OTOROHANGA COUNTY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 58, Issue 4189, 26 May 1939, Page 8

OTOROHANGA COUNTY

SEVENTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF COUNCIL. (Our Resident Representative.) The Otorohanga County Council met on Wednesday, when the following were in attendance: Crs W. Bluck (chairman), V. W. Simms,.F. Potts, W. Thomson, P. T. Crowley, H. C. Grierson, A. Jamieson and Messrs S. J. Fortescue (clerk), and G. Jackson (engineer). NOXIOUS WEEDS INSPECTOR. It was decided to inform Mr N. Smith, noxious weeds inspector to the Council, that his services would be retained for a further period, pending advice from the Government as to its future action in assisting counties with noxious weed problems, more particularly the eradication of ragwort. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. The following is the statement of riding accounts: On account, no doubt, of the record collections of rates up to 31st March, 1939, there has since been a considerable slackening off in payments. Motor drivers, as in previous years, are slow to take out their licenses, and during the next five days, to equal last year’s total, nearly 1,200 licenses are yet to be taken out. The following are the balances of the respective ridings: Credits: Mangaorongo £l,lll 7s 3d, Te Rau-a-moa £483 Os Id, Waipa £344 7s, Wharepapa £296 13s 6d. Debit: Honikiwi £4 16s. The expenditure out of riding accounts are: Honikiwi £27 5s 3d, Mangaorongo £228 19s, Waipa £46 18s lOd, Te Rau-a-moa £BB 17s 3d, and Wharepapa £193 14s sd. ENGINEER RESIGNS. After serving the Council faithfully and well for the past 11 years, Mr G. Jackson tendered his resignation. As Mr Jackson is retiring from active county work his resignation was accepted with keen regret. The chairman and other councillors spoke very highly of the past services rendered by the engineer during his 11 years of continuous office. It was decided to grant Mr Jackson three months’ leave on full pay, when he relinquishes his position in August next. It was decided to call for applications from engineers, and to obtain a copy of conditions of employment from the Waipa County Council. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT. The chairman’s annual report was adopted, as was also the engineer’s report. SAWMILL CARTAGE. It was decided to advise Mr Worth, an Otorohanga sawmiller, that he must not engage in further cartage of logs on county roads until he complies with the county regulations bearing thereon, and deposits a sum of £5O to make good any damage to bridge or culverts resulting from his operations. ANNUAL MEETING. The minutes of the previous annual meeting were read and confirmed. Nominations for the position of chairman were called for by the clerk (who now occupied the chair). Cr Bluck, the retiring chairman, nominated Cr Crowley, and spoke very highly of his qualifications. There was no other nomination, and Cr Crowley was duly elected to the position of chairman for the ensuing term. The newly elected chairman thanked the Council for the confidence reposed in him. He said he accepted the position as a duty, and asked for the full co-operation of the Council and staff. STRAYING STOCK. The matter of straying livestock on the county roads was the subject of outside complaints and consideration by the Council. It was decided to impound all livestock out of control found on county roads. WHATIWHATIHOE BRIDGE. The largest bridge the county is interested in is the large one over the Waipa river, on the Pirongia-Kawhia main highway, at Whatiwhatihoe. This structure will be renewed by the Main Highways Board, and as it adjoins the Otorohanga, Kawhia and Waipa Counties, those counties will pay their respective proportions of the total cost of the new bridge, the bulk of the estimated cost being provided by the Highways Board. The new bridge will be commenced at an early date as all the preliminary survey work is now completed. CANCER RESEARCH FUNDS. An application for assistance to augment the cancer research fund was received from Sir Ernest Davis, Mayor of Auckland. It was decided to donate £lO towards the funds. ANNUAL CONFERENCE. It was decided that the chairman attend the annual Counties’ Conference in Wellington, and that he submit the various remits from this county for consideration. A large amount of the usual routine business was transacted, and a large list of accounts passed for payment.