INANGAHUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Inangahua Times, Volume 64, 2 August 1878, Page 2

INANGAHUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Tho ordinary mooting of tho County Council was hold on Wednesda y afternoon. ,, A Thoro s ~yrpo, .present— tho Chairman, Mr Bronnon, and Messrs Bayfeild, Oaplos, Diok, Byrn*, Kdlly and Paries. The minutos of tho previous mooting wore road and oonilrmod. OOBWJSrONDBNOK. I From <T, Connolly stating that in deftml of compensation, it was his intontion to chargo toll for liorso*trnffio along tho Energetic coal tramway. Mr IDiofc considered that tho applicant was entitled to. some consideration. The work was a great publio convenience and ho should support a sum us compensation, if lh* applicant was bound to keop tho btM»«rts in ropair during his tonuro. Ho would support a grant of £20. Mr Byrno said ho did not wish to oppeso some ooropensation, but n oontrnot bad aWeady been lot lor kooping tho track open. Mr Dick said tho compensation was for trnffio prior to tlio lottiug of tho oontraot in quostion, (| Mr Kelly thought, the claim wa» a Tory reasonable one, and secondod the wsolotion. ; , , Mi Byrno thoiii?ht tho- claim was cx« eessivo, as atpnp limo tparolleri had been compelled to pay toll tbt tho vie of tbo line» Tho amount askod for wasatlho rate of 15s per weok, ami considering tho traffic thoro tho amount was excessive. Ho thought lOju por woek was (juite sufficient and would 1 tboroforo movo as an> an>endment, thai the sum bo reduced to £ia Mr Dick said Uo fv)t foolingly upon tho subject, as ho had a horso going up ihcro three times' » woek» wWcb would aiaountto 7« 6.1 per weak. v Mr Caplos floooodod tho amomlraent. Mr Bnyioild aaidi bo would neither support the rcnolulion, nor the amendtaentt Ooanolly whon he leased! iho tramway from the Energetic Company, should havo provided for the difficulty. llt would bo a bad precedent to grant such a kind of compensation. Those re quiring tho tramway should have to pay for it. Tho resolution was then put and oar/ ried. From Collector of Customs, Westport, explaining tho source of monoyu remitted to tho Council. From— Wolfe asking for 1200 ft of telegraph wire, to ropair punt lino across tho Left Flarti) Branolu Mr Byrno thought if thoy woro going to supply a ropo nc all, it might bo udx 1 vwablo to furnish a propor one at once, \to patch »|> the present wiro by a splioo would not be safe. 1 UoßoWod that a stool wiro bo furnished to Wolfe for tho ferry. FVorn tbo same Applying, that in tho oront of tho Forry Eoservo occupied by ; him, being thrown open for sale, that ho should bo allowed compensation for improvements made upon tho Kosorro. The opinion was exprossod that tho np« plionnt was ontitlod to compensation, and a resolution was curriod aooorUing with tho prayer of tho petition. From Georgo Joioc, eomplatntng of a dangerous tree on tho Buller roadway, and asking the Connoil to nndertako tho responsibility of felting tho tree. On the motion of Mr Kelly tho ICngU ncor was instructed to nuthori&o tho nocossary oxponditure. From J. Began, maintononeo contractor stating that tho lato flood had encroached on tho bluff noar tho Junction and washed away n portion of tho Lyoll road, which bo had ropairod, and asking that ho bo paid wages for tho work done. Latter referred to tho Enginoer to roport upon. From J. Williams and Co., asking for an oxtension of four wooks to comploto their oontraot, tho doluy boing caused by bud weather. On tba motion of Mr Kelly, seconded by Mr Caplos, the oxtonsion was granted. Prom M'Qahoy, contractor, Boatman's road, stating that ho had at all timos usod his bost endoavora to kcop tho road in ropair, and explaining that owing to floods ho had groat difficulties to doal with and ; asking tbo Council to ro-considor doci* I sion arrivod at at hsfc mooting. In reply to tho Chairman tho Enginoer said ho had not boon on M'Gahoy's oontraot sinoo tho last meeting of the Council. ■ Mutter ordered to stand over until tho i next mooting of tho Council, tho EngU noor to report in tho interim

