Ohinemuri County Council.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume I, Issue 43, 8 October 1892, Page 5

Ohinemuri County Council.

The usual monthly meeting of the Ohinemuri County Council was held Thursday at the Council Chambers, Paeroa. Present—Cr Edwards (in the chair), Phillips, Nash, Robson, Chalton, Bowler, McGruer, Hollis, a*id Cassrells. Minutes of last meeting read and confirmed. Outward corr: ond thread and approved. The tenders for the fence between Mr C. F- Mitchells prbpe y and at of the County (8 cha'as) at Pukui'mu were opened as follows: Thos. Maiden, ■£7 9s; Jas. Silcock,.£9 10s. The former was accepted. I A large quantity of inward corves-, pondence was dealt'with inter alia,— From Robert J. <"d asking for a small bridge orer the County drain near Piramahi. On the motion of Cra Nask and McGruer it was agreed to vpend £3 oh this work. Telegrams from f olonel Fraser, M.H.E., re the prop- ed County Loan, the Validation Act (now law), the gazetting of the wharves, &c, were read.

A large number of names not on the, Tata book were ordered to be added, j These were merely the names of those who have hitherto been paying rates but whose names did not appear on the Valuation Holl received from Wellington. Letters from Messrs Kenrick re drain ■at Waitoa, Rhodes rt purchase of land •at Komata, Hey wood re balance sheets, were read. Mr 8. Percy Smith wrote asking that care be taken by Ringer Fagan that kauri trees are not burned this summer. Crs Nash and McGruer moved That Government bi» requested to subsidise Hanger "Pagan's salary. Carried. Ribitoto Mataia wrote asking that Iher name be placed on the Valuation Holl. Referred to Committee. Mr Alfred Shepherd asked for a; road. to be made to the Talisman •claim over the Maa moth Spur. The Chairman, Crs Nash, McGruer and •others spoke strongly in favour of this and it was finally left in the hands of the Chairman and Engineer to report. Cr Phillips did not vote, being interested.* I Mr K. McCaskill's name was ordered to be placed on the roll. | Messrs Shaw and party applied for assistance under Reg. 1 Aid to Prospecting. Granted. Mr <*. V. Stewart applied on behalf of H. Jenkia. n for payment of work onJJCatikati R_ d—£l 12s. It was passed on the Chairm hi certifying i correctness.

Mr W: Barrett asked for a road to tie laid off through nativo land to Irs farm. Referred to Survey department. Mr Barrett's a cunt for wages 11 ■days alleged to be due him was passed for * day* by the E „r"neer. On the Chairman's ju. tion the general ra*3 of l*d in the £ struck at last meeting; was onfirmed. i The; Engineer's, Forest Ranger's, . and Inspector of Slaughter Houses' Eepor . were read and adopted. The matter of W. J. Mc( oi- 'ck's deviation contract, re-en ■■„ some months ago was brought up. Only 75 percent, of f-be work done has been - paid and, the matter was left in the bands pf the Engineer. It was agr . d to put one man on the Aroha ro d for a week; to place "Dangerous" notice boards at the . «ntr~_Q<§B to the Gorge Road, Karang. hake, and to ask Mr E. J. Thorp to oleaif the gore over-running the County drain at Owharoa. The matter of the road to the firewood bush at Waihi was left in the Chairman's hands to report and confer with the Warden. £5 was voted for the track to the firewood bush at Karangahake, and £2G to Waihi foot paths, to be expended over two months. The Chairman - then addressed the Council on the matter of the proposed

