MASTERTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8207, 10 August 1906, Page 7

MASTERTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

FINANCE COMMITTEE.

® The monthly meeting of the Finance Committee was held yesterday morning. The were present—Cra Welch (chairman), Cockburn Hood, Harris, Morris, Toogoo i and Guild. The Treasurer reported as follows: General Account, dr,, £4lO 18s 6d; Local Bodies Loans Account, cr., £1,243 Is; acoounts, cr., £693 19s Id; receipts for the month, £1,620 9s Bd. Accounts amounting to £1,114 15s 9d were paaued for payment. It was decided to ask the Department of Roads to further postpone the cancellation of the authority issued to the Council for the oxpen diture of a grant of £SO (£1 for £1) on Bismark Roud for one month on the understanding that no further extension would be B9ked for. Consideration of a letter from the Wainuioru sub-branrh of the Farmers' Union requesting the Council to igive attention to the necessity for ■engaging the services of a man to attend to repairs on the BrancepethStronvar Road was postponed till

jQQit meeting. Jn the meantime Cr loogood and the Engineer will confer on the subject and ascertain whether it is possible to give effeot to the request. The offer of Mr J. Robieson to contribute £1 for £1 up to £lO or .any Bum that the Counoil might see flt to expend on improving the road leading to his property was accepted and the Engineer was authorised to proceed with the work. It was decided to inform the Roads Department that there was no likelihood of the £3OO (£J fov£l) grant for the metalling of the Opaki District Road being taken up. The Clerk was authorised to take ■ the necessary steps to give effeot to the demand made for taking a poll ratepayers oi ! a proposal to adopt the system of rating on the unimproved values within th<) County. COUNCIL MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Masterton County Council was held yes- ; terday afternoon. There were pre- ' gent—Messrs U. JE. Cockburn flood fthairman), W. J. Welch, J. Morris, jnr., W. Harris, H. Toogood, D. Guild and C. Kebbell. Mr Aug. Johnson v>rote asking that the County Engineer be instructed to furnish an estimate of the cost of a bridge on the road to section sb, Mikimiki. It was decided to grant the request. The Chief Health Offioer wrote asking whether the Counoil had any objection to permission being given to Messrs Holloway and Sons to erect a boiling down plant near the Masterton Abattoir. Subject to the Council's permission being obtained the Doctor was prepared to issue a certificate. The Clerk reported that the Abattoir was within the boundary of the South Wairarapa County, and that Counoil would have to deal with the matter. v . Mr W. G. B a ard wrote, notifying that the Mauriueville County Oouncil had consentbd to the cost of maintaining the suspension bridge over the Ruamahmga River on the Mount Bruce Road being apportioned in equal shares between the Manriceville and Masterton County Councils. No enquiry was therefore necessary.

Mr J. Greenbrook wrote asking that something be done to take the water off the road opposite the Blairlogie Junction Hotel, Ihe matter was lett in the bands of the Engineer and the representative of tbe riding. The Oollingwood County Counoil forwarded a copy of a resolution passed by that Oounoil urging on the Government the need of devieing some means whereby sums vottd for pnblio workß might be available for expenditure during the summer months of the financial year in which 1 the'same were voted. The Clerk reported that the votes to the Masterton County were received during the summer months, last year four being forwarded in November and December, and the | remainder in January. It was deoided 10 reply that the Masterton County Council had no trouble with regard to obtaining votes in the au'mmer time. Cr Weloh believed that the fault in oonnection with the delay of votes lay mostly with the County Council itself. < Mr A. Larsen waited on the Council aud asked that Dorset's Road be improved as far as the funds of the Council would permit. The matter waa left in the hands of tbe Engineer and representative of the riding. The Eketahuna County Council wrote stating that it coold not support the Masterton Council's proposed memorial to the House of Representatives with regard to special ratine, though thoroughly in sympathy with the objeot, Mr A. McLeod waited on the Council in support of his letter asking the Council to generally improve the condition of the Kerewhakapapa Road, cleaning out the water-tabled, and tightening the bridges, and offering to pay half the cost of th« work. The matter waft left in the hands of the Engineer and Cr Harris to decide on tbe work to be done and apportion the amount of money to be spent. A letter was received from Mr A. W. Hogg, M.H.R., with reference to tbe Council's application for a grant of £I,OOO for the purpose of completing the GJendonald-Wairere Road. He stated that he had at various tines called the attention of the Minister of Publio Works to that road, urging that it Ehould be widened for wheel traffic, and during the last few years a small vote had been placed on the estimates for this road. This year he bad only asked for a moderate vote for the road because he could not overlook the far more urgent claims of settlers in various parts of the district. It was decided on the irotion of Cr Toogood to forward the sketch plan of the sub-division of the Uriti shipping site to Mr G. Moore before the Council finally deoided to approve of the sub-division. On the motion of Cr Toogood, / seconded by Cr Wekh, it was de- \ oided to call for tenders for the fenoing of Colomba Road, and that the cost be borne by all the ri£ings. The Engineer was instructed to submit an estimate of the cost of tbe calverting and rough formation of the road throughout.