OHINEMURI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 157, 19 June 1886, Page 2

OHINEMURI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Tils ordinary meeting of the above council was held in the County Chambers Paeroa on Satin day last, piesent : Mcssis Cock (chairman) Nichols, Corbetfc, Strange, Moore, Butler, Walsh, and Humphreys. Tho minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed, it was decided to next de rd with Tenders. —For Forming and Grading- and a Tiack. From the Suspension Bridge Karangahake, to Butler's Truck. j i i

Contractors. — Moved by Cr Stiange, That contractors be kept to the conditions of contracts, also to time, and that no contractor be permitted to deviate or alter his contract in any way from the speeificatigns without authority from the Foreman of Woiks or Engineer. Considerable discussion ensued with respect to the manner in which contracts ah duly let weie being cairied out. The motion was seconded by Cr. Moore, who said no doubt some slumming was going on, and it would bo well to impress upon contractors this sort of thing could not bo allowed. — Carried. Resolved on the motion of Ci. Corbett, that all orders respecting alterations in contracts be given in writing, and only such recognised by the Council. Cr. Coibett in moving this resolution, remarked verbal instructions were liable to bo misconstrued, and it was highly necessaiy that when tho engineer or foreman of works gave authority for an)' alteration in connection with contracts it should be done by writing. The motion was carried. Cr. Humphreys moved, that contractors be required to sign contracts and enter into the required securities, prior to being allowed to commence work. Carried. Cr Corbett moved, That the next lowest tender for any contract be retained until tho contractor, whose tender had been accepted, had duly signed same. Carried Correspondence. — Outward : To Government, abking if the subsidy of ,C 2 to £1 for Bowlei's lload, was still available ? Tojthis enquiry no reply had been received. To Mr Adam Porter, requesting payment of $40 piomised towards cost of surveying proposed Waitawheta Gorge Iload. To Secretary Mines Department, Wellington, respecting" the subsidy promised towards "V^aitekauri prospecting track, J51115 13s 4d. It appeared that a voucher for a progress payment for £100 had been forwauled on Ist May ; the amount, however, had not been received, and the authorities were asked to state the reason. To J. C. Gavin, Secretary to Treasury Department, Wellington, with reference to gold duty accruing to Ohinemuri County from quartz taken from thence and treated at tho Thames furnaco amounting to some 24180z of bullion. Tui Track.— To Clerk Piako v County Council, Cambridgo, stating if a*favourably reply was leceived from Government re subsidy for tho work j the Ohinemuri Council would construct the poition of proposed track fiom > Waiorongomai tramway to Tui, within their County. To Messrs A. J. Thorp and Sullivan, Stating (he Council could not see their way to' erect fencing asked for. inward. — From Government stating the permit to Messrs Phillips and Son had been extended pending the completion of a magazine by Co r unty Council. From Marsh aiad Wilson, re claim put in by them, for £8 odd for extra work done in connection with their road contract to Karangahako, again slating Mossis Jackson and Ksnny at* engineers for the County at the time, had authorised same. Cr Nicholls said with reference to this matter, he had* interviewed. Mi- Jackson,who told ( hiwi he had never promised that the extra work referred to would bo paid by the county. Letter received Reserves. — From tho Hon.' Minister of Crown Lands, acknowledging receipt of a petition praying that the Komata Block be set apart for a recreation reserve, and in reply informing the Council that tho land referred to had boen sold.

