ordered to stand over till all tho formalities Imrl beu* completed' forming it a separate Road Board. Cr H&wkiiiß moved, persuant to notico That a special order bo made bringing into operation within the County the Local Bodies Loans Bill.—Carried. FERKY BOAT. . Cr Beetham moved, and Or seconded, That a new boat bo procured for the Akitoo ferry,—Carried, ENGINEER'S REPORT. The report of tho Engineer wbb adopted. The estimates for tho year wore gono into, and a copy ordered to be supplied to each Councillor. The meeting theu adjourned.