WAIRARAPA NORTH COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume IX, Issue 2870, 11 April 1888, Page 2

WAIRARAPA NORTH COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the Council was held on Tuesday afternoon. Pres-ent-Messrs T. Mackay (chairman), R. Maunsell. E. von Reden, R. D. Dagg,D.Crewe,and E.E. Meredith. Cr Thomas Mackay was unanimously re-elected Chairman for the ensuing year.

The previous meeting's minutes were read and confirmed.

Correspondence outwards was read, and also correspondence inwards, the latter being as follows:

From J. S. Handyside, apologising for absence from the meeting. Wm. IJ. Beetham, saying that owing to his being away with Mr W. C. Buchanan, M.H.R., inspecting the Central Bailway, he would be unable to attend. Constable Oollerton, re complaints as to Win. Riddle, of the Taueru, selling meat in Tenui, ' Pahiatua Eoad Board, forwarding statement of 'accounts up to the 81st March, 1888, showing a credit balance of £412 4s lid. Pahiatua Town Board, forwarding similar return, showing a debit of £24 Os 2d. Property Tax Department, advising issue of certificates for payment of £249 7s 4d advance on subsidy for 1887-88. C. Goddard, 0. E. Beokmaj), A. R. Buuny, 'John Tuck, T. a Williams', and the Bank of New Zealand, asking prices of road frontages to their sections at Eketahuua, H. Andersen and Co., applying for neriniiision to lay a tramway

across the main road, Hastwell's. A. McHutcheon, intimating result of Native meeting, on the question of renewing lease of Native land at Aohonga Ferry. General Grown Lands Office, re removal of obstructions from tlie Road Reserve in the Pahiatua Town District. Chief Surveyor, re Gravel Reserves at Mangatainoka. Provincial District Auditor, re Councillors' travelling allowances. Commissioner of Crown Lands, asking if sections 3to 6, Mauriceville East, shall he reserved for gravel purposes. A. W-. Sedcole, re collecting rates in Pahiatua District. M. Neilson, asking for payment of £l, for Council's cheque lost. G. Bottomby, re slaughtering license. Wellington College and Girls' High School, notifying lease of certain sections in Mangaone District to J..and T. 0. Kerr and Arthur Burling. Chief Surveyor, re Gravel Reserves at Pahiatua. J. S. Handyside, forwarding £l9 Is Bd, sheep ferry tolls at Akitio River, Ist January to 15th March, 1888. Treasury, •advising remittance of £232 18s Bd,' on account of grant No. 47, construction of main roads. Report of Arbitrators, regarding matters in dispute between the Council and Castlepoint Road Board, showing that the amount of £B2 7s 3d is due by the Board, to which has to be added cost of theCouncil's timber used by the Board in repairing Tenui Bridge; and also" £2O for metalling Eketahuna-Temu Road, if not already laid out by the Board. Masfcerton Road Board, Eketahuna Road Board, Akitio Road Road Board, Alfredton Road Board, Castlepoint Road Board, Pahiatua Road Board, Mauriceville Roadßoard, and Upper Taueru Road Board, re taking over County roac 1 . GENEBAL. H. Andersen & Co's application for a tramway crossing was granted. It was decided that if Mr M. Neilson furnished the Council with a statutory declaration that the £1 cheque had been lost by him before he •had m any way negotiated it, they would issue a fresh cheque for the amount. Regarding gravel reserves as mitten about by the Chief Surveyor, the Clerk was instructed to take the steps required by the Act to proclaim ohe reserves. H. Neilson's application for a slaughtering license was granted. ' PAHIATUA MAIN ROAD.

