COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume X, Issue 2025, 14 September 1883, Page 2

COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

The usual fortnightly meeting of the above Council was held in the Council Chambers last evening. Present : Cr. W. K. Chambers, (in the Chair) ; Crs. Allanach, Ferris, Johnson, Clarke, Gannon, Westi-up, and Wcston. — The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. In t oomix<: Coiuuvsi'on'dknck. — From Mr Fellows asking for extension of time for the completion of the punt. Granted.--From Mr. A. McDonald, M.H.R., informing tlie Council that an answer re rails f.>r the Patutahi Quarry would be received shortly. — From C. Davis, forwarding dotailed account of thoc persons cmyloycd to protect the To Arai bridge from tho late rising of the river. — From J. & A. Davis, drawing attention to thesrateof the Makaraka road in front of their store. Orders I that tho work be done. Tenders to be c illed for. — The standing orders of the Council were suspended to hear Messrs. Kcmpthorne and Knight in support of their letter re the drain being cut on the Ruangarehu property on the Wairoa-Opotiki roal. — A letter was also read from Mr Scott, objecting to the drain being cut through his property, and holding the Council responsible, for the damage don ■•. An injunction was also read from Mr. McDougal, Mr. Scott's solicitor. Tho Engineer's report in connection with tlie work was read and considered by the Council. — It was decided to stop the work, anil to proceed, under the Public Works Act, to obtain tlie land, so as to cut tho neessary drain. Oxen ham's Contract. — A deputation, consisting of His Worship the Mayor and Borough Councillor Townley, waited on tho Council r<i the enforcing of the. penalties for Oxenham's contract, and which wo have already reported in tlie Borough Council proceedings. — It was unanimously resolved that the penalties, be not enforced, the Council being of opinion that Mr, Graham was greatly to bo complimented on the vray he had carried out the contract.

Report of Deputation. — Cr. Ferris reported the result of the deputation which had waited upon the Borough Council re Patutahi quarry metal.

Harks. — On the proposition of Cr. Western, the question of hares wis brought up. — Cr. Ferris proposed the Council recommend to the Acclimatisation Society that hares be not introduced. — The Chairman read a letter from .Mr. St veils, of Christchurch, stating that, from two hai'es turned out there, more than five thousand had been shot, and also stating it was quite a fallacy to think hares did no damage, as they barked young trues, and were a nuisance in the public parks there. — Cr. Westrup said, as against that, the Coursing Club had applied for a hundred pair, and could not obtain them. — Cr. Johnson thought the Council had nothing to do witli the intr >duction of hares. — Cr. Weston read a letter from Mr. McLean, of Howiek, Auckland, stating no damage was done there by the hares. lie would propose that the Council do not interfere with the introduction of hares. — Cr. Clarke seconded.— Carried. Reports.— The following reports were read from Mr. Warren, Nuisance, Slaugii-fcer-hoiises, and Dog Inspector, and Air. Arthur, J)>;p ity Dog luspecLor, the consideration of which was allowed to stand over : — Gisborne, 13th September, ISS3. Sir,— 1 have the honor to report for your information on the conduct of the slaughterhouses, pounds, and dog registrars, during the period commencing January 20th, 1883:— Slaughter -houses. — The houses are kept clean, and since the stringent measures instituted in reference to Mr. Aislabie's old place at Makaraka have been enforced, tho yards and appurtenances are much better than last year. The houses, with one exception, arc too small for the work to be done, and in no case is any provision made for the drainage matter, the sites bfing the worst that could be chosen for such a trade. In two instances the drainage hills into shallow pools, and in these pigs are permitted to roam,- causing great oti'enee to the neighbors, and must of necessity be injurious to health. These matters have been pointed out to tho several keepers, but the matter has ended in promises to abate the nuisance. I consider the present system of private slaughter-houses one which cannot be properly conducted, unless under the supervision of an officer who would give at least ten days a mouth to see that yards and houses are clean, that returns are properly kept, aud all cattle accounted for, and that the fees were col lected aud paid ovor at the due dates. In this latter question I experience some difficulty, as three of the licensees have not paid their foes for the current year, and in the matter of returns only three of the eight licensees send them in regularly. I would therefore respectfully suggest that the Council consider which of two courses would be the best : either to appoint an inspector to give the time alluded to, or to take steps to erect a public slaughter-house on some of the sand flats between Gisborne and Pakirikiri, where at least the drainage could be dealt with, and tho health of the public secured from tint careless acts or the licensees. Dogs. — The total number of dogs registered to date ia 413. Of these I have registered 307 ; Mr. F. Arthur, 108; and the remainder by the several registrars on the Coast. During my rounds upon this businesi, I have met with civility in all cases, except at Waerenga-a-hika pa, where I was forcibly ejected ; but bybeing determined, in shooting two dogs th.ro I have obtained the registration of tiic greater number, although I regret thai in; mines of the offending parties could ii'it bo obtained. The ratepayers murmur at the amount of tax fix-jd by the Council, as the d^gs, in most cases, are required for tarm work, and are thus considered as essential to earning a d iy's bread. Mr. Arthur liaviug reported fully on the difficulty with native dogs, I need not repoat my experiences in the matter. I intend travelling the district next month for the registration of young dogs. Pound*. — The Ounond Pound is conducted in a satisfactory manner; the fences and yards are in good order, and the returns aud fees are sent in regularly. The Karawa Pound is in good ropair, but there is but little business dove, £8 11s being the total revenue from it during the past year, and tho returns were only sent in once. These contained the year's entries. I regret to say that the Matawhero Pound is not conducted as well as it might be. During the past eighteen months I have had to employ a man to make the entries, so that the revenue mighi be demanded, and Mr. Stcggall objects to paying for the service thus rendered. The returns are now six months in arrear. The yards require some repair aud the ground should be gravelled, the cattle in the race being belly deep in mud during the wet weatuer. I have called for tenders for writing tiie sign- boards at the pounds, as the letters are indistinct. The pound and slaughterhouses at Tolago Bay I have not seen, but Mr. Williams, Poundkeeper, sends his returns and slaughter fees regularly. — I have, &c. John Warren, Inspector and Registrar. Whatatutu, August 16, 1883. Honored Sirs, — Having acted in tho capacity of Dog Registrar to your Hon. Council, I would beg i,o d.aw before your notice a few of the difficulties under which your officials labor whilst endeavoring to carry out the Dog Act. In visiting a Majri pah, the Registrar sees numerous dogs, and enquires to whom they belong. He is either informed that they belong to all tho persons present in the pah or else he receives no reply to his enquiry. He then proceeds, not being able to identify any individual owii.t, to fall back on his perogative of destroying tho dogs. Now, how is this to l)e done ? He cannot seize a dog without [ the risk of being bitten ; he is not permitted to shoot the dogs in the. pah, neither can he poison in the pah, for if lie attempted to do so, the natives would call the dogs away, and also the danger to children, fowls, &c, from poison being probably vomited up. If, again, he soizes a dog and kills it, either with a stick or knife, he is then liable to bo assault -d by the natives ; or, if they are peaceably inclined, they fabricate a charge against him for assault, and he, having no witnesses to rufute the charge, becomes the victim to their i inmorality . Then there is the difficulty of proving the ownership of a dog, and I will ins.ance a case in point that was tried in the U. \l, Court. I had repeatedly asko 1 two natives, who each owned a dog, to register them, but although both confessed thedogs belonged to them, they failed t> register. I eventually summoned them, and in the presence of the policeman who s.-rved the siMiimms, one of them denied ever owning a doy. The ease came on, and tho same native who previously denied ever owning a dog, confeHiod before the Court to being the owner of both. There were myself, and two Maori witnesses, who lived in the pah, and we proved that the other native was the owner of ono .log ; that tho dog bat| followed him about, and had always stopped at his house ; yet the case was nonsuited. Now, I ask in the fice of such evidence, what is to constitute the ownership of a clog. If seeing a <\og constantly following a person abouti and being fed by, and living at the 'lionise 'of that person does not make him the legal owner, then I fail to .sue how your officers can smooeod in oarrying out tho Act. I may also state that, in consequence of the

