Otautau Town Board.

Otautau Standard and Wallace County Chronicle, Volume I, Issue 16, 15 August 1905, Page 3

Otautau Town Board.

The monthly meeting of this board took place on Monday evening, at whioh all- the members were* present., ,.."' V - - <: ' W_uc V__lbi Tklxphonb. A great|.„mase of correspondence was dealt wiih, : including a number of with refeferenoe to - the >'■ Waiau Valley telephone, from the Minister m ohargeof Tourist and Health Departments J. 0.. Thomson, M.H^., B. McKenaie, 1 Birchwood, and W- Saunders, Otautau. The Minister wrote through Mr Thomson' that representations made for erection of .the line would receive consideration.. Mr Thomson wrote giving particulars of the steps' he had taken to ' bring the matter under the notioe of Parliament, ln reply to a question m tbe House, the information was given that the original estimate for the erection oi 'the line had been reduced, and £25 per mile the assumed cost. Lines had been put : up oheaper m Southland, but liability to snow breaking this line down had to be considered and then! woutd be considerable expenditure for cartage. ; - The department estimated an ikunuy loii'jf« working of £8& '• Mr J. C Thorns jn. member for /Wallace, .wrote that if the previous promises of a subsidy fibuMc .tiers al outf- the Xbute were now forthcoming- \hi department's objection- to - t.ieoiecaoa wo'ildba removed, as the loss -would disappear. Mr Thomson referred tha Bo «.t_<] to Mr. 11- McKehiie 'for particuiara x>f guarantors. 1 Mr, U,. .rH°le en »' 6 . wrote that. every ratepayer" s*Ve -me m the Waiau Valley, l on the .east »ida Trom Clifdon to Te.'Apau had atiVcribed to the" gu_r_ntee, . The writer poia ■> d out thot iucluding the line to both lakes, tbe statement that, it was tin miles JG„g«.U> toai- :dowa the Waiau" Valley as &,;«uu.t JJo-*burn was quite incorrect; the dißtA..cts, if Anything, being m favour of the ■ valley route.:, - Mr McKon_ie'_ : contention wa* confirmed by a schedule of the distances < received from Mr McGravock, county engineer, which shorted the valley route to bd a quarter of a mile le 8 th *n bj Mossbtun. ' Mr Mackenzie co. tended th-ita huge blunder would be made from every part of view if the line w.-.e erected via Mo_sburn instead ot by Waiau, and Btfongly, urged tbe Board to invite the C>mmissioner^of Telegraphs (Bir Joieph Wt>r I) tola tripVbver both routes and to resent with vigour any extension without .a thorough investigation, a? every single _r. guhniit that can be adduced m favour of the Mosbburn routs cpald be. abolished. Mr S_undei_ wrot« that he had been m oomm nic-tion wth tbe Minister on the subjeot, and also unclosed a copy of -a letter written to Mr Thomson on' the matter. Mr Saunders*. letter was a most interJßttag;and able exposition of. the. advantages 6f the Waiau route, pointing but the varied and delightful territory it broaght within the reach of tourist*. Ia addition lo bringing Lakes Te Anau and Manapouri into touch with ihe Valley, it passed within a short distance of Lakeß Hauroto and- Monowai, whioh had hitherto been entirely out of the traok of tourists, atad which opened up. a new and delightful territory for angling, shooting, and like pastimes, also that it. brought the -cold lakes ioto immediats and vital connection with Oiautau, Orepuki, and . Biverton, all of whioh ehould be included m the tourist itinerarp, And at all of which tfrare were exoellsnt livery stables capable of coping witb I'lfj tourist traffic. A^ter a fulr discussion by the Board, it was resolved that tryp clerk write thanking Messrs : Thomson, McKensie, end Saunders for. tlieir valuable snggestiooH, and also tbat beiat' once '.' communicate with station-holders along the route, aaktng them to renew their offers of guarantee.* V ■"•>■_ "y y.i Mr E.F.Butler asked that a few loads of gravel be put m some holes on the cemetery road. It was resolved tbat Mr Bntler be informed that the matter will be looked into. The sub oommittee appointed at last meeting to repotst on J. Small's application for a drain, across: Devon street, subnJsttedYthjSt they b^d arranged to allow Mr Sniall 15a for aaaking the drain aoross the street and connecting with Mr Jpbn Swap's drain.—Approved.. . , * On £he motto- of We' Scatter. seconded by Mr Swhan, th» chairman wis authorised to have culvjer^ m |ront of iir Bh Btptt'i attended to. ■> y* ■•?£ ._£ yv ;>^ -^ A mdttoii by Mr K_fly, seconded^ by Y-Mr Scatter.that any travelling oorifpahy appl jlng fortheThallpaythefallimountbfrentwhen the application is m<>de, was oarried. Loan Apflicatioji. XV was moved by Mr Kel(y*and Seconded' by .Mr Officer, that tbs cl.rk-write the Treasury Department making an application for tbe loan of £600 authorised by tbe ratepayers, and forward with the application all the neoessary documents bearing on the steps taken m the matter. ► Hi__ C-UT-XSB. J. Dimmock, caretaker of the hall, wrote a«king^ for , an increase , m ; salary OWmgto extra work. Members expressed the opinion tbat the list of duties of. the caretaker xe--quired revising, and Mr Scatter moved and Mr _Wban scdondtd, that Messrs Ke|ly, Officer, the Cbkirmen, and the Clerk draw np fresh conditions of servioe, and call for tenders ior caretaker.. lUtr 8-jkocx. Notice of motion by Mr Scatter that the usual rate of thret-f minings m tt.e pound be struck at the next meeting of tbe Board, on the 11th Septi ruber, the rate to be pay able on the Ist October.

A Dakokroub Culvkkt. The chairman diew attention t-» »h«j dangerous state of tie old wwtf«:i c-il>tr mi lh rtplanade leading w M ry . s-.n-.t. -Mus r--o_ic_r aud Kelly corroborated t:e citairmill'srem*rks, sUting thai lb.- "ridtie wa» m a most dangerous state. After full di»ou:*.<ion as to cost, the clerk poi >t d out ih»t jtloO was, provided .m \ne sob dul • of works for '- t'.-sis- bridge." It was moved by Mr Oiße r, seoondfd Mr Seattir, t at i*nd»is b£ called for a couerate oulyert m acoodanei witn the plans and specificßtto:.s *he .dy prepajed by Mr McOavook, (*-ngin er). H_l„ Hihu On the motion ot My Kelly, second, d by Mr Officer, ii was resolved that the asphait m Kin_ aud Alderly streets, from lh corner of Chester-street to Main-street, be top-dre^ed. and tarred by day-labour. The clerk was authorised to engage Mr Dimmock to do the work, "-' Accounts. The following accounts were passed for "payment:—!. J. Walker £2 5s 6d, J. Fisher £3 7s 6d, F. R. Hill £2 6s. O. Stearne 17« 3d, MuCallum 9s sd, J. Dimmock £3, Mrs Gardiner £5 10s 3d; total £17 13s lOd. The Board tU-n aajuurned.