PUBLIC WORKS AT THE THAMES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XX, Issue 6823, 29 September 1883, Page 6

PUBLIC WORKS AT THE THAMES.

Yvsterday a deputation consisting ;of: : ;Cap-.. tain Morris. M.H.E., Mr. Brodie, Chairmari: of theThamesCounty Council, Colonel Fraser.. Mayor of Thames, and Mr. Adam Eprfcer w-aited on the District Engineer in reference to the stoppage of the expenditure of the £2000 loan on road works. The works stopped wero those between Owharpa. and,. Paeroa. Mr. Hales explained that theiworks were stopped under instructions frota Wellington. The inatttr wai under consideration | whether the balance of the loun should be expended on improving the present' it oad or, in taking it round on tho level aloiig the river bank, so as to make it available. for. the. Karangabake goldfield. He had not'..been , over th 6 road, hut thought that the . latter', application made by the County, v Council shuuld be ontertained. That was this reas'bn: why no mom contracts had been. let, under that grant, 1 ;^i£:-'; ,;: '■-■: Co-tkactor's Losses. —Subsequently: a conversation arose on other matter*, principally the losses sustained by a contractor.,:. 1 Mr. Trainer, in consequence of tHe...!rcc!eiit? floods washing away a large quantity of metal.—Mr. Hales tnought that, ''judder"the contract, the contractor would bo compqiledto carry his contract through, but if the : County Council sent a recommendation, he would forward it to the Government, with his observations, pointing out, however, that the contractor was liable, and leaving it to the Government to deal with the question. . Warden and Timber Sales, —The deputation, Captain Morris, Mr. Brodie, Colonel Fraser, and Mr. Porter, then waited on the Crown Lands Deparimeut, re the right of the Warden to sell kauri trees. This arose put of what had transpired at tbo meeting of the Crown Lands Board on the previous day in reference to Mr. Blair's application for a license to float timber. In this application it transpired that the Warden had sold to Mr. Blair nearly 3000 kanri tree 3 on pay.

ment of £1 53 a tree, and on being applied to for an explanation he referred the Board to the Hauraki goldminin» regulations as his authority. It was explained to the deputation that the Board recognised the fact tbat the Warden had not exceeded his powers in stlling the trees or paying the revenue to the County Council, but they deprecated such wholesale destruction of timber. The deputation pointed out that in Kaipara and other parts of the country tracts of kauri forest had been sold to speculators at a less price than what was paid for those trees. They were informed that the Board was in communication with the Government on. the subject. The deputation expressed th«ir satisfaction . with ...the .explanation, offered them, : <■''.■"■ '■': ... '.■ ■-".;/... '_~ ': v . ; '.' '/.^,., : :r : ;; '"i, ' -