Road to Rifle Butts

Bruce Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 3097, 8 September 1899, Page 5

Road to Rifle Butts

"■■'".' AT THE "COUNCIL TABLE. -_.■•■ ■>■ '. L un ?;■■'• ' ; ; * i '-, i ' " ' ' , THE CHAIRMAN -DEFIES COUNCIL. Cr Clark asked permission to bring up a inatteralluded to ( ab a- previous meeting— he referred to ' the Toad"down from the old Rifle Butts Since the proposed work on i his road was" initiated", there had been three new members elected to the Council —Councillors Rutherford, Driver and Begg. Seeing that the chairman had seen fib to enter a protest, in writing against the carrying , out of the work, be thought it as well to ask Mr Nelson, the clerk, to prepare from the minutes of the Council's proceedings a statement showing all that had been done in regard to this matter. This report had been prepared, and he understood bad been Eeen by the chairman. Though the first Bteps had been taken a good while ago nothing whatever had been done. This road was within a mile or a mile and a-half of Milton and though it had been a road for over 30 years past, he was justified in saying that during winter months there was no worse road in the whole County of Brace ; in fact he thought it was the werst. Therefore he thought that something should be done to it without further cUlayl Well he would now from the micutes show what had been Cr Murray's action in regard to this matter. On the 2nd June, 1896, a letter was read at the Council meeting from Messrs Duthie, Tough, and Reid, asking the Council to do some 3 repairs to the road and offering to pay £8 towards the cost of the work. Cr Murray moved, and Cr Noble seconded— « That the Council agree to expend £8 on the work," and thia was agreed to. Then ab a Council meeting on the Ist; September of the same year a tender was received from J. Woodhill and Co. to do the work for £17 9a. Cr Mosley proposed, and Cr Murray seconded— " That Woodhill's tender be referred to a committee consisting of the chairman, Crs Noble, and Murray, with power to act." Agreed to. He (Cr Clark) was chairman ab the time. It wasundecstood at the time that several of the ratepave, s would work the grader to reduce the cost of the work. On the 31st May, 1898 a meeting of the commiblee was held •n the County office, Or Clark in the chair. At thif meeting, on the minutes being read appointing the committee to act with reference to tcndera received for cutting a ditch on the side of the road to Rifle Butts, Cr Murray stated that he never seconded the motion appointing the. committee ; and ro^e and left the meeting, protesting against the work being carried. Cr Noble then moved, Cr Clark seconded, and it was acrmed— " That the works be carried out a? Jon as possible in the spring ; so as not to injure the road in the meancime." On the sth July, 1898, when the above discussion of the committee was read, Cr Murray pro)posed, Cr Hewitson seconded, and it was agreed—" That the report be adopted and the matter stand over until the spring." At this meeting Cr Murray also read a letter on the same subject ; aud on his proposal it was agreed-" That the Council carry out th 6 proposed drainage on the road leading from the cross roads to the railway crossing* and that it be letb over until the spring, Qa the 4th July, 1999, a letter from. Mr, Robert P-eatUe was read drawing attention to the delay in carryiug. out iho work hitherto agreed to.- Cr Haggart moved, Ci? Rutherford seconded-" That the carrying out of this work be referred back to the original committee with power to act. 1 " On 1 tho motion being pub ib was carried— Ayes ; Crs Haggart, Rutherford, Clark, Driver, Hewitson, Crane, Noble, and Begg ;- Noes : Cr Murray, who protested againsb the carrying out of the motion.. At the Council meeting on Ist August last, Cij Murray read a letter further protesting againsb the carrying out of the works, He (Gr CUrk) thought these extracts from the minutes furnished a very satis'actory answer to the protests lodged by' the chair^ man He (Mr Clark) was tired- of the wrangling which had taken p}a.ce betweeu Cr Murray arid the res^'o'f the Council over this matter and wished to be relieved of his position a* one of the members of the com-; mittee appointed to. deal with \hp wo.rk. j QaunciUors: '-''N. 0." ' Continuing, Or Ojark said, that Qr. Hagj gart's motion referring the sublet back t<j the original. committee, re-appointed, the original committees. As he had said, jt was *one of the worst if not the -worst, pf thd roads mi the County; The material^ taken outi in< making the ditch could be profitably utilised for raising the crp,wh o\: the road; Mr-lfcat#e'too\E up tils Jand, ate'r this work had ! bben sarctYorlSd -by 1 ' ih'e 'Touhfeii; am] tir Murray Vas certainly a party to hkyiog the work taken in hand , ;.,,., „ 1 .. , j '" T.hV^W'^ah,l}ia^ghipjg)i ; : 4 a^!s} mJM? quite amusing. „; „, - n ■-■.< i --., ■■- ' Cr. Clark wpul^, lay the .stajpnen^ rea^ on "the 'table .and beg , to b,e, relieved; from, being' V Member .o^the: com,mittjee, 7 H/j ■ "^ '', f v .'■?.-• ;

