SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Southland Times, Issue 3516, 27 September 1879, Page 2

SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

- y Y-'-'4''- . . .'.. .. V. ♦ • ''. ' ■■•Ai"'A "An ordinary meeting of this -Council was held yesterday- ■ Present-r-Councillors Cowan (in , theycliarr), Kinross, Smith, MacGJbbon, Thdrason, Baldey, and. Righard/son.Zy\ZZZ 'Z-.Za^Z'ZZZZ'-ZZ- 1 - The Acting. Chairaian : read ;Mr;Shanks resignation '; of ls the y .pffip^^flfv County Chairmany- i whereupon iQouttcii jpr.Thpmson moved, and Councillor- Smith.:-- seconded, : thait ,Mr Cuthbertj: Cp wan; be %ctiairman of the Southland County .^oUncU / . v until 7 'the : nextannual : election! '"''] 4 ' J ,: ' „••; , .No. ;othe^ v pandidate being proposed, Councillor Cowan.... was declared duly .-electiad;y.>fr'.'.i'V.>.;; v „yy v:-.-.-,??----'.'-.-') The Chairmanrelect ' briefly^ Returned thanks for the* honor they liad donei him. The clerk of the Otaria Road* Board wrote, covering a resolution- passed by tho board, withholding for a time their claim to £500 — the^aam,^3,vith £100 additional, to bf spent on the swampy road w referred to at last meeting. " •y " A petition was received from Athol' ask' ing the Council to have a portion of the main North road- [running, through tie township macadamise-, and a culveit placed in a swampy part of the road near „^t][ie'^thol^Hotel:;^Onthe"motion'^j|*_3our.--cillor Baldey, seconded by Councillor Thomson, the prayer of the petition was acceded to. "j? >? A petition was received from suL^ong Bush residents, calling attention to the desirability of repairing the main Dunedin road leading from liong Bush to the Woodlands railway station, w-hich was in a very bad "state. Resolved, on the-'^motion of Councillor Kinross, seconded by Councillor Smith, that the .Engineer be" redUesfcfd to prepare, plans and specifications, a'ifti call for tenders for the work in question. Several Winrdnf ratepayers wrote, complaining that their- sections were depreciated in value owing to the lodgment of water; which came* from drains on ' the county road. They asked that the ditches be .cleaned Out Councillor Thomson promised .to" see tlie matter' attended to' by the ..surfaceman. ,' ', ' , ..... , Several settlers at Oreti petitioned the Council in reference to the state of the road line leading, from the county road to -section 'l29, Oreti-Hundred, which: in an impassable condition. They , stated that a sum had been "voted for the.road, -which ran through a deferred payment 'block, ' but for various reasons the work had "not been executed. The engineer was instructed to carry out the work as , soon as possible. F. C. Benson, of the- Benmore Hotel, wrote, , stating that 7r a culvert near his house, -had been filled up with gravel, causing' tlie' water to t overflow into his property Air Geisow, the -engineer, re-, -'ported tliat .a new' culvert ,w6s required, but the road not being a county ,bne* the GdiinciUtbok'no action. , The Chairman of the Clutha County Council'wrbte, asking that the petition re the Balqljitl^ti-pßc- bridge be returned as soon as possible. Councillor Richardson thought it would strengthen the hands of the Clutha Council were they . to pass a resolution approvingsof their efforts in "the* direction indicated in the .petition. "He moved ac cordingiy, andlthe resolution was carried unanimously! '* . v > -* * Councillor Smith here .introduced a deputation re >the state' of the Main North road. . , — * ; . Mr Dalgliesb, 1 who"- acted as spokesman, said the deputation was there with regard to'-llie state) of, the road, leading; through the Waikiwi Bush — more especially" that portion of it between the Waikiwi and Waihopai ■Rivelre^ '-It required remetalling," and the \trork shojnld-be commenced at once/ - He read a pMetitioh signed by some fifty reiidente'bearing upon the matter. Mr Hatch, ~ another of the .deputation, referred to the fact that several~large industries had been (established in the I Waikiwi, .causing a great deal of traffic on the road from this source alone, irrespective of the wood trades and other cartage. The road was in a disgraceful state, and -was a standing menace to the town. Councillor Smith, the member for the riding, said it was perfectly_true the road was in a .disgraceful » condition, but the necessary f undslto place it in a thorough state 'of repair- were not forthcoming. There were several other roads in his riding which required something doing to .Uem. - The- main, road was used considerably by other ridings than his own. He suggested' that the Awarua Riding' should be allowed to borrow a sum ' in order to .do Jhe \Vorky -*• The Chairman- thought the' Oreti -^tiding, which had plenty of funds at its command, might lend the necessary "amount to the Awwua Riding,

