AKAROA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume XXIV, Issue 2147, 27 April 1897, Page 2

AKAROA COUNTY COUNCIL.

A mt'bwg nf his Council wee bn'd on SAinrlxy. Present — \l»e»ra An«oi> (Oh»irm«n), T>Hevre, Piper, White, 800U Mason and P. tis»r*w. APOLOGY. Mr Lo'ievre for the abßence of Mr P*tkinnon, who h«d met with an acoid-iii tliH prevtotiH night. MINUIKB. The tnrnnfcee of th* previous meeting were read and oonfirmed. chairman's statement. The fo losing report of tbt Chairman was read : — "Ficauce—Shifle last meeting the sum of £55 9a h»s been collected, beicg for rates 1895-6 £1 2a 4d, 1896 7 £2413 a (fd; interest ou rates £2 5s lid; dog tax j≤B.7* 6d; slaughter l'oente £1. The credit b»l»aee at the Bank for the varionn accounte this I day is £371 Oj 101, and cash in band £4 16*. 11 Ratet~-Tha remaining outstanding ratei are being surJ for, and trill oetue before the S.M. Court ab it* nexb sittiae. My notice of motiofl 'That a general rate of id in the £ be levied in the County for the ajiuuing tear," will ootne before yoo. Hospital and Chftrifeablo Aid Boards—The I Council's contribution to Ihe above Boards aro £503 14s and £315 0» Id, being respectively 0s 7d and M 4s 10d leu per month than lash year. 51 Licensing Election Accounts—Accounts amounting to 535 11s 8d have been paid. There aro still a few to oocne in, which w>ll make a total of about £100. '• Notices of motion re letting Bummit Road by contract, and granting Chairman leave of absence for sis months will come before yon, and letters will be read re t»x on bioyoles, Reserve 1259, Dog Tax and Becord Reign." eiiAUOHTERINa LICENSE.' Mr Lelievre preposed, and Mr Soott seconded, Thet proceedings be taken •gainst all persona slenghtering without a license if fees era not paid forthwith. C&riied. LOTTINa EOADS BY CONTRACT. Mr Piper moved the notice of motion standing io his* name— , Tbet the Summit Road be Ist by contract io section*, to be kept in repti' for 12 months frntn date of contract. , Hβ sairl that the Summit road had coet £150 during the past year, far too tnooh for the trafSc. In fact thny

DAd f» r to ° moah. and he ehoold like to . see tbe oontrnot experiment tried. Mr LC'ic*re. agreed, and eeoonded Vie motion. He was certain too mooh ex pence wee Pt presort incorred. The Chairman thought the contract* ehoold be let for 2 J year?. Mr Jaason said the road* should be pat in good order before let by contract. Hie Rotd Board had ne fiith in the contract ayrtem. Mr Pettigrew aaid hie experience wri> that tbe roads were let in Rood order, and at the end of tbe contact were like pig track*. He would eopport ft Vial of letting tbe Somrritroed in the way proposed, if it were extended to two years, ac that gave a contractor a better chancel Mr EH Scott s»id the contract system had been proved moit unsatisfactory in Pigeon Bay* He tboroagbly agreed with Mr Pettigrew. t The Chairman did nob agree with tee idea of putting! the roads in thorough tepair before letting. Hβ beli«»»«d the Summit toad should be let in this way, bat wou»d like the contract to be for a term of year*, beoaaae ifc would gire the oortrector en interest in the road. Mr H Wbite did not tbiok men taking i ibe contracts would andei any cirenmI Btenuee epend more on the roade than they would get out of it, Mr Irtliavre »eid that a> it was iopoi- | «tbl« for the Engineer to be always on tbe I road, he thought that it wonid be wise if each of tbe Uonnoillore took the control lof one of the. et-ctione of road and saw tbe eontraoiore did their dnty. The CbPirm«n aeked whether Mr Piper wol'U alter bin retolntion so tbnt tenders be called for the work for two yearo. By tbie means they wonld fcecertiua the difference of the coet bftween the proposed and «»i ting syctero, as unless the cost wee vary much lese the present system was andoobtrdly the b«»et. Mr Piper then ameaded bis notice of motion ac followa :—' That tenders be called for pnt'ing in order and maintaining tbe Summit road in four sections from let Jane, 1897, to 30th September, 1899 for two yeare it p* , ' **•'•' Seconded hy Mr Eli Scott. Mr White proponed and Mr Maton seconded the following amendment: That the whole mutter be adjourned till the September rawing. The amendment was earned, Messrs White, Maeon, Scott »nd Pettigrew voting for v, and ih« Chairmen and Meiers Lblievre and Piper sgaimt.

