CAMBRIDGE BOROUGH COUNCIL

Waikato Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 2322, 28 May 1887, Page 2

CAMBRIDGE BOROUGH COUNCIL

The adjourned meeting of the above council was held on Thursday at o p.m. Present: Tho Mayor and Crs. Ha-lly, Gillct, and Clements. ..„,„, •, ■ , i CouitEsi'ONDENCK.—TheMayorsaidliehad caused a letter to be written to Mr J. B. Whyto, asking him to (inquire how it was the Government subsidy had not been iorwarded. He should not have done so if he had not seen by the paper that Hamilton had received theirs. , Letter from Mr A. L. Durneu, Auckland, asking the council to forward the books, vouchers, etc., so that he might audit them. . . Tho Mayor snid they had really nothing to do with' Mr Durrieu, their business was with the Auditor General, or who lie appointed. They had not received any notice that Mr Durrieu had been appointed, and even if he had, they ought not to send the books, as the Act distinctly said, that the auditor or his deputy should attend at tho office of the council to do tho work. _ A letter had been written to Mr Dnmou calling his attention to clauses Kib and 107 of the Municipal Corporation Act, to which a reply had been received, statins: that Mr Durrieu was quite aware of the clauses referred to, but thought that the same course mi "lit be pursued as when Cambridge was a town district. If the council persisted in his visiting Cambridge tho expense would bo greatly increased. Cr. Hal'.y : That means an extra 10 or 12 guineas. The Mayor : We don't know what to do. We have no authority to let him do the work. He is not a Government officer, and I don't think the Government intend to charge the council with the ex pence. Ihe Act says the Government may fix the cost. Cr. 'Hally : Better let tho books go down than pay £10 10s. The Mayor: I cannot -igrep. The books may be lost ; besides we havo no authority whatever to let Mr Durrieu have the books. We know that he audited the town board books, but that has nothing to do with us ; we work under another Act, which says the books shall be done at the office. Cr. Clements : Stick to the Act. Captain Tisdall comes and audits', the accounts at the post'office ; let the Government appoint him. , „ . , The Mayor said a copy of Mr Durrieu s letter containing the threat should be forwarded to the Government. Iho audit would be too lute and in a, few weeks ho should be liable to a penalty of £o for not complying with clauses 173 of the Act, lie had therefore, forwarded the following letter to the Colonial Treasurer. Cambridge. 25th May, 1887. The Hon. The Colonial Treasurer Wellington, Sir —I find by clause 173 of the Municipal Corporations Act, 1881), that it is the duty of the Mayor of every borough to furnish you with a statement of the receipts and expenditure of tho council for the financial year, and of its assets and liabilities, in such form, and with such particulais as you may require, and failing so to do, that the Mayor is liable to a penalty 'if five pounds. I beg to inform you that 1 have not received any form of tho particulars you require, and I do not think I can comply with eilher clauses 171 »r 172, as the Auditor General has not complied with clause 170 by returning the balance-sheets and statements certified to by him in time to enaole me to comply with clause 171. Yesterday boing the fourth Tuesday m May, and the, balance-sheets with auditors report not having bson yet returned I couUl not hold the special meeting as I had nothin"' to 1-iy before it—nor will the Treasurer be' able to comply with clause 172 unless he at once receives tho balancesheet." Please ad via i me how to get over the difficulty.—l have tho honour to bo, Sir, your obedient servant, John GwYNXKTii, Mayor. Tho Mayor aaid in addition to tho above letter a telegram had been forwarded to the Auditor General. It was revived that t>ie audit otfica be informed that tho conned require him to comply with the Act.---The Mayor :-;i.t(l (he pmper statements had been forwaided to tho Auditor General, and they h'i'-ir nothing further until tho 9th inst., when his (the auditor's) supposed deputy applies for th"se very statement's. Ho could suo several things that would C'iuso trouble in consequenco. From Mr T. Kirk, registrar of electors for Waikato, asking for the loan <>i (he borough roll, for the purpose of checking the county electoral roll. A reply had been went, objecting to lend the roll, and asking Mr Kirk to come, or appoint a deputy, and do it at the town clerk's office. Tho following letter was received from the IJnder-Secretary :-- Crown Lands Office, Wellington, May 9th, 1887. Sir, —T am directed to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 1 tth ultimo applying for sections in the town of Cambridge, which you represent as being covered with furze, and to inform you that many of the sections applied for are not available as an endowment. Moreover, the Burourh of Cambridge had already had an endowment to tha extent allowed by "The Land Act, 1885." H. J. H. Er.iorr, Under-Secrotary. His Worship the Mayor, Cambridge, Waikato. Received. The Mayor : They pay the rates ; that will suit us just as well.

