HAWKE'S BAY COUNTY COUNCIL.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XX, Issue 3906, 15 May 1877, Page 2

HAWKE'S BAY COUNTY COUNCIL.

Monday, May 14. The Council met at 11 a.m. Present — The Chairman (Mr H. S. Tiffen), Lieut.-Colonel Whitmore, and Messrs Bennett, Williams, Brathwaite, and Ton 1 . The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirned. PAPERS. The Chairman laid on the table the following letters, &c. : — Letter from the Colonial Secretary's Office, stating that the sum of £208, paid by the late Provincial Treasurer into the jmblic account, from the Tareha's Bridge and Taradale tollgates, would be paid over to the county, and requesting that the lessees should be informed that they are in future to pay the rent direct to the account of the county at the Union Bank, Napier; statement from the Treasury, showing the amount receivable by the board on the toll-gate account after deducting the amount due to the Government for balance of election expenses ; detailed account of election expenses ; return from the DeputyCollector of Customs, showing that £20 had been received by him on account of the county, for a slaughtering license ; circular from Dr. Pollen, requesting (as it might be necessary in the forthcoming session to amend the Counties Act) to be favored with such suggestions as to amendments as might appear desirable in the details of the measure. PETITION FROM MEANEE. Mr Williams presented a petition from a number of settlers at Meanee, prayin* the Council to abolish the district. The Chairman said that the petition must be published one month before being presented, and it would therefore have to be presented again at the expiration of that time before the Council could deal with it. DRAIN AT MEANEE. Mr Bennett laid on the table two plans of a drain to be made at Meanee. He said that the plan marked No. 2 was the one preferred, and he moved that it be adopted. Colonel Whitmore thought it was going rather too far to adopt a plan for a drain in the oil-hand manner proposed. The proper course would be to lay the plans on the table, and give the Council time to consider the matter, before moving a resolution on the subject. The Chairman said that if Colonel Whitmore had not raised an objection to the motion, he (the Chairman) would have done so, on the ground that notice should be given. Mr Bennett said that his motion did not involve the expenditure of any money by the Council. He was not asking the Council for anything except to approve of the plans, so as to give the road board power to take measures for proceeding with the work. Colonel Whitmore : Then the form of the motion should have been that the Council should approve of the plan, &c. But even then, the Council should have time afforded to look into the matter. The Chairman considered it was quite clear that notice of motion should be given. The Public Works Act evidently contemplated that the Council should deliberate upon a matter of the kind, the

