WAIPA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2899, 12 February 1891, Page 3

WAIPA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thk usual monthly meeting of tho Waipa County Council was hold in the Council Chambers, Ohaupo, at J l. a.m., yesterday. Present; Cm. Ton.-'dalt:, Smith, Kxolby, Shepherd, and Knsabs. Mr A. Armstrong. County Endued-, was also in ntti'.iuhiice. In this* iibsonci) of tho chairman, Or. Lang, on tlio motion of O. Sniitli, .-econded by Cr. Kusabs Cr. Teasdalo was voted to the chair. .Kxi;inki-:r's liKi'OKT.—Ln ln« monthly report the [engineer .stated that owing to harvesting'operations, * 3 ' ,,t 'i' l '" progress has been made diiriiitr the past month, witli tho contracts in linnd, anil in consequence, ho had thought it bettor not to call for tenders for the work on the KihikihiCambridge road until next meeting. The contractors for the work on tho Tuhikara-niea-.Alexandru road have cone on with the gravelling, and a fair start has been made by the contractor:! for forming tho Whata-whata-Tuhikaramea road. A number of planks had boon replaced on Hall's and Thomas' bridges, on the Hamilton-Xgarua-wuhia road. In company with Cr. Shepherd lio inspected the side drains along tho j [amilton-Wbntawbata Swamp road, and he Hstimated that tho worst parts of these drain? could be cleaned out tor about t>l "J, thus rotluuiiifcf too level of the w.iter along Hie sides of tho road through tho swamp during tho coming winter. Mr Mawhinney was met them while inspecting these drains, and ho said lie was prepared to keep the drains in front of his (pwu property cleaned out if tho Council would keep the main drain in guod working order. Tim engineer suggested that, considering the \aluc of tho work to the owners of the adloining properties, thoy might assist Mr .Mawhinney in this mutter. Tho small bridge at the railway station, which was damaged by a traction engine last season, should be replaced with a box rnlvert, and the small bridge on the Kranktoii Road, tho piles of which are in uii advanced stiito of decay, should be re-placed by a set of L'l-ineh pipes.—Cr. Shepherd said that there wa3 no doubt something should bo done on the Whata•.vhata Swamp Koad, and he moved that the works recommended by the engineer be proceeded with forthwith.— Seconded by Cr. Exelby and carried. —Cr. Shepherd said he had an offer from Mr Mivwhinucy to do this work, and as both he and t'.ie engineer thought it a reasonable one it was decided to accept it.—Cr. Kxelby proposed that cha bridges neat iYa.uk ton be replaced as recommended in tho engineer's roport.—Seconded by Cr. Shepherd and carried.—The engineer was instructed to call for Lenderd fur various works to bo in at next meeting. (rUAVKLLiNi;.—Mr C. Hibbs called tho uttoatioii of tliu Council to tho necessity of gravolling the portion of the Ohaupo Hamilton road ruuning along his property, as tho road was next to impassable in winter and people going to and from Ohaupo had to go round bv Tamaheio to got to Hiunilton, As the amount of road roquirod to bo done was considerable he suggested that the Council do it in portions as tho funds will allow.—Tho h'neineer said the job would bo an expensive one as the griivel would hnvo to b« carted dist nice and tho road would require to ho re-formed before il could bo put on.—The matter was referred to the engineer to report, on at next meeting. Slauohtkhino Licenses.—Renewals uf slaughteiinu licenses whiv granted to the following :— J. Cassidy, Ohaupo; Moran and Greaves, Nsrarumvahia; Gibson, Tβ Awamutu; and Eunsly, Kihikihi. Old Ti.ubkh.—Th« tender of C. S. MeCallumi'f 13sforthcold timber atCanipbell'ti Gully Bridge was tho only one recoived, and it was accepted. WIIATAWHATA-NOABCAWAIHA ROAU. -A pntiti n was received from 22 ratepayers in the Xnwcastlo riding praying that the Council put the above rnad in a passable statu, as fur some time past it has been unsafe fur trattic. Tim petitioners also proagainst tho practice of the engineer in employing div labour which dooa no good and tlm money is thrown away. Cr, Tuasdalo .Haul ho th'ouu'ht it wa;, hardly the thti thint'tu Jictulu to liio Cuunuil in thiß way. The work mi this rr.ad had been done lo the besst advantage with thu roonuy tho Council Imd to exoend, and tho engineer had acted according to instructions. Cr. Smith agreed with Cr. Teasdale. Cr. Shepherd said from the amount of money that was allocated to the riding tho best that could be done to the road had been done, but he held that tho system was a bad olio. Cr. Teasdale moved that the Clerk reply Unit t.ho Council has full confidence in the Engineer, and the money was spent in the best manner, and in accordance with the in tructiona »f thn Council. --Seconded by Cr KusabH and carried. It wtis resolved thut the engineer mid Cr.

