PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 43, 5 April 1895, Page 3

PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL.

The above Council held its usual monthly meeting on Wednesday, when there were present—Crs C. Symes (chair), Death, Fisher, Nicholson, Paterson, Pearce, Peat. Riddell, and Thurston. Minutes of former meeting read and confirmed. Correspondence read. Outwards as authorised. Inwards included letters numbered from 1 to 41 inclusive ; from

D. Peat, re expenditure of rates from Kapara Separate Eating District, and asking Council to expend portions of same on Bangitatau road. . Moved by Cr Fisher, seconded by Cr Riddell, “ That the separate rate of £l6 16s 6d on the Rangitatau, he expended under supervision of Cr Peat, in the Rangitatau block.” The secretary reported that Mr Hirst had made same application, which had been postponed. Cr Peat said it was a distinct understanding that portions of these separate rates should be expended for the benefit of the ratepayers where they did not benefit by the expenditure ou the valley road. —Motion carried. Cr Fisher moved, “ That the half of the Government subsidy paid to tjie Kapara riding be credited to the * Separate ’ account.” Seconded by Cr Peat. Cr Fr’sher pointed out that all he wished to do was to place the Kapara Special District on the same footing with regard to the subsidy as if they were a Road Board Cr Riddell said if that was the object he would support it. Motion carried. Letter from Railway _ Department stating that if the alteration suggested was made to the bridge approach the cost must be borne by the county ; but the strip of land required would bo given by the department. _ . The chairman considered it inadvisable to alter the approach to the bridge before a new decking was required, as the alteration now would only make a patchwork job of it. Matter was left open for further consideration.

Mr Field wrote re footpath at Waitotara, recommending an extension of time for one month for completion of contrdct, and a progress payment of £2O. —The extension asked was granted. Or Fisher stated re t birds on Kapara that, as the question of the road being now settled, it would be as well to write to the Momnhaki Hoad Board and ask them to withdraw their claim to the thirds, as that would be the simplest way of clearing up the matter. Secretary instructed to write accordingly. Or Fisher then reported that, with Cr Peat, joining with councillors from other counties on the coast, be bad waited on the Premier at Wanganui, when they had gone into the matter of the shell rock bed at Nukumaru. After discussion, the Premier asked for all local bodies to send an estimate of the probable amount of gravel they would use in a year, so as some grounds would be obtained for the Government to work on when considering the question of putting in a line. Cr Peat substantiated Or Fisher's report, and stated that after some heckling the Premiei had agreed to take into account the benefit to the Bailway Department. He had, later, as representing the Patea County Council, assembled with representatives of other bodies, and taken the Minister of Lands over the shell rock beds, and the Minister was tbormiguly astonished at their extent, and said be would use all his power to have a lino put in as it would be worth putting in for the railway alone; but, of course, the Premier took it from a business point of view, and wished to know what the local bodies would be likely to want. In order to get at this last, the Waitotara County Council were sending out circulars to the various bodies so as to get the question into shape as soon as possible The Council thanked Crs Fisher an I Peat for their report, which was adopted. TheNormanby Town Clerk wrote as follows, under date of Ist April: Re Conditional Licenses. I have made enquiries from Mathieson himself, and he tells me that Sergeant Stagpole gave him the license for the Normanby sports on 26th December, the fee paid being ss. In the other case—the Norraanby Trotting Club’s meeting, 25th January- -ho applied at the County Council Office, Hawera, and Mr Budge’s clerk, Mr Hirst, gave him the license and received the fee, in this case 10s, As yon are the only person authorised under the new Act to issue these licenses and receive fees, I trust you will enquire into tLe matter at duce, as tbe NormanLy Town Board will certainly demand its revenue at your hands. Apropos of this. I may mention that there have been two transfers here lately, viz , from Mathieson to Searle (Commer ciai Hotel), gnd Smith Sullivan to McElwain (Imperial Hotel) ; the trausfer fee in each case is £2, apd should have been paid into your hands by this time.— Yours, etc,, C). E, Gibson, Clerk. The clerk was instructed to make the necessary *nquiry. Transfers from W. F. Bussell to C. Russell, of section 6, Matemuteaonga, and from C. EUiot to A. Hunter, section 6, Block V, were authorised. After a short discussion, Cr Riddell moved, “ That tenders he called, to be in by next meeting, for redecking the rail? way road bridge with four inch totara planking, the old timber to bo the property of the contractor ; and that the , chairman be authorised to get 50 yards of gravel for station road.” —Carried unanimously. monthly statement of account f*hew,ed a tiefiejepey of £259 12s 11 cl, Accounts for feh,C mopth w t erc passed for payment. That vexed question of the When pa* kura Bridge was then introduced, when Cr Fisher at on.ee rpse and moved, *• That tenders be called, to be in by the Ist of June next, for building the Whonuakura Bridge as per plans and specifications prepared by Mr Stewart.” In moving the resolution Cr Fisher said by calling for tenders to be in by June it would be five months before ( junterieil was <?u the ground, a ucl they copld not give less than nine months to build it, SQ that by that time they would have two rath ß .collected, and they could negotiate an overdraft for the balance until the third year’s rate was collected and so clear the bridge in about three years. It would no doubt be a heavy pall, hot It F a ? usolees waiting any longer for it. Cr Thurston would prefer seeing a poll taken for a loan. Without a loan it meapt a full rate, pot for three years hut

four or five, to pay for the bridge, and the roads all the time going to the bad. They could not afford to build the bridge out of ordinary revenue, Cr Death thought they ought to take a poll. He had spoken to very many ratepayers and they were all in favour of a poll for a loan. Cr Peat thought Councillors were getting a little out of order, as there was no mention of anything about finance in the motion. All they had before them was a proposal to call for tenders for the bridge, and there was nothing at all about a poll in it. All the resolution did was to commit the Council to calling for tenders for the bridge. The resolution was then carried, and Cr Peat moved, “ That the Council take a poll of ratepayers to authorise raising £2500 for the purpose of building the Whenuakura bridge.” After a short discussion the resolution was carried unanimously. The Council then adjourned.