difficulty of proving ownership, the discontented natives are the very people who escape the Act, and it is only those natives who confess to the Registrar being owners aud do not perjure themselves when in Court that are fined, as they are the only people that a case can be made out against. I am afraid that until the Act is altered, your Council will not be able to collect the majority of the dogs in Maori districts, and natives that have paid this year will next year endeavor to avoid the tax, encouraged by the success of their more wily fellows. I may mention that in my own district, having registered over a hundred dogs, I was only able to destroy three, and these I had to stick with a knife. The great discouragement to Dog Registrars is that in native cases they cannot procure witnesses to substantiate their evidence in Court ; and, on the other hand, arc liable to have trumped up charges of a serious nature brought against them by the natives, and however zealous they may be, they cannot be expected to run such risks. — I have the honor to be, sirs, your obedient servant, F. 11. Arthur. Payments, to the amount of £680, were passed. — It was decided, in connection with the expenses of Licensing Courts, that a letter be written to the Government drawing attention to the great expenses which are incurred in connection with the licensing business. Slaughter License. — A license was granted to Mr. Hill, of Patutahi. Tenders. — Waimata Road Outlet Drain : McLindon, L 64 4s ; Mcßride, L 74 ; Brownlow & Co., L 63 4s 6d. It was decided to call for fresh tenders, those received being too high. — Karawa Bridge : D. McLeod, L 345 6s 7d (accepted) ; J. R. Morgan, L 490 ; Krippner & McLeod, L 475 ; C. D. Borry, L3BO 16s ; A. Ledger, L 385 ; Swanson & Co., L 513. — Quarry to Muhunga, pitched and gravelled : D. Malone, LI ,575 (accepted) ; S. C. Caulton, L 1.647 ; Oxennain, L 2.100 ; Boland, L-1,663 16s. — Muhunga to Kaitera'ahi : Cooper & Bond, L 586 19s ; D. Malone, L 466 4s (accepted) ; S. C. Caulton, L 599 10s.— Tologa Bay Road : D. M:Leod, LSS 10s Ud (accepted) ; Krippner & McLeod, L 147 3s ; Finlay, L 119; Hodges, LI 7O. — Drains Patutaui Road : E. O'Dwyer — Section 1, 8s 9d per chain ; section 2, 10s ; section 3, 15s. Price & Craill — Section 2, 12s 6d ; section 3, 26s 4d. Young & Jones — Section 1, 6s 2|d. Krippner& McLeod — Section 1, 9s 7d ; section 2, 11s 3d ; section 3, 17s 4d. The tender of Young At Jones was accepted for section 1, and O'Dwyer'sfor sections 2 and 3 ; total cost of work, L 323 4s. — Painting Notice Boards : Mr. Robb's tender being the lowest, was accepted. Pakirikiri Ferry. — It was resolved that the right of collecting tolls on the ferry be leased by auction. Notice of Motion. — Cr. Ganuon gave notice of motion that the Council do take into its consideration, at the next meeting, the advisability of constructing a tramway from thu limestone hill, Wairoa road, Patutahi, to Contract No. 10. The Council rose at 1.15 a.m.