GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Timaru Herald, Volume L, Issue 4867, 12 June 1890, Page 3

GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

The Geraldino County Council met jesterday. Present : Messrs Bulfour (chairman), Maekay, Moore, Howoll, Quinn and Barker. Tho chairman reported that the Levels Road Board.ou Tuesday agreed to take chargo of tho Tengawai bridgo m respect o£ small repairs, on behalf of the council. Daring tho month, before instructions had reached the Levels Road Board, ho waß informed of a dangerous spot m the bridge and ho nsked the road board's overseer to attond to that at onco. Tho chuirnian also read tho following memo : — The Paroora bridge oaso, I am informed, will not be taken by the Supreme Court at Cbristchurch till the let of next month. Tho chairman of tho Geraldino Hoad Board some timo ago wrote to me requesting a copy of tho resolutions passed at the recent conferonco m Christcburch to bo sent toiiim, to bo placed before a meoting of ratepayers at Geraldine and which waa done A meeting of ratopayer3 was held at Goraldine last week, and these resolutions woro considered. I wish particularly to refer to the first resolution pasecd at this meeting referring to tho first resolution passed at tho confereuco m Christchurch ;•« water races, which is as follows, viz: — "That m the opinion of the conferonco it was doairablo that a scp&rate Act bo obtained, dealing exclusively with water races ancJirrigation, acd that eiicli Act should bo on tho lines suggested by Mr Jojnt, m a letter to the County Council. That copies of the proposed Bill should bo supplied to the several county councils, and their assistance sought m getting the same passed." After some discussijn the following resolution waa passed by the Geraldine meeting, " That no oxtended powers of ratiug be ijivon to tho County Council prior to taking the voto of all Iho ratepayers m districts m which the rate i9 tj bo struck." Iho Goraldino ratepayers appear to havo assumed that wa desire to get extended powers of rating re rmter races. This is not tho case, nor is there anything to warrant sm.'h an assumption m the resolution passed st the conference, and which I have just read, hut the ratepayers seemed to think tbntthoro must be something m the proposed '• Water Supply Act " m that direction. This proposed Act wns carefully considered at the council's meeting a fortnight ago, and you will agree with mo that there is not ono word of extended powers of voting m it. Tho Act is intended to simplify the wholo questiun of water supply and to mako it moro workablo than it is at present, but the question of rating and borrowing is scarcely the same as now. There is nothing m the Act having reference to tho Rangitata-Orari case, it beini: all of general application. I was authorised at the last meeting of the council to see if anything cm be done to provido for our particular case m reference to tho vexed question of the money owing by the KangitatdiOrari water supply district to tho Rener.il fund. The ratepayers themselves acknowledge that at any rate the amount actually expended for works is duo, though they object to the lancosts. I think that m the event of tho water race district requiring considerable extension some portion of the debt might be repaid.and that an amendment to tho proposed Act to that effect might begot, nor would it entail any mora cost or rates on tho existing district, nor yet on tho extended poition than it would have to pay for tho water m any case. I have written tD the chairman of theSelwyn County Council on the subject. I cannot say whether our object will be gained or not, but I do not think anything moro can bo dono. Mr lloore stated that he attended the meeting at Qornldino, and explained what the Bill really meant, and the resolution was altered after his explanation. Mr HoweU asked whether it was a thoroughly representative meeting or not, as tho resolution was passed " unanimously " pledging tho whole of the ratepayers to pay for the maintenance of all county bridges. Mr Moore replied that the meeting was not a representative ono. When the meeting opened there were twenty or thirty present. When the resolution respecting the bridges was carried it was late, many bad left, and ho did not think thero were more than a dozen county ratepayers present. Mr Hoirelf hoped that would bo made public. Mr Howell also dn;w attention to a letter m the Press from Mr Tripp, m which ho stated that the law coats m the Silcock case were £1075. That was surely wrong and Bhould be corrected. — The balance-sheet being referred to it was aeon that Mr Tripp had token figures which included pajment for work dono. Tho law costs of the case were £GOB Us Gd ; payment for work done £466 10s 45. ■ The reports of tho several rangers on the water races were read. They reported all m good order save for small accidents. One race had been stopped by rubbish blown m by a nor'wester. Tho Woodbury raogor reported that it was a common practico at Waodbury villaeo for the people to block the race to flood their sections. There-olutions passed at tho Goraldine meeting wero briefly rlißcusaed. The chairman ropeated that the meeting quite misunderstood tho decision of tho conferonco respecting wator-rao rating, Aa to river conservation the council preferred Bpeeinl districts Ip making rjad districts linblo, as recommended by tho Geralrlino meeting. On a resolution relating to charitable aid Mr Mo?re stated that Mr Fiatman referred to the large amount of county rate uncollectcd, he objected to paying interest on overdraft for the coDvenien,co of those who did not pay promptly, 'ihq secretary Btated that he had collected one-third of tho rate within «ix months, which ho considered belter than usual. Members considered the rates should bo collected more promptly. It could mako very little difference to d man to pay bis rates at once instead of pulling it off. Instructions to sue for unpaid rates wero given at tho previous meeting On the resolution respecting bridges, agreeing to pay a rate for keeping up the; b'iclges, Mr Quinn doubled whether tho meeting was a truly representative one.- Mr Barker thought tho meeting made a good point m saying that tho oouuoil did not pay any attention to tho opinion of their legal advisers. Mr Howoll sail tho Supremo Court would settle tho question of ho council's duty according' to tho .law, and if it went against tbo Council then all the counties might combine to obtain cm alteration of tho low. In fact tho conference had already agreed to seek that altoration. Hpeciul orders wero signed increasing tho harbour rate for tho year, and striking an additional rate of ono-aixleßnth of a pnnny m the £on the Bnngitßta water supply district for interest on supplementary loan. Mr Orbell and Mr Stevenson waited on the Council to ask for a reduction of tho' price which had been asked for a water supply to their paddocks south of Point Hoad. It had been agreed that the water" should bo Blipplicrl, tho iipplicants to pay tho cost of tho raco and £15 is. year for miter. Thoy thought £15 a year was too much to charge, as that wqs us Yiaxvy ti ruto oa on tliOßfl m tuft old* trict, who h:id not to construct tho raco nl«o. Mr Moore pointod ;out that some persons m tho water race districts were paying the full rate who bad also to hiako races for themselves. Mention wai made of portons below the Levels who onco asked for water, onrl Mi Orbell suggested that, theao should bo eoen again. It wo« alno suggested that tho race might be luefnlly taken up on tho downs, and Mr Orboll said he would consider that. Tho applicant* having withdrawn, the council discussed tho rale to be charged foi water. Home memhora urged tho ohaiging o! Iho full rato, or they would ho placed on a better footing than otherß within tho wotei district. After a long disomsion and calculation ol rates paid (4id per anro m Iho Snadown dtstrict) it was reßOlvod to oliar«o £15 a year till the end of tho loan poriod, tho chargo then tc bo r«arraneed, tho applioant* to grunt a right of easement over the lino of raco, tho raoo tc be constructed by tho council. Other special orders wore niadfl delegating tho collecting of the harbour rato (o th( smaller local bodies witbin Iho county, anii striking maintenance rates m Iho Orari- Wnih water district .of. 2id per nero, and m tin GeraUlino Flat district of 3d per acre,

