COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2478, 17 April 1909, Page 6

COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

'MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary monthly meeting of the 'Cook County Council was held yesterday. Present: ffhe Hon. Captain AY. H. Tucker (Chairman), Cns. T. Holden, F. T. Lysnar, 11. Sherratt, and H. White. CORRESPONDENCE. Mr R. C. Miller, Waerenga-a-hika asked that his property “Royston” in the Waikolm Road District be retained in the AYaikohu Corvity. Mr H. M-orice, Tsiunga, also asked that his small grazing run bo placed within the boundaries of the Waikohu County. The applications were deferred for further consideration.

The Under-Seretary for Lands (Mr AAV Kensington) wrote as follows in reference to the Council asking for a quarrv site at Te Arai: “In reply to •your letter of April Ist, I am directed (to inform you that the Government is in no better position when taking mnd tor quarry, purposes than a local body, and moreover the Public Mocks’ Act makes it perfectly clear that wherever ■i local body is in existence and requires '(and for a public -purpose it is the duty of such local body to acquire the same. The Government cannot see its way /•’oar to undertake the acquisition of those quarry sites un’ess the Chief Engineer for Roads, under whose control the formation and metalling of roads within Te Arai settlement is proceeding recommends to his minister tn.it n quarry site should be taken for Jupurpose.” . The letter was received. The Manager of the Bank or New Zealand, Mr Vincent Pike, under <mti> March 29th. wrote stating that Lie account was overdrawn sMb,763, which, with interest due £484, amounted to £19,249. As the *egai limit was only £IB,BBB he asked hint the amount be reduced. r J hereafter the legal limit would be £16,000. Theaderk stated that the matter i»ad been attended to. The usual form applying for an overdraft was feigned by the Council. draft was signed by the Council. Air E. B. Martin, clerk of the AYai-

renta Road Board, wrote stating that x 1• o. Board could not take hhe piece of road from the bridge to the No. 8 crossing, as the road was chiefly used by County Council contractors. 'flic letter was received. Air AY. Moore asked for compensation for the loss of a finger through an-ac-cident- while in the-Council’s employ. It was decided to pay 4he cost of the operation. The Town Clerk of Gisborne sent a copy of a report obtained on the condition cf the ford across the Te Arai river, near Air White's Te Pura property. The' report stated that the ford was one of the best on the line, and was always crossable in time of flood. The Engineer said the report was obtained by the Borough officer on hearsay evidence.

Cr White- slid the weir at the river Hooded the ford and lie thought the Borough should be compelled to either lower, cr remove the weir. The level of the river is higher than ’'the weir. ft was decided to ask the solicitor’s opinion as to whether the Boiough Council could J:e .compelled to lower ci remove the weir. Th? Engineer said when the river was 1 hi eh the caused the water to Hood both the ford and private pro--1 Mr E. Chaplin asked for any work the Council might- have that could be done bv a draughtsman. The ‘letter was referred to the -En- - Messrs deLautour, Barker and ."teem wrote in reference to the Paiutabi Ouarry Block. 133, Patutahi suburbs: ‘•Your Council in 1899 arranged witn Commissioner of Crown 'X.auc.s jot the- cancellation of a lease over Section y&) Patutahi suburbs, in order to secure a right of way to section IjoA. Miction 133 A appears to have no available road access. In terms of the arrangement the County paid the tenants for improvements assessed at £l<o. Use Band Board made the necessary recommendation and the section was perman--11 v .reserved as a quarry si to., i 1 orm.arapnlication should have been made to have the land vested in the County; but that was not done and the reserve Has never been rested in the County, and the reserve does not apnea.- r<> have been used for the purpose for winch it was set aside. Under these circumstance,.; we advise that the Minister was qirte within his legal rights in dealing afresh with the reserve in 1909, as there was nothing to show that- he v. as aware of the. Council's occupation. The Commissioner was in no way to Name for, in his final letter, he told the Council that nothing remained but to make the application. He could not do more. It is curious to notice that- the lease was not in fact cancelled - until December last. This is immaterial, as it is clear the Council did not buy the lease, but only paid out the lessees in •order that the land might be reserved and vested. The ‘Gazette’ notice in .December founds a very strong inference that while the Borough Council was by correspondence appearing to negotiate with the County Council other steps to obtain the reserve were being taken in AVellington, which if. was not thought necessary to inform the Council O i. 1 ’ * The Chairman : The negotiations with us were only a sham. Cr. Sherratt: A.nd we have lost the reserve. The Chairman : This Conned should fell the Borough Council that if .it is determined to take the reserve not only the £l7O will have to be paid, but all ■other money that lias been expended on the land. Cr AA'hite: I think some misunderstanding has arisen, and I don’t think the Borough wants to climb over the County Council’s head. The Borough does not want the whole reserve, but a portion of it. The Chairman : The County liars never oppreed the right of the Borough to go through the section, and I move that a letter be written to the'Lands Department protesting against the high banded action in transferring the section to the Borough.

REPORTS: The Engineer reported as follows: Quarrying stone lias been done-during the month at Gentle Annie, anti * yards of md’.al broken and placed on the roads bv the contractors. Contract 2oS.—All metal has been broken and is ready for carting on this contract. . The, formation of Darwin Road is practical! v completed and the eul•vertfi finished. Also 320 yards of gravel have been spread. Borne delay has been experienced in getting gravel o:vingJ;o i resiles in the. river. Some 2 or j chums r,f metalling have been .completed on the Works lion,cl and too f)mio nd-Wh ata upoko mad. _ Repairs are also being effected on -tee Inland \Va : arm road. Tha Tatapwm road has a lc o been repaired by the. Councils own

teams. I hare pegged out and levelled three miles of the Patutahi drains with a view of widening them. Tenders will bo called for the work in a few days. The Pakarae bridge has been satisfactorily completed. Some ten chains of road near the Maractaha quarry have been metalled with broken stone.”

The Clerk reported: Overdraft, March 31st, £16,266 14s 8d; receipts, £732 7s 8d; accounts due £1877 12s 6d ; overdraft, April 17th, 1909, £17,411 19s 6d.