PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 60, 6 November 1880, Page 3

PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL.

The, Council met at 11.80 a.m. Present —Messrs Dale (chairman) Brewer, Bridge, Gane, Homer, Hnnter, Milne, Partridge, and Winks. COiaESPONDENCE. Vvota the Chairman of the Patea Town Board giving notice that they intended to survey a road on the hospital reserve. — From the provincial district auditor, asking that accouuis be forwarded for audit, also for annual rateable value of property, and particulars of licenses and land revenue. — From the Patea East Eoad Board, giving estimate of expenditure for 1880-81. — From Mr. J. B. Taylor, asking- for the stun 'of £80 to be paid to the Jockey Club. — From Mr. Whelan, asking for leave to erect a verandah. — From Messrs. Jones, Thorp, and Coleridge, Wellington, offering their services as bounty engineers. Outward. — A list of letters sent outwards was read, including a number of notices to grub up gorse upon county roads ; and one asking Major Atkinson if the Government would grant assistance to the council out of the vote passed for roads in. the North Island, A. letter -was also raw! from Messrs. i Stafford and Fitzherbert, solicitors, Wellington, proposing that the District Court . should toy the case to be brought by J. McLean against the council; upon the plea that the costs would be less. The request was accepted by the chairman, subject to conditions under which the decision was to be accepted as final, the case to be tried at Patea, and the costs to be assured by plaintiff's solicitors. Some farther correspondence took place on the subject, in which the council declined to h« bound., not to appeal, as requested by the pteuYtaff'a lawyers,. out abandoning the guarantee of costs, at first asked for. The date of hearing was fixed at the first Wednesday in December. The consideration of the correspondence was then entered into. On the notice given by the Town Board, as to taking the road through the hospital reserve, it was resolved that the council inspect the line after dinner. In reference to the request made by the provincial auditor, the chairman explained ' that a statement of accounts had been forwarded without the vouchers, as die greater portion of the vouchers had recently been inspected by the provincial auditor. It was resolved that the expenditure of the Patea East Eoad Board be agreed to. The clerk explained that he proposed to send a cheque for £30 to the jockey club at his earliest convenience. Permission to erect a verandah was granted to My. Whelan* Mr. Brewer explained that Mr. Hare felt rather aggrieved at a notice to clear furze which had been sent to him, as his fences were in first class order and repair. The overseer was called in, and explained that there were only two or three plants on the road, bat he (Mr. Harden) was instructed. to report upon any gorse encroaching upon the county roads. DAMAGES BY BTOIUI WATER. Mr. Wood waited upon the council, in order to complain that certain stormwater had been led on to his section, and his property had been- damaged thereby. Previous to the culvert being placed there by the county council, no water bad lain on the land. He thought the council ought r to drain the town water off. The people were taxed enough by public bodies, without being drowned into the bargain. Correspondence was read, showing that the Patea Town Board had agreed in July last to cany the water off Mr. Wood's section. Councillor Bridge proposed that the attention of the Carlyle Town Board be called to the damage now being done by the storm-water lodging on Mr. Wood's land, and that they be requested to carry out their agreement to take the water off the land ; failing which, that- the council will, within fourteen days, proceed to carry the water off at the expense of the Town Board. Councillor Winks moved an amendxhent, to the effect that the Carlyle Town Board be remmdod of their promise to remove the storm-water off Wood's section, and take steps to do the same. Councillor Gane proposed that the council should pay Mr. Woods compensation for the four months' damage inflicted. ■ Mr. Wood explained that if the water were removed at once, he would not press $or damages, if ilie council thought his claim not fair. The amendment was lost, on the voices, and the original resolution carried. engineer's report. The engineer reported as follows : — " I have the honor to report that the maintenance staff on the main road has been reduced, in aacordance with your instructions ; the present staff now numbering in all seven men. The road between Hawera and Waingongoro is so broken that I have stationed one of the hands to repair it. Mr. Cheyfle has received verbal instructions from me to complete contract No. 51' as soon as the gravel-pit Is sufficiency dry to allow him to cart from it. Furze is encroaching on th,e main -road adjoining the property of ■ Mr. Gore, Hawera, and also a portion of road adjoining the railway between Waverley and Waitotara. "-^The.report was adopted. THE HOSPITAL. The surgeon's report was handed in, showing that four had been admitted -during the past month, nine had been discharged, one had died of heart disease ; leaving only two patients in the hospital, viz. >- Gustav Nichol (compound fracture), Wm. Murray (eczema). The members of the hospital 'committee met on Brd November, and prepared the following report, which was handed in :— V That having examined the building, the vommittee considers it absolutely necesBajy t6 liae and ceil a.paatt of the wjspex portion of ihe "bunding, attend to riflging, windows arid walls, the estimated cost of "which is £25. A small pantry, and a few shelves are also required, the estimated cost of which is £10. — Wm. Dale, chairman of committee." The 'councillors having inspected the hospital and the- proposed line of road j After luncheon, resumed at 2.15 p.m. A discussion arose as to the necessity for the expenditure. Councillor Gane opposed the expenditure,' on the {ground that it was not-within the means of the council to attend -to it at the present time. Councillor Bridge . thought that the lining would not he required, and suggested other means to obviate the defects wmpl&iaed of.

