WAIKATO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XI, Issue 895, 19 March 1878, Page 2

WAIKATO COUNTY COUNCIL.

The usual monthly meeting of the Council was held on Friday last. There were present: The Chairman (F. R I Claude, Esq.), Crs. Clarke, Cummins; Gall, and Whyte. °' ACCOUNTS. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, the correspondence was gone through, and the following accounts were ordered to be paid, chargeable to the general account, viz.: — £ s d Mr Luhr's Waerangi Road Contract ... ... 137 10 0 Mr Sandes, professional services ... ... ... 9 12 0 Mr Hammond, stationery ... 1 710 Mr Gelling, services as valuator ... ... i# , 15 0 0 Sundry small accounts ... 4 5 8 Total ... ... £167 15 6 ENGINEERING WORK. The Clerk reported that he had forwarded to Mr Seddon, for perusal, the Engineer's report on the Cook-street road drains, and he read a letter from that gentleman, m reply. In compliance with a request made to him by the Council, Mr T. G. Sandes submitted a schedule of rates at which he is prepared to do any survey or engineering work required by the Council. — Crs. Cuiirming and Whyte were appointed, a committee to confer with Mr Sandes on the subject, as well as to arrange one or two questions of account with the Hamilton Borough Council. DOG TAX. ! The Clerk reported that he had written to the Chairman of the Cambridge Town Board, requesting him to pay to the county fund account any money collected as a tax on dogs by his Board, but had received no reply. He was instructed to write again. PROPOSED FENCING AND SHEEP ACTS. , The Chairman laid upon the table copies of proposed Fencing and Sheep Acts, which, had been received from the office of the Colonial Secretary, with a view to the Council making sugguestions regarding them. He added that it was intended they should be passed next ssssion, and he had sent a copy of the Sheep Act to Mr Runciman, Inspector of sheep, with a request that he would favor the (Jouncil with any suggestions he might offer to improve the Bill. THE INSPECTOR OF SHEEP. The Chairman also reported that m accordance with the resolution passed at the previous meeting he had written to the Colonial Secretary recommending that an adequate salary be paid to the Inspector of Sheep, and that his district . boundaries be altered to include the country lying between Taupiri and Razorback. He had received a reply notifying that a salary of £150 had been granted to Mr Runciman, to date from July last year, and that the boundaries would be altered as requested if the Inspector could take charge of so large a district. The Clerk was iustructed to write to Mr Runciman on the subject. Cr. GaR reported that Mr Luhrs, the contractor for the Rangiriri Waerangi swamp road, had finished his I work m amost excellent manner. The Engineer also reported very favorably on the character of the work done by Mr Luhrs ; but it was found that to make the whole road complete a further expenditure of £40 was necessary, and as Mr Luhrs had his working tools on the ground,he Cr. Gall, moved that the Council appropriate a further sum of £40 for road work m the Rangiriri Out-district, that the Engineer be instructed to draw out specifications at once, and that the contract be given to Mr Luhrs, who he believed would be willing to take it at the value put upon it as above stated. The motion was seconded by Cr. Cumming and agreed to. SUBSIDIES TO ROAD BOARDS. The application for the sum of £100 for road work by the late Hamilton East Town Board was taken into consideration together with an application by the Ejrikiriroa Board for a sum of £150 for road work very urgently, and for a long time required by the settlers m the neighbourhood of Taupiri. Cr Whyte said that as no doubt aU the ridings required money for road work at the present time, it might be as well to at once appropriate the whole of the balance standing to the credit of the county at the bank. The Chairman stated that he had looked over the accounts that morning, and he thought an appropriation of five shillings m the pound of rates collected by ridinsrs for the year ended 3 1st, March, 1878, could conveniently be made. Cr. Whyte, therefore, moved that the amount named by the Chairman be appropriated, as stated, and that the Councillors for I__rilririroa form a committee to settle what amount of the sum credited to their riding was due to the Borough for Hamilton East Town Board. The motion, was seconded by Cr. Cumming and carried. HOUSE OF MEETING. Cr. Clarke stated that the Chairman and Cr. Gall, who both Uved at a distance, appeared to lose a day more than was necessary m attending the Council, owing to the early hour of meeting. He, therefore, gave notice that he would move, at the next monthly meeting, that the . hour of assembling be altered from 11am. to 2 p.m., so that these gentlemen might, by leaving home on the morning of the day of meeting, be m time to attend the meeting of the Council. The Chairman read a communicetion from Cr. Leslie notifying his inability to to attend the meeting on account of illhealth. The Council then rose, and Crs. Whyte and Cumming, with the Chairman, met and arranged the amount of subsidy, payable to Hamilton East. This concluded the business.