WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Witness, Issue 2677, 5 July 1905, Page 10

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL

The ordinary meeting of the Waikouaiti County Council was held in the county offices, Hawkabury, on Friday; present — Messrs A. K-Jpatrick (chairman), W.- Souter, A S. Orbell, C. Duke, J. Porteous, and J. Foote. , inspector's reports. i The Inspector reported on the application I ot Mr P. Cane for a road thro-igh his smail glazing run, and stated that it would require 100 chains of formation to give a 6ft riding tiack along tho river (estimated cost £50).— Tenders to bo called for the work; cost not r to exceed £30. : The Inspector reported that 50 yards of j metal, at a cost of 5s 9d pfr cubic yard, were required on tho Main road at Mount Cargill, North-East Valley riding, and that the Main road to the Mount Koyal Estate j was veiy much cut up and required 220 cubic >ards of gravel, at an estimated cost of about £27. It was further reported that several places in Hansford Town required rnainten- , ance metal, and to put the worst places in • good order it would require an expenditure cf £12. 'Ill© inspector also reported that the metal on the Main Port Chalmers and Blue- | skin load, between Mr Sim's residence and the junction of the roads, was warn through in several places, and he estimated the cost for I necessary metal for repairs at £15. — Resolved • (1) That the work at Mount Cargill road, rTorLh-flast Valley, be authorised; (2) that tenders be called for supply of gravel for J repairs to Main road, Mount Royal Estate; (3) that the inspector be authorised to get the I necessary work done at Mansford Town; that the inspector be authorised to put on a man to cut the overhanging scrub on the Main Port Chalmers and 'Blueskin road, and that consideration of metal be deferred in the \ meantime. • CORRESPONDENCE. J. Halhim, A. Bray, G. R. Fry, W. Hallum, W. Maxwell, smd C. W. Halluin requested thai additional rotten rock should ! be put on the Quarry road. — Tenders to be called for tho supply of about 100 yards of ; rotten rock. j In response to a request from T. A. B. Bailey, it was resolved to take the necessary steps- to have Steep Hill reserve, containing by admeasurement 1131 aOr 32p, proclaimed as a domain. : G-eorge Kerr requested the council to in- I crease the payment of 12s per day for the us© of a pair of horses and dray, and also man to j attend the same. He suggested that the* j amount be raised to 14s. — Bequest compliei j with for work throughout the county. I Michael O'Connell wrote drawing attention • to the condition of Mount Cargill road, and to kthe damage cati3E'd thereto by a settler drawj ins; » loaded sledge over it. — It was decided ! to warn the settler referred to that it was an ' irtfringement of the by-law to use a sledge • over, a metailed roadway. j J. Kossitsr wrote drawing attention to the ! state of the track through the bush at Mount J Cargill leading to his property. — Inspector to report at neixt meeting. James Kenyon and Mrs Jane Allan called 'attention to the impassable condition, after i rain, of the steep hill near Round Hill road, ! and asked that repairs be effected. — Inspector ' to report. . , The Department of Lands and Survey for- j worded a m*morandiura that £95 163 lOd had j been paid to the- credit of the council at Pal— ' mfltston, being " thirds " and " fourths " of land revenue for period -January 3 to March ~« 31, 1905; and the Treasury wrote stating that the sum of £6'> had been paid to the county's funds on account of Huramockside road. — Keceived. F. J. Campbell wrote drawing attention I to the bad state of the road leading to his j property at Purak&nui. — Inspector to report. | G. N. Maeon wrote enclosing an account for £3, part of cost for pathway at Deborah Bay, and offering to donate the sum should the council at any time undertake the easing of the grade on the road leading to Mr Steven's property. — Resolved that Mr Mason be thanked for his offer. ' Mrs J. Bayne asked the council to do some- , thing to the rough pinch on the Deborah Bay ' road, between Taipo Factory and Mr Steven's j place. — Received. i The Secretary of the Seaclrfi School Committee wrote asking permission to take about 10 loads of eaitb from the roadside for the . purpose of topdressing a piece of ground for , a garden on the school grounds. — Permission j granted under the supervision of the county inspector. David Wilson, Flag Swamp, wrote stating I tbat tht road opposite his place and down to Read's bridge was much worn along the flat and required gravelling, and that the hill opposite hia place required grading and giaveKing. — Inspector to report. A communication was received from the veterinary division of the Department of Agriculture notifying that certificates of renewal for slaughtering licenses had been approved, for the following licensees : —H. Carson, B. W. Fell, A. Kilpatrick, G. E. Charlton, and J. Hodgson Neil Fletcher wrote calling attention to tha dangerous state of the District road frora the Main load to block I, section 58, M'opanui, Blueskin riding. — Inspector to report. .. The Borough Council of Port Chalmers acknowledged receipt of the council's letter agreeing to pay half cost of repairing Macandiew road, etc., and statsd that ihe matter had been referred to the Works Committee to act. — Received. T. J. Harrison wrote making application for a slaughtering license for a building to be effected on his farm, the meat slaughtered therein to be for sale outside Port Chalmers. — Approvedt GENERAIi. The resolution passed on May 26, levying a general rate of in the pound for yesr ending March 31, 1908. and payable in one sum on July 15, 1905, was confirmed, and the chairman and Cr Orbell were authorised to sign the rate book. The inspector was instructed to have the grade reduced on the Doxible Hill road leading to Mr Stevenson's property, cost not to exceed £12, an-d was also instructed to put on ji man to surface the Heyward Point road from Mr King's property to the creamery. The chairman and inspector were requested to interview Dr King with a view to having something done towards improving the road, leading past the asylum grounds towards M'erton. It was resolved that owners of property | adjoining the Main road, from the bridge at ! Waitati School south, be requested to cleav off the gorse. and, failing compliance with the request, that the work be dene at their expense. Tha inspector was instructed to get the water-ta-ble at Coombe Hay terrace and Lower Harbour road at Deborah. Bay attended to, and he wa-s also instructed to have gorse in Mansford Town cut down. A petition was read from a number of farmers in Hawksbury" Borough District re- | questing the council to amalgamate their properties in the Waikouaiti County on the ground that as farmers their interests were more identified with the working of a county than a borough. The signatories to the petition wore J. x\. Townsend, Georga Maxwell, M. M Garry, John Rendall, Bessie Graham, James Aitcheson, Donald Grant, Neil Stewart. Ellen Bannantyne, Robeirt Pearson, and John Maxwell.— Messrs Townsend and Grant w&jteS

