Lake County Council.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1518, 5 February 1886, Page 5

Lake County Council.

The ordinary monthly meeting of above hod? was ■•ld in th« Council Chamber*. Que*n«town, on Monday the Ist instant Present Messrs C. P. Boy*s (chairman), J. Aspinall. J. Butement. F. H. Daniel, A. H. Douglas, W. Jenkins, F. M'Bride snd R. Pritchsrdv

Minutes of previous meeting were read and con* Armed.

Before the reading of correspondence, the Chair■an said he saw by report in the Duntian Time» that the Vincent County engineer was too busy to lay off at present the proposed mad between Pembroke and Matokitnki m Glendhn Bav. Wanaka. for which road Government hail promised £IOOO. He suggested that Mr Park, of Park Bros , Dunedin (who waa in Qn«enstown), he called in and asked what his firm would lay iff the aork for. a« Government had expressed a wish that the Council would submit the name of some competent engineer to do the same. Mr Park attended the Council, and after an explanation of the matter, sent in at a later stage an approximate extimate of £OS for laving off and drawing up plans and specification* for the road. It was resolved, on the Motion of Messrs Douglas and Daniel— That this Conncil approves of Messrs Park Bro* , Dunedin. a* competent engineer*, and that their name* he »übnitt«d to Government for the taring off, etc., of proposed road, Pembroke to Matukituki. CORRESPONDENCE.

Outward correspondence was read and approved. Inward correspondence read and received was as follows

From W. Maaon, asinine when it would be convenient for the Council to receive himself and Mr Cockbnrn as a deputation from the deferred-pay-ment settlers of the Earnslaw district, with regard to moneys proposed to be expended on tilenorchy jetty extension. From Divis and Co. in reference to an old claim of £1 10s for extras in connection with No 4 section. Skippers road, expenses incurred ot< account of slip on the road.

From Mr M'Kerrow. 8 irrevor-General (enclosing letter to him from Mr T. Markay, Government building*. Wellington, with reference to the investigation into the imported as well aa native grasses of New Zealand now being carried on for the Crown L»n<ls D>p»rtmrat, and asking for assistant and for information as to where the most valuable native grasses, snch as the oat grass and the wheat or hln* grass, grew best, in order to the collection of seed stems just ripening, with bares of each kind—the same to be packed in separate handles and forwarded in sacking or wooden botes, to Mr W. E. Ivey. Esq., Agriiolcultural College, Lincoln, Canterbury—viy exuense attending the same to V ]>aid bv th<« Department.) llr M'Kerrow now a<ked if the C-wineil could carry out ahovementioned re|ne«t. or, if n could thev snggest any one in th» Wakatipu to do so. He had also written Mr M'Doagall. of Pembroke. to furnish s rnilar collection from the Wanaka district.

From .f. Av>inill. Skipners Point, with reganl to tenders calleil by him for repairs to Skippers bridgs. and sng.*esting. in the event of his getting A fair offer for th- job, that the Clerk shouM send ap re ]nired contract form for signature. He also asked permission t"» employ a d ivm in to cut down to a fair gra Je a'*out one chain on the Queenstown aide of the bri l;e. (Ant'iority, etc., was given, ai rem"st*l. on ultimo.) From th»* Waikato Countv, encl'*«in7 a len-thy circular with resoect to the unfair tendency of th* HosptiaN an.l Charitable Aids Act. ami soliciting co-ooeration in endeavouring to get it aineuded next session.

From J. O'Nfeara. on Iwhalf of Messrs Ri.-hard-son, Sutherland and Wolfe (in reply to letter of 14fh alt ), applying for prospecting snbsidv under class I. of the Prospecting Regulations tincon ntrv to he prospected bein.'the Milford Sound and Martins Bay portion of the West Coast of Otago. From M. Cunningham. davman on Cardrona roa I. asking the Council to hmld a hut for him, as it wis im'vHsiMe for a man to live in a te-it in the winter time—he contenting to do the work for same.