Regarding the handing over of this road to the Pahiatua Town Board,'a report was received through Cr Crewe, which had been' prepared by J. W. Beaufort, surveyor, at the request of the Board, and which .showed that the road could, with the exception of metalling, be put in order for £IBO. Cr Crewe said that what was wanted was for the Council to hand over the road and assist in the works. It was agreed to leave the matter over until the coming year's estimates of proposed works had shown what funds were available. ■ AOHONOA FERRY RESERVE. The Chairman said that he understood a Native Lands Court Sitting was shortly to be held in Masterton, aud that this reserve was one that would be dealt with at it.- He therefore thought they might defer action meanwhile. The natives, it might be mentioned, asked for a rent of £4O per annum, or £1 per acre, for a fourteen years lease, and the report received from the Council's representative considered this too high. TAKING OYER MAIN ROADS, The replies from the various load Boards concerned in this question were read and discussed.

The Chairman was hot in favor of the proposed change. If some Boards took over the roads and others did not, the County functions would still have to be corned on and there would be double expense. It appeared to him that unless the Boards were unanimous, nothing could be done in the direction of an alteration. Some of jtlie Boards assented to the change, others negatived it, and the remainder asked for more particulars, which, if supplied, might still be insufficient. If there had been only, say, three large Boards something might have been done, but with so many small ones the scheme was impracticable. Or von Keden explained that the proposition was intended to include the handing over to the Boards of the whole of the rates, and that they should get works done out of them. Cr Dagg expressed himself in favor of a change of system. The rates under existing methods were high, and it seemed that there were several levies for the same thing. He thought that what was asked was simply the abolition of the county staff altogether on the ground of economy. The Chairman and Cr Maunsell pointed out the objections that would exist were the Road Boards left to do what they liked with the roads. There would be no one' to define the condition in which the roads should be maintained and in some quarters they would sure to be neglected.

.The Chairman remarked that at present the County Engineer was referred to by the Road Boards to a very great extent. He also spoke.of the difficulty of affording the information whioh some of the Boards were bound to require, before the matter was settled, as so far the proposal had only put the matter in the crude form of" Will you take over the roads ?" Cr Meredith sympathised with the movement for some change, as the ratepayers felt that they were being unduly taxed, but he did not altogether agree with the way in which the proposal had been expressed. He thought it was absurd for the Road Boards to have to get the Council to strike a rate for them, for if the change was made, it certainly should be in their power to strike their own rates, Cr Yon Eeden said that he intended, when moving his motion, that the Road Boards should strike and collect their own rates. Cr Maunsell said lie knew that the question of dual rating had always been a sore point. He thought the only way to deal with the matter was for one body to levy the whole rate, collect it, and then cut up and proportionately distribute the receipts. The Chairman considered that it had no! been proved that the abolition of the Council would at all tend in

the direction of economy,' fie did not think, for instance, that a number of engineering experts could be found available in the different districts at a less cost than the present County Engineer. In any case he.thqiijß that the move fo,r any ohange shouul come spontaneously from the people and not be one that was advocated more by the governing body. The ratepayers had, when the opportunity was given them at the elections, not evinced auy desire for the abolition of the Comity Council. It was the ratepayers office to move, not the Council's. If the former were dissatisfied then they should be left to appeil.

Cr Meredith ssid that what was advocated was really a reversion to the kind of road government that originally existed when each Road - Board looked after its own roads. The Chairman remarked that what they had to do was to decide whether they could take action on the replies received. He considered that as there, was such a diversity among the Road 1 Boards, that alone, would anything being done. Further discussion ensued, and, finally Or Dagg moved that "inasmuch as the replies from the Road Boards are not unanimous, the matter be deferred for the present, with a viewed ■ the ratepayers taking action matter, and giving an expression ot their opinion as a guide to the Council for future action." ■ ...-,„. This was seconded by Cr Meredith and carried. - DEPUTATION, _ Mr W. Jessen interviewed the Council regarding the high charges in the account for engineering, etc., rendered to the Mauriceville Road Board, and solicited a reduction. . Mr Jessen was asked to confer with the Finance Committee on this matter at its next meeting. Mr Jessen also complained of the bad state of the road from Mangamahoe to the Camp, and to the prevalence of old slips on it. It would \C soon be impassable, and some • repairs " should be effected. The Council promised to bear this complaint in mind, when considering the estimates for the coming year's works.