Councillor Homer considered it simply a question of ways and means, but pointed out that there was no possibility of providing proper accommodation for lever pati vis if any came in. Councillor Partridge said there was no necessity for lining the building, but he ; was in favor of a pantry and an extra | door. ' The Chairman pointed out that several sums, as well as £30 as subscriptions, would shortly be received. The council divided on the adoption of the report, as follows : — Noes': Councillors Bridge, Gane, Hunter, Partridge, Milne, and Winks. Ayes : Councillors Brewer, Homer, and the Chairman. I Councillor Bridge proposed that a pantry be built to the hospital, a floor to be put in the east door-way, and the ridging attended to. — Carried. THE COUNTY EOADS. The finance committee reported that " having carefully considered the matter, the committee are of opinion that it will take at least £1940 to keep the county roads hi a fair state of repair up to the 31st March, 1881." The Chairman pointed out that there would be £255 available for maintenance and repair if all outstanding rates were paid, but a considerable portion could not be collected ; the arrears were almost all owing by absentee .-owners for small amounts, and were not worth suing for. Councillor Brewer asked what proportion of the above expenditure was to be spent south of the Patea river ? Councillor Milne stated that it was proposed to spend £410. Councillor Brewer thought that no expenditure should be incurred between Waverley and. Waitotara, seeing that i there was a prospeek o$ h&v'xag ii>e yail"Way opened within about three months. TRAFFIC REGULATIONS. Councillor Bridge stated that the engtneer had informed him that all timber upon drays had to be accepted by the inspector as seasoned, because, in the absence of a weighbridge, he had no means of ascertaining the actual weights, or enforcing the' penalties lor over-weight, unless the measurement was in excess oi that laid down in the standard tables of weights and measures. RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE. A return of receipts and expenditure since the formation of the county, asked for by Councillor Gane, was handed in, but inasmuch as it was admitted to be ! incomplete, we have not published it. An abstract of "expenditure and receipts for the month was handed in. Receipts : Bates, £41 9s 2d ; reimbursements, £1 Is ; hospital, £14 Is ; total, £56 lls 2d. Expenditure : Printing, stationery, and advertising, £1& 2s sd ; wages, £23,1 16s 6d; other charges, £213 lls Cd ; total, £451 10s sd. HALF HOLIDAY. It was resolved that the office be closed after 1 p.m. on the following day. HOSPITAL RESERVE. Ke the pieces of reserve required for the Carlyle Town Board, it was agreed that the road would be very damaging to the hospital. It was moved by Councillor Brewer that the chairman be empowered, on behalf of the council (when the time comes) to oppose the road being taken past the hospital. The mover thought a far easier line could be secured elsewhere. — The resolution was carried nem. con. NEXT MEETING. It was proposed that the next ordinary meeting of the council be held on the 24th November, instead of the first Wednesday in Decemher, in order to hold i both the special and ordinary .meetings on the one day. Councillor Brewer proposed that henceforth the first Tuesday in the month should be the day of meeting, instead of the first Wednesday. BRANDS. Councillor Bridge drew attention to the fact that, under the new Act, all brands have to be re-registered within two years. RETURNS. Councillor Gane proposed that a copy of the return handed in should be sent iv to each councillor. Withdrawn. Tbe Chairman explained that the total receipts by the council had been over £40,549, but the return in question only showed £27,000 odd. The total expenditure was about £9 less than the gross receipts of £40,000 referred to. Councillor Gane moved that a detailed and classified statement of all monies received and expended by the council, in addition to that already fuynißbed, be forwarded to each councillor within seven days. A discussion followed, in which the chairman informed the council that the cost of running the council was 7£ per cent, on the total expenditure. The total A general opinion in favor of ascertaining the actual cost of running the council coßt of stationery, printing, and advertising for three years had been about £245. was expressed. ROAD BOARD, TOWN BOARD, AND COUNTY EXPENDITURE. Councillor Bridge moved, — " That » detailed return oi fcbe receipts and expenditure be asked for from the several road boards and town boards within the county, for the three years ending 31st March, 1880, in order that a reliable comparison may be made between cost of county councils and road boards. The Chairman said that in Patea West the cost of survey upon new roads alone for the past two years appeared to have been £73, and suggested that survey expenses should appear separately. It was understood that copies of the statement asked for should be sent to each councillor as soon as possible after the clerk had received them. Councillor Bridge, in reply, desired to point out that hitherto county engineers in this district had had no new work to lay off, but the road boards had had a i Quantity of new work to do. To undertake such work the Council ■would have to employ expensive professional assistance in the future. . OVERDRAFT-. The Chairman stated that there was a bank overdraft of more than £400, and that was probably the limit of credit which would be allowed. RATE. It was proposed by Councillor Homer, and seconded by Mr. Milne, — That notice be given that it is the intention of this council to levy a rate of 9d. in the £ from the 25th November to 31st March) 1880; the rate to be payable on Ist December, 1880." An amendment was proposed by Mr. Brewer, that the rate should not exceed 6d. The mover, thought it advisable to

