WAIKATO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XX, Issue 1674, 29 March 1883, Page 3

WAIKATO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thk -upijal meeting ojj the ..council was tiold fu'Hh'e chaitftfei% , Hamilton East, yestei'day^ Present : — Capt Steele (chairman), Crs. Wells, Rnnpiman and Primrose. New Member.— Mr Johnson, the nowly-elected member for the outlying jlistrict, was introduced and took his beat at the table, -The Chairman, in welcoming Cr. Johnson, referred to the trouble given by Rangirin, which ought to be governed by its own local body. They insisted that the council should do all their work, aud then they growled at it. — Cr. Johnsou said, personally, he was in favour of a road board for Rangiriri, but the majority of those to whom he had spoken on the suojeot strongly objected. The Dog Nui.sance.— The Clerk said the sub-rcgistiar for Tamahere had reported to him 'that the Maori dogs could not be caught. He had gone out to Tamahoro, but got no satisfaction.— Cr. Runciman thought they should get the (government to assist the council. — Cr. IMimosc said it appeared to him to be useless to prosecute, as the Magistrate would not punish offenders. In a case which came before the Court the other day, the council had to pay the costs, even though the,o(Fcnce was admitted. — It was agreed to write to the police authorities, asking for assistance in enforcing the provisions of the act. Triti CouxW Enoinkkr.— Mr Hoskinj,', C.K., wrote complaining of the unfair treatment he had expei ienced at the hands of the council ij) being dispensed with at a moment's notice, and without any cause disclosed ; on the coutiary, the council had expiessed approval of his woik. In answer to the council's enquiry whether he would continue to work for them, ho replied that he would accept the condition tint the council could employ other professional assistance when deemed expedient. — The Chairman said the former arrangement, making Mr Hosking sole engineer to the county, was inconvenient, inasmuch as the engineer lived at one end of the county aud all the work l.iy at the other. Nor could they, without incurring great expense, meet the engineer for consultation. The icsolution passed at last meeting was iinnecessai ily harsh, and had he (the chairman) been piesent he would have endeavoured to modify it. The impression convoyed to the public mind by that resolution was a bad one. Outsiders did not hear tiie explanations, and they naturally came to the conclusion , that the engineer had been "sacked," an impression that was not calculated to do a professional man any good. Their real object, of course, was to terminate an arrangement which was found to work unsatisfactorily. — After some remaiks from Crs. Runciman and Primrose, in which they altogether disclaimed any intention of casting a slur on Mr Hoskmg, with whose work they weie perfectly satisfied, it was agreed to wiite to Mr Hosking, informing him that the council had no intention of dispensing with his services, but merely wished to pla.ee themselves in a position to employ other engineers if they thought fit. Works ix Rvncikiki. — The chairman and Cr. Johnson were deputed to .see to some works in the Ranguiri outlying distiict. Proposed Sr.si'Ex.siox oktiii; Act. — Cr. Wells moved, in accordance with notice given, that m the opinion of the council it is desirable that the Counties Act and its amendments be suspended in the county of Waikato. He did not intend to go into the nbstiact question of the value of the act genei ally, but would confine himself to that of how the act had woikod in Waikato. That, day's work was a fair sample of w hat they cn /no there to do. It was necessary thoy should inert together, but they did nothing that could not bo done quite ns efficiently by the road boards with the increased powers given these bodies by the mcasuies of last session. The council neither raised nor expended any money, they met to settle pmely technical matteis, They virtually acknowledged that the boauls knew how to do the work much better than they, by delegating their powers to these bodies. Then again, there was the bin den of Rangiriri, w Inch they could only get rid of by Mit-pmidmg tins act, and so compelling the people of that district to look after their own business. The new amendment acts gave the road boat ds full power to execute the functions of the county councils. People were continually asking him why the pieaent state of things went on. He had been looking ovoi* the accounts, and he found th.it the expenses of management amounted to more than ■£200 pei annum. Now, \vhat was the county to show for this laige expendituic. He ventuicd to say there was nothing. In tlic interests of economy! tune and good government he thought the act should be. hung up. In the first instance, the council should invite the load boards to discuss the subject,- and lay the result of their deliberations before the r.itejuyeis, to enable them to determine what com so to pursue. The suspension, he was aw are, could only be effected on a petition of three- fifths of the latepaycis iv the county, but he thought the road boards might vote a .small sum to assist iv getting the thing done. lie would like to add to his losolution the substance of what he had said regarding the bringing the subject under the notice of the ratepayers. — Cr. Primrose seconded, not because he agieed with Cr. Wells, but in order that so iiupoitaut a subject should be fully ventilated. He was afraid, however, that the resolution, would do xery little good. No less than three-fifths of the ratepayers must sign the petition, and they knew how difficult it vould prove to get this done. It would cost a, lot of money. They oonld not apply the ratepayers' money to this object, and he felt vSiue that people would hesitate before they dipped their hands in their own pockets. He would, howex er.be glad to bring the subject before his board (Kirikirhoa). — Cr. Johnson approved of the resolution, because the suspension of theactinßangiriri would compel the settlers there to form a road district. — Cr. Runcihiail agreed generally with Cr.- Primrose. -He thought moreover that the proposed step was very much like retrogression. — The chairman quite concurred with Cr. Wells in saying that the road, boards could do all the work as well as the council, but he did not see very clearly how the change was to be effected. — Cr. Wells, in replying, said the difficulties apparent to those who had spoken would vanish if properly met. As to the financial question, he was not prepared, to say that the board had power to vote money to get up petitions, but he was quite sure they spent part of their revenue on matters quite as foreign to their functions. He was glad the council bad taken up the question in a practical, way, and could not refrain from thanking, them. — The motion was then, put and' cariied. ' . , ' Delegation of Powers. — On the motion of Cr. Prinirose it was ; resolved: that when desired the powers enjoyed by the council under the provisions of the Roads and /Bridges Construction Act, be delegated to the road boards. , < <, A few accounts having been passed for payment, the colinoil rose.- < • ." ■ ,

" Look here, Printer," said an enraged poet, "you have not ' punctuated' my poem at all." "Well, Sir, I am hot" a; pointer j I'm a setter," replied the printer. Soknk in a Police Court.—" P'risonejv, how many re.ims of paper did you sayjj you stole?" " Seven, yer honour,, $hr'jee\ yesterday and two to-day." " Well, but"; that's only,fivo fi ".-; " Och, sure I'm going, for the other Vvfhen I^get oiit.pf this.*, realised m^turpijig off, ampmia ,^s ; youug as possible after getting J a growth, as it requires Jess capital m conducting the bflp^^s^fjb^edingiHndjfe^dinguapg^te risks of .acp^ejatt AeasM