VINCENT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXI, Issue 1032, 29 January 1889, Page 3

VINCENT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Special Meeting. A special meeting of the above Council, called for Wednesday, 23rd January at noon, for the purpose of considering by-laws 3, 4, and 5, with the view of reviewing and altering same, was, for the want of a quorum, adjourned till 3 p.m. on the same day. Ordinary Meeting. The ordinary meeting of the Council was held in the Council Chambers, Clyde, at 2.30 p.m., when there were present: Crs Fraser (chairman), Denniston, Parcell, Stewart, and Sheppard. The minutes of the previous ordinary meeting were read and confirmed. Schedules of outward and inward correspondence were read. Inward correspondence as follows was eonA letter from the Audit Office, Wellington, stating amount of fees due to be £8 13s 4d. A resolution to have same paid was passed. On the motion of Cr Sheppard, it was agreed to adjourn the Council for half-an-hour in order that the business of the adjourned special meeting be gone on with. With regard to by-laws 3 and 4, the Council were agreed that no alteration was necessary. Sub-section 1 of section 2 of the "Slaughterhouses Act, 1877, Amendment Act, 18S8," however required an alteration in section 6 of by-law No. 5. After some discussion, the following motion by Cr Sheppard, seconded by Cr Denniston, was put to the meeting and carried—That section 6 of by-law No. 5 be amended to read as follows : Licenses may be granted hereunder for the slaughtering of great cattle only, or for the slaughtering of small cattle only, and the annual fee payable in respect thereof shall be as follows : For great cattle, £1 ; for small cattle, £l. But if any such license shall be issued after the 30th day of June in any year, only one-half of the said fees shall be payable. A lengthy discussson then arose in reference to sections 8 and 9 of by-law 5, resulting in the following resolution, proposed by Cr Stewart, being passed : That clause 9 of by-law No. 5 be amended by deleting the words " owing to some unforeseen accident," iu the second line, and substituting the words "fourteeu days" for " seven days," in the sixth line of the said clause. The business of the special meeting now being concluded, the considering of the correspondence was resumed. A letter from the Auditor-general, Wellington, returning balance-sheet for half-year ending 30th December, 1888, certified except as to the payment of £66 4s for members' travelling expenses, which not being actual expenses as required by the Act, were disallowed. With reference to same, it was resolved, on the motion of Cr Denniston, seconded by Cr Sheppard That the Chairman be authorised to communicate with the other County Councils in Otago, with the view of ascertaining if they contemplate contesting the Auditor-general's reading of section 105, " Counties' Act, 1886." A motion that the balance-sheet as certified by the Auditor-general be passed by this Council, was carried.

A letter from the Receiver of Land Revenue, asking that the Council make arrangements with some Dunedin bank to receive moneys due to the County from land revenue. The Chairman stated that by Act the County could only have one banking account, and as that wa3 at the Bank of New Zealand, Alexandra, the request could not be acceded to. In the reply, however, it might be stated that the Bank of New Zealand, Dunedin, might forward moneys to the branch at Alexandra. A letter from Mr Gunion, Galloway, objecting to the grant of a slaughtering license to James Sawyers, of Alexandra. —Consideration deferred till the application should be dealt with. A letter from James Smith, Luggate, giving particulars of the loss of the punt, was received. With reference to same, the Chairman said, that knowing the necessity of a new punt at the locality, he had taken upon himself to call for tenders for same, and he would ask ;if, the Council sanctioned his doings.—Sanctioned. „■ A letter from the Property Tax Department,: Wellington, with voucher for, £326 9s sd, for: payment of tax.—Received. ',;'■■■ / An application hy Thomas Rooney, Cromwell, to quarry stone on the opposite side of the river from Cromwell, near the approach to the bridge.—The engineer said that there was •no reason why! it.should not be granted ; r but a resolution passed by' the Council in 1878 had given of Cromwalf, and it had not been rescinded.— The Chairman's opinion was that applicant be informed that the quarry is at present in the occupation of D. MacKellar, and that while he has it the Council has.not power to do anything. JJe said the former motion tvould require to be readnded at next meeting.—Cr Stewart thought that in his reading of ■tile motion, i here was ' no occupation about it, and moreover, that the Council could at anytime, without notice; make void the grant.--Cr Denniston was of the same opinion as Cr was finally agreed that, ia the public interest, the motion be rescinded at the next meeting, and the following motion iu the meantime was resolved upon : "That the Council regret that they do not see theh ' J ' it. ■applican ..-.ue&t at present." A letter from Anderson and M'lntosh, Luggate, sending ma elaira for £B2 for "damages/ sustained by the breaking up of the Ln»gate Punt.—lt was decided tu obtain the solicitor's ■ opinion on-the matter, and to consider same in