levy rates in accordance with the times. ] Now that the railway would soon be open, j it would relieve the road of the heavy traffic. His part of the district \va& already taxed heavily for local purposes. Councillor "Winks thought it was the carters and others who mainly cut up and used, the roads, and j>aid nothing. He was in favor of the lesser rate. [ Councillor Hunter was also in favor of a sixpenny rate, as that would be sufficient to pull the matter through, even if it did not maintain the roads m perfect repair. The Chairman did nut see how the last speaker could reconcile his present vote with the report of the Finance Committee. He (the chairman) was not at all iv i'avor of heavy taxes, tmt it was necessary to keep these roads in repair in order to maintain the prosperity of the district. The carters were an advantage, as by their competition rates of carriage were , kept down, and good roads were necessary to enable stores and produce to be carted cheaply. Councillor Bridge agreed with the chairman that a ninepenny rate was very necessary. In fact, the work could not j be done for less, and bad roads meant a i losb to all settlers. \ Councillor Milne agreed with previous speakers that a ninepenny rate was really needed. Councillor Partridge thought that if the Government subsidy was taken into consideration, there would be enough raised to cover the absolutely necessary expenses. The northern end of the district would shortly be able to do very well without the road in a great measure, as the railway would be open to Normanby, and ( then a much smaller expenditure would > be required, | I Councillor Hunter explained that, although he believed that the report of the committee represented a fair estimate, it was worth while to tiy and get on with a little less expenditure. Councillor Gane was in favor of a sixpenny rate, as economy was really needed. It was common enough to hear' of " absolutely necessary " expenditure, which could be done without, and, in proot, he instanced the report of the hospital committee. \ Councillor Homer, in reply, stated that if the roads were neglected for a while, it would cost a much larger sum to put them in repair. The council divided on the amendment, when a sixpenny rate was declared to be carried by 5 to 4. DOG-TAX. It was proposed by Councillor Bridge — " That the right of collecting the dog-tax within the three different ridings of the •county be offered by auction, the chairman fixing a reasonable reserve." An amendment was mov d by Councillor Brewer, that the collecting of the dog-tax be let for collection on behalf of the council. Councillor Bridge suppoi'ted his resolution, because it would be to the interest of the collector to hunt up all the dogs. Councillor Brewer thought that the 1 council might make a loss \>y selling the right. It would be competent to pay so much per dog for each one registered. Councillor Milne knew that at present there was only one dog in ten registered, and he preferred to let the right by tender or auction. Councillor Winks thought there weve no data to go upon, and he was afraid there would be no bidders for the right, if put up to auction. The Chairman said he would find out how many houses there are in each riding, also how many dogs had been registered in past years. He would then take care to fix a fair reserve, alter obtaining these data, and would inform intending bidders as soon as he obtained the information himself. The amendment was lost, and the original resolution was carried. THE MOUNTAIN EOAD. The discussion on the question of a transfer of that portion of the Mountain road (from Mr. McG-uire's corner to where it joiris the Austin road, leading up to Messrs. Eobson's sawmill) from the Government to the County Council, was yesuvoGtl by. Councillor Brewer.. He thanked the members present for postponing the, discussion at the last meeting. He would prefer to see the road boards merged in the counties. He maintained that the road boards were not cheaply conducted. Members joined simply because they desired roads to their own door or farm. It was admitted by some meiahers on the Wairoa Koad Board that they sat on the board for some special object. They had been taxed at a shilling rate in their district, and he thought they had not b en fairly treated. He cited instances of bad work done by the Eoad Board in that district. The highway board had not even the courtesy to give a final notice of payment of rates being required. No doubt, there were some long-winded ratepayers hi the district, but he did not believe in that sort of economy. He thought the man who would support the merging of the counties into road boards was about fib for a lunatic asylum. Alter a lew words Sroza other Councillors, it was resolved that the debate be adjourned until the next meeting of the council, pending the reception of returns from the road and town boards. THE GOOD TFMPLARS. Councillor Bridge moved that permission be granted to the Good Templars to hold their meetings in the council" chamber, and that the resolution refusing it be rescinded. Councillor Gane supported the rescinding, and dilated upon the rnerjts of teetotaliam and Good Templarism, but said he did not belong to the order himself. Councillor Homer thought things had gone pretty far when the council began to discuss teetolalism. The council ought to decide upon having the chamber either open to all bodies, or not to any. The OhaiwMan skated that the room was in constant request, and he had always refused to allow performances to be held except by permission of the council, or any encroachment upon the conI ditions imposed upon the Harmonic [ Society. Councillor "Winks thought no meetings should be held which entailed shifting furniture, &c. If, as stated by the chairman, there were valuable papers lying about, he objected to the risk. Councillor Bridge's resolution was lost on a division by five to four. DOG COLLARS. Mr. Potto's tender for dog collar* was accepted, at 6£d. Accounts, amounting to £107 9s 3d, were passed for payment*