Wallace County Councile.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume 1, Issue IV, 24 May 1905, Page 3

Wallace County Councile.

The usual monthly meeting of this council was he'd on Friday^iast, when there were present Mr ju. TUark (chairman) and Crs| Cupples, Newton. Power, Stevens, Hirst, Fraser, Dyer and.King. •, WAIAIJ MOUTH FERRY. ' ' j A letter was received from ihe acting secre-' tary of the Tourist Department, Wellington, referring to a letter sent to th a council recently by the Invercargill agent, statmg that the Department would assest m maintaining the ferry at the mouth of the Waiau Biver. He now asked to be info mcd what arrange- | ments were being made to continue the service. — Letter received* CENTRE HILL BOAD. . The Chief Engineer of Boads forwarded a copy df a proclamotion m term 3 of Section 13j of the Land Act 1892, taking certain land for a road • at-d closing a road through block* XIII and V, Centre Hill Survey District.— Beceived. TOWS BOARD AND COUKCIL A letter was read from the Clerk to the Otautau Town Board, forwarding tbe following resolution' passed by the Board at its meeting on the Bth inst. : '• This Board having noticed the renarks of the council's chairman, that the Town Board was doing well out of the council, repudiate such a charge, and point out that the reverse is the case; and the Board are strongly of , the opinion tbat the County Council are rec living as rates from tbe Town Distric ; a very much larger revenue than they are expanding on the Main I>trce v , having m view the fact tbat the principal expenditure \shioh has been made, viz., traffic bbrined n e over the. Otautau Riv6r, was built out of a Govern- ! ment vote and not out of . the council's revenue derived from rates. Cr Newton was of opinion that as the Town Board looked after the footbpaths, they Bhould also erect a footbridge over the river alongside die present traffic L ridge. In reply to Cr Cupples, the chairman said the County receivvd about £70 m rates from fc'je town. Cr Hirst though the letter should have been received m silence, as tbe reflections cast on the chairman were totally oat pf place, He asserted that the Town Board never contributed anything to the Yellow Bluff Bridge road. Though it was true that there was a vote for the bridge, yet a considerable sum of money was ' spent on the bridge outside the vote. He believed that if the matter were gone into thoroughly, it would be tound that the county had i aid more money to l the Board than it had received m ratee. He moved tbat tbo letter ' be received. Cr Cuppleß seconded and the motion was carried. Mr Gardner's bridge. Peter Allen, of Feldwick, wrote the council as follows : — •• I beard that at, the last County Council meeting • Mr Eing said I objected to Mr Carnegie Gardner's bridge. My reason for doing so was because I heard that the bridge was to bo erected on private . property ; but since then I beard that this is not so, and tbat if the bridge is erected,- it is to he on tbe road line. Another thing I snw published was that he was only paying £5 a > ear m rates. Since then I hear that Mr Carnegie Gardner js paying £29 7e 3d. m

ra f es If this/statement is correct, I consider that Mr Gardner is deserving of all tliat ha? been done for him m the way of road making leaditjg to his property. I have been m the district for tho last twenty years, and I don't knovf where there bus been extra much money/spent on road work about his property for'jhat length of time. Itis only this last yeator two that be has had a decsnt inlet or outlet and I am now m favour ot getting the bridge."— Letter received.