loan. He spoke for about 45 minutes explaining the position and the immense advantages which would accrue. It would enable the Council to take ! advantage of subsidies now lying use* lessly on the Government Estimates, and whi'e a loan of £6000 would only cc t £300 a year in sinking fund and irte c t, foz 26 years, and |the roads, w» ea made, could be maintained for ano her £300, we were now wasting some £2000 per annum on work which disappeared a year or lev after being done. During the winter months £884 had been spent in ti-tree, corduroy and mud, and if matters were left as they were, in a few years the County would be blocked completely. He laid a schedule of expenditure upoc the table as follows, stating that it was of course in the hands of the Council to alter it as they I thought fit, but something of the sort might suit the Council's idea). Paeroa-Waihi Road .. £4000 Paeroa-H ikutaia „ .. 200 Paeroa- Waitoa .. .. 300 Waitekauri ... - .. .. 300 Karangahake (including subsidised bridge).. 500 Waihi township .. .. 120 Paeroa township .. „ 150 Netherton .. .. .. 100 Cost of rasing loan .. , 30 First years interest and sinking fund .. .. 300

£6000 Of course if Net her ton and Waitoa ould be excluded and wished to be from the effect of the loan they would not benefit. Cr Oassrells said the roads would be as bad as ever in two years with a a loan as without one. He did hot like mortgages or loans. He would, however, vote for it if it was £20,000. Gr Philiips spoke effectively in favour of the scheme showing the benefit to the goldfielda. There would be no necessity to collect a rate as security as the money saved from the mud would more than pay the sinking fund and interest. Cr McGruer said that we are like a man who owned a safe full of sovereigns but had lost the key. Roads we must have to open up the goldfield and as had been shown the most economical manner of securing them was under the cheap loan acts of the Government. Cr Nash remarked that the very people who were against it now, were those who when mismanaging County matters several years ago went for a loan themselves and made a dreadful mess of it. One obscure individual, who himself had cost this County £2000, was again endeavouring to obtain notoriety by opposing this excellent scheme. All reasonable persons with whom he had conferred were for it.

Or Robson'e reason for opposing it was that he could not trust the Council to spend it. He always gaye/ a reason for his vote and this was it. Cr Bowler and Oh a 1 tun would like to see the western side of the Waihou not included in the scheme They believed it would greatly benefit the goldfields and Paeroi but they were too far removed from the operation of the loan for it to benefit them. Or Hollis agreed witb the proposal. Nothing could be done without it. After a long discussion the Chairman moved, and Cr Phillips seconded, That it is the intention of this Council to raise a loan under " The Government Loans to Local Bodies Act, 1886," and " The Local Bodies Loans Act, 1886," of £6000, and if possible to exclude all that part of the County west of the Waihou River, and that a special meeting, to allocate the moneys thus obtained, be hold on Monday 17th inst at the Couuoil Chambers at 2 p.m. At a show of hands being taken Urs Nasb, Phillips, McGruer, Hollis, Chaland E Awards voted for it, and Ors Cassrells and Bobson against it. Crs Robson and Oassrells moved that the Pfteroa Riding be excluded. Lost on the voices. | Cr Robson's notice of motion to redace the Engineer's salary lapsed, there beiDg no seconder.

The motion r* maintenance of roads by contract was lost, Cr Robson only voting for it* On the motion of Cr Phillips, Earl's Hill deviation survey was ordered to be done. The Finance Committee'! report, as nnder, wa9 read and adopted:— i Finance Committee's Report. ; Ther Chairman, Ohinemuri County Council. Sir,—Your Committee begs to report— 1. That the overdraft at Bank of New Zealand amounts to £643 Ms 8d } i unpresented cheques, £3 6s Id; and amonnt due Treasurer, 9a lOd—no cash in hand—making total iudebtedness of Council £647 10s 7d. 2. There are no passed unpaid accounts. 3. The revenue for the past month amounted to £208 Bs. 4. The prospective liabilities of the Council for contracts entered into ism/, 5. The Committee recommends accounts for payment amounting to £180 12s lid. Cr Cassrell's motion to retrench all salaries 20 per cent, was lostjj and Cr hash's motion to allow an extra commission of Is 3d per tree to the ranger carried. J The meeting then adjourned.