I GOING HOJIK. The Chairman applied for leave of absence for six months, as he was about to visit the Old Country. Mr Mason proposed, and Mr Piper seconded, that the application be granted. Carried unanimously. The Chairman thought it would be wiser to appoint an acting chairman during his absence than having a chairman appointed at each meeting. Mr H, White proposed Mr Lelievre. Seconded by Mr Bcott. Members generally were in favour of the proposal. Mr Lelievre was afraid he would not be able t» give sufficient attention to the duties, but would do hia best if the member* supported him. The resolution was carried unanimously. Mr Lelievre returned thanks for hie election, and hoped he should have the cordial assistance of members.

The Chairman also returned thanks to the members for granting him leave of absence. LUCAS BAT BO AD.* Mr Piper moved That the action of the Akaroa and Wainoi Road Board in exchange of roads, Lucas Buy, bs approved of, legal formalities having been complied with. Seconded by Mr Lelievre and carried. XIX ON BIOTOLKS. \ letter was read from Wai to l<' County Council asking Conncil to j i in getting a tax imposed on bicycles. It was resolved to reply tftat th« County being unsuitable for lioycW, the Council was uot sufficiently, iu'ki ested to move in the matter. * TUB BROOKS CLAIM 3he following letter wae read ;—

* Department of Lauda and Survey, ■ • si . , ' Wellington, 6th AprU.lß97. , Sir, —I am directed by the Minuter d Land* to acknowledge the receipt of "your letter of {the 26th ultimo, in which yoii for* 1 ward a copy ot a resolution by your Council declining any liability to pay Mr Brooke the value of the improvements made by him on Reserve 1259, which was vested tome time ego in your Council. I have now to cay" that aa the Council has not carried out the promiie made to meet this claim, it will be ■.. neceaaary that aotion ahould be taken to diveet 'he Council of the reserve mentioned. I have ths honour to be, Youra etc., A. Barron, Under-Secretary." After discussion the Chairman moved That the Lands Department, Wellington, be asked to refer to the previous correspondence on the subject of Brooke* claim before carrying the extraordinary threat conveyed in the close of its letter into execution. * Seconded by Mr Lelievre and carried. CEKTiriCATK OF TITLH. The Chairman produced a number of certificates of titje, and Mr Scott moved and Mr Mason* , seconded, That the Council's solicitors be inatruotad to get certificates of title for the remaining * reßervei as epeedily as possible. | do* Tax. I A letter was read re dog tax from Mr I Hump, Commissioner of Police, stating .grounds for refusing to allow police to I collect dog tax were that it brought I them in contact with people in an tin-' desirable way, and deprived some unemployed persons from earning a small annual income. The chairman had epoken to Mr Montgomery on the mafcier, and a reply had been received stating that the police would be allowed to complete the present years' collection, hut thet they would not be allowed k> collect any ' future years' rate. I THE RKOORD REIGN. ' An application from the Mayor of I Chrietchurch was read asking the Coun- ( ' cil to commemorate the' Record Reitrn by ' J assisting to erect additions to the Home

