PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8063, 26 September 1887, Page 5

PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

[by telegraph.—own correspondent.) Hamilton, Saturday. The monthly meeting of the Piako County Council was held at Hamilton to-day. Present: Messrs. Williams (chairman), Murphy, Gould, Chepmeil, and Brunakill. The following report of the committee appointed to confer with a committee of settlers, Messrs. Roche, Cox, Hunt, and Basket, concerning complaints, with reference to the way in which contracts Mos. 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 4, and 5, have been carried out, the last three being bridge contracts, was received and adopted :—Your committee report that, in their opinion, the Council made a mistake in beginning these works at the end of the dry season, when it was certain that the new formation would be cut up by the winter's traffic. Then the engineer made a mistake in proposing to build the bridges over the Waiorongomai and Wairakau streams. If these two bridges had not been built a sum of £250 would have been available for expenditure on other parts of the road where work was much more needed. Tho question of the erection of these bridges was, however, brought up before the Council before the contracts were let. The responsibility, therefore, has been to a great extent removed from the shoulders of the engineer. Taking all the circumstances of the oase into consideration, your committee are of opinion that though the road is bad enough, it could not have been made much better for the money. Many mistakes have been made, but the Council must bear a certain amount of the blame, partly from its having gone too hurriedly into the expenditure of the loan, and partly from laxity in enforcing penalties for overtime, and your committee recommend strongly that you enforce the penalties nominally imposed on contractors who neglect to finish the conditions of the contracts. The committee reports that the domain near Shaftesbury has been satisfactorily completed, but the bridge has not yet been removed. The Council, in reply to a request from the Ohiuemuri Council, agreed to petition the Government to rescind the proclamation giving the Thames Harbour Board control over the Waihou and Piako rivers. A sum of £5 was ordered to be paid to the clerk of the Te Aroha Licensing Court for his services.

It was resolved to postpone the general meeting day and election to the 16th November, the statutory day, the second Wednesday in the month, falling on the Prince of Wales birthday. The question of continuing the road to the Gordon settlement through the Maori reserve, which is needed for an outlet to some twenty-seven settlers, was deferred for the present. The tramway leases were signed by the chairman and councillor?.