WAIKATO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 910, 23 April 1878, Page 2

WAIKATO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thr usual monthly meeting of the "Waikato County Council was held at the Council Chamber, Hamilton East, on Friday last, the 12 th inst. There were present, besides the Chairman, F. It. Claude, Esq., Councillors Clarke, Cumming, Grail, Leslie, and Whyto. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. A large amount of letters, sent and received since 15th March, were read, and a balance of account dfie to Mr Gelling, valuator, was passed, and ordered to ho. paid. ELAUGHTEB IIOTJSB LICENSES. Licenses to slaughter cattle within the "Waikato County, at distances of more thau half a mile from the Borough of Hamilton, were granted to Mr -fames Thomas Boon, Kirikiriroa; Mr Robert Drabble, Taupiri; Mr W. M. Lovell, Taupiri; ' and Mr James 0. errand, Kangiriri, BRIDfIES Cr Gaxt, reported that the bridges botwoen Taupivi and llangiriri were in want of some petty repairs. He was authorized to get the necessary material, and obtain the services of a man to make good the damages. Waeraxgi Eo.U). Cr Gall reported thr> Wri'.Tangi Rangiriri road finished by the contractor, Mr Luhrs, in a satisfactory manner. On thu part of the settlers ho thanked the ; Council for the liberal assistance given, j and, stated that the road led to some excellent Government land, which no doubt would soon pass into tho hands of settler.-*,- thus indirectly returning interest to the Council on, the money expanded. .gpyxciLLOßs' exlusnsjss The Qlebk reminded Cr (fall of his intended motion in reference to tfye pay-

aucufc of the actual expenses of Councillors in attending mooting 1 -:. j Ol' Gall rnpliod that, on furtliei 1 consideration, he did not feel inclinod, at any rate for the .present, to move further in the matter. They were all at some expense more or less, and as hitherto this Council hiid been a pattern to other Counties in tho muttor of economy, it ■would be a pity to disturb tlds state of nifctii's. Ho concluded by withdrawing 1 the notice given. THE WIIA.XGAMA3MNO BRIDGE. - The Cleuk Avas" instructed to wvito to tho Colonial Scorcta-iy re-questing that tho services of an Engineer from the Public Works Department bo placed at the disposal of the Coundl for the purpose of making plans and specifications of the Whang-amarino Bridge, and to superintend the reconstruction. The Cjiaiumax stated that he hud aeon Mr James Stewart on the subject, and that gentlemen had informed him that if authority were obtained they could spare the services of an Engineer for the purpose above referred to. SHui-a? INSPECTOES DISI'EICTS. A report, was sent from the District Sheep inspector, Mr John Itunoiman, in which he suggested that tho boundary of the Waikato sheep* district be extended to include the country lying between Taupiri and Mercer. He gave the exact lines, commencing at Poi"t Waikato, and eliding at Raglan Harbours, which we need not insert, and suggested the employment of a Sub-Inspector at Raglan to inspect the sheep arriving by sea. The Clerk was instructed to write to the Secretary for Crown Lands, recommending that the boundaries may be amended, and the suggestion contained in Mr Riuiciman'fi lettfti" carried out. THE DOG TAX. A comuuication from Major Clare, the Chairman of the Cambridge North Township Highway Board, was brought to the notice of. the Council by the Chairman. It referred to the Dog Tax collected during the year by the Cambridge Town Board, and the Clerk was ordered to write i o Major Clare and obtain a return of the amount collected, in order that ths county might be enabled to carry out the provisions contained in the Counties Act, 1870, and other Acts incorporated therewith." KOX-COMI'IIANCE WITH SLAUGHTER HOUSE ' i BHGULATION3. From correspondence read, it appears that the butchers have not been so punctual m sending in returns of cattle slaughtered as is required by law. The Clerk "was instructed to carry out the provisions of the Act of last year in cases where warning has been given and remains unattended to. THE TAMAKEUE BRIDGE. : Cr. Leslie said that for years he had been desirous, on the part of the Tamahere ratepayers, to have a bridge erected on the Mangeono Creek at Crawford's Crossing. The Council, he said, were aware that one side of the crossing belonged to the Cambridge Road Board, and that consequently he was right in. expecting that they wo aid contribute to the cost of the proposed bridge, which was urgently required by numbers of the Cambridge settlers and the public generally, as well as by the riding Avhich he represented. He said that the building of this bridge had been a subject of constant talk for years past. Indeed, at the last election of councillors for the Waikato Council, its non-construction had been used (unsuccessfully) as a means to deprive him of the support of native ratepayers, who had been untruthfully informed that he had consistently refused to support the Cambridge Board in the erection of the bridge referred to. He gave the history of the business at great length, and the gist of it was that, having come to a firm determination in the interests of his constituents to do his utmost to get the bridge built, lie wrote to the Chairman of the Cambridge Board on the 17th September last. The Chairman replied on the 10th October, aud asked for plans aud specifications. In compliance with that request, Cr. Leslie sent plans and specifications to Captain . Runciman on the 19th October. On tho 1 7 th December, the Cambridge Board intimated that they had appointed Mr Jas. Forrest to confer with the Tamahere trustees in the matter of the bridge. Seven days afterwards — no commissioner having appeared — Mr Leslie wrote to the Chairman of the Cambridge Board asking 1 that Mr Forrest might be requested to appoint a day of meeting. Hearing nothing 1 further up to tho 21st January, 187S, he wrote to Captain Runciman, enclosiug a copy of his ( rfr Leslie's) letter of 24th December, and requesting him to expedite matters by an effort to induce Mr Forrest to appoint a day to meet the Tamahere trustees. Two da3*s later, u reply was received from Captain Runciman to the effect that he would instruct Mr Forrest to at once attend to the matter, but Mr Forrest did not put in an appearance till the Ist March. On that occasion, the plans aud specifications ware duly considered by the Chairman of the Tamahere Board and Mr Forrest.. The latter suggested that a bridge on piles Avould, in his opinion, answer better than the plan proposed — namely, a series of sills, one above another — jirovided tho ground was suitable. Mr Leslie knew that, previous to the plan beiug made, it had been well ascertained that the ground was unsuitable for a pile bridge. In deference, however, to Mr Forrest's objection, soundings were again carefully taken, with the. result of finding that, after forcing the iron rod through a crust of some . tliree feet, the bottom was liquid mud. Tenders Avere called for, returnable on the 20th 'March, on existing plans and specifications, and only one was received —that of Mr Reid (£95). Mr Forrest not being present to accept the tender, MiLeslie sent the tenderer to him, with a request that he would join in accepting the tender, and, on the following day, Mr Forrest called on Mr Leslie and made some objection to the plan and specification made by Mr Reid. He (Mr Forrest) suggested, instead, that Mr Richardson, of Cambridge, be invited to submit other plans and specifications, which, when completed, he (Mr Forrest) would ask Mr Reid to tender for. It was not until the 28th March that the plan above referred to was sent to Mr Leslie, but without auy specifications or communication from Mr Forrest to say that he had carried out his engagement of submitting plan and specifications to Mr Reid for tender. In short, he (Cr. Leslie) felt like a man trying to drive Avater up hill, and came to the Council in the hope that after hearing the stops he. had taken to have a more than ordinarily useful work undertaken, Councillors would at once feel itexpedient to step in and exercise tho poAver, Avhieh they undoubtedly possessed, of subsidizing the Tamahere Board to the extent of £(>0 towards the erection of a bridge qvei' the "YVangaouc Creek at CraAv ford's Crossing, such subsidy to be debited to tho Cambridge Riding. Ho concluded a long address by moving a . resolution to the foregoing object, and added that, he had notified to Captain Runohnau the action which he intended to take, as he. had no idea of stealing a march on any ouo.

