WAIHRMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11201, 25 August 1898, Page 3

WAIHRMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of this County Coun cil was held in the Council Chambers, Pal morston, on Saturday, and attended by th Chairman (Mr "I1. Muirj, and Crs G. Clark J. Hartstonge, jun., M. Isbister, D. Ken redy, R. Matheson, D. Ross, J. Ross, and J Stewart finance. . _ .'. i Accounts foi the month amounting to £26' Is were passed for payment. aOKHESPOXDEKCE. Mr A. D. Bell, Shag Valley Station, wrot< to the chairman as follows:—"I briefly ac knowledged the very kind and sympathetii telegram which I had been privileged to re ceive on that day from the council over whicl you preside. Since then I have read the re port of the proceedings which resulted in tin telegram in question being sent, and I canno refrain from once more asking you to assuri the council of the deep gratitude of Si: Francis Bell's family to all its members fo: their most kind and generous reference to mj late father, and the bereavement we have bus tamed. None of us will forget the delicac; and true feeling with which this valued tn bute and sympathy have been offered to us.' Received. _„.■■ The Commissioner of Taxes, Wellington intimated that a voucher for the payment o £119 6s Bd, subsidy due the council for tin year 1697-98, had been sent to the ireasurj for payment.—Received Mr A. Kilgour, Goodwood, wrote drawinf attention to the road leading to Jiis properti through part of the Goodwood township which needed repairs, more particularly tindei the railway bridge, which he suggestec should be lowered to ensure the safe passagi of threshing mills and avoid crossing th< Goodwood road bridge. He asked that th< council should communicate with the railway authorities.—On , the motion of Cr btewart the letter was referred'to..the. Rail way. depart ment, and the inspector was instructed tc gravel the road where required. 'Mr J. Carnegie, Inch Valley, wrote re de viation of road line tlirough section 55, bloci VIII, Moeraki district, stating that lie was willing to take £3 for the piece of ground ai now fenced, provided the council paid all th< expenses in dealing with the land. As re o-arded the agreement made re the road line he had returned it to the chairman at tlw time, not being satisfied with it. In the event of the council not accepting his offer, he asked them to erect his fence again.—The council agreed to accept Mr Carnegie s offer subject to his signing the agreement referred The Under-colonial Secretary, Wellington, wrote intimating that the Order-m-Council extending the time foi- preparing the Waihemo County rolls had been published in the Gazette of July 21, 1893.—Received. Mrs E. Russell, Inch Valley, wrote asking the council to place a wide, plank over. Shac River at "The Lees," and pointing out that she and her tenants had been paying taxes for the last 35 years, and this was the first application made , for ,an . expenditure, oi county funds. —The clerk was instructed to draw Mrs Russell's attention to the existence already of a plank leading to her property Mr J.. Hislop, architect, Dunedin, wrote stating that the painting of the outhouses connected with the county building was not included in Mr Burgess's contract.—Re : ceived : IVIr W. E. Griffin, Macraes, wrote bring ing under the attention of the council the necessity of having the pathways in the Macraes township formed on a uniform grade, and to have them- asphalted in front of •the business places or neatly laid with slabs, as they were a disgrace to the inhabitants and council. The north-east end of the corner of the main street required widening.—Referred to tho inspector for a report. The Secretary to the Treasury, Wellington, intimated that the sum of £23 5s 6d, goldfields revenue, and £119 6s Bd, balance of subsidy, had been remitted to the credit, of the council at the Bank of New Zealand, Palmerston. —Received; Mr John Caldwell, Palmerston, wrote drawing attention to Mr J. T. Gwynne's cattle grazing at large on the road line between the county and borough, and asking if it was lawful to do so, or if there was a special by-law permitting Mr Gwynne to turn his cattle on the road.—The clerk was instructed to draw the ranger's attention to the matter. Mr E. H; Clark, contractor for the suspension bridge at .Dunback, applied for an extension of time, and attributed the delay in carrying but the'work to the difficulty of obtaining the riecessary iroiibark tiriiber owing to the great demand existirig for -it.— . The council granted art extension of two months. ' ' ' ••■•:••■; . PETITIONS. ■'■'•■■ Mr H. O'Neill and seven other ratepayers in the Blue Mountain Riding petitioned the council requesting theni' to haye1 the; district road leading to' Shag Point between Mr' J K. Robertson's gate and the Main' road gravelled, as it was represented to be in a very bad state.—Referred to the inspector for a report. . ' '. . -, ' Mr R.: W. Trotter and 21' ratepayers in the- Macraes. Riding wrote pointing out the undesirability of opening the old track from Fullarton's through Mr, Trotter's property. The track was originally used by miners at Fullarton's to go to Hyde by'v Mardling's ferry, but when the river was bridged lower down ; and the' ferry shifted this track was closed and a new road made to the bridge, which has been used ever since. This new road had gates on it, but some years ago Mr Ramsay, who then owned the property, fenced it off, and thus made it more convenient for the travelling public. The council also expended a good deal of money on it,- and it was now in first-class order. As the road had bsen closed for 20 years, and there are two district roads, one on each side of Mr Trotter's . farm, the petitioners, could not see any object to be gained by opening the track Mr Creighton wants through the middle of it, unless to put Mr Trotter to considerable inconvenience and burden the «dunty with keeping another unnecessary road, which woiild take at least £40 to put in order for ordinary traffic, and Mr Creighton would not gain more than 10 or 12 chains by the change; and would, in fact, be no gainer at all, if Mr Trotter was allowed to put oh gates and he took no trouble to shut tßem. ' If the council could visit the district they would agree with the petitioners that tKe proposal to open the road was one which in the interests of the county should not be entertained.—The council decided to allow the' road to remain closed. inspector's reports. The Inspector reported as under: — Macreas Riding. — That ■ the Fillyburn Bridge had been fixed, and he (the inspector) did not think that a traction engine would injure it for many'years. The new bridge on the Northern Creek at Hartstonge's farm, . erected conjointly with the Wai- - kouaifci and Waihemo Counties, had been open for traffic for some time, and would give-every satisfaction. The other bridge at Duncan M'Crae's will be repaired when the weather moderates. The material was in hand. Mr D. Muir's road had not been properly surveyed, as the snow was heavy when he (the inspector) was up, but he could see nothing in the way that could not be overcome. —Received. Blue Mountain Riding.—The late rains.had caused a slip on the bridle track from Dunback to Hampden, so that traffic was impeded. The surfaceman, had been put' on, and a new line almost made, and there- now existed no difficulty in riding up and down. The grade was the best that could be got. The nuisance complained of re dead horse had been abated. —Received. OTHER MATTEHS. •The Inspector of Slaughterhouses -reported on the condition of the slaughterhouses in the county as being in a satisfactory state, and giving the number of large and small cattle slaughtered during the month. -Received. The council agreed to ( have a patent spring and catch fixed on the gate leading to Mr Trotter's property, Macraes. The chairman was authorised to have certain, improvements and repairs done to the furniture of the" council, the outbuildings, and asphalting attended to, and section fenced in. The council resolved to place a gate on the road leading to the Puketapu property for the convenience of the settlers there. The council decided to give notice of the iritention to make a general rate of fiveeighths of a penny in the pound for the current year, payable in one sum on the Ist October, 1898. rThe council then adjourned.