•Councillor 7 - Smith' moved , ' that the Engineer be requested to preparo specifications and call ior'tenders'for metalling ' the main' north road from Waihopai Budge to Tapper's Hotel. ,1 * 1 The motion was agreed to. t . Councillor Smith* moved,. Council tor 'Kinros- seconded, and it was carried,' that 1 the ' Engineer be -requested to prep-ire plane' and call for tender- for laying 'a aiding from "the railway at New River into the gravel pit belonging >to /the Council. j3c_ue * ratepayers asked that the .road leading to liacre be formed and gravelled. ' GouncillOrs, Bichardson "and Kinross thought* the work was far from, being jm urgent one, and considered notlnug should , be done to' it, in the meantime at auy. rate. The residents ' had 'a good road al"Kinross moved that the matter be referred to the Engineer for his report* ' This was agreed to. ', -The. Engineer Bent in a lengthy report W the proposed bridge over the Mataura to , connect the Otama. district with the Wai : f roea Plains Rai'way.. He estimated the coat of "the bridge at about L 8 per foot— 260 leet being required to span the river. The bridge might be erected pretty cheaply. _ < The matter-was held over, pending the . receipt of information from Otama residents. " ". -The' Makarewa Road Board claimed payment of L 146 odd for works executed on a deferred "payment block, and Morwarded „the papers ;necessary-to be filled; in before , the same was handed over, together with their Engineer's certificate. ,/ ' , Z •Councillor- Smith .stated that the payment of tliis j;laim had been objected to by himself and Councillor McCaughan on the .ground; that the vote made by the Council was fpr grayelling, &c, yet to be done-^-not for that .which .had already boen 'executed, and for which the Board claimed the gr,ant. • * , v^ftef discussion, it was decided to' defer further consideration. of the matter until such time-a_-the work for which the Council voted the £300, part of >vhich was now claimed, was done, y ] '' * ' *' J 'The Engineer' reported' that the 'approaches to tie Waikaia bridge had been .damaged by. the, recent "floods.— Resolved, that the Engine 6 - be- instructed to execute the necessary repairs ; also, to repair road to; Gow's Creek. v ' The Engineer reported that he had inspected, the main North road, near Purdue's, at Dipton, and found that; about- thirty chains of road construction were required to be made. It was subject to floods, and •tbe.expe_ise tb make the road would be Somewhat heavy. Councillor. .Thomson moved, aud .Councillor Kinross seconded, that the Engineer be requested to prepare plans and call for tenders' foi'the work in question. Councillor Bichardson moved, as an amendment, that the Engineer be requested to report upon thejstate of the roads undei- , his charge, stating what works he considers should be undertaken during the comingseason,, ,with' estimated cost; such report to be laid upon. the"table at.next meeting. Councillor Baldey seconded r After discussion ? the Engineer was called in, and, in reply to the chairman, said he should be in a position to send in a report before next meeting. " The amendment was carried on the voices. ' , M „ Mr, {Stuart, solicitor for Mr A. Hannah, requested tliat consideration of the longpending question. of closing .an .1 outfall drain;at Waikiwi be postponed until nextmeeting, When Mr' Hannah might be heard in person. Mr Wade, the county solicitor, advised -the, Council how to proceed with Tegard to thematter. Consideration post ' poned." D. S, Lawlor applied for tlie position of rate'collector. Letter ordered^ to be acknowledged. <■ The county solicitor submitted a lengthy .opinion re the deviation of the Gore to Switzers vro*ad, 'after * hearing which the Council resolved, on the motion of Councillor Biehardson, that tlie offers of Messrs' Bell and " McCaughan to exchange land ,for the- present .road' line be accepted, and that: the- agreement be put in writing. A petition with twenty-one signatures was received, stating that the .present ' '-'railway crossing 'and '-road formation at ,iGor'e-Luni6den road was not on the proper survey line, and that ape ditches needed ' 1 repairing.. Referred'to the Engineer. On the recommendation of the Finance -Committee- accounts to the amount of 1 £860 17_ Id were passed for payment. • Councillor Kinross, on "behalf' of the chairman, then moved the resolution of l < which Councillor Cowan.' gave notice at last meeting :— " That it is the opinion of this] Council that the system of rating under the Counties Act should be' abolished, and that, in lieu thereof, each riding of a county should be .rated separately, for r"fenejHtl*parposes-sufl_cient to-meet-its-mvn requirements, for, works, plus its share of the county's working expense^,' but^noT th exceed-'the jnaxiiiium rate Jixed by-fthp Counties AcCThai the } foregoing resolution be forwarded itoithe Government^andtb the members of both Houses o_"Tegis i latureVfesidentin Southland, with a request f'tbat they use their best,eqdeavois to^have the purport" thereof embodied *in<3-ah r amended, Act of ~th> Gounties Act" T I /•Councillor Thomson seconded. fi \ Councillor T Mac Gibbon , opposed the^ • .motion, oh-the,,grohnd that it was unwise^ > , to meddle with tbe, Counties Act atpresent. r He saw no good reason why such a change as that proposed should be brought .about. * It was quite- possible, -jinja country like ! this/ where "floods, for instance, <rw,ere of .frequent, occurrence,,, ridings thaty^erc *~ now comparatively ►rich might afranj time ■ .required raf^efexpertditure. . , „ya Councillors Baldey, Smith, and Bichardson, also otfposed^fhe riiotion, was then*, put *,and Jost by four votes* to two, the, mover and*becdnder onlyvvoting 'for it. 'Z ' ' * ' 'v „ Councillor**- Kinross moved that a sjiku not exceeding Ll5O be paid as a subsidy of Ll for 111 'to'theOtaramika Road -fcard, to be spentvon the road at One Tree Point. In' deference to the wish' of the members, Councillor Kinross? withdrew the motion until next 'meeting, when a L report with reference /to y tho ,Cpun£y , roads and the work "necessary 'to be done" during the coming season, would be' submitted. - ' Previous to the tendeis received from : persons willing to" undertake the duties of valuators being opened, Councillor, Smith siid he considered th_ best course to adopt would be to -appoint* a r permanent collector and valuer. He moved accordingly. The motion was- postponed until after the tenders had been opened, when it was put, the votes being equal. The Chairman gave his casting vote with the Noes. The tenders from" parties applying for the position 'of -valuer, were then considered, and the j following appointments made:-^WintonjßidingJ). S. Lawlor, £15; Oreti,D*S.Lawlor,£l2*- Awarua,H. McLean, £15; Fortrose, John ' Boss, £15; Waihopai, John Boss, £25;* Goto and Wyndham, D. Gardnei, Is per entry; Wallacetown, WUliam Russell,'£l3. No tender was received for Waikaia Biding, t The Council the^adjourned until Friday | week. ,