County Council Conference.

Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 9, 10 July 1885, Page 3

County Council Conference.

The Conference mot this morning, Mr. Sutton, M.H.R., in the chair. Thero were also present — Captain Russell, Messrs. Maokay, M'Lollan, Hawkins, Homer, Lake, and White. Mr. Sutton moved— "That tho Hospital and Charitable Aida Bill appears to deal with the matter in a way that may be satisfactory, and may be amended so as to make it a useful measure. That the amendments which aro essential aro that the interposition of tho District Board should cease in the area of a looal institution when constituted." The motion was carried. Mr. Hawkins moved— "That any local authority contributing to the expenses of any hospital or charitable institution should be represented on the governing body in proportion to its contribution." The motion was carried. Captain Enssell movod— " That it would be | dosirable that power be given to counties to I alter their boundaries in cases whero tho necessities of oommunioation make such an alteration desirable, and also to remove one j or more properties from one road dißtriot to another on the application of owners with the oonsent of the Boards interested." The motion was carried. Mr. Maokay moved, " That the Conference considers the question of compensation for land taken under the Pnblio Works Aot." Tho motion was carried, and the Conference then adjourned. Subsequently a deputation from the Conferenoe waited upon the Colonial Treasurer. The deputation laid before the Colonial Treasurer the resolutions passed at the Conference. The deputation went into the reasons whioh had led them to the conclusions embraced in the resolutions, and disclaimed any intention of aoting hostilely to the Government, stating that the oiroulars to County Councils had been issued long before the purport of the Government proposals was known. They urged the complete unreliability of the approximate statement of payments under the proposed subsidies issued by the Government, oltmg numerous and striking instances of its inaeouraoy. They pointed out that 41 counties were entirely ignored, though such counties had tho most important roads in the colony, the main roads being nnder their control, and bad praotioally a pledge nnder the Roads and Bridges Act that funda would be ultimately forthcoming to enable thorn to complete and bridge and metal those roads. They stated that there was, in their opinion, very grave objection to taking £200,000 a year from Customs and Excise to spend upon roads and bridges to j improve the properties of tho hind-owners, and stated their conviction that it would be unwise and impolitic to aocept such a gift. That tho Property Tax arising from land in boroughs and counties, takon at would only produce .£IOO,OOO, leaving, as abovo Btated, £200,000 to be contributed for 25 years out of Customs and excise. On the Counties Bill they urged strongly their objeotion to being deprived of the right of elooting their own presiding officer. As to the Hospitals and charitable aid, they urged the necessity of representation on the Local Institutions Governing Boards of the contributing rating authorities, and opposed the dual system involved in the maintenance of District Boards after the local institutions were incorporated. The Colonial Treasurer, in reply, said that local bodies had been invited to give information, and he was unable to account for the imperfection, which he admitted, of the approximate statement ; that it was an open question whether the counties should not receive aid equally with the Boards. As to the suggestion in the resolutions of a Royal Commission, he did not think it wonld be productive of good ; that he had suggested a Conference of Chairmen of County Councils, but had been' advised that that also would be useless, an opinion from whioh the deputation strongly differed. Baforrmgr to the source of I taxation, from which subsidies were to be derived, ho urged that the moneys granted under the Eoads and Bridges Aot were liable to the same imputation. As to grants to counties, he produced some statistics of moneys expended under the Eoads and Bridges Aot whioh the deputation, with ono aooord, assured him were as valueless and inaccurate as the "approximate statement." As to Hospital, Ac, Bill, he concurred in thinking contributing rate authorities should be represented, but differred from the deputation on construction of the Bill as to District Boards. He added that he oonourred in desiring to plaoe tho construction ot the roads for opening up Crown lands in the hands of County Councils.

