WANGANUI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11252, 10 May 1904, Page 7

WANGANUI COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the above was held to-day. Present— Crs R. Neilson (in the chair), J. E. Wilson, F. A. Kurth, A. Higgie, T. Higgie, D. Mason, H. M. Speed and N. Garner. SANITARY INSPECTOR.— An account of .£33 15s — the Council's share of the Sanitary Inspector's salary — was passed for payment. ACCOUNTS.— Accounts amounting to .£932 10s 8d were passed for payment. CLOSING ROAD.— A copy of an Order-in-Council was received from the Chief Engineer of Roads notifying that consent had been given to the closing of road line No. 1, Ikitara Survey District. DAMAGE TO OIL LAUNCH.— A letter was received from Mr R. Arthur re his application for compensation for damages done to the oil launch through the ferry at Upokongaro, and intimating that in the event of his claim for .£5 being rejected without satisfactory explanation, he would be iorced to take legal proceedings to recover same. — Tlie clerk stated that he had written Mr Arthur asking for a detailed account of the damages sustained by his launch, and so far had not received a reply. — The caretaker of the ferry wrote giving it as his opinion that Mr Arthur himself was responsible for tho accident. — It was decided that the matter be held over in the meantime. TOWN BRIDGE.— A letter was received from Mr Geo. Smithies (Town Clerk) asking the County- Council to forward the balance of their ahare of the account for the work' done to the Town Bridge. — Cr A. Higgie moved that the account be paid, but at the same time he would like to enter a protest against the discourteous way in which the Borough Council had treated them in the matter. — The Chairman seconded the motion, -which was carried unanimously.

ARAMOHO RAILWAY BRIDGE.— A letter was received from the Chief Engineer, stating that the deduction of .£2O 3s 4d made by the Treasury from the Council's subsidy for maintenance of footbridge on Aramoho Railway Bridge was an "error and would be rectified. ABERFELDIE BRIDGE.— Mr Bilderbeck reported that satisfactory progress was being made in connection with the contract lor the erection of the Aberfeldie Bridge.

MATARAWA-OKOIA ROAD.— A letter was received from Mrs C. Higgie, claiming .£4O per acre and extras amounting to >ElB for land taken for road and severance for Okoia-Matarawa Road. — The Chairman moved, that' the claim be not entertained, and that an offer of .620 per acre be made to Mr Higgiel — Cr- Kurth seconded the motion. — Cr T. Higgie said the land was level and only ten chains from the Okoia station, and was the key to the whole of the back country, with one of the best water 'supplies in the district. He considered the claim very fair; — Cr A. Higgie said he would vote against the motion. He pointed/ out that his brother's wife did not want the road — other people wanted it: He thought that the better plan would bo to set up a committee to meet Mrß Higgie and try to come to some arrangement in the matter.

At this stage the Council adjourned until 2.15 o'clock.

On resuming, Cr A. Higgie pointed out the advantages accruing from the taking over the land in question. He moved as an amendment that a committee of the whole Council be set up to confer with Mrs Higgie on the subject, and had no •doubt that she would meet them in a fair spirit. — Cr T. Higgie seconded the amendment.—Cr Mason suggested that Crs- Gar- 1 her and Kurth' be' appointed' as a" subcommittee to meet Mrs Higgie on the matter. — The amendment was then put and lost, and subsequently it was agreed that a committee consisting of Crs Garner, Kurth and Speed be appointed to interview Mrs Higgie and report.

LEVIES ON LOCAL BODIES.— The Chairman moved the following motion: "That the County Councils' Conference be asked to support the following resolution: — That in justice to all classes in the colony, an amendment in the law relating to levies on local bodies for Hospital and Charitable Aid is urgently required, in the direction of assessing such levies on a population basis, and that the Conference impress upon the Government the necessity of such amendment." He mentioned that he had' first brought this /natter up two years ago. He gave it as his opinion that the counties were paying rather too much for Hospital and Charitable Aid purposes, and quoted figures in support of his contention. He pointed out that while the counties were paying more than the borough, the patients from the latter were far more numerous than those from the counties. He thought that the country people wore paying more than they ought to. The Hospital reserves brought in ,£IOOO a year, and these endowments were administered for the benefit of the whole of the district. — Cr Wilson seconded the motion, though he poinjted out that it was hard to discriminate between those : who came from the town and those from the country. — Other speakers agreed with the motion, which was carried unanimously.

UPOKONGARO FERRY.— The Council's solicitor (Mr J. Watt) wrote giving his his opinion, as requested, as to whether the Council could legally maintain the Upokongaro Ferry as at present constructed, that is with an overhead rope, as a legal ferry? Mr Watt, in the course of his letter, pointed out that general casee which bear upon the question, all tend to show that the wire-rope across the river such as that in use at this lierry must be admitted to be an obstruction to navigation and as such is illegal. A ferry worked by an overhead wire-rope is a primitive idea^ and no cases bearing directly thereon are recorded,. Mr Watt gave it as his opinion that if a ferry is to be maintained it will have to be a different class to the present. -Probably a steam ferry is the only form of ferry, that could be usefully established. Mr Watt went pn to point out that he was of opinion that no legal ferry had ever been established t*t TJpoltorag-airo, that Ohe 'VYtuigiraui County Council have no power to establish one on the same principle as the present one, and, moreover, that it is very questionable if the County Council would' not be liable for- any damage caused by the present wire rope. k

(Left sitting.) .