for tbe aged poor «t Woolston. The Chairman thought that the best Method of commemorating the Record Reign on the Peninsula would be by erecting a memorial on the spot where the Union Jack was hoisted on the occasion of the annexation of the South Island by the English. The event wan one of great historical importance, and could be fitly commemorated in this exceptionally important year of the Record Kei«n. Funds were also required for the relief of the Hawke's Bay settlers, &n<i be considered it advisable to open subscription lists throughout the district, and let the balance remaining after a sufficient snm had been taken to erect a fitting memorial, go to the relief of the Hawke'e Bay settlers. Hβ himself would be glad toleave a five pound note in the bands of the Committee who might be ap; ointad to arrange for the erection of the memorial, as he thought any celebration of the record r> iga should be of a permanent nature. Members generally expressed their opinion that the celebration of the Record Reign could in no way be more fitly celebrated than by the the erpotion oi the proposed memorial, and after discussion the Cbairmnn moved That the Council forme itself into a committee to act with the Borough in colle ng subpcriptione for the celebration of Her Mfljesty'e Hecbrd Reign, and that a permanent loc»l memorial of the hoisting of the Btittsh fUg in 1840 be suggested aR the most suitable form in which both these historical events may be commemorated i : Jtaconrifd by Mr Lelievre and carried un»aiu)oufly. A NOISANOK. A letter was read from Mr R t Pi Hhadbolt com plaining ot a nuisance caused by stagnant water in front of his house. . > To fee left over for consideration till next meeting, enquiries to be made in the interval. OBNBRAL. Letters were read from Little River foreman, re account, and from contractor re exchange.

; Members generally exireseed themselves thoroughly satisfied with the Little River forinan's explanation of bis account. ■'...■ Mr Mason called attention to a bad piece near Summit rood trough where cattle could get up easily, but had a difficulty in getting down. lh© coit of making the place safe would be trifling. To be attended to. LITTLE RITBB MATTBBB. Messrs White and Parkinson reported that a boggy place near Notts', at present fenced, should be filled in, aod the fencing used in another place where a protective fence waa badly required. Metal for the Little River Hill road oould be broken at a quarry at Summit road near Hill Top, at Red John's Gully and at Keenan's. At Red John's the metal was softer, and probably better adapted for hill roade, A discussion took place aa to getting a stone-breaking machine, but the matter was left over for the present. The matter ot shitting fenco and filling up boggy place was left in Mesers White and Parkinson's bands. An application made for refund of dog tax to Mise Bell was refused, aft t l»ng discussion, most members objecting on the score of its being a bad precedent. Mr Eli Scott called Mention Wtfce necesetity for painting Pipir'a bridge. Left in the hands of Meaara LaUevre aod Piper, The matter of having the willows oat at Berwick's was left in Mr Piper's hands. HOSPITAL AW) CHABirABLK AID BOABr, it was resolved*' contributions should be paid monthly aa heretofore. LIOSKSINO ACOOUMXfI. The Chairman eaid these fccouate feid

been paid) but he thought County Councils generally ware placed in a false position by being obliged to pay these accounts without knowing what they were, end that an application should be made apeinst it. OARKYINQ OUT TtaE OOUffOII/S BUMNBeS, Mr Piper reported that in the continued illness of the engineer, he and Mr Lelievre had made satiefactory arrangements with Mr Sioiß for the temporary carrying on of the Council's buninens. The action of Messrs Lelievre and Piper was approved. THE BiTB The Chairman aaid that he found that £d rate would hardly meet ihe requirements of the Council, and therefore ■ corrected his notice of motion to read, •« That a rate of §d in the £ be Btreck, and a|d Walnni wharf rate." This was necessary because it was proposed to do away with the collection of wharf rate on goods at the wharf. Mr Mason seconded. Mr White said the Council had been put to heary expense in the matter of the Little River and Piper's bridges, besides ordinary expenditure last year, •nd considered a £d rate would suffice. The amendment was not seconded, and Mr Anson'g notice of motion, as amended, fixing general rate at § d in the j£, and Wainui wharf rate at £d in the £ was carried. Accounts amounting to £257 8s 7d were passed for payment, and the Council adjourned to May 29th.