on the counuil in support of the petition, and the latter urged that if the petitioners' wish was granted the boundaries should be the same as before the properties affected; were taken out of the county and included in the borough.— Mr Grant said tho petitioners' inteiests and wants were identified with a county more than with a borough, and they had been unequally yoked with the borough since the abolition of the wards. The farmers were also subject to disabilities through being included in a borough, as they wore restricted in regard to the keeping of pigs and other matters. — In answer to tho Ch ah-man. Mr Green said the area which they asked to be taken over was 1450 acres of "a ratable value of about £12 per acre, and it was only desired that the agricultural portion of tile holdings should be included in the county. — Cr Foote: Before we can enter into this mattpr the 'petitioners should furnish the council with a plan. — After the above deputation had been heaid, a counter deputar tien from the Borough Council waited on the council, and objected to the transference oE the aiea affected. The deputation comprised! the Mayor (Mr Thomas Smith) and Messrs T. Johnston. B Fell, and R. Pearson.— The Mayor Baid the business men who resided la the* area, or were affected by the proposed change, had not been asked to support the proposal, and he suggested that if the boundaries of the county were to be altered to suit the petitioners the Main North road 1 should be made the boundai-y line. The position now takm up by the petitioners was a most inconsistent one — they were formerly included in the county, and they, then 'petitioned to be included in the borough, and they now petitioned to be taken back into the" county. Th« reason they had for separating from the county formerly was that the county rate was a Jd' more than tho borough rate, but row that the borough rating was altered they v/iohed to make another change. The rating obtained by the borough from the area vas £32 12s. One of the signatories to the* petition (Mr Robert Pearson) had been misinformed as to the position, and the council wculd now see he was present as an objector. —Mr Johnston said if th* \>eiition were granted Mabanaka would be- entirely shut out from communication with the borough except by borough loads, and it was not to be expectect the borough would keep up roads for county u, se . — Mr B. Fell said the petitioners nearly] all used the borough roads for heavy traffic, and they scarcely used county roads at all. and on this ground it was only fair their rates should go to the borough. The difficulty about sanitary matters and the keeping of pigs wns exaggerated, and did not aff^'Ct the question in the meantime, and was one that could be got over amicably.— Or Souter: Are th« whole of the lands affected farm lands; if so, they are county lands ratheT than borouglv areas. — The Mayor s«id the point was this:! The farmers whe petitioned used the borough roads more than the county roads, and their rates should be applied to the upkeep of thesfl roads.— Mr R. Pearson asked that his name be excised from the petition as he had been induced to sign owing to imperfect information and without a full knowledge of tha circumstances.— The deputation then retired, end Cr Orbell said the question was one that required careful consideration as to tbo county's legal position. Farmers who owned! land outside a borough could scarcely be sai«B' to have much interest in the purely borough affaire which affected borough residents. The council, however, should not forget that th« petitioners , were in the county -previously, and went out, no doubt for the purpose of dodging the rates; but in extenuation erf that they had perhaps since then repented of their 1 ways. He would move that a legal opinions be obtained showing the actual position and the necessary steps, if any, to be taken, and! that consideration of the matter be reld over until such opinion was obtained. — AHer discusajon Or OTbell's suggestion was adopted.

COUNTY RATING OP MAORI LANDS. Mr J Atves waited on the council and asked for information in regard to county rates on the whole of tho Maori lands at Ka,ritane, inclua&d in block XII, Waikouaiti district. Ha explained that the Oraitewru District Maori Council had stiuck a rate the same as th<s ceunly rate for the year, and that the county had also struck a rate over the same lands.— The Chairman stated that the rate of tha County Council was the only legal rate that could br struck for this year, and that the Maori Council was not yet in a position to strike a rate, as it had no valuations.

TENDERS. ETC. The tender of P. O'FarreU for seven and a-half chains of banking a-nil cartage of 250 yds of metal at Seachff, Merton riding, price £65, was accepted, and that of F. Canning for .".4 chains formation and culverts on Mount Cargill Estate, K"orlh-East Valley, price £44 4s, was also accepted. Accounts amounting to £356 12s 5d were passed for payment.

A scholarship of £25 a year for three years had been secured by the office-bearers of St. Paul's Church, Napier, for a student; proceeding to study at the Divinity College of the church at Dtmedin. The scholarship has been awarded to Mr George King; who proceeds next session to the Divinity College, in recognition of tha earnest and eminently successful home mission wotle he has already done at Nor^ewood.