words used being " may approve thereof with such modifications," &c. The Conncil could not make modifications without examining the plans of the drains." Mr Bennett then gave notice that he would move on the next meeting day, "That the plan now laid on the table, showing a proposed drain to be made by the Meanee Road Board, be approved of." POUNDKEEPER AT FARNDON. Colonel Whitmore moved that George E, Toop be appointed poundkeeper at Farndon. The motion was seconded by Mr Bennett and carried. PETITION OF MICHAEL SCANLON. Mr Brathwaite presented a petition from Michael Scanlon, complaining that his wages as a roadman in the employment of the county had been reduced, and praying that the rate he had been receiving for the last five years might be restored. Mr Brathwaite, in support of the prayer of the petition, said that it was rather hard to reduce a man's wages suddenly without giving Mm any intimation of it. The man had to see to about 15 miles of road, from Havelock up to Te Aute, and was consequently obliged to keep a horse. Scanlon had been employed on that road for some years, and as he knew all the culverts and bridges it was desirable to retain his services. Colonel Whitmore considered that if the Council employed a person in a position of trust the authority of that person should be supported. He took it, of course, that the reduction complained of had been made by the overseer, and the petition should be referred to him before the Council dealt with it. Mr Brathwaite had evidently made out a very strong case, but as a matter of principle he did not think the Council would be justified in adopting rates of wages for laborers merely because they were the current rates years ago. He would move that the petition be referred to the overseer of roads. The motion was seconded by Mr Brathwaite, and was carried after some further discussion. OMAHU BRIDGE. Mr Williams moved, " That with the view of ascertaining if any protective works are absolutely necessary for the protection of the Omahu bridge, the acting engineer be requested to inspect and report upon the same without delay." The motion was seconded by Colonel Whitmoie and carried. PROTECTION TO BANK OF NGARURORO. Colonel Whitmore said that at the last meeting of the Council he had moved that certain works to the Ngaruroro river at W est Clive should be proceeded with. The motion was opposed on the ground that several members of the Council were not present. He withdrew the motion, but he had felt that it was a pity that for the sake of a mere matter of form, there should be delay in having a work done, involving only a small expenditure, but which would be the means of saving the county a good deal of expense. The work he referred to had been reported upon by the acting engineer, and consisted in the planting of some willow trees for the protection of the bank of the Ngaruroro river at a place mentioned in the report. He moved that the sum of £50 be expended in preventing the further encroachment of the Ngaruroro river, in accordance with the report of Mr Bold. Mr Williams seconded the motion pro forma. He considered that there was risk of the proposed work becoming a source of damage, unless it was done more extensively ; at all events, as far as Pakowhai. It must also be considered that if a bank was made on one side of river, the water would be thrown on to the other side. Mr Bennett opposed the motion. He had interests in Clive, and it was therefore evident that he had no personal motive in the view he took. The place where it was proposed to protect the river bank did not abut on the road, and he considered it a bad precedent for the Council to expend money in works that were to protect private property. If Colonel Whitmore would alter his motion so that the work should only extend to such part of the river bank as abutted on the road, he (Mr Bennett) would have much pleasure in supporting it. Colonel Whitmore said that it appeared that Mr Williams's objection was that the work should be larger. He (Colonel Whitmore) must confess that what he now proposed was only in the way of a stop gap, but he was perfectly sure that it would not have the effect of injuring any other part. The proposal was to expend £25 in the purchase of willows, and £25 in fixing them in the river. He had no doubt, whatever, of the efficacy of that mode of protecting a river bank, the effect having come under his observation in more than one place. The Council divided on the motion. Ayes 3 — Colonel Whitmore and Messrs Williams and Brathwaite. Noes 2 — Messrs Bennett and Torr. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE. On the motion of Mr Williams, seconded by Mr Bennett, the Council went into committee to consider the following report from the Public AVorks Committee, dated 12th May, 1877 :— The committee having met pursuant to notice recommend the following works to be \indertaken : — (1) That the overseer be instructed to cause the drain on the north-west side of the Taratlale-road, starting from the Tutaekuri bridge and continuing to a distance of about SO chains towards Taradale, to be filled in and sloped from the level of present formation of road, so as to prevent the road being washed away by the scour from the overflow of flood water. The M r ork to be let in small contracts at per cubic yard. (2) That instructions be given to the overseer to take the necessary steps for protecting the approach to the western end of the Meanee bridge. (3) That the low lying portion of the road between the Meanee bridge and the racecourse, about 19 chains in length, be reformed and metalled. (4) Recommend that tenders be called for 4000 feet of heart of totara planking for the repair of bridges and culverts. On the Council resuming, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr- Bennett, seconded by Mr Williams, that the recommendations of the Public Works Committee be carried out. THE COLONIAL SECRETARY'S CIRCULAR. The Chairman asked what the Council intended to do in respect to Dr Pollen's circular. Colonel Whitmore thought the best mode of dealing with it would be to have a meeting of the Council expressly for the purpose of considering the recommendations that should be made. The Chairman asked if Colonel Whitmore would move to that effect. Colonel Whitmore would rather not do so, as it was very probable that he would be going to Taupo for the benefit of his health. It would also be better that some other member should move in the matter, as his own views in respect to the powers and functions of the Council differed, in all likelihood, from those entertained by other members. He considered that the Council should have no rating powers, acting merely as a controlling body over the road boards, and also as a kind of court of appeal to which an aggrieved minority at a road board could have recourse. That was the view he had held from the first, but he had supported the carrying out of the Act in its restricted form, and even afterwards, when the majority took the full powers, he had done what lie could to discharge his duty as a member. Still, considering the views he held, he thought the Council would not lose by his absence in considering the recommendations they should make to the Colonial Secretary. Nevertheless, he might suggest that there were several points in respect to which recommendations in the Act might be made — such as the rating of outlying districts, the un-

satisfactory mode of making valuations, . and several other flaws in the Act as it stood. The Council would, in making those recommendations, be strengthening the hands of those who honestly desired f" to carry out the present system. After some conversation as to the day that would be most convenient for taking Dr Pollen's circular into consideration, it was agreed that as it was not a matter of county business it would be a convenient course to discuss the matter on the 29th instant, after the business of the special meeting respecting the bye-laws shall have been disposed of. CREEK AT HAVE^OCK. Mr Brathwaite moved, "That the chairman instruct the road overseer to inspect the creek running through the police ground at Havelock, and to report on the advisability and probable cost of widening and straightening the same from the outlet to the mam road." The motion was seconded by Mr Bennett and carried. CHARITABLE AID. Mr Brathwaite brought under notice the advisability of setting aside a sum of money for charitable aid. He arid that of his own knowledge there was much need for it. Colonel Whitmore said that for the present year the Government were deducting from the subsidies a proportionate contribution for charitable aid, and if the f!».^ cil voted a sum of money for the purpa^^ they would be contributing twice over Hbr~ the same purpose. The Chairman said that he was informed by the clerk that the Council had but to apply to the Government for the money and it would be got. Mr Brathwaite thereupon moved " That the Chairman apply to the General Government for a sum of £150 for a charitable aid fund, and that the Chairman, the Clerk, and the Inspector of -Police be appointed to distribute it." The motion was seconded by Mr Bennett, and carried. / The Council then adjourned. \