I Mr Howell a«ked for the opinion of tho council. Uo was prepared to move that certain action be taken with respect to the Tengawai bridge ; should he mako this proposal now, or await tho result of the Supremo Court case ? It was decided on tho voices that Mr Uowell had better hold over his proposal. Mr Mooro nuid the ratepayers of the Geraldino Flat district had asked him whether they could not 'bo freed from tho maintenance rato, if they agreod to keop tho raceß m ordor themselves. If the council could not do this it might bo be well to obtain power iv the now Bill. Tho maintenance rato was raMier heavy m the small districts. It was objected that what was everybody's business was nobody's business, and the head works would probably be neglected. Mr Moore said they might form a committee and take tho work m turns. Mr Howell Baid they would call for tenders and a rotopayor could take the work as cheaply as he liked under arrangement with the others, but tho council must have some one person m chargo for them. Mr Marchant Btated that tho contractor for the Geraldine Flat races tvbb four months over contract time. The penalty was £10 a week. The contractor said he could not get men m harvest time and that kept him back, but thnt would not acoount for tho whole four months, — and tho work was not finished yet. — Notice had beeu given him when the contract timo had expired, that he was required to finish m til wooks, and that after that time penalties would be enforcod. Accounts amounting to £240 2s, 4d wero passed for payment, and the Oounoil rose.