WAIRARAPA NORTH COUNTY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2774, 14 December 1887, Page 2

WAIRARAPA NORTH COUNTY.

The ordinary npithly meeting of tlje Wairarapa North County Council was jjeld in the County Chamber, Masierton, yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon,, Present-Messrs T. Mackay (chairman), J. C. Andrew, B. D. Dagg, D, Crewe, F.VonEeden, T. Chamberlain. The minutes of the last ordinary and the annual meeting of the Council were read and confirmed. An apology .was received from Cr Meredith, who jyjjs unavoidably 'absent, through the effects' of aii'accidei](.' CoRRESPQNDpCE

|lip following correspondence iyas read;— From Mr Russell Duncan, asking that his, may be removed from'tlje County ' County Clerk, applying for leave of absence,' J,B, Handyside, reporting upon the condition of the Oahanga Ferry .Boat. Eketahuua Road Board, requesting the Council to arrange with the owner of section 48, block VI, Mangaone, for a gravel pit. Mr George Beetham, re petition for the separation of the Wellington and Wairarapa Hospital Districts for charitable aid purposes, stating that it had been presented to Parliament. Eketahuua ratepayers, aslliiig far qfijcjal intimation, of contlfe pi;6pose| remetailiug of W ■ v Eitaiij|fia , £ii{o ( i Road. Mauager' Akiteo statipu, asking'iiiQ suiivil to coiitributo toward

the cost of repairing the Akiteo ford* Wairarapa South County, enclosing petition, re amending the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act, and suggesting that the .North County should adopt the course set forth, Pahiatua : Eoad Board, requesting the- payment |of the sum of £75 due to them. | Inspector of Police recommending that I Constables O'Connor, Eoche, and Collerton, be appointed as slaughterhouse inspectors for Masterton, Eketahuua, and Tinui respectively.. Taiawhio Te Tau claiming the sunvof £6O for gravel-pit on the Te Ore Ore-Bide-ford Eoad. Mr W. Jessen expressing a hope that the Council would be able to see its way to making the Mauriceville Eoad District into a separate Biding. Cleric Alfredton Eoad Board requesting that a portion of the rates paid to the Tiraumea run, be expended on the Eketahuna section of the road. From Mr C. G. Good, requesting that William Good's name be substituted for C. G. Good on the valuation roll. Town Clerk Masterton stating that the Borough Council were willing to co-operate with the County Council, re amendments in the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act. Town Clerk Greytown on the same subject. A petition was read from the Pahiatua Eidiiig, protesting against the Council striking a separate rate in that riding.

OAHANGA FERKY. _ The report from Mr J. S. Handyside on the Oahanga Ferry ■' boat was to the effect that the boat was unfit for use, and appeared altogether too light for the work, The Chairman.said that the report fully bore put his opinion of the boat, and suggested that the Council should procure a new one. Affer a brief discussion, it was resolved, on the motion of Cr Andrew, seconded by the Chairmau, That a sum not exceeding £ls be granted for a ferry boat at Oahanga, the question of procuring the boat, to be left in the hands of Mr Handyside. AKITIOFORD. Mr John Harvey, manager of the Aldtio station, drew attention to the lord being damaged by the September floods which had rendered it dangerous to travellers, and he had been compelled to expend a sum of money to put it in order, requesting that the Council should contribute towards the cost. It was resolved that Mr Handyside be requested to report upon the state of the ford and the work done by Mr Harvey.

THE MAORI CLAIMANT. With refereuco to the claim of Taiawhio Te Tau for compengation for gravel used on the County roads, the engineer pointed out that the contractor—Mr Stevens--used the gravel without permission from the Council. It was resolved that the claimant be informed that he must see the contractor on the subject, as the Council had nothing to do with the matter. THE LIMESTONE Hll.li BOAD. Mr W. Jesson waited upon the Council and pointed, out the bad state of the road at the Limestone Hill which was a sort of annoyance aud danger to children aud pedestrians generally. He asked the Council to .construct a side walk if they could 'not see. their way to repair. the road, He said there had been no rates expended upon the road, aud complained that the rates from the Maurjceville district had- been spent in the Hasterton riding 'to the detriment of their district. Cr Yon Eeden bore out Mr Jessen's statement about the road. It certainly was in a very bad state. The Chairman said the Council had no funds, and unless the Government subsidised the Council; they would have nothing to expend upon the road. He suggested that they should anticipate next years rates, and repair the road. It was resolved that the sum of .£5 be expended upon the road wjth a. view of making it fit for foot traffic. 3\fr Jessen also requested the Council to take into consideration the advisability of exempting the local traffic from the payment of tolls, when letting the tollgate for next terra, The Council promised to consider the matter Mr Jessen pointed out that tho Mauriceville Road Board had erected a pound, but were unaMe to use it, as they h?d not a scale of charges, and requested thp Council to provide a scale lioard for them,

lb was pointed put to Mr Jessen tl|iit nil the Road ESoards in the County bad provided-their own pounds and rovuisites, and it was a charge that should-be borne by the Mauriceville Road Board, Mr Jessen drew attention to a resolution passed by the Council to the effect that if the Board contributed U the Council would erect the pound, and considered they had not carried out the resolution, which embodied, in his opinion, the providing of the scale bo'U'd.

