LEVELS COUNTY COUNCIL

Timaru Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 2890, 15 December 1898, Page 3

LEVELS COUNTY COUNCIL

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Levels County Council was held yesterday at their offices, Church street. Present: Mr C. N, Orbell (chairman;, Messrs Pringle, Mee, Butler, McLaren, Macintosh, and Quinn. The chairman read over the annual statement of accounts as certified to by the controller and auditor-general, explaining one or two items in reply to questions by members. A circular was received from the Land and Income Department giving particulars of subsidies on rates, and advising of a short payment by the Department of 4s 2d. This was now forwarded.— The letter was received. Messrs Guinness and LeOren's account sales by auction of the Tengawai bridge timber, showed that the total realised had been £31 18s. The expenses in connection, with, the sale had been £2 14s 6<l, leaving £29 3s 6d as the net result of the sale. Mr W. Quinn wrote cordially thanking the councillors for their sincere remarks and the Council as a whole for their expression of sympathy with him in his illness. Mr John Fitzgerald, Arowhenua, wrote asking to be supplied with one iron rail 18ft long which he proposed to use in the protective works at the mouth of Young's Creek, Opihi.— The request was granted. A long letter from Mr W. Millington, cattle ranger, was read. He acknowledged the receipt of notice from the Council of the severance of his connection with it as ranger for the Council on 27th December, 1898, which notice he would accept, particularly so from the way it had been sent. Being a ratepayer and one who had had experience in affairs he ajways thought that everything should come before the Council, so that ratepayers would have the privilege of seeing what had been transacted at each meeting and a man would get a chance to see who complained of him. — Thjis letter led to an animated conversational discussion, in the course of which the clerk read the • letter giving Millington notice, which had been agreed to by other members subject to the chairman's consent. Some warmth was imported into the discussion by Mr Macintosh complaining that agreement as to the notice was come tb at an informal meeting at which he was not; present, and of which he had no notion ; and he protested against such a way of transacting the business of a public body. It was wrong in principle. Messrs Mee and Quinn as warmly said that Mr Macintosh was wrong : Mr Quinn being emphatic in his re* marks that there had been no " hole and corner work." Complaints had been before the Council previously, and it was shown that owing to a renewal of them the Counqil were quite justified in their action, which was adhered to, and applications for the post will be duly called. A letter was read from Mr Dixon, Pleasant Point, stating that he would collect the dog tax at the same remuneration as last year, and his offer was duly accepted. The clerk . handed the chairman a formal resolution that the Council make and levy a special rate of Id and £d per