The Chairman remarked that only one bonS, fide settler had invested in this land, and it would now simply beheld by speculators for the sake of the unearned increment. He regretted Government had not seen fit to comply with the prayer o£ the petition. He thought it was quite evident Government % intended to throw public bodies on their own resources. Cr Strange : There is plenty of Grown land yet obtainable in the district, and it is the duty of the council to make application for a grant in time. Complaint. — From Jas. <Liddell, Karangahake, complaining that the contractors for making the adjoining road had greatly injured his allotment by falling trees, etc., upon it. • The Tui.— From the Chairman of Te Aroha Improvemem Committee, with refer- ; ence to the petition lately forwarded to the Hon.JMinister of Mines through Mr Warden Kenrick, asking for a Government grant of £2000 to form a dray road Jo the Tui mines, asking council to request Mr Ti. M. Grace, member for their district to support the petition. Cr Moore moved, " That Mr Grace be written to, requesting him to support the petition." Cr Strange seconded the motion. Cr Corbett : We must remember there are othei districts needing assistance as well as the Tui. Only at last meeting they had pledged themselves to assist in forming a 'track for the benefit of the Tui claims, if Government assisted them. Wai hi needed some £5000, Waitekauri another £5000 ; Karangahake had asked for £8500. We must specially look to the needs of our main roads. Cr Strange, — If the Tui is to become valuable property this dray road must bo made. The proposed track at the back of the hill would be simply a pro specting track. If the Tui was to become a source of revenue to them, a dray load would have to be made. Cr Moore : I cannot see that we shall do any harm in asking our member, MiGrace, to support the application. If Government gives the grant, well and good ; we do not bind ourselves to subsidise the work, if we find wo ure not in a position to do so. Cr Butler moved as an amendment, that the matter be refeircd to tho Board of Works. Cis. fctrange and Moore objected to this ' com so, as it would throw tho whole matter back for a month. For Cr. Butler's amendment : Crs. j Butler and Coibelt only voted ; the ' original- motion was declared cairied. ! Ci. Humphreys moved, that the Chairman be autboiiscd to wiite to Mi Guice and lay before him the wants of each district, and that Mr Grace be asked to support a grant foi each district. It was decided to leave this proposal Avith the Finance Main Roads Committee to deal with. Cr. Corbe*t lef erred to the great need of having their main County roads improved. £5000 way urgently needed for this purpose, ne would propose, that the Chairman be requested to "wiite to MiGrace asking him to bring before Government the necessity o£ making a grant in aid of main County ro-ids, say for the load from Paeroa to Tauranga £2000. Paeioato Hikutaia £1500, Paeroa to To Aroha £1500. Seconded by Civ Nicholls and carried. _ Gold duty.— The following letter relative to gold duty was read :—: — Mining Inspector's Office, Thames, 27th May, 1886. Cleik Ohinemuri County Council, Paci oa. In reply to yours of Ist inst,— lt is quite clear it is the County from whence the quartz is taken, and not the County, or Boiough, where it is treated that is entitled to the Gold Duty. Your County is therefoie entitled to receive duty on quartz treated at the furnace here, the quantity that was treated from tho Thames district being so small and of such poor •quality that it may be treated as nil. According to my returns the number of ozs obtained from the furnace in bullion was December, 1885, 1650zs ; March, 1886, 1158ozs lOdwts ; April. 1886, 11950z5. Total 24180zs lOdwts. I would strongly recommend you to look after this immediately or you will likely lose the duty. I find on enquiry here that the Thames Couuty and Borough in applying re gold duty matters do so to Secretary of the Treasury Department, Wellington, J. C. Gavin, Esq., to whom you should also refer. One reason I recommend you not to lose any [time is that|from (enquiries, I find Mr Munay of the Bank of New Zealand has entered up all the furnace bullion in his books as coming from the Thames which ' should not be the case, as it should be from Ohinemuri. In regard to* gold from quartz treated at the batteries in the Ohinemuri County, I cannot understand why -you do not receive legular returns. You ought to, according the Gold Duties Act, Amendment, 1882, which states clause 3, " That every person purchasing gold shall require tho person selling tho same to state tho name of the Borough or County of -vhich such gold is the produce etc., etc., etc.," and clause 6 " Immediately upon the making of any such declaration as af ore&aid the person making the same shall forward a copy of such declaration to tho clerk of tho Council or County or of the Borough -in which such person shall for the time being reside, etc., etc., etc." I think it would be well for the