Frwn B. U. Biird, Bendemere, Hayes Like, re destruction of three chains of fence and part of section 51, Mock IX.. Shotover district, for which £i"» damages »as claime I last July. He now notified that unless the amount was paid at once, his claim vmM he put in the hands of a solicitor. From (J. Cock burn (presented bv Mr Aspinall), stating that at a meeting of shareholder* of the Duke of Cornwall Quartz-mining Co.. Rees river, it was resolved to ask the Council for some assistance in the formation of a pack-track l*twe«Mi the Invin'*iMe Co. and the alwve mine, so a* to er.able them to get a tiial crushinc at the Invincible Cn.'s hatterv. The writer asked for favorable cousideration of the mUter. From C. W. Adam*, Chief Surveyor, Dunedin, stating that, by direction of the Survey-*General. Mr Wilmot ran the boundary line between Vincent and Lake Counties, as re inested, ami found that the Critfel diggings were sitmtcd in Lake County. Fro-n the Hon. J. Ballance. commissioner of State Forests, asking that the Chainnan of Lake County mi.'ht be nominated for appointment as a conservator for Lake Connty under section 12 of the State Forest Act, ISSS.

Messrs W. Mason and (J. Cock burn waited upon the Council as a depot ition from the deferred-pay-ment settlers of Earoalaw , with regard to proposed expenditure by the Council of deferred-pa) ment moneys on the extension of Glenorchv jetty. Mr Mason read a lengthy report on the subject—which has several times been brought l*fore the Council—and pleaded, on varions grounds fmost of whi:h had been previously aKan-ed), that the present jetty i« on th-; wron r «ite. and also that - according to clause 110 and 1*27 "f the Laud Act—it wo'tld he illegal for the Council to expeud any of the deferred-payment moneys on the jettv. He ha<l asked for a legal opinion on the question, but ha<l not yet received it. Th • speaker also referred in strong lan .mage to the action and remarks of Councillors at previous nvetin.', as reported in the LaKR WarVHP Mail, and. amongst o'her things, denied that there were |.> deferred payment settlers, but asserted that t'lejv were only nine, the whole of whose names he presented at the meeting in a petition against the misappropriation of the money SS pro|»r«ed. The amount was eomf>aratively trivial, but it was on principle that the settlers ol.je-'ted to the expenditure. Mr Butement reiterate I form -r arguments, and also coutended that. although the Uees river iiad broken through the lagoon sin-e the jetty was fir*t constructed, it would not affect the suitability of the sit*, ami instead of silting up the jetty the stream would keep it clear. At the tune the jetty was first put up, Messrs Hieks. M'Bride, Roliertson and other competent judges considered it was in a good position ; and it was erected as suiting the district generally, and n>t for any individual's convenience. Before advocating the present extension he consulted Mt Fenn (the rhief deferredpayment settler, who contributed £l3l oddi. and that gentleman qui'e agreed to let some of the monev go towards extension of the jetty.

Mr M'Bride considered the jetty a portion of the miin road. Before the jetty wu ever erected, settlers could g»*t from one part of the district to another, hot they couhl not with safety get goods to or from boats on the lake, through want of a jetty. Mr Daniel maintained from the beginning that the propn«ed expenditure was illegal. He also thon'.'ht it was only fair to expend the moneys in the deferred payment blocks. The Council wan in * good position in that respect, for it held £2",7 17s 61 deferred-paymeut moneys, and another £IOO was to come in.

Mr Mason thought it was very difficult to know by the Council's hooks how affairs stood. It was hard to mani|Kilate the County accouuta in order to find out how the various amounta had beeu expended. Mr Douglas suggested that the former resolution should he rescinded. Mr Mason did not wish to see the Council stultify itself, and further suggested that the whole matter should stand over till a reply had been rec-ived fro n the Waste Lands Board, who he felt sure had not approved of the expenditure. Tba Clark (Mr Boult) said that Mr Mason appeared

to he labouring under a mistake. He (the speaker) took the plan down to Dunedin and got the roads a* per map marked off and sanctioned. He believed the letter from the Board to Mr Mason referred to £IOO not yet allocated. Mr M'Bride suggested that the Board should send the money direct to the settled and let them spend the same themselves. Mr Mason —We have ten miles of road in our district, and there is not yet a decent piece of road in it.

Mr Butement—Supposing the Conncil are wrong, you know Government set a l*d example by spending money for one thing although voted for another. After further discussion it was decided to allow the matter to stand over till next meeting, and councillors then adjourned for lunch.