Sh<M.li<>rrl in-i*ct tliu road, and report at iii-yt 1111'PMnn. ..„ i |IA-.i1..t0V ROM' H"AKf- -[>■■ '""I"* i ~,.iH;.m. ..rnyinir tliitt the Hamilton Road I'.oird HoiuorK' , '' in, " "'" County Council, it [■t'-.-i.tr-t. A letter was n>. c ,.; v ~,j tr,un fhn ■•-■ "f thosn sicrmii!,' the petlLi,],, M,.^ r ,.l, l |iii';.i(.(lu-ii), T. Quiiltrmißli, an Maine- Marker. a-Osinj,' that their iiamw In- iiMjinviid. lint ii. w.i* di'uidi-d that this omit) not b>: d..n.>. Cr. Shepherd iimveii iliattlm priiy-T or the petition be granted. Sc'cindi'd bv ••''. Tmsdale, and currier], ItoAh I)k\iaiioN.--lii accordance with tiie ii'(|iiivi of the Council C'r. Shepherd niiide tilt: Foil'.win;; report with loferenco t..i thn compensation claimed by Mr A. ('riiu-forr], on behalf of -everal natives, for bin! taken tor tho Whatawhata Ni»iirii:iuahi.i mad ;-ln compliance with tin; wish of the Council. I have made .-nine enquiries, in respect lo the claim marie by Mr Crawford (on behalf of some natives) for en, nensatiou troin tin; Council, owinu' to th" Omnty road boinu taken through their liind. 'Tlin-u cti'i'iiri'- <iisol"<o :l curious state of iilfuirs. It appears that tlie proper surveyed road leading Fnim Whutawn.'iU to N K ai-u;iwaliia clo.se !.o tho Waipa river, but unluckily, it passed thrmißh a M \ori buriil >'roimd. and to this the Maoris objected. Many years a K o, when the lirey li.ivcrnmi'nt wore in ofhev. and the late .Mr John Shcehan, Xative Minister, representations were made to thfi Native Department, by this ,san:e aemit, Mr Crawford, relative t.) the desecration of tho burial ground, with the result that Mr 11 race, the Native agent, Mr T. <•. Simies, ens-'itieer, and Mr jivrnn' the chaiiman of the Newcastle Highway Jloard met on the ground, and laid "If this deviation of road, and thus avoided further desecration of the Maori burial place. Ijnt, unfortunately, heforo the new road was properly tiilcon over and Razutteu, the l.rey Government went out of otlice, and notliint,' further was done in the matter. Although large Bums of public money have been laid out on this piece of land (font takes in the brick culvert nnd !arc;e cutting) no title whatever has been obtained to it, and in one sense llw thanks nf the Council aro duo to Mr Crawford for directing attention to what certainly appears to be extraordinary inadvertence and neglect. So far as any claim for compensation is concerned, it se9ins clear that no snch claim can lie apain.pt tho Council, inasmuch as it was to "iiittliu Maoris, and at their express wish, that the road was moved at all. However, the Maoris interested are willing, if the piece of old surveyed road, which is now abandoned, is handed over to them, to give the Council a proper title to tho land through which the comity road now pusses. [ may add that all the memoranda and plans in connection with this business are in the hands of Mr T. G. Sandes, who courteously gave tno all the information he could.—lt was decided to briiiff tho matter before the Government and ask them to complete the road. Wokks.— It was decided to call for tenders tor five or six chains of gravelling on the hill near Mr Millar's place at I'nterangi, it being a bad hill to get up during wet weather, and being close to the creamery, was used a great deal.—lne Hn?inecr was instriistcd to report at the next meeting as to tho work necessary in covering the hill near the Alexandra bridge. Local Option. -Mr N. T. Maunder was appointed presiding officer for the coming local option poll. Patmkmt.-. —The following accounts were pa.-sed for payment :— J. Leith, 5s ;J. Ryburn, X~> Hia ; Drabble, t"i; D. Bartles, ITi; W. -I. Smith, 7i lid ; W. Mawhinney, W ; 0. Henderson. Jin Sa td ; VI. Otfeison, i'i; Ss; R. Norrish, i"2 18s M ; engineer, tl'i .">« : cleric, f."; interest, £15 -I*. " This concluded the business.

Sh'M.liorrl in-pect the road, and report at