Cr Cioto proposed, and Qt Von Reden seconded, That a board be procured and charged to the Master-ton Hiding. TJie motion was lost by 4 to o

FINANCE IMPORT, The Finance Committers report was) read and adopted. It contained a list of accounts and wages amounting to £499 3s lid, also the following recommendations : That the Clerk be instructed to make an effort to collect all outstanding rates, within the next three months. That the Clerk write to the Akiteo Road Board, and ask them at what part of the Whakataki and Waima,ta Road they would like the balance of money that was due to them, to be expended, That the Council procure a gravel pit on the Ekefahuna-Tinui road, and call the attpntipn of tlie Government to the necessity oi providing suitable gnjvel pits when laying off roads in this district. engineer's report.

The Engineer's report for the pasl month was then read,

It was resolved that .the Engineer be authorised to prepare an approximate estimate of a deviation in the Black Swamp, and the probable amount of compensation required by owners of property iti the district. That the Government be requested to spmj aji 'Engineer to go'over'the for'ty Mile Bush Road with the County Engineer to m the aqioimtof.

damage done by the Railway construction with a view of getting the subsidy recently promised by the Minister of Public Works. The report was then adopted. THE BLACK SWAMP. _ The Chairman moved a notice standing in the name of Cr Maunsell, lo the effect " That it is desirable to borrow money under the "Loans to Local Bodies Act," to cut a straight channel through the Black Swamp, with a view of relieving the overflow of the Whareauia River.

Cr Andrew seconded the motion, which was carried without any discussion.

The Chairman moved that the sum of £IOOO be borrowed for the proposed work. Seconded by Cr Dagg and carried. THI TE ORE ORE GROINS.

Mr f. Chapman, the contractor for the Ruamahunga bridge protective works, waited upon the Council with reference to the destruction of the groins in course of erection. He pointed out that his partner—Gillespie —had the management of the work at the time of the flood which washed it away. He wasaware that the Council's specifications had not heen adhered to, but as he had suffered a double loss through the floods in the river, he asked the Council to refund him a portion of the sum he had lost by the working, about £ls

. The Engineer explained, that the fault rested entirely' with the contractor, who had his own negligence to blame for the loss, as he had failed to carry out the work according to the plans and specifications,

Several memders expressed themselves pretty strongly on the question of-contracts, contending that contractors who neglected the conditions under which they accepted work from the Council, should be the sufferers of any loss through their, own negligence.

It was resolved that the work be again let by tender, and if it was let for a less snm than Mr Chapman's tender, he be handed the difference in the prices of the tenders. THE COAL DISCOVERY. The Chairman said he had been spoken to by several persons with reference to the recent dhcovery of coal near Masterton, and it had been pointed out to him that the matter should be brought under the notice of the Government, bv some of the local bodies. He was of opinion that the Council should take the initiative, with a view of urging the Government to send an expert to report upon the find, and if the result proved satisfactory to follow it up hy sending the requisite machinery for thoroughly testing the deposit. He argued that the district was fully entitled to a-participation in the Government mining machinery if the nature of the minerals discovered warranted their use,

A resolution embodying the Chairman's views was carried, with an instruction to the Clerk to for.vard copies of it to the Members for the Wairarapa and Masterton districts, and requesting them to interview the Minister of Mines on the subject. •"" MISCELLANEOUS.' Mr 0. G. Good's application ' was granted. The consideration of a circular from the Lake County Council re amending the "Counties Act of 1886" was postponed till the February meeting. With reference to the application from the Pahiatua Road Board, the Clerk pointed out that the sum about £'i 10s, had not been collected, consequently it had been deducted from the amount forwarded to the Board, The Work's application for three weeks leave of absence from 21st insfc,, was granted. The Clerk was instructed to take the necessary steps to raise the sum of-£BBO lor the Upper Taueru itoad, and £IOOO for theJßlaok Swamp deviation, under the "Loans to Local Bodies Aob,

NOTICES OF MOTION, Cr Dagg gavo notice that at the next meeting he would move that the representation of the ridings be adjusted upon the rateable value, with a view of effecting a just division of members in the County. Cr Crewe to move" That the hour of meeting be 3 o'clock p.m, instead of 1 o'clock at present," The Council then adjourned.