Council to depute, .say Councillor Moore, the first time Ue is down selling gold, to see the Bank manager and try to arrange these gold matters on a permanent and, satisfdctoiy footing. In regaid to your second query, I cannot say what gold revenue your County is entitled to, for I suppose tho duty is ad valorem, but I will do tho best I can by giving you the retorted gold leturns of the various«batteries to end of March, 1886. Karangahako Battery : Sept. 1885, 41OK8 ; Oct. 1885, 3GozsGdwts; Nov. 1885, 74ozs 17d\vts ; Dec. 1885, 96ozs 4dwts ; Jan. 1886, 120ozs 15dwts ; Feb. 1886, 2250zs I2dwts'; Mar. 1886, 1440z 2d\vts. Total 7380zs 16dwts. Waitekauri Battery : Sept. 1885, 3500zs ; Oct. and Nov. 1885, nil ; Doc. 1885, 2030zs ; Jan. 1886, nil ; Feb.' 1886, 30ozs ; March, nil. Total 5830z5. Owharoa < Battery : Sept. 1885, BGoz Sdwts ; Oct. 1885, 120zs ; Nov. 1885, Bozs lldwts ; Dec. 1885, nil'; Jan., Feb. and March, 1886, nil. Total lOGoz 16dvvts. Waihi Battery : Sept. 1885, 200ozs 18dwts ; Oct. 1885, 2Q3osk» lOdwts, ; Nov. 1885, nil ; Dec. 1885, 2460z ; Jan., Feb. and March, 1886, nil. Total G4oozs Bd\vts. The gold obtained in last month's crushings at Waihi will appear in next returns as gold has not been retorted. Totals, Waihi, 66<lcz Bdvrts ; •

Owharoa, lOGoz 16dwts ;• Waitekauti, 5830zs ; Karangahake, 7380zs 16dwts. Grand total 20930z. — I have etc., James M. McLarkn, Mining Inspector. ' v County Rolls. — From the Colonial Secretary, drawing attention to the Gazetts notice, re extension of time for the preparation of County Rolls. Owharoa Low Level.— The contractor* wrote requesting ,a progress payment might be made. Or Moore said the tunnel was nour' in 64ft. The total distance to be driven was 280 ft. The country so far had proved ver}- hard, and the men have not made half wages. The" contract has been let at 24s per foot for the whole distance. It waa decided to forward a voucher for progress payment to Wellington, through the Warden or Mining Inspector. Complaint ro Road Contracts. —Mr Thos. Logan wrote, drawing the Councils attention to the fact that the contractor for No. 2 section, Thames Road main* tainance, was not complying with the specifications. It was considered the resolution passed at present meeting would meet this case. Creek Crossing. - - Thos. Quinn wrote, asking Council to provide him with aome sort of crossing at Takenes Creek. Referred to Board of Works. Codlin Moth. — A communication front Mr Wight, Komata, on this subject, wai read and received. The Chairman, (himself an experienced and successful orchardist, whose display of fruit at the recent banquet to Mr L. M. Grace, M.H.R., at Paeroa, was greatly admirad, 20 apples on the banquet table having turned the scale at 19jlbs), spoke at some length on this subject and said : That in response to the expressed desire of Government, that the various local bodies should furnish suggestions with a view of affording some data whereby the above Act may be so amended as to be effective ; he begged to more, the following resolutions founded on twenty years experience as an orchardist. 1. That this Council do invite the local bodies in the neighbouring districts of Waikato, Piako. Tamvinga, Thames,, and Coromandel to co-operate with them, in forming- a league, with the object of eradicating the Codlin Moth and other insect pests, which are now infecting the various orchards of New Zealand. With this object in view ho submitted the following- p2*oposition an being calculated to biing abouc the icsult. 2. That each loed body invite the orchardists to meet and form a Committee to discuss this subject. As" soon as theae bodies have arrived at conclusions, let each Committee appoint one or more delagaica to a general conference in sonic central district, and as the result of their deliberations submit to Government some amendment in the Coldin Moth Act, so as to make it effective. 3. Also to decide what assistance the Government may reasonably be expected to afford in bringing about so desirable result. Cr Kicholls, seconded the motion, which was carried. The Chairman said he would be 'prepared to go fully into the matter in detail later on. Travelling Expenses. — Cr Walsh's account : £14 14a for attending meetings in connection with the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards at Thames, was passed for payment. Cr Humphreys said he thought it waa time something was done with regt?rd to paying expenses incurred by members of the council through attending council meetings and moved : That the following scale of charges be adopted for councillors attending all ordinary or special meetings, same to be retrogressive, viz :' Paeroa members, 10s 6d ; Karangahake members, £1 Is j Waitoa, Waihi and Waitekauri members, £1 ss. Cr Nicholls said it was little or no inconvenience to Paeroa members to attend the Council meetings, and he now moved as an amendment : That Paeroa members be omitted fiom the list. Seconded by Cr Butler, and carried. After some discussion, the sum to be paid Waihi and