PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Waikato Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 3501, 1 December 1894, Page 2

PIAKO COUNTY COUNCIL.

A meeting of the Piako County Council was held on Wednesday at the County office, Morrinsvdle. There were present: The chairman (Mr W. P. Chepmell), and Councillors Larney, Hodgson, Gavin, Gago Brown, Harrison, J. S. Browne, Hunt and Seddon. Rating of Native Lands.—The clerk reported that Bince last meeting he had made application to the Colonial Secretary & requesting that all native lands within the County should be exempted from rating, As yet no reply had been received, Appointment of Valuers.—The chairman reported that in accordance with the discretionary power given him at last meeting he had" seen Mr C. J. W. Barton of Hamilton, and had arranged with him for a valuation of the whole county. Mr Edwin L. Hope was to a3sist Mr Barton, and the question had arisen whether it would not be better to appoint both of these gentlemen as valuers., He proposed that Messrs Barton and Hope be appointed valuers at a remuneration of £4O each if the native land is excluded by Order in Council, and if not so excluded, £4s' each.—This was in accordance with the arrangements which he (the chairman) had made, and the Council agreed to the appointment upon these terms, Nomiicro'Ft's Road.—Mr Swarbrick reported that he had seen Mr Northcroft, who insisted that the Council, while taking the road through his property under the Public Works Act, should at the same time take under tbe ; same Act a corner piece of the same property used for a bridge.—The chairman stated as bis impression that fchw had been settled years ago, but it was agreed to look into the matter, Heaney's Road, Manga wfiara,— The olerk was instructed to get a sketch of this road prepared and to explain in reply to Mr Swarbrick for the information of the mortgagees of the Okauia Block that the road did not in any way injure their property. Finance.—The credit balances were reported to be: General fund, £l4olos sd; Patatere Riding, £l'oo.i 2d; contractors' deposits, £10; Te Aroba interest, £3 Is 7d; thirds, £2716s 3d; in all =£236 8s fid, and in addition there was a cheque in hand for rates amounting to £355 0s 7d, The gold duty for October had been £ll 15s. The balance-sheet was returned' from the Audit Office with* a request for information in regard to transfers made . from the Te Aroha interest account to the general fund. It was said that more had, been repaid to the general fund account than had been, taken from it. —The olerk was instructed to look into the matW and ■ ■ giving-all details of the entries' made from year to year. ; ' ' Medical Report.-Dr. Cushney,of Cambridge, reported 7th November, 1894, the existence of a case of infectious disease in the houso of John Pascoe, at Fencourt.Matamata Road District.-Petition , of ratepayers of the Matamata Road Dis- ■ trict and Outlying District; requesting the Council to 'alter.the existing boundaries of the two; districts, \wns referred back to the petitioners as being informal. The, Council,resetted,they had no power to act upon the petition 'in its present term?. l They' considered that section nine of the, Road' Board's Act, 1892, did not refer ; to the amalgamation of two districts as in the; present case, which was truly dealt with only by section four of the Act; The : ,' present case was no alteration of boundaries,', but was the formation of a new diitrict. Okoroire Roads; -Mr T. C. .Urquhart wrote complaining of. the state of, the road from the Okoroire Hotel 1 to. the Qxford-Rotorua road, and also in regard to the Okoroire Station road. It was re-, solved to repair the.first of these roads : by tender at a cost notjiexceeding £2O, and £5 was' voted for repair of the Station road. Shaftesbury RoAD.-Itjvas agreed to expend thirds money in repair of the road between .'Shaftesbury' and Gordon, and £6 13s 7d upon MackieYroad, Te Aroha, both by public tender. Annual Meeting.-At 12 o'clock the Chairman vacated the chair, which was taken by the Clerk, and the members of the Council were called upon in terms of the Counties Act, to elect a Chairman for the ensuing year. Cr. Laruey : " What is Wrong with the present Chairman f-Or. Hodgson proposed that the present Chairman, Cr. Chepmell, be re-elected,—-This was seconded by Cr. Seddon and carried by acclimation of the Council. Cr. Chepmell thanked the Council for their confidence and kindness in re-electing him. He would always endeavour to do his best for the county. Members of the Vaikato Hospital and Charitable Aid Board were then elected as follows, being the same members as last year: Councillors J. S. Browne, T. Gavin, N. I. Hunt, and the Chairman. POKUWHENUA BRIDGE CONTRACT. - Or. Browue complained that the terms of this contract should have been such as to provide that piles must be driven when in point of fact it was known in 'the district that there was rock within three or four feet of the surface. The piles had not been required and were being res mowd by the contractor. T'.iat was an . advantage which the contractor should never have been in the position to have, j He (Cr. Browne) blamed the Kngimcr in I this matter.-The Engineer, Mr" Pavitt, expressed regret; no rocks have been ' visible to him in the locality ami he had ,nob considered it necessary to boic lor them. In any case the contract had not i been a profitable one to the contractor. Camhriimjk-Oxfoki) and C.-uirridgr Tausanca RoADv-Tcmders for various works upon these roads, as recommended by the Engineer, were ordered to be called lor next meeting. Dog Registration.-The Council instruciecl' that- the dog registiar at Oxford

should prosecute Mr Bailey, station manager at Okoroire, and some others who had refused to register dogs.-The clerk was also instructed to order collars for next year. Next Meeting.-It tfas agreed that next meeting should be held on Wednesday, 9th January, Tenders.-The following tenders were opened for road works near Putaruru, on the Putaruru-Lichfield Road :-No. 1 contract, 200 chains of formation and repairs: B. Coleman, £4B: J. Orr, £49; R. Parr, 150; H. Rae, £49; 0. McCabe, £4O; P. O'Grady, £42; K. Arthur, £49 ; D. McMahon, £BB 16s; Stanley and Barker, £53.-No. 2 contract, repairs: J. Orr, £42; R. Parr. £43;; 0. McCabe, £39; P. O'Grady, £43 4s; H. Rae, £42; Stanley and Barker, £40.-No. 3 contract, repairs: J. Orr, £2O; R. Parr, £14125; O. McCabe, £14125; H. Rae, £23; P. O'Grady, £1319s 4d jR. Mackie, £24 10s; D. McMahon, £3O; Stanley and Barker, £20.-TMcCabe'B offers for Nos. 1 and 2 were accepted, and O'Grady's for No. 3.-It was remitted to Cry Harrison and the engineer to arrange for additional repairs, which would still be required to wake the road good, but so as not to exceed in all £l2O. -Tenders for road repairs at Waiharakiki, on the Thames -Waikato Road, were also opened :-R. Parr;'£2o 18s; W, Moon, £22; A. Givnev, £22 14s; P. O'Grady, £2O 4a; D.iMcCarthy, £22 9s.—O'Grady's tender was accepted. '; ; accounts were'' passed for 'payment:' J. McLeod, £L4s; R. Michael, £3 18s; J. Bew, 18s'; R. ; Parr,J£rl ss6d;D. O'Loughlin, £1 9s; T. C. £4 3s; P, Herbert, £ls ls;,W.Hogan, £2OL«jJ, f£6= i7*,j!T .;■ Gavin, £2 12s; M, Harrison, £5 ss;'N. 1. Hunt, £3'; J- S. Browne, £4l2slu ?