STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 April 1916, Page 8

STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

From Our Own Correspondent. Stratford, Yesterday. The monthly meeting of the above Council was held to-day. Present: Crs. \V. Hathaway (chairman), Were, Walters, Worthington, , Baskin, Coleman, Christofl'el, Anderson, and J. Smith. The chairman reported that the Recruiting Committee of the Council had, in conjunction with the local committee, appointed a canvasser, who,had seen 88 men and 44 had enlisted, and he considered this was very satisfactory. The ■action of the Committee in appointing Mr. R. IT. Cameron as canvasser was confirmed. The chairman said he wished to congratulate the engineer on the excellent job made of the tarred macadam road at Ngacre. Crs. Baskin and Christoffel also complimented the engineer on the excellent road. ANOTHER. BREEZB, Cr. Baskin wanted to know if the. engineer had the right to use the Council's motor ear for his own use, on Snn< days, jt was the ratepayers' car, and he had noticed on a recent Sunday the engineer' motoring down the Opunake Road. Cr. Smith said he was surprised ai the want of order at the Council tablei He was one who supported a motor car for the engineer, but after seeing the heavy accounts for.expense and upkeep he thought the Council had made a mistake. One thing he objected to was the Council allowing the engineer to build a motor shed, at the Council's expense, on his own private property. Chairman: You voted for it. Cr. Smith: I know I did, hut tire sooner it is shifted on to the Council's property the better. Cr. Smith, with some warmth, said that nine-tenths of the ratepayers felt the same and supported him. The chairman said that this continual pin-pricking, meeting after meeting, was getting sickening; lie did not know if it was malice or what it was. The engineer had the confidence of seven out of nine Councillors,, and why did not the dissatisfied Councillors bring down a motion to dismiss him. Cr. Smith: You will get that soon enough. The chairman said that a prominent ratepayer told him that he was simply disgusted l.v the way some of the Councillors behaved towards the engineer, and was sure the ratepayers were not in favor of the engineer being hounded down. No man.was going to do good work if he is going to be nagged at day and night. He' knew that the engineer had to go out on Sundavs to inspect work. • Cr. Christoffel said it was< a funny thing that seven councillors had never heard of these complaints and that only two councillors seemed to listen to this twaddle. Cr. Coleman said he had never heard anything about the engineer, eiwept to his credit. He did not care if the engineer went out in the car on Sundays, or any other day, the more he went over the roads the better as he would knew the requirements. He was ashamed the way that business was carried on. at the Council's table. There was too much "snarling." .Why did not the. dissatisfied councillors move that the •■ngineer be dismissed, and then they would sec where they stood? Cr. Walters said that this continual pin-pricking was getting on his nerves. Two of the councillors were always getting at the engineer, b. t they had never found out anything grievous about him yet. The subject again cropped up later on in the afternoon, Cr. Baskin protesting against the Council's foreman, accusing him of saying things about him at the Council's table. He denied the "barge, arid the foreman told him that .'he engineer had told him. (''■■. L'askin said he was so disgusted that he would give notice of motion for next meeting: "That the services of the engineer he dispensed with." Chairman: It is not necessary to give police of motion. ' • Cr Baskin: Oh, yes!... It is a verv ! s(-ri-iis matter, and ' the councillor's should thing it over carefully. Cr. Oristoirel: Well. I intended to move a motion to-day, but I will give notice of motion: '.'That the Council tike into consideration at its nexl meetin<r the increasing of the engineer's sahirv." ' ! DEPUTATION. Mr. Gray, chairman of the Lowgnrth Dairy Company, and Mr. Fryday, waited on the Council re the bad 'state of the Finnerty Road. I Cr. Smith said the road must be kept up, and the I.owgarth Dairy Company must be in a position to get their produce away. The road was in a bad state, and something should be done. The chairman pointed out that three hundred jards of metal was provided for (lie road and tenders w.re accepted for the work last meeting. The depuifft'cn said they were, a.vnre of that, hut was afraid it"would not he mailable till next summer. The cwinecr was instructed to get the road put in order as soon as possible. CORRESPONDENCE. Mr. \\. Mia.-'ters, secretary. "Soldiers' Day," invited the Council to attend the function on Lusl r Monday. A. Cray. Health Inspector, reported regarding the nuisance of pig yards adjoining roadsides in the county. He suggested that the Council should pass a bylaw compelling farmers to have piggeries and cow yards a specified distance from the roads, such distance to he specified by the District Health 0 nicer. •T. I.uceria asked permission on behalf of Toko Road settlers, to erect a tele' : phone along the County road, from Mr. \ Ewan Jackson's, and connecting at Huinga School, and thence to Stratford. Permission was granted, subject to compliance with the engineer's conditions. The Taicri County Council forwarded (he following resolution for the Council's endorsement: "That this county respectfully petitions the Government to limit the power of Municipal Councils to erect toll gates, and take tolls en bridges under sections 108 to 20.1 of i the Municipal Corporations Act, 100 ft, : by prohibiting the erection of such toll gates, and the taking of such toll with- i nut the sanction of the Govornor-in-(.'onncil, and by reserving the Governor- i iii-Council power to diminish the tolls, i or to abolish the toll gates whenever he may deem it advisable to do, as is pro- > vided in the case of toll gates erected hv local authorities on roads under seeums 15(1 of the Public Works Act, 1008, '■v section 173 of that Act, and that i'ie tolls to be taken at any toll gates ] mi any bridge whether now existing or j 1 reafter, to be erected shall be re- j itrictcd to a sum sufficient to provide ] fir the erection, upkeep, maintenance, 'ad renewal (when necessary), of any i-.nch bridge, and shall not be licensed. < used, or applied by the Council in aid ( jf the ordinary rates a.gd reyegue of the j

Borough."—Received. The KHham County Council wrote that Mr. Alexander Eoddie bad made at application for an alteration of boundaries in his property. The property i« in tlie Stratford county, but is so far distant as to lie unworkable from that end, ami they had no objection to the property being included in their county. The Council objected to any alteration of boundaries without there was a general adjustment. B. Harkness applied for permission to remove some earth near bis property to give an entrance to his residence on Mountain Road South.—Left to the engineer with power to act. IT. Wheller asked for permission to remove a few loads of earth from the road opposite his property on the StanIcy Road.—Granted. The Moa Tioad Board wrote re loan or Mangaotn Road and it was decided to authorise a loan of £25") for the work. The cngineci was instructed to at-, tend to repairs on Monmouth Road. It was decided to pay the. Council's employers tlie same wages in winter as in summer. Accounts amounting to £2713 lis Id were passed for payment.