Tq ANAU DOWNS S3 TTL2US. Keaoh Bris., of Te Anau Downs (via Lumg den) wrote the oouncil that they had put t|e bush track from their run through to pc Upujke Biver m gOod order and repair" ahd had attended to the bridges, etc. ■ They kiQV asked for payment, They thanked th^oubcil for the vote for. the track, but regretful the members could not see their way to grant the £25 to assist m making a t ack from their run down the side of the lake. If tlley had that track, it would save over ten mile? ride for the mail m the winter. They scarcely thought the council realised what it was to be situated 30 miles from the post office.) However, they hoped the council w uid ielp tbem with a track later on Perh*p3 the Tourist Department might help as tourist* bad lost their way this season m trying to valk up there from the foot of tha lake, and had to turn baok. Cr Dyer saiJ nothing could be done at present It/ respect to the track down the side of the lafe ; but something might be done m the matter during the coming year. He ap proved of the payment to the applicants of the amoant voted* for the work they had done. — Letterreceived. ; A CLIFDEN GRIEVANCE. A letter was received from Edmond Cosgriff, of Clifden, stating that about six months jago he wrote and interviewed the council applying for an outlet from his holdins. Ho then received a promise that tbe Engine's* would inspect and report. So fir this b otj not ben done. Mr Cosgriff waited upon the council and personally explained the d fliculties under which ie laboured for want of an outlet, saying he was unable to take a dray to his place. He was willing to do a certain amount of the work aiid wail, for payment until the next ra'e wife levied. It ta? moved by .the chairman and sec >n<fed'by Gr Cupples, that the member for the Bitting and the Engineer inspect and report oii the matter at the next meeting. In ipply to questions, the Engineer said the work jrould only oost a few pounds. All the thirds were spent on the main road before .Mr Cosgriff -oo'* up the land. Cijllirst strougly opposed the system of allowing settlers to do work and wait for their money, as he did not think it fair to the settlers. lhe motion was carried. THE EKOXNBER OVERTAXED. Jdin G. Forde, of Scott's Gap, wrote stating (hat he had communicated with the Council on a previous occasion concerning a road they proposed to open through his land along the Waicola Bush over two years ago. He 'was now going to fence the land and if tbecouncil required the said rosd, the present was the time to survey it and make arrangements with him about fencing it' He wanted about the same number of chains closed as the council proposed to open. The mitter as to the road was settled between the wnter and Mr Macpherson, late Engineer to tbe council, some time ago, but somehow he htd not surveyed it before he left the council. s s . vice. The track had caused a lot of trouble to him for the last six years m looking alter gates, trying to keep them closed after tie public. Itwas time the public should gH a road of their own and not go through liis land any longer. Cr Power said this was all arranged two jears ago when the Engineer was instructed io have a road laid off ; but it seemed, not to, [ dave been done. V The Chairman said the Engineer told him it ; would take about a fortnight to do this;, ok, . and so far he had' not' had time-' t *» v" j i . He questioned whether' the' Engineer could spare a fortnight jout of tbi^oi to do the work. ;H§ thought 4Jiey would have to get somsone .ew^f^pMbiat was required. ' f.C^HftjSe'r considered that, as the matter i^^heefarjn abeyance two yeara and their owfl'EflirtnSer had no time to do lt.ihe council should ethploy an outside surveyor to do the irorli at once. As Mr TTord was going to fence, it might cost them very much more for a survey after the fence was erected. Cr Cupples : Wh<*t is it going to cost , and who is going to pay it ? The Chairman said he employed a surveyor to do some other work m the Longwood and he found there was this difficulty about it : all tbe surveyors appeared to be so busy that they could not be got to do additional work. There* were some surveys that should have been completed long ago at the quarry. A surveyor m Inveroargill was employed but the work had not yet been done, and on calling at his office the other day, he learned Ithat he was at Moa Flat and oould not come to Wallace. The council could not expect their engineer to do all these works, which would occupy all his time, without doing anything m the office. Cr Newton suggested that. the employment of clerical assistance might meet the difficulty. Cr Power asked if the survey m question was going to be charged to the Wairio Riding, because if so, he should strongly objeot to It. Cr-King said the work done m a riding must be charged to that riding. Cr Power : I object to it. Cr King thought that as so many surveys were standing over, the on y course open was to employ an engineer from outside. Pro. bably the best thing to do would be to pay the Engineer a fixed sum per year and leave him to employ as many surveyors as ho chose, Cr Power strongly objected to an outside Engineer being employed. If the Engineer were given assistance m the offico for a short time it ought to meet the difficulty and woqld be cheaper, Cr Dyer said such an assistant could not do the work required to be done, The Engineer was supposed to bave cotne to his I Biding a month ago, but he had not been able to find time to go there yet, Cr Hirst maintained tbat it was absolutely necessary something should be do c as it was imoossible for one man to overtake the work that was-accumulating m the County. As to expense, .the Southland County Engineer "•'received double, the remuneratio * tbe Wallaoe County pkid to i,ts Engineer and be had ne,yer> done a : survey ' during the whole titfie heljad- h'eld office. Outside help bad* always been qhtained. The proper course **fas for an outside surveyor to be employed apd each Biding to contribute its share of the cost. Cr Gupp'es pointed out that m qrder to do that a previous rpinute passed, dealing with the Engineer's salary, *wot*ild haye *° be rescinded* The Cbairnpn suggested that the dift\culty might be got over by instructing him tb ompi *y a surveyor to do certain work. Cr King would not agree tf* that because the council would never know where they were, Urs Cup les and Power al&a -"aid tbey would not agree, Cr Stevens was surprised at'; councillors cavilling at employing another engineer. The couucil was getting the ' work 4 Qne no ™ cheaper than it, was ever dene hefore, and it must be remembered the work was, increasing every year and it was oqly just to their Engineer that w'len the necessity arose as at present, they should employ another surveyor. Cr Hirst sad it would be oheap er- to em-, ploy an ext'a surveyor as occasion arose, than to iucnass the salary of the Engineer. Cr Pyor es!4 it was impossible for Mr Mo-

Gwock to carry out thp. purvey work and p;i ss contracts an we 1. when, hoy were so far apart — some of them 40 riiilef-*.' He moved that the chair nan engage an E g'nepr to carry out th»? wovk through Mr Forde's pr *perty at Waino.

Cr King protested that this was a most unfair thing. to d■ to the Wairio Riding. Mr Forde should ha .&• had his survey done a long time aco. '.;, ' Cr Cupples . disgraceful ! There is a resolution on t,he Tfhrmte book.

Cr Power was surprised at the member for Mararoa wdiiig. ,«■ <

Or Fraser: tliought&.it would bs far better to rescind the former 'motion and give the en gineer £500 per arirtttm and let him arrange for any extra survey wovk required. The work was lying too iong^ and one man could not overtake it. • r Hirst Seconded tlie motion. The discussion tfbntpued at some length, and ultimately the. motion, upon being put to the vote, was lost. " COUNT* ELECTIONS. The clerk expiated that he was appointed as returning ofliceift-iuider the Begulations of Local E ections Act 187G, but the appointment ha« now lfiipsed and it would be necessary for the Council to appoinr a Beturning Officer under the Local Elections A0t 1904. . On tho proposition of Cr Fraser, seconded by Cr Newton, the clerk was appointed Returning Officer .linger the new act. :.• n*r. AWB. Cr Hirst reported -that the oouncil met on the previous evening and thoroughly went into the by-laws, apd; some alterations were made. He moved that the clerk be instructed to take the necessary, steps for the by-laws as amended to beconie law. This was seconded' and carried. FINANCE. On the 'recommendation of the Finance Committee, accounts were passed for payment to the amount of £1083 Os 7d. „' .IRCHW'bOD BOAD. The Chairman reported that the deputation appointed to visit Birchwood met and went over the ground. They inspected the virious routes suggested, but"> nothing definite could be done until the opVerr-meiit Boad Engineer visited the locality. '■•