BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2379, 5 October 1899, Page 29

BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Bruce County Council, held on Tuesday in the Council Chambers, Milton, was attended by Cr R. Murray (chairman), and Crs H. Clark, H. M. Driver, W. Hewitson, W. Crane, P. Haggart, J. Rutherford, J. M. Begg, and W. Noble.

THE FORTIFICATION KAIXWAT.

Mr D. Reid, solicitor, waited on the council on behalf of the Fortification Railway and Coal Company to ask the council's permission for the proposed line to cross certain of the county roads. Mr Clark stated that the council must see that it was desirable to encourage this work, and give the company every facility for carrying it out. As long as the interests of the council were conserved, he thought there should be no difficulty about the matter. T£o Qhairman thought that as lons A 8 the

public were not inconvenienced, there n*vc bo no obstacle placed In the company's vay : Or Hewitson remarked that the company had mSt the council very fairly, and had takea care the railwuy should take the riversido at t-'O dangerous points. Or Haggart moved — "That the request of the Fortification Company be granted by the council, on condition that the works be carried ovt to the satisfaction of the inspector." Or Crane seconded the motion, which was carried without further discussion. inspector's eepoet. The Inspector reported that the county roads were all in a fair state for traffic, and the works in hand had made good progress during the month. Dunn's bridge, which had caught fire, and had been partially damaged, was now repaired, and the damage proved to be slight. Several bridges on the WaiholaTaieri Beach road required new beams, and the traction-engine traffic might cause them to give way at any time. He recommended in regard to the bridge at Johnson's, Wangaloa, that it should be taken down and replaced by a pipe culvert. This was an old bridge with roqgh rubble walls. The beama were round trees covered with rails with earth or. top, and it spanned a narow, deep creek. The beams .were decayed where they came in contact with the earth. The receipts for the month amounted to £98 0s 2d, and the expenditure to £273 2s sd.— Adopted. CORRESPONDENCE. Mr .Tames Allen, M.H.R., wrote forwarding a letter from the Minister- for Mines stating that a vote of £30 had been granted to cleatf out the Titri Canal of the mud deposited by dredging operations in the Waipori River. — Received. The member for the district wrote with reference to votes for works on the Public Works Estimates, and also forwarded a copy of (he Estimates for the council's information. — Received. Mr W. P. Watson, manager Kaitangata Coal Company, wrote repeating that- the company would supply whatever waste was available from the mine to fill up Old Creek.—Received. A letter was received from the New Zealand Counties' Association intimating that the following resolution had been passed : — " That the following question be put to each candidate at the forthcoming election : "Will you, during the next session of Parliament, urge the Government to bring in a Local Government Bill giving effect to the various resolutions passed at the conference of the New Zealand Counties Association? " — Received. John' Cowie, Taratu, wrote claiming £5 damages caused by his horse stepping into a hole in the road> and skinning its knees. — Received ; liability disclaimed. J. B. M'lntosh wrote asking for a culvert to be repaired on the road to Casserly JiusJi, ■ stating that the water was flowing ever his land. — It was decided that no aotion should. bo taken in the matter. Mr J. E. Brown wrote on behalf of tl c trustee^ of the Fairfax Cemetery calling tho council's attention to the growth of gorse in a street in Fairfax. — It was decided that the owners of sections adjoining should be requested to keep their land clear, and that, if necessary, proceedings should be taken to enforce the decision. GESEK.Vr,. * ' A petition was received from 20 ratepayers in Balmoral Riding objecting to the position of the works proposed to be carried out. — On this motion of Or Begg, it was decided to call a meeting of ratepayers at Hillend to consider and discuss the matter. The committee appointed to report on a rrad deviation to Terrace range estate recommended that the inspector be instructed to take levels ovor the proposed line of road, and bring up a report with the estimated cost of the work. — Adopted. On the motion of Cr Noble, it was decided to instruct the inspector to bring up an estimate of the cost of a traffic bridge over tho Akatore Creek. The following tenders were acepted • --'"Jontract No. 519 (ditch on road to old rifle butts), Alexander M'Lean, £14 14s: contra t So. 520 (metalling porLion of Table* Hill ion'l), James Ferguson, £66 6s ; contract 524 (Gravelling portion of road at Fraser's, Taratu), James Ferguson, £23 lOa r contract No. 525 (metalling portion of road at Akatore). Annesyitch and Brown, £34 ; contract 526 (metalling portions of road at Hillend), W. Wilkinson, £159 Bs.

Mr Hawkins, S.M., in convicting a publican at Greymouth on two charges of "breaches of the licensing laws, spoke strongly on the subject of the perjury that had evidently been; committed in the case. After remarking that in the Clutha district " perjury has been brought to the position of a fine art and developed into mere conspiracies to lie to defeat justice," but is nevertheless regarded with leniency by a large body of publio opinion, Mr Hawkins said : "It is the misconduct of some of the publicans, their greed for money, their encouragement of drinking and continued violation of the law, with tho drunkenness and disorder which ensue which have forced certain impatient, illogical, and well-meaning enthusiasts to agitate for total prohibition of the making and sale of alcoholic drinks as the only remedy for this eviL Therefore, all good subjects of the State, all friends of reasonable liberty, are deeply interested in seeing that the liquor traffic is carried out in strict compliance with the law, and the man and woman who comes to the court and tries to screen a publican or other offender from justice by perverting the truth or refusing to speak the truth, is essentially an enemy to the commonwealth. His lying is an • unmanly weakness. He tries to shield the publican, his friend, disregarding all injury which he does to the public and forgetting the paramount duly which he owes to the State. I heartily wish I could rouse public opinion into a sufficient hatred of lying as one of the meanest, most cowardly, most contemptible, and detestable of vices at all times, but especially when resorted to in courts of justice. What is needed is a healthypublic opinion against lying, which is the poor refuge of slaves and cowards, but degrading to a free man." His Worship the Mayor, as chairman of the Ohau relief fund, has received a letter from Mrs AJice Denny, of Sydney, acknowledging her gratefulness for the sum of £66 awarded to her by the committee of the fund. Mrs Brown, ex-mayoress of Adelaide, and siptei- of Mr Charles Tucker, M.H.A., ires convicted for voting at Port Elliot in the parliamentary election when she was not a resident of the districts TSo penalty yras imposed, as ignorance of the law was pleaded^ but Mr Tucker was fined £L