Aftkrxoon Sittisos,

Rf Davis k Co. 's application for extras on No. 4 section. Skippers road, the Council declined to entertain the same.

Re letter from Messrs Richardson and party, it was resolved ou the motion of Messrs Aspinall and Butement— That the request of Sutherland ami party, asking this Council to aiil them in prospecting the West Coa*t, Oree»i-tone riding, under clause 1. Government Prospecting Regulations, October 29, 188.1, be granted for the term of six months from the date of the Government accepting their application.

With regard to request of M. Cunningham for a stone hut to be provided for him on the Cardrona road, one or two of the councillors thought such a step would form a bad precedent. It was finally ordered, however—considering the cold outlying region in which the dayman had to reside—that the inspector be instructed to ascertain whether a suitable miuer's hut could not be purchased iu the locality. Re Mr Baird's letter, it was resolved on the motion of Messrs Daniel and Jenkins-

That the letter of Mr Baird be referred to a sub-committee, con-Ming of Measn Butement, Douglas and mover, with power to act.

With regard to letter and circular from the Waikato County Council concerning the working of Hospitals an<l Charitable Aids Act, it was considered that the question vru too important to he considered at once, and an order was made that the same be considered at next meeting. It waa ordered that the Chairman be requested to allo« himself to he nominated conservator of State forests fur LaLe County, as asked by the Hon. Mr Ballance.

Re letter from the Duke of Corn well Co., Rees Valley, asking for m iking of a road in order to get to the Invincible Co.'a Itatterv,

Mr Aspindl said he believed the amount required would he verv small—some £lO or £ls. He thought the Council to help the miner and en'-oura»e the mining interest as far as possible. Mr Gwkbnru (a shareholder) said the Duke of Cornwell Co. had expended alniut £l5O on the mine and £3O on the track required, ami it wutild cost about £ls more to complete the latter. It was resolved ou the motiou ot Messrs Aspinall and Douglas—

That the request of the Duke of Cornwall Q'tartz-mining Co., for aid in forming a road from the Invincible lottery to their mine, Kee* river, b« granted to the amount of *ls.

The Clerk, in reply to Mr Jenkins, stated that he had omitted whe» miking tiual payment to J. C. Johnson, to include de|*>sit on contract, but tliat the latter!£ 1 10*) should •« forwarded without delay. The Inspector, in reply to Mr Aspinall, said that the wire n»|>e for crossing op|»osite the (iallant Tipper iryCo.'s mine had lieen sent nptwoweeksago. The Chairmui called attention to the liad state of the road at Precipice Creek.

Mr Adair, draughtsman, said the plans and specifications would l«e made for shortly, hut he thou Jit the portion of the rrad from Haines' Crossing to the Invincible mine could be made in winter.

Mr Wibnot, surveyor, did not think that plan* were necessary. The road had lieen surveyed, and he thought that specifications for required drains, etc., would I* sufficient. It wa< res Ived ou the motion of Messrs Hutement ami Aspinall

That ten.lon be callel, a* toon u possible, for the road from Precipice Creek to Haines' croving

Mr Fletcher (introduced by Mr D >uglas) complained about some pirty working on ground near the bank of the Sliotover, which the Council had jwrmitted him to occupy. tie asked for some protection until lie could get in his crop of turnips ; there was no cold in the grouud, and the party were only doing it f<>r spite. Mr Hauler Adair explained that Fletcher had agreed to clear the ground in question, and keep •low n the rabbits if permitted to occupy the ground, which was a mining reserve, that had been tiied several times, but there was no gold in it, and the pteseut interference was only the result of spite. The parties had commenced to sluice away, and they would soon wasli away the road. He considered that the Council should interfere.

It was resolved on the motion of Messrs Aspinall and Pritchard That Fred Jones and party he ordered by the Inspector to abstun from occupying and working the County road near Fletcher's, Shotover river.

Mr M'Bride called atttention to the desirability of forming a road opposite the Kawarau Falls punt, so as to ease the present gradient, and enable farmers to get their produce to the mint. The Inspector said the cost would be about £lO

Resolved, ou the motion of Messrs M'Bnde aud Daniel— Tliat the Inspector be instructed to prc|«re plan of projosed alterations at Petersen* ferry. Tenders be called for same and dealt with at next meeting.