Committee. Re the Cromwell bridge, the Chairman stated that the contractor had been communicated with, and asked to find securities, same being found. It was also stated by the Chairman that arrangements had been made with the Hon. Mr Mitchelson (Minister of Public Works) to obtain the services of the Colony's consulting engineer in England to see the testing of the material for the new bridge before it should be sent out, as there was no testing appliances in New Zealand. With regard to the relations between the County Council and the Cromwell Borough oyer the new bridge, it was resolved, on the motion of Cr Denniston, seconded by Cr Sheppard—"That the Minister of Lands be requested to direct that the Vincent County Council shall have sole control, under section 88 of l The Public Works Act, ISS9,' over the bridge about to be erected across the Clutha at Cromwell." The Treasurer's statement was read and received. In connection with the item " unpaid rates " in the assets, the following resolution, on the motion of Cr Sheppard, seconded by Cr Parcel!, was passed :—" That public notification be given that legal proceedings will be taken to recover all rates unpaid on the 28th February,lßß9." The engineer's reports on roads, contracts, bridges, and ferries were read and adopted : The meeting then adjourned till 8 p.m. On resuming at S p.m., The ranger's report on Blacks commonage was read and received. The dog Registrar's report was read and received. Eighteen applications for slaughtering licenses were granted. The application by J. M'Lean, of Bendigo, was withdrawn. Considering of Charles Attfield's application was adjourned till the amended bye-laws should be confirmed at next meeting. Re James Sawyers' application, the Chairman said that the Council could not grant it, as not being made in conformity with the Act. From what he could understand, applicant did not have any premises, and a certiticate as to their suitableness must be given by the inspector. On the motion of Cr Sheppard, seconded by Cr Stewart, it was resolved —That James Sawyers' application for slaughtering license not having been made in conformity with the provisions of " The Slaughterhouses Act, 1887," this Council has no power to deal with it.— The objection by Robert Guuion was read and received. Several applications for depasturing licenses were granted. The application of D. Davies, Half-way House, to depasture a bull was not granted, as being contrary to the regulations. The Couucil then adjourned into Committee for the purpose of passing accounts and considering tenders. On returning to the table, the Chairman read the following business that had been conducted in Committee : Contract No. 228.—Left for the Chairman to deal with. Accounts amounting to £65 14s 9d were passed for payment. The tender of the Dunstan Times for the printing of voucher forms was accepted. NOTICES OF MOTION. Cr Parcell moved That the sum of five pounds be voted for the purpose of constructing a dray track from Walker's Creek to Gee's Flat, Kawarau Gorge. A letter from a party of miners in the neighborhood on the subject was read. They stated that if the Council put on a man, for say ten days, they would put on a man also; and should the work not be completed in that time, they would finish it at their own expense.—On the motion being amended to—That a sum not exceeding £5, etc., it was carried unanimously. Leave to withdraw motion No. 2 was granted to Cr Parcel].

The following motion by Cr Parcell was adjourned by request till next meeting, there not being a full attendance of. Councillors : That this Council go into Committee for the purpose of devising the best means of retrenchment.

Cr Denneston asked leave to bring forward the following motion : —That the Council authorise the Chairman arid engineer to use the moneys standing to the credit of the different blocks as they think fit in those blocks. After discussion it was agreed that the matter stand over till next meeting, to allow a schedule of the moneys credited or debited to each block being obtained. Be Anderson and M'lntosh's claim for damages sustained by breaking up of the Luggate punt, it was resolved on the motion of Cr Sheppard, seconded by Cr Parcell—that the claim be not acknowledged, as the Council do not admit any liability. The chairman here stated that he had objected to the application by the Golden gate G. M. Co. for a right of water from Wai Keri Keri creek on the grounds that, although at some seasons of the year there was sufficient water, there would not always be enough for all partiep ; and he asked that his action be sanctioned, or authority given to withdraw the objection. Cr Sheppard, who spoke very strongly for the withdrawal of the objection, proposed, and Cr Parcell seconded —That the objection be withdrawn. —On the motion being put to the meeting, it was negatived on the casting vote of the Chairman. Cr Stewart then moved—That the action taken by the Chairman with regard to the application by the Golden Gate G.M. Co. be endorsed by the Council. —Carried. This concluded the business, and the meeting closed.