INANGAHUA COUNTY COUNCIL

Inangahua Times, Volume IV, Issue 14, 11 May 1877, Page 2

IN ANGAHUA COUNTY COUNCIL

Ad adj mrned meeting of the members of the County Council was held at the office, Broadway, on Wedaesday last at 2.30 p.m., there being pres" Messrs Brennan, Kelly, Caples, P-ayfeild, Dick, and Davies. The minutes of the previous meeting were read confirmed. The Clerk reported re the petition for merging the Road Board in the County, that the matter was in the hands of the County Solicitor. He reported farther that he had communicated with Mr Butler, lute ' County Engineer, wit'i respect to a resolution of the Conucil, and that Mr Butler had promised to hand ( over to the Council all County documents, reports, .fee,, in his possession, but had not yet done so. COBBESPONDENCR. A letter was read from Dash and Co,, expressing their willingness to undertake the work of strengthening the centre crate of the laangahna suspension bridge, by facing it with stone, for the sum of £97 10s. From the hon. Dr Pollen, intimating that certain amendments would be made in the Counties Act at the next sitting of Parliament, and inviting suggestions on the subject from the Council. From the County Auditor (Nelson), re» questing that all vouchers and the pass book of the Council be forwarded to htm for the purposes of the intended audit of the County accounts. A telegram which had been received by the late County Engineer waa read, in which a demand was made by E. Carroll, of Hampden, for wages due under an engagement authorised bj the Engineer. This was the whole of the correspondence, which, having been read over, was received. With regard to the letter of the hon. Dr Pollen, it was decided that at the next general meeting of .'the Council members to come prepared to suggest amendments in the Counties Act, for transmission to Wellington. With regard to the telegram of E. Carroll, of Hampden, the Chairman ex« plained that on the return of the County Engineer from Hampden, the' latter suggested that twelve wages men should be employed under Mr Stewart, late overseer of the Hampden Road Board, to effect certain urgent repairs to the main road in that locality. In accordance with that recommendation, a telegram was forwarded to theLyell to Mr Stewart, authorising the expenditure in question, and Carroll was employed to take the telegram from Lyell to Hampden. Almost imme* diately after, the authorisation to Stewart was countermanded by telegram, and nothing had. since been done in the matter, but Carroll claimed payment for the service he performed. Mr Kelly thought the most advisable course was to wait no longer for the specifications of the late County Engineer, but to take other step for getting out the maintenance contacts. Mr Davies moved—" That a telegram be forwarded to Mr Stewart, in* quiring the nature and extent of the work performed by Carroll, and direct* ing him (Stewart) to take charge of the road works at Hampden at a salary of £4, and place twelve men to work at once.

The motion was seconded byMrDick^ and earned. The following t eeoants were presented for payment .—TJbrook Md Mirfin, £10 17t 6,1, for certain printing and tdvertis- , ing done for toe Council prior to the d«ta of tbe acceptance of the Tlifc tender for that wok ; from J. M'Sberry, £5, for clerical services rendered to the Council. On the motion of Mr Kijßjr, seconded bj Mr Dick, both account* were pused lor payment. kotices of xonoir. In accordance with a notice given a* a former meeting, Mr Davies moved " That the contractor for printing and advertising to the Council, be requested to famish his account to the Council forthwith, and that he be notified that in future unless his recount was rendered to the Council monthly it would not be recognised." He said that his reason for moving the resolution was that it hud frequently occurred ia the Road Board that printing accounts for £20 or £25 were sent and nobody seemed to know anything about them, and he desired to prevent such an occurrence happening in the Council. Mr Bayfeild quite agreed with the resolution. He thought it was very necessary that such a resolution should be passed. . Mr Dick also expressed himself in favour of the resolution. Mr Caples said he could not quite understand why it was deemed necessary to take sueb rigid precautions with regard to the present printing contract. Re regarded it as a little singular that no such stringent regulations were ere deemed requisite when the contract was in other hands* He thought that all ends would be met if the printing contractor were merely requested to furnish his account monthly without the addition ot anything else, and he would move an amendment t« that effect. The Clerk in reply to a question stated that two months had elapsed since the contract was let, and no account had been sent in during that period. Mr Davies said that he need only to point to the printing account just presented to show the necessity for the resolution. 1 Mr Kelly thought that there was not ' the least necessity to take any extreme * course, if notice were given to the con* 1 tractor to furnish his account there is no > doubt it would be done at once. The Chairman said he regretted that so • much of the time of the Council should have been taken up over such a trivial, 1 and as he viewed it, wholly unnecessary discussion. He thought that if Mr Caples ' suggestion were acted upon every pnr-C 1 pose would be answered, and be only ' hoped that in future the printing con* tractor would so arrange the matter as to spare the Council such another useless waste of time. ' The resolution and amendment were" then put to the Council, the latter being carried. ***% The Clerk explained that be bad spoken to the contractor upon the subject, and that tbe sole reason why the account had not been sent in was that it was hardly worth sending in until the execution of the Standing Orders of the Council, which were under way and will be com* pleted in the course of a few days. The Council then went into Committee and f ter lengthened discussion, the follow* ing items were formally agreed to :— £ Grey Road ... 1600 Drain, Reefton 1000 Bullerßoatt 3300 Black's Point 600 Hampden R.md GOO Road Board Liabrity 1703 Salaries, Ac 600 Horse track from M'Dowell's Capleston 100 Foot Track from Capleston to Italian Gully ... ... 60 Dray Road to the Fiery Cross Machine from Capleston... 400 Foot Bridge across Larry's Creek 800 Koad, Antonio 600 Road, Rainy Creek 200 Black's Point Dray Road ... 1000 Broadway, Reefton 160 Franklyn Street^laek'i Point 60 Track, Antonio to Big River. . . 60 .Smith, Bridge, and Walsh Bts., Reefton 700 Road. Black's Point to Crushington 800 Hospital , 460 - Athen&um ... ... ... 60 Charitable Aid 60 Contingencies... ... ... 600 Pound 60 Left-Hand Branch Foot Brdge 600 Protective Works .« ... 600 £14^10