Mr R. W. Sargent, chairman of the District High School Committee, wrote, asking for permission to take about 00 loads of gravel from one of the pits, for the purpose of gravelling the school play ground. —The Mayor objected to anyone being allowed to take gravel out of their pits. Let them arrange with the contractor who had charge of them ; then they would be kept in a good state. Whereas, if strangers were allowed to get it, the pits were broken in and tho thrown all over the place, making no end of work for the council men when next they went for any. After some discussion, tho Mayor proposed and Cr. Hally seconded, " That the chairman of the High School Committee be informed that the council have no objection to their having 00 loads of gravel, providing they can arrange terms for carting with the contractor who has charge of the pit."— Carried'. The Mayor thought the gravel pits should bo feneoii."— It was resolved to erect a gate with a one-panel fence on each side, at each of the council pits and to charge the public (id per load.—Cr. Clements: Someone will soon open n private pit.—The Mayor : Very well ! We want all wo have got. The ;:1 -rlc to the Waikato County Council wrote as follows : — Kirikiriroii, March 11th, 1837. The Town Cloik, Cambridge. Kir,—Ju reply to your letter of the 7th inst., I beg to inform, you that no agreement was ever entered into by tb,e Waikato County Council with the Waipa Council for maintenance of the Cambridge bridge that I enn recollect. I believe, although I have not seen the _ authority, that it consisted of an Order in-Council, placing tho bridere under control of Waipa, and ordering Waikato to bear half the cost, and as Waikato did not object, as the the bridge is or was mainly for the benefit of the Cambridge Town District Riding, Waikato's silence may to taken for consent. I have applied to tho clerk of Waipa Council for a copy of tho authority.—Yours faithfally, J. MoPhkuson, Clerk Waikato County Council. The Mayor (said the Waipa Council had not replied, and it appeared ns if they did not intend to, for by the papers he saw they were taking steps to get Cambridge let in for a third of the cost of the maintenance of the bridge.—Cr. Clements moved, and Cr. Hally seconded, " That the clerk write to the Minister of Public Works, informing him that this council is of opinion that the maintenance of the Waikato bridge at Cambridge should be divided between the Counties of Waipa, Waikato, and Piako, and the B,orough of Gamby.idgo, in proportion to the respective rateable value of eaoh local body, in accordance with the Public Works Act, 1882, clause 88, and the Amendment, 188-1, clauses 10 and 11."— Carried.—Cr. Clements : We arc the parties to have control of the bridge.—The Mayor : No, no ! We don't want it. It would only bring extra trouble.—Cr. Gillett: The Minister of Public Works should be told that we Ica-vo the matter in his hands to assess the proportions to be paid.--The Mayor: That is what wo arc. doing.— After a considorabs period had bean taken up in digo-ting the Rating Act, the Mayor said it would be necessary to give notice that a rate would be struck. After some discussion it was resolved that the rough estimate of the proposed revenue and expenditure for tho financial year be approved, and that notice be given in terms of the Act, that it is tho intention of the council to meet on the 14th Juno for tho purpose of making a rate of Id in tho £ for the year ending March 31st ISSB, payable in one sum to tho treasurer on August Ist, 1887—Tho Mayor : We have an ow.rdCuit, find I think the ratepayers should pay up quickly when August comes round.—Town gievki It w\U be long after that date, be-