kojped tpat-whoe^eir was appointed to act in »hi& place on* the committee would see fchatr '^S^^Jj^J^^J^t^^P^^y M - just «noSt ( 'the weainer'was^ ve-y ;^suitable for carr^iffgj fehft-»v.ork.ft^sY, ■« : S«t;f|O-1 ■'.' j f he supposed Cr dark had very serious 'charges against hinj 'for pFdpUinfe anH> secSodufe cVr^in^^ilnsT but be point- -bfsink denied having seconded the motion proposed; by^ :-'@v\ i^o history' : -bir-Snß';'whiDi^^a^ir''bi^'--- : b^een' j ;o'qe. into V but' He asserted strongly? 'tiiba^ he n »ver wk& awaife thajb g )ingi to^cut a % ''c^nal|i3r F ditchj alongside i tlie road;; The caiial woujd only^l)e|a nuisano'e tojthe publYc j ami as he^ived in :the^ neighbor hdtid ' he'had a ;> p^rfecb right to|;protelt; against; ife. He.^had asked one <6rS%wo questionf*m r^fe^ence, to. .this !( ,ditph, and :\ .was informed" that .two or .three chains would be ;o6vereaV in and have,.a,9-mph, pipe. ; f He"<had neyerL heard -of, the canal or ditch' till' he attende^i( the committee meelingv and" when 'he'knew, the expense which it ; was propoSed to iqcur he refused 1 to^ait on the committee. <( ' v Cr Haggarfc aaked ! what the chairman had to "say' regarding "the minutes read by| Cr Clark." The Chairman' by his condiicb actually accusing the clerk of falsifying ithe minutes of the Couhcji's.proceedings. Tlie'p could noballow the chairman, or a.ny,ofchep man to do that. . ... I ...,, The Cliairman. replied thatit was not ,the| first lime his, name had been mentioned as to his having seconded a motion, when he had not done so: Previously he had hot thought ib wort.h < while to contradicb \ it; when his name had' been thus frientipnjed.' Cr Haggatt' re'menibefed the circumstances connected with Cr Murray's secondiog of the motion proposed by ;Cr Mosley. He sat ..near ,Cr Murray. He heard Cr Noble ask Cr Murray to -second the motion, and was prepared, to swear-thab Cr Murray did so. He insisted upon the chairman withdrawing what he had eaid. The Chairman said he would have nothing to do with the work. Cr Noble pointed out that at the cbmmen ement of every meeting the minutes were read, and if any councillnr objected lo their correctness, then was the time to do so. Cr Driver said it appeared to him the chairman was defying the whole Council in the matter of carrying out this work. The Chairman : You were not in the Council when it was first brought up. Cr Driver was talking of what was done at last meeting when the matter was referred to the original committee. The Chairman : The old committee was not in existence. Cr Driver said that the old committee was re-appointed again and was proceeding to address the Council further, when the chairman commenced to talk simultaneously, and for some minutes confusion reigned supreme. Seizing the opportuuity of a lull in the noisy proceedings, Cr Driver 3aid that as the chairman was defying the whole Council, the Council should not put up with his conduct. The chairmm should be requested to leave the chair. Cr Haggart proposed that tenders be called for carrying out the work ; cost to the Council nob to exceed £16 ; and that those interested be called upon to make up he necessary amount. The Chairman : £30 will not cover it. I think Cr Haggart you are going too far, and ib is not the first time you have done co. Cr Haggait: I will go further than that before I have done with you. Cr Rutherford seconded the motion. The Chairman : I will nob be a party to cutting a canal alongside that road. We want a'l the money we have gob to improve the road. My motion for raising a loan for expenditure on roads in the Toko, riding includes this road. Cr Haggart : Do sou refuse to put the motion lo the meeting? The Chairman then put the motion which was carried, he being the only dissentenb. Cr Haggart : I don't think the councillors can sit at this table with you unless you withdraw your denial of having seconded Cr Mosley's motion. The Chairman : I deny point blank having seconded Cr Mosley's resolution appointing a committee. I had nothiug to do with it and bherefore will nob withdraw anything I- have said connected with.it. A file of the Bruce Herald was produced and the new=piper's report oi the meeting \n ques'ion coincided with the extract from the Council's minutes to tho effeot that Or Murray seoonded Cr Mosley's motion. At this juncture the Clerk suggested that the dinner hour had arrived; consequently the Council 'adjourned, with the understanding "tha^ same definite action should be taken after t' h e adjournment. Whether the councillors' excited feelinga underwent a radical change after they had dined, is not quite oertain ; but the fact remains that when the Council resumed at 2 p.m. the sub^acb was nob touched, upon,; The remainder of the ordinary'business was proceeded with in a smooth and business-like manner, there being no ripple showing a trace of bhJ3 slightest storml ;