COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8052, 29 October 1897, Page 2

COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

The Cook County Council met this mornW. " Present: Councillors Macfarlane (Chairman), Graham, Cooper, Hutehinson, Tiffen, Tombleson, and Jex-Blake. t ' The Clerk of the Wairoa County Council wrote forwarding an application for a second progress payment of £52 Bs, on account of the grant of £200 for the Murewai-Mahia road. The first payment of £48 6s 8d had not been received — The Clerk stated that - the payment had been made. The Superintendant of Electric Lines (Mr J. K.. Logan) wrofe that so soon as a cheque for the amount of the subsidy for the Karaka telephone line was received at the Welling. ton office instructions would be given to proceed with the work of erecting the line A bureau wouM be opened at Te Karaka as desired.— The letter was received. The County ranger reported that 65 head of cattle and horses aucl 193 head of sheep had been impounded duringthe past three weeks. The Clerk stated that applications had' been sent out for the .£4OO Nuhaka loan and the balance of the grant for the Coast road. The rates were coming in steadily £250 general rates for the past month. The Chairman said he thought the Council should instruct the Cievk to press for Overdue rates, and he moved that the Cleft 1 be instructed to sue for rates unpaid on the 24th of "next month.— This was seconded" by : Cr Tiffen and agreed to. ■ ,-. , The Finance Committee recommended that the Waikohu, Ngatapa, and PatutaUi Kosul Boards receive a subsidy of £200 each, an increase of £40 each, and that the others remain as at present. — Cr Tombleson did not agree with this proposed increase of subsidies, and he hoped the Council would not agree to anything which would be unfair to the smaller Road Boards.— The Chairman said the other' Boards were'ileceivinif thefull amount of subsidy to which they were entitled — Cr, Tiffen; said it Vmrcthe three Boards mentioned which had been treated unfairly in the past by not receiving their - full subsidy.— Cr Jex-Blake thought the Arai Road Board ought to get something extra, and he proposed that they receive an addition of £20.— The motion was secdnded by Cr Tiffen and agreed to, and the recommendations of the Finance Committee were adopted.

The Engineer (Captain G. J. Winter) submitted the following report: "Tauwhareparae ami Arakihi roads : On the 13th inst. I let a contract to Mr McNeal for removing slips and general repairs to the Taiwhareparae road for the sum of £65, and on the 14th insfc. a contract for similar work on the Arakihi road to Mr Knox for £35. Section 2, Arakihi road : Mr Kuox has completed his contract for this portion of the road (Perry's) ; all other contracts are being satisfactorily carried out. Pakarae, Puatae, and Tolago Bay Hill roads : As all of these roads require to be either repaired with metal or remetalled throughout. I would ask your Council to authorise the expenditure, so that contracts may bo let at an early date, otherwise the work is thrown' back into the autumn, and there is great difficulty in completing the contracts, and = considerable damage is caused to the roads thereby. Waimata road : The contract for metalling this road (which was disconfciniied ; lasfc year owing to the weather breaking) has hot been commenced, as the contractor is unable to get men to. quarry the stone. Some weeks since a contract was. Jet for" quarrying, biifc the parties had to abandon it through sickuess. .Waikohu bridge: .The -""delay ' in calling for tenders for the. erection* of this bridge is owing to the piles (ironbark) not having arrived from Sydney, and none of the kauri lias as yet been delivered, and as your Council is finding all the timber, I would not recommend that tenders be called until it is on the ground, which will admit of the kauri being partially seasoned. Aa spite 40,000 ft of kauri will be delivered next week* and to save cost of carting into .yard; I would recommend that tenders be called for carting the whole' of timber required is bridge from the wharf to the site of the bridge, tenders to close on Wednesday next at ooon." Replying to the Chairman,the Engineer said he thought the total cost of metalling the Pakarae, Puatae, and Tolago BayHifl roads would be from £450 to £500.— The Chairman said that was more than the Council could star.d. • Since last April this road had cost £750.~Cr Tiffen asked how ! much it would cost to have the metal collected, arid make -the road just passable. Tho Chairman said the only thing was to get assistance from the Government ; and it was more than the riding could afford to do the work without assistance. To put it in good order, from Pakarae to Puatae would cost at least£looo. He would be agreeable to having 300 or- 400yds of metal collected in readiness to be put on about March,— Cr Cooper said there was a good bed of shingle just this side of Kennedy's which could be utilised for the purpose The Chairman said the Engineer could have, a look at ifc before letting any contract.— The Engineer said lie, would report more tally at the next meeting, and further consideration of the matter was adjourned. . In regard to Waimata road, the Engineer said labor was scarce just at present, and several contractors had complained that they could not get men.— The matter was j held over. The Engineer said the'first half of the iron bark piles would arrive on the 15th November and the balance on the 17th December. —The Chairman said the kauri would be delivered next week The suggestion of the Engineer to call .for tenders for removing the timber. fron> the" wharf to the site of the bridge was adopted Cr Tiffen urged that the Engineer should call for. 1 tenders for th.c bridge as soon as sufficient timber was to hand, so that ftp time would be lost. — The Chairman said as none of the timber would arrive until the 17th of next month the question might bo held over until then;— This was agreed to and it was decided that the next meeting of the Council beheld on the date of the annual meeting, November * 24 tli. — The Engineer said the bridge would not be available for traffic until next May or June, and as the timber would be green" he thought they should be in no hurry to call for tenders, so as to give the timber a chance to season.