fore it is in.—The Mayor : Not if I have anything to do with it. It was resolved that tho Mayor and Cr. Hally ge,t the necessary repairs done to tho roof of the Public Hall. The pound accounts for tho month showed a credit balance of £!) Is 5d. —Cr. Clements drew the attention of the council to one item in the accounts, viz. a foal that had boon sold for ll*, and had cost them 28s. He thought the pnundkeeper should have sold it an earlier date, as ho must have know it would not realise the cost of keeping.—Tho Mayor thought the pound ought to bo closed ; they were keeping it for the benefit of the ncigdbouring counties ; usually at a great loss. Wo do not want it as wo have power under the By-laws to deal with strayed horses, or cattle. Cr. Clements thought they ought to discharge the ranger. If that was done ho thought the pound would not cost them anything. Tho Mayor gave notice that at tho next meeting of the council he should move, that tho pound bo done away with from July Ist. The account was received and passed It was resolved to hold the next meeting of tho council, on the 14th June, and hereafter on the second Tuesday in each month, as formerly. Tho Mayor laid a copy of the Cambridge and Hastings Validation Bill upon the table. Accounts amoimtingt £52 19s, were passed for payment. A Sobnk. — Or. Gillctt asked the council to grant a small sum of money to assist Mr J. 11. S. Richardson in making a drain to cany off tho water that ran from the road on to his land. Ho understood that both tho domain and road boards had granted £4 each to assist in the undertaking. Mr Richardson was a large ratepayer, and was always a good payer, and he thought it was only right that they should join with the other local bodies in helping to rid him of tho matter. The Mayor : There is no water on the road. —Cr. Gillctt: No, but when it rains it runs off tho road on to his land. —The Mayor : The land has always been a swamp, and when Mr Richardson took it he must have been aware of it. If we do this we shall have the Chapel-street people applying to us to drain the paddock that the water flows on to from that street. I should be glad to assist Mr Richardson if we could, but I contended we cannot legally do so ; besides it would be setting a bad example.—Cr. Gillett proposed and Cr. Clements seconded, that the sum of £2 be contributed towards making a drain opposite Mr Richardson's domain property in Thornton road.—Cr. Lewis (who had just entered tho room): There are plenty of places in a similar position. —The Mayor: It is illegal. We have no right to spend ratepayers' money in that way, and I shall strenuously oppose it. Tiio sum is but small, but it is the start. —Cr. Clements: Mr Richardson is a good fellow, and he lias several times found his own horses and drays and done work for the Town Board free of cost, and are we not to help him to the extent of £2 now that we have the opportunity ? Upon the motion being put it was carried, Crs. Gillett, Clements and Hally voting for it and the Mayor against. The Mayor: I muit ask the town clerk to enter my emphatic protest against it.--Cr. Clements : I object. Take it with a good grace.; it is only a paltry £2.—The Mayor: I cannot'.—Cr. Clements : We lost the day over tli3 saleyards, an 4 took it in good p.irt, I think.—The Mayor: Or. Clements you are out of order. —Cr. Clomrsnt-: Then not another word out of me. I shall never sit and sec scenes such as I have witnessed in this room.—Cr. Lewis : I don't know if I am in order, but I should not like to see the protest in print. —Tho Mayor : You are out of order, Cr. LTwis.—Cr. Clements : I understood you had the right of a casting vote, b'.it not of protesting,—The Mayor: I have tho s-.uuo right ;is any other councillor.—-Cr. Clomonts : \Ve shall ba on tho Hamilton racquet by and bye. I shall not- bo hero long, and I should have liked for us to have pulled together while ivs are here.—The Mayor: So should J. I have acted leg illy. Our bye-laws provide for it. —Cr. Clements: It i< a paltry sum to make a row over. The subject til; -, !! dropped. Or. Low is gave notice of motion that a solicitor be appointed, and that the printing and advertising h'. let by tender. This closed the business.