Cr Ulakkk, the only member present from Mio Cambridge Hiding, sympathised with Cr Leslie' in tlio mutter, "lie agreed that the work was of great importance, and was sorry that the Cambridge Board had not acted wore definitely one way or another in the matter. He. however deprecated the at qnijo cwying of Cr Lewie's resvUitiou. t'yr the n-aawu ttp.it \i

would be well before the Council stopped in to cry again. He assured Cr Leslie that he would sec the members of the Road Board in the course of two or three days, and if he could not induce thorn to tnko_ action in the matter, then at next mooting he would vote for the motion, which avus to the effect that if by next meeting the Cambridge Board did not contribute a sum of £40 towards the erection of a bridge at Crawford's 1 Crossing 1 , to bo built under the sole superintendence of the Tamaherc Trustees, the Council wovdd vote a sum of £60 for the game purpose. Cr Leslie replied, and said that conciliation had governed his actions throughout, and he would continue that course by consenting to allow the question to stand over till next meeting, more especially as Cr Ivirkwood, the other Councillor for Cambridge, was not present to give hia opinion on the matter. The resolution was accordingly postponed. GOVERNMENT SUB3IDY. The Chairman reported that a sum of £377 7s. 4d. had been received from the Government by way of subsidy to 30th of June next, and Cr "VViiyte moved that it be appropriated to Ridings, and that a sum of £100, advanced by the County for the reconstruction of the Karapera Bridge, which has hitherto stood in abeyance, be now debited ti> the Riding in which it was expended. He admitted that in any case of difficulty it was perfectly right for the Council to ston.in and incur expense which would, as a rule, be beyond the means of a Road Board to incur, but, having built the bridge and so bridged OA'er the difficulty, he saw no reason to defer the debiting of the amount spent to the Cambridge Riding. It was not a case of impecuniosity. Ihe Cambridge Riding was as well able to carry on their own improvements as other ridings, and he felt himself responsible to his constituents for the proper distribution of comity funds. He would move as above. Or. Clarke was not prepared to dispute the justice of Cr. "Whyte's motion, but it was, in his opinion, inexpedient at this meeting to agree to it. A difference of i opinion existed as to the boundaries of Road Boards in the vicinity of the bridge in question, and, although perhaps ultimately the debit of £l'3o would have to be made against the riding, still perhaps it might be better to delay definite action for a month. Cr. VViiyte, in reply, said that the difference of opinion as to the boundaries of Road Boards did not materially affect his motion. "What the Council had to do was to debit the monoy to the riding in which it was spent, leaving Road Boards to settle their difficulties amongst themselves. He, however, had no objection to deferring the final settlement of the debit till n-;xt meeting. A motion was afterwards carried to hold the meetings at 2.30 p.m., instead of 11 a.m., which concluded the proceedings.