In Chambers this morning, on the application of Mr. Charles Brandon, hia Honour the Chief Jnstioe granted probate of the will of the late Mr. William Hiokaon. It is currently reported that the price paid by the Union Company to Captain Williams for the Black Diamond fleet of steam and sailing vessels and the ownors' interest in the Koranui Coal Mine is .£BI,OOO, of which .£40,000 is taken in Union Company's shares. Tho Wellington premises are to bo takon at a valuation. Captain Williams retains the s.B. Moa. At the Magistrate's Court to-day Samuol Boyce was fined 10a for drunkenness. Tho following civil cases were dealt with -.—Judgment summonses — Zohrab, New man & Co. v. James Crompton, £i 19s 2d. The defendant was ordered to pay in 14 days ; Zohrab and Co. v. Samuel Buraes, £3 4s 6d. An order was made for the payment of the amount within 14 days. Judgments for plaintiffs— G. G. Gillon v. Chas. C. Barnette, £4, 45 : J. Duthie & Co. v. D. Telfer, .£12 13s sd; W. and G. Turnbull A Co. v. James Ingley, £20 (Mr. Baiton for plaintiffs) ; Zohrab & Co. v. Biohard Davis, £5 8s 4d; William Wiggins v. William Stafford, £1 4s 6d; Buokley, Stafford & Fitzherbert v. John Boyoe, £1 14b 6d ; Emily Mason [v. JCharles Barnette, £8 10s ; J. M. Clelacd v. Adam Armstrong, .£8 159. Judgment reserved— Archibald Coulter v. J. J. Curtis, .£39 10s (Mr. Barton for plaintiff and Mr. Travers for defendant). The claim was for damages for injuries alleged to have been sustained through the negligence of the defendant. It was alleged that the plaintiff was driving along tho Hutfc road when his horse shied at another horse left on the roadside in a dying state by one of tho defendant's men. Plaintiff alleged that he was thrown on the road and snstained injuries whioh inoapaoitated him from work | for some weekß. j The voracity of the col has just received | another proof (says a Wairarapa exchange). I While Epveral members of the Acclimatisation Sooiety were dragging for trout for the breeding ponds, in the stream olose to Benall's mill, an eel weighing 18Jlbs was netted. On being opened, considerable quantities of feathers, bones ot duoks, &c, were found in it. A resident on the banks of the oreek states that during the hut year or two he has lost a large number of duoks in a mysterious fashion, but what puzzled him the most was, that some of them would occasionally tarn np minus one or both feet. That the damage was done by an eel never occurred to him ti" after the oulprit wes caught. Mr. Samuol Coombes, in a lotter to the New Zealand Herald, states it is not generally known that the taking away of the licenses from most of the houses has not injured the property in any case, as is often asserted by the brewers and spirit merchants. He instances the Duke of Marlborongh, whioh was let at £7 a week, and subsequently rented as business premises by himBolf at J6lO » week before he purchased it; the Exohange Hotel, let at £8 a week as a pnbliohouse, but now yielding i!ls per week ; the Auckland Hotel, .£7 a week, but whioh, on ceasing to bo a hotel, is, he is given to understand, to be let at .£l3 per week. The new anesthetic, cocaine, has lately been used, with capital results, by one of the medical fraternity in Auckland. The Star, after recounting a list of operations on the eye whioh were painlessly performed by the aid of this powerful drug, adds:— "The patients remain consckus during the operation, but express themselves as quite insensible to any pain at tse time. There can be no doubt that this late discovery of the preparation of oocaine will prove an inestimable boon in surgioal and other oases,"

The Tablet ia very indignant at the announcement that the Earl of Carnarvon is to be the new Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Taking this in connection with the Earl's reoent appointment ob Pro-Grand Pint Prinoipal— the Grand First Prinoipal being the Prince of Wales — of the Supreme Grand Chapter of Boyal Arch Masons of England, the Catholia organ says :— "The two appointments would hardly be consistent, were the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland anything other than a foreign ruler, sont over to oppose in every way the interests of the Irish people, and as moth at variance with their desires, wants, and aspirations as it is possible for any ruler tobe. A dignitary of the Freemasons ruling over the Irish people is indeed sorely out of place, and his association with the suspected and forbidden craft must odd even to the Lord Lieutenant a more sinister aspeot in the eyes of the Irish people." The Manchester Gnardian says the announcement of the intention of the Duchy of Lancaster to raise a limited number of workmen to the Magisterial Bench has been confirmed by a positive appointment — " Mr. Henry B. Blatter, Seoretary of the Provincial Typographical Association, has been selected for this honourable position, and he has, we learn, accepted the offer officially made to him by the Duchy Offioe. It is understood that similar offers of appointment to the magistracy have been made to Mr. T. Birtwistle, of Accrington, Secretary to the Operative Weavers' Association of North and North-East Lancashire ; and Mr. Fielding, of Bolton, who holds the post of Secretary to tho local branoh of the Operative Cotton Spinners' Association." A Message fboji Mbbbt England.— Mr. B. H. Mardon, of the firm of Mardon, Son and Hall, the eminent lithographers and printers, established over fifty years, Bristol, England, writes :— " Last year, when suffering greatly from Neuralgia, Itriod St. Jacobs Oil. I had before used it, when in Australia, for Rheumatism, with the greatest benefit, but hardly thought it would be efficacious for Neuralgia, yet I certainly found a wonderiul relief from its application. So highly pleased was I with it that I obtained a cose of one dozen bottles, for distribution amongst our work-people, some of whom have told me it proved invaluable. I gave a bottle to one of onr leading olergymon, who was sufferuitr with Lumbago, and he was delighted with | the Bpeedy cure it offeoted " j