WAIKATO COUNTY COUCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XII, Issue 986, 17 October 1878, Page 2

WAIKATO COUNTY COUCIL.

The usual monthly meeting of the above Council was held at the Council Chamber, Hamilton Bast, on Friday last, the 11th instant. Preseut : Councillors Claude (Chairman), Cumming, Kirkwood, Gall, Clark, Leslie and White. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, and the correspondence gone thorough, the following accounts 1 were passed and ordered to be paid, viz. :— T. G. Sandes, ballance of account, £1 lls; T. G. Sandes, £7 4s 6d ; Wilsons & Horton £10 Is 6d ; Waikato Times, <£8 lls 9J ; Government Stationery Office, 4s; Wm. Birrs, £2 17s, aud Wm. Reynolds, £1 ; Thames Borough Council, £4; total, £35 9s 9d. THE HIDING ACCOUNTS. The Clerk having reported that, although the accounts to the 30th September were closed, he had been unable yet to finally balance the riding accounts, it waß unanimously resolved to hold an extra and final meeting on Friday, the Ist day of November next, to close all matters of business as far as practicable, before the general election, which takes place before the second Wed_ nesday m November (13th ult.). APPOINTMENT OF RETURNING OFFICER. The Chairman notified that it was necessary to appoint a Returning Officer tor the County, and Cr. Leslie moved that William Nicholas Searancke be appointed. — Cr. Why te seconded the motion, which was agreed to. The Clerk was instructed to have that portion of the Piako Swamp Road which passes through private lands conveyed to the County as early as possible. RANGIRIRI RIDING. A long report on, and estimate of. the cost of works necessary m the Rangiriri Riding was submitted by Mr T. G. Sandes, and read by the Chairmnn. The cost of the works proposed amounted to about £500, and, as it would require much time and careful consideration to decide the question, Cr. Leslie proposed thai it be allowed to stand over till the next meeting. — Cr. Clark seconded. Cr. Gall strongly objected to the delay, but the proposition, having been put by the Chairman, waß carried. COUNCIL CHAMBERS. The Chairman and Cr. Whyte, having appointed a committee at lust meeting to arrange for the removal and improvement ot the Council Chambers, laid on the table a plan prepared by Mr T. H White, which was generally approved, but Cr. Clark, considering the moribund condition of the Council, T.oved that the matter be deferred to be dealt with by the new Council. — Cr. Kirkwood seconded. Cr. Whyte stated that he regretted to join m delaying a work Which was urgeutly necessary ; the present acconiodation was very indifferent, on account of the want of ceiling. If a smart shower of rain fell duriug a sitting, Councillors could not make themselves heard. As it was, however, only the matter of a month he would not move au amendment. Th 9 question was put and carried. THE HAMILTON BOROUGH CLAIM. The Chairman read a letter from the Clerk of the Hamilton Borough «nviu°" cover to a resolution of tho Borough Council m reference to a sum of £100 said to have been due to, and withheld from the Municipality by the Waikato County Council. Cr. Leslie expressed some surprise as he had no rec >lleetion ot the action taken by the Council of the nature indicated. The Chairman stated that it was without doubt a mistake w hich could berectified by a letter, and the Clerk was instructed to write accordingly. SCAB. Cr. Leslie said ho wished to call the attention of the Council to a matter which he considered of the upmost importance to the farmers aud settlors generally, not only of the Waikato, bub of th^ adjoining districts of Waipi, Piako aud Raglan. It might not be generally known, but tlie fact was, that scab

had been disc > vcr.nl m a flyuk of «haep m the Waipa district. They had been purchased from Auckland and were as bad as it w s possible for sheep to be— fortunately, they wore the property of a farmer, who, aided by our efficient and energetic Shepp inspector would do everything possible to eradicate and prevent the spread of the disease. This outbreak rendered it (m Cr. Leslie's opinion) imperative on the part of the Council to make a representation to the Government of the absolute necessity of making sufficient and immediate provision for the efficient inspection of sheep The district was much indebted to the Inspector for the really patriotic . manner m which he had, at some pecuniary loss, carried out to everybody's satisfaction the difficult duties of his appointment, but it was unreasonable, even absurd, to expect that Mr Runchnan could continue to go on as he had done For a considerable time, he had had to perform the duty without salary. Subsequently he received £75 per annum, and last year, when a sum of £300 was appropriated by the Government to the purpose, the remuneration was raised to £150, a sum which he need scarcely say was quite inadequate. The Inspector of Sheep had to possess a knowledge of disease m sheep which few men, fortunately, m Waikato had any opportunity or desire to acquire. To enable him to perform his duty, he ha* to keep one or more horses, so as to be continually jon the move. His district, although not too large for efficient inspection, was extensive, and would entirely occupy his time, and, for this, he was doled out a miserable pittance, little more than the wages of a firsfc-class laborer, and certainly less than che pay of an assistant shopman or indifferent tradesman. Cr. Leslie stated that he was aware that the Government were doing something m the matter of sheep inspection but m the meantime were we to lose the services of our Inspector (and he had given intimation of his intention to resign, unless he is better paid) and allow disease to spread without check through- ' out the district, while the Government were maturing their plans to be carried out m the indefinite future. He moved, that a respectful representation be made to the Government, of the urgent and immediate necessity of increasing', the salary cf the "Waikato Inspector of Sheep, Mr John Runciman, from £150 to £300 per annum. Ur. Clark supported the motion, and spoke very highly of Mr Runciman, and Cr. Kirkwood m seconding the motion, added to the testimony given by previous speakers. He stated that the spread of the disease was almost a certainty. He had seen starlings on the backs of sheep, hunting for ticks. These birds would carry the disease from one flock to another. He had no doubt sparrows also carry infected wool for their nests. The motion was agreed to, and the Clerk instructed to make the necessary representation to the Government, with as little delay as possible. The business of the meeting having been ended, a gentleman introduced a fish, six and a-half inches m length, which he strongly suspected to be a young salmon, and stated that boys m the neighbourhood of the Hamilton punt were catching them by the hundred he piscatory recollections of Councillors being rather uncertain on the subjoct, a quantity of real salmon, not alive, but preserved m a tin, upon which was pasted a likeness, the real Simon pure, was obtained from Harris's store, and tLe absence of a second dorsal fin on our 1 ttle fish pronounced it to be a sprat.