Waitekauri members, wa« by their own request reduced to £1 Is ; Cr Humphreys consenting to these alterations. The motiou was carried. Cr Corbett proceeded to state that members had agreed to made no charge for first six months and therefore any allowance should only date from the end of that time. Cr Humphreys : " The resolution is passed no A r , and cannot be altered." Rate. — On the motion of the Chairman, it was resolved that a general County rate of f d in the £ be struck. Special Meeting — It was resolved on the motion of Cr Humphreys, that a special meeting be convened for Saturday, 19th inst., for the purpose of passing the balance sheet, to confirm the striking of a rate, etc. The Clerk was instructed to apply to Government for a subsidy of 75 per cont on rates. Magazine. — On the motion of Cr Corbott, it was resolved that the Chairman b© empoworcd to take over the Magazine, that due notice bo given to the public that it was available and that the Chairman be authorised to fix a scale, of fees for storage, etc. '„ Roads at Waihi.-^Cr Mooie referred to the need of repairs to the roads between mines and battery at Waihi ; some fascining, and a couple of bridges were required ; probable cost £10 to £15. On the motion of Cr Corbett, it was resolved, that tenders bo invited for the lepairs. The Foreman of Works to post up notices at Paeroa, Waihi and Owhai'oa, stating what day he would i^o out to show intending tenderers the work to be done, and that the Foreman of Works, and Cr MooiCj be empowered to open and accept tenders. Karangahake Road. — The |Chairman referred to slips having taken plu.ee on Karangahake road, and said ho | considered it would be mono)'- thrown away to ,put metal on dining- thewinter : he advised that a portion be corduroyed, and some culverts put in. Agreed to. Road to Adeline Mine.— The Chairman referred to the condition of tho uoper track, leading to Adeline mine, and said the first thing to bo done, was to fell tha bush and let in 'air and sun; a man hud* been put on to do this work. County Chambers. —Cr Humphreys, referied to the necessity oS obtaining better offices, the Council were now paying some £15 a year in rent, and this sum would pay tho interest on a sum that would put up a, good building, and ho moved, that tho (Jlerk be instructed to . write to Government on the matter.

Cr Nicholls, stated when recently at Wellington, he spoke to Mr Grace, on the subject, who wanted him on behalf of the Council to at- once make a requisition for public offices; but he (Cr Nicholls), wished to consult the Council before taking such a step. It was stated a freehold allotment was available. On the suggestion of the Chairman, it was decided to-let the matter stand over, until he had consulted with Mr Kenrick n the subject, it being desirable that a Warden's office, and R.M. Court, should be included. Road to Native Settlement, t— On the motion of Cr Nicholls, seconded by Cr Butler, it was resolved, That £5 be expended on the road which brandies from Junction road to Native Settlement. re Contracts. — Cr llumphre3's moved. 1. That all contracts be signed and the necessary bonds entered into, .within seven daj's after acceptance of contract ; in default the deposit to be forfeited. 2. That contractors be held responsible for all damage done to private ■property, and that a clause to this effect, be inserted in all specifications. Seconded by Cr Corbett, and carried. The Clerk referred to the trouble given, through difficulty in getting" sureities to sign. Dihar's Diggings. — Gr Nicholls moved. That application be made to Government through Mr Warden Kenrick for a grant of say £200. to form a road from Waitekauri to the new diggings at Parakawai. Cr Corbett spoke in favour of the work being undertaken. Carried.;. Monthly Reports. — Crs ' Humphreys moved, that the Foreman of Works and Engineer be requested to furnish at each monthly meeting, a lepoit upon all works in progress under their chaige. Waitoa Road. — Cr Strange referred to the necessity of having a load made from Paeroa to Waitoa. Much cf the land through which it would pass, was Ciown Land ; and a subsidy of £2 to LI might therefore be calculated upon. It was resolved, That the Engineer be instructed to prospect for a new road as proposed through Government lands to Waitoa, and report as to cost, etc. Cost of such report not to exceed L 5. Accounts. — On tho motion of Cr Corbett, it was resolved, That all accounts be sent in on Wednesdays, prior to council meetings, to ensure the Clerk Having time to carefully check same. Cairied. Accounts amounting to L 331 weie passed for payment. Next ordinarj 7 meeting was fixed for Saturday July 10th.

£ s. d John Sheclian f accepted) ... 6 10 0 T. (Jiunmin&b 15 0 0 Keoxgh and Powell 20 11 6 Thos. Quinn 38 18 0 Curow 39 0 0 For Coiduroying and Metalling Ivaran&ahako Hill Tiack. £ s d 1. Joseph Kelly (accepted) ... 23 17 0 2. JohnGoouan 30 0 0 3. Linnott and Kelly ... 30 0 0 4. Keoxgh and Powell ... 30 0 0 5. John Wilson 43 0 0 6. Thos. Quinn 53 15 0