WAIKATO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 958, 13 August 1878, Page 3

WAIKATO COUNTY COUNCIL.

The usual monthly meeting of the above Council was held at the Council Chamber, Hamilton East, on Friday, the 9th instant. Present: Councillors F. R. Claude (Chairman), G. E. Clarke, W. Cumming, Pi Leslie, and J. B. Whyte. The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, a letter was read from the Crow" Lands Office intimating that the Government had declined, upon publicjgrounds, to grant the exchange of land applied for by Mr L. B. Harris, at Pukete School Reserve; also, a memorandum from Mr James Stewart, Government Engineer, forwarding plans and specifications for a new bridge at Whangamarino Creek, near Mercer. The Clerk was ordered to have them copied .for the guidance of the contractor, and to advertise for tenders for the work as early as possible. The Chairman reported, in reference to the above work, that he had heard in Auckland that the Government had paid to the Manukau County their share of the £40,000 grant, without . deducting the amount promised by Col. Whitmore as that county's contribution to the bridge. He (the Chairman) immediately telegraphed to the Colonial Secretary, asking if the Government would still guarantee to pay the Manukau County's share of the expense, and had received a reply in the affirmative.

A rather long discussion ensued initiated by Cr. Clark, as to the desirability of representing to the Government the inexpediency of continuing County Councils to retain the power given to them by the 36th and 60bh clauses of the Counties Act, 1876 : that is, the power to alter the boundaries of, or abolish ridings, or decrease or add to the number of Councillors ; and it was agreed that the following suggestions be forwarded to the Hon. F. Whitaker, M.H.R. for Waikato, with a request that he would bring them to the notice of the Govern, merit, either through the Conference of Councillors, now assembled at Wellington or in the House, as he deemed best: 1. That; the Cuuncil be entrusted with the control and disposal of Waste Lands within the County. 2. The granting of the Publican's and Auctioneers' Licenses. 3. That portion of the statutes ot 1.876, relative to the tax upon dogs be ammended so as to clearly define whether the County or the Road Board are to levy the tax. 4. That Councillors retire iu rotation annually, instead of in a body at the end of three years as provided by the Act. 5. That it iB desirable to transfer from tha Council to the Governnisnt the power contained in clauses 36 and 60 of the Couuties. Act, 1876. And, sixthly, to call the attention of the Government to the unworkable nature of the Slaughter-house Act, 1876. The foregoing were telegraphed to Mr Whitaker on Saturday. Councillor Cummiug, in accordance with notice advertised in the Waikato Times moved, .that his resolution altering the boundaries of ridings and amending the representation thereof carried at a special meeting of the Council, held on the 28th June, and boundaries formally settled as shown on a plan laid on the table of the Council, at a meeting on 12th July last, be now confirmed.

Cr. Whyte seconded the resolution. lie considered that the question bad been already fully discussed, and he would not occupy time in saying anything mote about it. Or. Chirk said that although perhaps he would not be able to induce Crs. to change their minds, he would move ail amendment to Or. Cummiug's motion which would in his opinion be a fair and honorable settlement of the question at issua, and give them a final opportunity of withdrawing from the wrong position in which they had placed themselves. He reviewed the arguments which had been advanced by Cr. Cumuiiug and his supporters both, iu and out of Council at considerable length, and concluded by informing them that if they persisted in carrying this resolution they would leave the Council Chamber with "the brand of Cain upon their foreheads," He moved his amendment, viz., " That the representation of County Waikato be amended by taking one Cr. from Tamahere, and giving three Crs. to Cambridge and Kirikiriroa, making the entire representation of the County as follows, viz. 3 Crs. to Cambridge, 3 to Kirikiriroa, 1 to Tamahere, 1 to Rangiririmaking eight Crs. in all. Cr. Clarke added that by his atuendnent even justice would bo done to all parties and the balance of power adjusted in a satisfactory manner. Cr. WII3 te was of opinion that the amendment would be the reverse of satisfactory, as it would place the Council virtually at the mercy of the chairman, who could

i decide all questions at issue by his [ casting- vote,' I Ci\ Claude agreed with Cr. j Whyte, that an even number of J members in the Council as proposed by Cr. Clark, would not work well. The position of die chrirmaw would be distastelul to any one, and in reference to an accusation made by Ci*. Clark, that an injustice to the County was being donj by the dis. franchisement of Tama here, he stated that in the opinion of the movers the alterationwould.be beneficial, and if ho wished to retort ho might say, that Cr. Clark and others were doing a great wrong to the County in thei«« endeavor to alienate a valuable portion of it to form a new County, thus leaving Kirkiriroa alond to support the thinly populated and expensive ridiug of Rangiriri. Cr. Leslie in seconding the amendment said, in answer to the remarks of the chairmau, that if the formation of the new County was an injustice they had only themselves to blame for it, as the movers in tlie matter had been driven to that course by tht unjust disfranchisement of the riding of Tamabere. Cr. Whyte here remarked that he did not think the formation of the new County was a Dosition into which the movers had just been "driven," He imagined he had heard of it, before.

Cr. Leslie admitted that it was not a recently formed idea, but there was no immediate intention of carrying it out. Had Councillors abstained from the action they were now taking, the County might have remained intact.

The Chairman put Cr. Clark's amendment, which was negatived : —Against: Crs. Claude, Cumming, and Whyte. For :—Crs. Clark and Leslie.

The original motion was then put and carried :—For : Crs. Cumming, Claude, and Whyte. Against: Crs. Clark and Leslie. A conversation ensued as to the expenditure of the portions of the Government Grant, appropriated to ridings, and jit was agreed that the course before laid down be adhered to —that is, that certain works be named upon which the money must be spent, and vouchers for the expenditure rendered to the Council.

This concluded the business.