Hawera County Council.

Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 127, 20 September 1895, Page 3

Hawera County Council.

A meeting of the Council was held on Friday. Present —Messrs Heslop (chairman), McLean, Macrae, Scott, Stewart, Quin, Forsvth, Proudlock, and later Winks. CORRESPONDENCE. From Treasury, notifying forwarding of subsidy of £125 on rates collected in Waimate B. Exley, asking that thirds be expended in front of his section on Ahaipaipa Road.—Agreed to. District Land and Survey Department, re thirds accrued from Sections 40, Block 13, Ngaire, and 24, Block 16, Kaupokonui, to be used in reducing indebtedness of Hastings Road to the Land Fund. Colonial Secretary, stating that he had referred to the Land and Survey Department the Council's letter stating that Mr W. Pearce was willing to give a" portion of Section 64, Block 1, Oeo, in exchange for Section 74, of the same block, near Pibama, which is a cemetery reserve, but quite unsuitable for the purpose.—The Chairman said that when in Wellington he had seen about the matter, and the Surveyor-General was willing that the exchange should be made. The fact of anyone beiug buried on the original site was fatal to an exchange, and it appeared that an old man had been buried at Pihama, great trouble having been taken to get him buried there, proßfebly to stop the exchange. —The Clerk said a license could be obtained to have the remains removed, and he had written to that effect to the Pihama Cemetery Board. F. McGuire, M.H.R., stating that the Minister of Lands was agreeable to take necessary steps to make the Egmont Forest Reserve a National Park, and asking that the Council pass a resolution to that effect.—Resolved that a resolution be forwarded. (Chairman —McLean.) Stratford County Council, re Hastings road loan, stating that a united loan for this road was open to several objections, and suggesting that Stratford County should raise a loan to do the northern half of the road undei the two counties' joint control, while Hawera County did the southern part. (Chairman —Macrae.) NOTICE OF MOTION. Cr Quin moved, according to notice, that all unused roads in county be sold. Seconded by Cr Forsyth. After a little discussion motion and amendment were withdrawn. 'Eventually it was decided that Crs Quin, Scott, Heslop, McLean, and Stewart ba a committee to go into the whole question and report further. HUNTER ROAD LOAN. The Chairman moved that the .resolution passed at the last meeting, Mr Goodlands' section, be rescinded, and that half the section be included in the loan area. 4 ;' Mr Goodlands said if half were "included he would have to pay on 160 acres, whereas most of the settlers who would have to use the road would pay only on from 100 to 120 acres. Onefourth of his section would be quite enough for him to pay on, for he did not use the road and did not want it. Cr Stewart thought Mr Goodlands' offer a fair one. Cr Macrae took the same view. Motion amended accordingly and agreed to. BURGON ROAD. Mr Burgon again waited on the Council to know what was to be done. He could not let,hi3 land for cropping owing to condition of road. The Chairman said a committee was to confer with Waimate Road Board next week, and then the financial position would be ascertained. POKOMOKO GORGE. Mr J. R. Lysaght waited to complain of the waste of rates from Mokoia riding in repairs constantly going on in the Pokomoko gorge. There was a good road giving access to sections served by this gorge road, and it was not necessary to go on spending so much money as bad been spent on day work there during the past winter. If a lime book were kept it would be seen that the expenditure was very large. Cr Scott said no doubt Mr Lysaght was correct. Half the surfacemen's time was taken up in clearing away slips on this road ; but on the other hand it was a main road into the district, and settlers in there, n 6 doubt, thought they were entitled to have the road kept open. If it were kept open as a bridle track it would cost nearly as much. He put both sides before the Council, and it must do what it thought right. As to a time book, he was going to suggest that the surfacemen keep a dairy, in order that he might not be accused, as he had been, wrongfully of having too much money spent on his road. The Chairman said such a book was now being kept. Cr Macrae entirely objected to the road not being open for wheeled traffic, and held that the ratepayers over there were entitled to consideration, as well as the people on the main roads. The Chairman believed the cost of keeping it open as a bridle track would be as much as for wheeled traffic. Cr McLean said the road was only entitled to its fair share of the rates whatever they were ; if anything extra * were required then the settlers interested must find it. Cr Quin advocated making a special rate for keeping the road open if necessary. Further action deferred. ,-:'*■;■■ accounts. The usual accounts were passed for paymeut. A couple of accounts —one for £B7, from Mr Clime ; and the other •from O'Donaghue, for £27 —were held over pending enquiry. The former, it was said, ran over a good many years deviation work. Cr Seott objected to money s;.ent in deviating Ingahape Road, as he under- : stood it was not to cost the ratepayers anything. RATE. Resolved that a special meeting be

called to consider question of amount of rate. FIRE. . The Clerk reported that some of the Council's stationery had been destroyed by the fire. BANKING. Cr McLean said he found that the counties of Stratford and New Plymouth were credited with all loan and land fund money as against overdraft on other accounts, and he thought that this Council should be similarly treated. The Chairman agreed, and thought that the rate paid for overdraft was too much. Cr Stewart said that 6 per cent was quite euough of an overdraft, as the security was better than mortgage. Cr Forsyth agreed that the,overdraft rate was too high, but thought that the Bauk was right as to the loan money, for loan money should not be taken up to lie in the Bank. Cr McLean and Heslop considered that if any loan money in the Bank the county would be able to set it off. It was resolved that the chairman interview bank manager on the subject. D.P. MONEY. Cr Quin urged that where D.P. money was available contracts should be let as early as possible. Cr McLean seconded, and said that grading work especially should be commenced at once. WAIMATE SHARE EXPENSE. On the motion of Cr Forsyth it was decided to refer to committee already ■set up the question of the amount of county expense to be borne by Waimate. LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL. The Chairman laid before the Council the Local Government Bill. Cr Forsyth said that the contribution on the basis of population would be very rough on new districts. The Chairman thought it might work if the Government first made roads and handed them over to the local bodies. As councillors generally had not read the Bill it was decided to hold over discussion.—Star.