PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7651, 31 May 1886, Page 3

PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL

[BY TELEGRAPH. — OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Hamilton, Saturday. A meeting of the Piako County Council was held to-day. Present : Messrs. Williams (in the chair), J. C. Firth, Cheppel, Hould, Murphy, Smith, Brunskill, T. Firth, and Maclean. A communication was received from the Minister of Mines, sanctioning the diversion of the surplus of a grant, about £55, for a certain work. It was resolved to ; ; write to the warden to recommend the making of the Stouey Creek sledge track as far as the Grand Junction claim, to cost £70, of which £47 is to be paid by the Government and £23 by the Council; also that the Council will be prepared to expend a sum of £33 towards a track to the Tui Creek, to the county boundary, the Government providing a sum of £66, and th® Ohinetnari County agreeing to form a road from the I'ui Creek to the Piako boundary. A letter was received from Mr. Roche, of Shaftesbury, stating that he had already expended a large sum of money in repairing the damage done by his drains to the public road, and had been himself a severe sufferer by loss of land destroyed. Mr. Murphy said the present bridle track was in danger from the pressure of the water. It was resolved to authorise Mr. Roohe to expend a sum not exceeding £5 in making the bridge secure. Mr. Murphy thought it would be to the benefit of the Council if they employed a surface-man in the district to look after such works in addition to his ordinary duties. The clerk announced that since last meeting a petition, by direction of the chairman, had been sent to tho Legislature, asking that the county of Piako might bo made a separata hospital district from the Thames, Ohineuiuri, and Coromandel, and from the borough of Thames. Mr. J. B. Smith was requested to attend no more meetings of the Thamea Charitable Aid and Hospital Board. A letter was received from the Government in reference to Sergeant Emerson's appointment as Inspector of Nuisances and Sanitary Officer at Te Aroha, that it cannot be allowed that a police officer shall hold such office. Applications for certain works to be done at aiorongomai were left over for want of funds. It wa3 resolved to expend a »um not exceeding £50 in making the road passable to the Gordon settlement. A letter was received from the Colonial Secretary, drawing attention to the codlin moth pest, and asking for suggestions in the amendment of the Act, so as to make it workable. The Chairman thought an Act should be passed to catch the moths and singe their wings. The receipts of the tramway this month were announced as exceeding the expenditure by £9 10s. The balance-sheet cf the county for the past year was adopted. The Council then went into the question of reducing tho tariff of the battery tramway on the goldfield. Mr- Smith thought that tha i Council should defer the consideration of thia matter until the new battery was opened, which would probably be before the next meeting. Mr. Firth said that the mines, with the exception of the new find, could not afford to pay present prices. The battery was only ruuning day work in consequence of this, as the poorer mine* were obliged to pick their quartz, ana send only their best;. It might be more profitable to reduce the freight to keep the battely running full time .nan to continue to charge 4a 6d and work only half time. Mr. Murphy proposed that the price of the cartage per truck be 3s 6d where two or more grades were used, and 2s 6d per truck for the use of one grade only. He asked that this be tried for three months to see what the effect would be in inducing the poorer mines to send quartz to the battery. The chairman seconded Mr. Murphy's motion. Mr. Gould moved as an amendment that the whole question be postponed; seconded by Mr. Chepmell. The amendment was carried. It was resolved, on the motion of the chairman, seconded by Mr. Murphy, that the first tea tons of quartz from new reefs be sent down the tramway free of charge. The next day of meeting of the Council was fixed for Saturday, the 3rd -of July.