The Chairman s|*>ke of the action intended to be taken by Vincent County in the way of collection of gold revenue, but be t!.ought the Lake County had adopted the l>est p'an. Resolved, on the motion of Messrs Aspinall and Douglas

That the do? tax for the current year I* ss. each dog

Mr M'Bride spoke about the annual business licenses. He said Mr Cheigwidden had informed him that he hail ftaid for 13 In-ense* during his time, and had lieen drummed continually of late for the pr xof another license. Mr Chegwiddeu said he w s quite willing to |«v his licens" if others did the same, but he knew aliout '2O equally as much entitled to do so, who never paid a license. The Clerk, in reply to a question, said that the only |iersons in Lake County who had taken out goldfieM* business licences were R. M'Dougall, Pembroke, J. M'llougall, Head of Lake, H. Kvans, Skippers Reefs, and Tie (Joon, Skippers. It was the duty of the Clerk of the Warden's Court to see to the collection of the fees.

Resolved, on the motion of Messrs M'Bride and Aspinall

That the jol.l receiier, Mr Firth, l>e askc<l to i-ollctt bti-i----i ness licen*« from all partiei carrying on busiric** on Crown land* in Lake County. The Inspectoi, in reply t«» a question, stated that, in compliance with motion at previous meeting, B'ans had l»eeii made of dtferred-pa\ inent roads at e.td of the Like, except that from Rees River to Paradise flat, Diamond Like. It would take all the money 'al<out £100) coming to the deferredpayment l»l«ick to make the road pro|ierly. Mr Slason had l>een looking after the in.utei so far.

Mr Boiilt said there was £'2so in lund besides. Mr Mason said he had looked after the matter, and laid off gradients, hut without any personal responsibility. He thought if metal were put on the rirst rise of the raid ami a few hillocks and other places levelled or cut down, that would suffice at present. If the Council decided to continue the work he was willing to assist the Inspector. The opinion was expressed that the road could not well be made by contract, and it was ultimately resolved on the motion of Messrs Butemeut and Douglas—

That tenders be called, m soon u possible, tor all necessary fjnivellini? or the road from Reot river to I'aradUe Flat, and tliat all other work be let by day work.

Tenders were then opened for works. No tsuder had l>eeu received for fotmation of embankment near the Lower Shotover Bridge; and the only tender for formation of five and adialf chains of road near Xokomai railway crossing was that of Mi Soper for the sum of £l3—which tender was accepted. The Chairman read a telegram just received from the Public Works Office, Wellingtou, stating that the £2OO available as a Government subsidy for the Glenorchy road (£3l) bad been already expended.

A few accounts were brought up and passed for pavment. The Council then sat in Committee of the whole to consider the three months' notice of resignations sent in by the Clerk and Inspector of Works, and the following motions were tabled and disposed of as mentioned.

Resolved, on the motion of Messrs Butement and Douglas— That Mr P. B. Boult's resignation ss County Clerk be accepted as from this date. Motion bv Messrs Butement and Aspinall— That Mr Powell's resignation be accepted as from this date. Amendment by Messrs M'Bride and Douglas— That the resignation of the Inspector be not accepted.

The amendment was lost, there voting for it Messrs Daniel, Douglas and M'Bride; against— Messrs Aspinall, Butement, Jenkins and Pritchard. Motion by Messrs Jenkins and Aspinall— That applications be invited for the office of Clerk and Collector of Rates for the County. Applications to be received up to Ist March, 1886, stating their own salaryReferences required. Amendment by Messrs Butement and Douglas— That applications be requested, by advertisement in the local and chief papers in Otasro, for an Engineer, Clerk and Collector of Rates combined; salary, £4W per annum, including travelling expenses. An assistant will be allowed in the office. Applications to be in by Ist March, 1886.

The amendment was carried, there voting for it Messrs Butement, Daniel, Douglas and Pritchard ; against—Messrs Aspinall, Jenkins and M'Bride. The Chairman refrained from voting whilst in Committee.

Nottc« or Mono*. By Mr Aspinall—That the Chairman's salary be considered at next meeting of this Council, with a view to raising it, seeing thit he is now living in Queenstown and able to devote bis tiuie to the County's interests.