EKETAHUNAROAD FRONTAGES. TjLk The Clerk was instructed to stjjf^' 1 to the Property Tax Department for information regarding the value of adjoining sections, so that prices could be fixed for the frontages to freehold sections in order that owners could purchase. SELLING MEAT IN TESUI.

The Chairman said that as regarded the complaint against Mr Win. Riddle of selling meat in Tenui, the Act allowed anyone to slaughter cattle, and to sell meat without a license, provided -lie did not kill more than two head of large cattle per week. It was decided that the Inspector should be supplied with a copy of the Act, and be told that there had been no breach of it so far. TRAVELLING. ALLOWANCES. The Finance Report was read. It mentioned that the Provincial District Auditor had disallowed certain travelling expenses to the amouaLof £34 2s 4d, which had been -Sprtioned according to the Council's scale, he maintaining, and quoting the Act, that only actual expenses, supported by sub-vouchers, should he paid. The Finance Committee reported that they had instructed the Clerk to communicate with the Audit Department, and ask why certain Councillors' travelling expenses only had been singled out, while no exception had been taken to previous payments to other Councillors, which had been made on exactly the same basis.

The Finance Report was adopted. ACCOUNTS. Annual statements of accounts from various Road Boards were presented and read by the clerk, and the Council's own accounts, as recommended by the finance Committee, were passed for payment, the £540 LOAN. The special order striking a rate for the Upper Taueru loan of £540 was confirmed. . engineer's report, Jt The Engineer's report was raid.' He was authorised to repair the southern approach to the Waingawa bridge immediately, It was resolved that the necessary notice under the act be at once given to Mr Tomlinson, that the Council intends taking gravel from his section No, 48, Block G, Mangaone. OPAKI-MANAWATU ROAD. The Engineer was authorised to expend £3O between the main saddle and Hastwell's Plat, and if practicable, to use a better class of metal.

the 1879 £SOOO LOAN,

Or Meredith moved, Or vou Eeden seconded, and it was carried, that steps be taken to ascertain whether the holders of debentures in the £SOOO loan raised in 1879, are prepared to agree to the Council redeeming the same at once, if the necessary amount can be borrowed under the Government Loans to Local Bofe Act. 0 The £SOOO loan referred to above has, since it was borrowed, been equally divided between the North and South Counties, each Council being responsible for £2500 of it, The debentures were for 20yearsfrom 1879, and seven per cent interest is being paid on thorn. The proposal is therefore one of conversion. Debenture holders are to be asked if they will agree to receive their principal at ouoe, and the money to pay them off is to be borrowed from the Government at 5 per cent, a rate which is both sinking fund and interest too, and repays the whole of the principal in 26 years. THE £260 TMJERTJLOAN. The Clerk was instructed to take the initiatory steps towards raising the £260 loan for the Upper Taueru District, by calling a meeting of ratepayers and otherwise complying }M) the Act. 'jr WHEEL TIRE BY-LAW, Instructions were given that adver. tisements should be published, and notices posted of the coming into operation again on the first of May, of the Wheel-Tire By-law, and whioh continues in force until 30th Septem,,

ber, to then again cease during the summer months. MASTERTON-WAIMATA ROAD. It was resolved on the motion of fiaMaunsell, seconded by Cr Mackay, ml the Chairman be authorised to expend any sum of money that the Castlepomt Board may vote for tho purpose of metalling that portion of the Masterton-Waimata Road botween tho lower Mangapakeha Bridge and Race-course Hill, if that Board should vote money from its funds for that purpose, to be expended by the County Council. This concluded the business of tho ordinary meeting. COMMITTEE MEETING. Afterwards, in the evening, a committee meeting was held for the purpose of going into the estimates, and considering the works for the ensuing year, the result of which, together with the Engineer's annual report, will be brought up at tho next Council meeting.