Accounts amounting to £700 were passed for payment. The Chairman announced that in the new contract for Tolago Bay ferry return tickets would be available from Saturday to Mon-'.. day. The Chairman also referred to the Wages Protection Bill now before Parliament, , and • he thought they should write and ask their member for a copy of it. — Gr Graham 4 6aid if there was anything special in it they could call a meeting to consider it.— lt was decided to wire to the Hon. Mr'Carroll,asking him to send the Council a copy. The Chairman thought as Parliament was sitting they should set forth their require- ' meuts, and make application, to Parliament. They got something lafet year, and he thought they should follow that practice every year.— Cr Graham: Is there any limit? — The Chairman: Noj ask for what you want. Cr HutchiußOu urged that an inquiry should be made into the manner in which the recent election had been conducted. He moved that the Keturning Officer be called upon to make his explanation at the next meeting of the Council : Cr Tifien seconded, saying he hoped anything of the sort would be prevented from happening in future. This was, agreed to. Cr Tiften asked if the interest on . the Kaiteratabi bridge loan could be paid out of the general fund. He ■ thought the ratepayers had a right to be satisfied on that subject;— The Clerk stated that where a special rate was levied over the whole of a district the interest could bepaid out of the ' geueral funds, but where it was spread over-"""" la special district' only the "rate must be 1 cojjeefcecl. ' - ■ Ci Tifl'eu asked if it was advisable to send a deputation to Wellington to wait on the Government to urge certain' works • in the district — The Chairman agreed with, the suggestion, but said although he was one of the proposed deputation to Wellington in regard to the light railway, he would not be able to go. They might ask for money to .make -a stock track Cr Tiffen said the

Goverment had put that offuntil the summer, and then they -would put it ofr again.— Consideration of .the matter was held, over until a- later stage of the meeting. tTBNDISHS. Tenders were opened for the following works :— - Repairs to Powawa Road : J. , Makmc, £29, and drain 4s 6d per chain ; -Byrne, 429 (accepted).; Formation and grovelling Waikohu-Motu' Road : P. Me-

I»iikMWjeM : (accfepted)'; F - '*$*'*> £i ?& T, Colbert, *96V10b; M. Boland, £110. r •'Metalling and formation 20 chains Waiapu ■ inland' road : M. Boland, 3a 6d metal and 5s formation per chain ; J. Malone, £2 19s 6d metal and formation (accepted) ; P. Mc- - Loughlin, 5s formation and metal 4s 9d. • ■ " THE WANTS OP THE DISTRICT. The Chairman again brought up the .question of the advisability of- sending a . representative to promote their interests in Wellington with regard to grants for local works. He thought it would be well worth the expense. He had drawn up a list of works he considered absolutely necessary in ...his district, as follows :— Tolago bridge, £6000; Tolago Hill, £250; Puatae Hill, £1000 ; Pakarae bridge, £1400 ; Waiamoko j bridge, £500 ; Tatapouri Hill, £500. Total, £9650.— Messrs Tiffen find Hutchinson had put in for the Waikohu riding : — MotnGisborne (extension), £2000 ; Motu-Ngatapa v (back road)) £2000 ; Waikohu-Opotiki road, • £1000; Whatatutu-Huiarua road, £500; Inland Waiapu road, £1000 ; PatutahiKaiteratahi road, back road forming and metalling, £500; Whatatutu-Karaka tele- . phone service,' £100. Total, £7100.— Cr ' , Tiffen said the item for telephone would be about £100. — The Chairman said the works proposed for the Arai riding were : — Deviation of Wairoa road per Hangaroa river, £1000 ; metalling Wairoa road, ' £1000 ; continuation formation to hot springs, Nuhaka road, £2200; to connect Nuhaka from Trafford's junction to Mahia, £500. Total, £4700. • It was also decided to ask for £1000 to . make a stock road to connect with Rotorna, ■ the. Chairman stating the Council would be 1 • •willing to take up the administration of the \ vote, if it. was granted. — Some difficulty . was experienced in deciding which of the ■ Councillors should go to Wellington, it being felt that whoever did go should go at tho same time as tho deputation from the Railway League. — The Chairman said the member for the district wanted keeping up to the mark, and as he always took trouble ■■with whoever did go down, he thought they should certainly send one of their number to advocate the Council's claims. — After consideration it was decided that Cr Tombleson be the Council's representative in the matter^