acre fur the maintenance of the Seadown water-races, the rate to be for the period commencing on the Ist January, 1893, and ending on the 31st December, 1899, to be payable in one sum on Ist January next. On the motion of Messrs Pringle and Mee, the Council passed the resolution unanimously. The'Receiver of Land Revenue, Christ church, forwarded a voucher for payment of £1 15s 6d to the Council, 3rdsand4ths accrued for the quarter ended 28th October last. Mr J. Greaveß, Gleniti, by instruction of the chairman of the Recreation Ground Committee, wrote renewing their offer for land on the same terms as before, half an acre for £25, and informing the Council that a landowner adjoining was prepared to grant a permanent right-of-way for £2 108, The offer would remove any difficulty with regard to a safe and easy approach to the quarry and give the Council a right-of-way for all time at a trifling cost. — As it was desired to make further enquiry into this matter, it wag suggested and agreed to, that consideration of the letter be held over until the next meeting of the Council. In reply to Mr M. Connolly who personally' waited on the Council to ask that something should be done to the road near his place, the chairman after consulting with the overseer, informed Mr Connolly that Mr Annand would report to next meeting on what should be done.The Temuka Road Board wrote at length asking that the Council should make some arrangement by which the fords of the Opihi could be better supervised and maintained. The present arrangement of taking the main stream as the boundary did not appear to the Board to be satisfactory as at the upper ford of tHe : <3pihi there were two streams and the track between them was negleiil&d by both local bodies to the inconvenience of the public. It was suggested that one local body keep the fords from bank to bank and divide cost at the end of the year, or take them year about, whichever would be most suitable. —It was agreed that no change be made, existing arrangements to be adhered to by Council and Road Board. A letter was read from the Mackenzie County Council covering an application from Mr 'B.' O'Connor for a crossing on the.itnajn road near Cricklewood, and replying that the Council was prepared to carry out the work if the Levels County Council would refund half the cost, tiie road being a boundary road between the two counties.— The chairman Baid that this was correct, the Levels boundary running right up to the place. named. It was agreed that the Levels Council would pay half cost of the work up to £2 of total expenditure. Mr A. McPherson, Cave, wrote asking the Council to shingle the road giving access to his section.' The work would run into 32 chains, and he thought that the amount of thirds owing to him would bd enough to pay the cost of it.— lt was agreed that the overseer report on it by next meeting. Mr R. Kelland wrote that the Tycho Flat road from the foot of the zigzag towards the flat ' was in a bad state, water standing on it ; it should be formed and, a bit of shingle put on it. — The overseer was instructed to report. Mr J. C. Park, Hadlow, applied to have the road past the wool shed metalled .from the top of the hill to the valley. Excellent stone was available near the road and would be given free of charge.— The overseer is. to report on the application. A letter from J. Edyvean, one of the Council's employees, raised some discussion on the question of the payment of the men generally. Mr Edyvean asked the Council to advance his wages Is per day on account . of his having three horses to look after, which made his average working day one of 10 hours. It was shown by the overseer that another of their men was on an equal footing with the applicant. Councillors were somewhat divided in opinion, all being in favour of the increase, but some of the Councillors did not desire to commit themselves to an -increase to men other than those named; they wished to discuss each case on its merits. Finally Mr McLaren moved and Mr Mee seconded — " That the two men in charge of the Council's teams be paid 7s 6d a day ;- and that it be understood that the Council will on no consideration give any rise in wages to any of its employees." This did not meet with unanimous approval, and Mr Macintosh moved as an amendment, and Mr Butler seconded— 4< That Messrs Edyvean and Walker be paid 7s 6d per day." The amendment was carried, Messrs Quinn, Butler, Macintosh, and Pringle voting in favour of it. Mr J.- W. White, the Council's solicitor, forwarded an opinion on the question of the drainage frcm the Waima taitai school, a summary of which is as follows : — Whatever rights or limits the owners or occupiers of private lands may have against the Borough Council, he could not advise that the Levels Council would in the circumstances be justified in taking legal proceedings against it. As to the drainage from two houses at the end of White's lane it- whs in existence before the extension of the borough ; the Borough Council did not initiate ,it nor had it done anything on account of that drain. The nuisance complained of as caused by two residents in the borough sending impure water into the county drain through a pipe or culvert which was made by the predecessor of the Borough Council ; this being «o, he was of opinion that it would not be advisible for the Levels County to proceed against the Borough Council even if that body should be made liable for the nuisance which he doubted, as it does not cause it. If the Council is satisfied of the existence of this nuisance it could proceed against the two parties causing it, although the cause of the nuisance arises outside the county.— lt was agreed that the occupiers should be notified, and that the last clause of the opinion be embodied in the notices to. them. Among the miscellaneous items dealt with was a report by Mr Mee that the rail of the Tengawai bridge required painting; that some formation was required at the end of Stewart's road, and that the bridge leading to Hazelburn school wanted some repairs; all these matters being noted by the overseer. Mr McLaren reported a growth of Californian thistle which he 'had noticed at Pareora, and on his suggestion the Waimate County Council is to be written to on the subject. Mr Quinn drew attention to numerous complains of cattle straying at Arowhenua, and it was agreed to give Dunnage one month's notice, and to call for applications, by next meeting for a ranger for this district as well as that controlled by Millington (named above) It was also agreed that the overseer report on the coat of formation of road from tbfe six cross roads past Squires' and from the six cross roads past Olissold's. The overseer, Mr Annand, reported as follows :—" The contract for reforming and shingling a portion of the Upper Pareora road is making fair progress. Works attended to -r- Putting . broken metal on 11 chains of Gleniti road; repairing portions of Point and German Flat roads ; Totara Valley road and sundry roads in Tengawai riding with shingle; repairing formation upper end of Page's Spur road ; and putting raised ford in road by King's farm." Estimates were given for metalling 22 chains of Upper Washdyke road at 12 yards per chain, and for a light coat of metal on 22 chains of Gleniti road adjoining. ** Lower Washdyke road — The flat portions of this road should be shingled at an early date, as there is a large quantity of grain; to be carted over it this season, the recent traction engine traffic over it having destroyed any remnant of shingle left. " Cocksfoot grass— lf the cutting of this grass is to be let this season, tenders should be called in ten days from date." As none of the works named were re-

ported to be of an urgent nature, it wa: agreed not to call tenders just now, bu that tenders for the works named on th< upper and lower Washdyke roads and th< road adjoining the former near Glen-iti be before the Council at their Marcl meeting. Mr Hampton's tender for 25 chains o formation on Summerleaze road at £2< 19s 6d was accepted. There was on< other tender. Half a dozen tenders were received foi the supply of dog collars and the tendei of Mr Brewer (Temuka) at 6fd, 6<i anc lid was accepted. The prices of th< various tenders were very close. The Council rose at 1.30 p.m.