From Stewart, Honipden, roferring to Downio's and Cuqolo'a tenders, and stating that £408 was the contract price, an 1 that Downio and party woro proparod to dopo» sit £40 as doposit ; also with rcforouoo to Hampdon coraotory, From tho sarao stating that owing to bad woathor ho had boon com poll od to kcop six mon on to koop tho roivd open ; also that approaoh to bridgo at Huntor's had boon washod away, and stating that horso forry on thp Matakitika was giving groat dissatisfaction, and that a boat oould could bo worked oonveniontly on tho nvor. Mr Kolly movod that tho Enginocr bo instructed to havo tho bridgo repaired.' Mr Byrno sooondod tbo resolution, which was oarriod. From J. Knowlcs, stating that vouchosr for Dovory'fl money had boon sent to tho Colonial Treasurer, bat tho monoy would not bo availablo until tho passing of tho Imprest Supply Bill in Purliamont. From Minister of Public Works, stat« ing that GoTornmont haying committed itsolf to considorablo oxpondituro for publio works in tho County, could not undertake the co^ of tho orootiou of o bridge or«r Boatman's Crock. Tho Chairman said that there wns ovi» dently some misooooeption on tho park of the Minister of Public Works, as a pro. raise had boon proviously givon that tho Gorornmcnt would undertake tho cost o f tho work. Tho Clerk said it was impossible to keop a complete record of all application ß for land in tho County, owing to tho fact that thoro wns no map showing tho blocks of land throughout tho district. Tho County Solicitor's opinion was I road regarding tho powor of tho Council to reserve laud for gravel pits or present porflons from removing gravel from river bods. Resolved that a communication bo for* warded to tho dintriot representatives in tho Assembly asking thorn to ondoavomr to obtain an amondmont of the Counties Aot» vesting tho noeoasary powor and con* trol in tho County Council. Certain alterations in v The Counties Aot," as arrived at by tho Innngfthaft Council some time ftijc were here mad over, and the Clork wns instrue'ed 1 to for* ward them to tho Wellington Conference. Tho Engineer *"» report wo 3 read »nd received. Oi> tho motion of Mr Dick, tho l£n» ginoer was instructed 1 to prepare 1 nn estimato of tho pvobabto cost of erecting a waggon bridtjo aonss Murray Crook, in Low*st reel, Black's Point. Proposed by Mr Kolly, seconded 1 fey Mr Byrno, and carried, 'That tho Kn« gincer prepare plans and specifications for footpaths on each frido of Broadway front Bridge Street to Sinnaroon Street, nnd lay tho sahio cx\ tho table at Iho next meeting of tho Council with, a view to iw« certain iho footings of tho residents living in Broadway, as to iho proprioty of striking a special rate for tlie work ; tho rate to be baaed on the Knginoor's ertimato of tho 00-t of tbo work.' On tho motion of Mr Irving, tho Rrv« ginoer was instructed to mako an osti* mat* of the cost of protecting thorivor bank, opposite Crushington, tho township being in imminent danger of being washed away. Proposed by Mr Byrn rt i seconded by Mr, Irvinpr, and oarriod, ' That Iho fi»» ginoor bo instruotod to put a man on to clear n slip nni repair a homo trnck from Dovil's Crock to tho Oriental oluim. Mr Davios hero proceeded to oatechi-e tho Enginoer upon tho rotation in which works woro oarriod out, endeavoring to show that somo pet works of his woro not receiving sufficient attention. Tho Engincor oxpliiincd that not only was ho dovotmg tho whole of his official time to tho discharge of tho duties of his office, but that tho wholo of his private timo at home was occupiod in expediting tho work ofgottingout plans and specifications, and that over sineo ho had hold tho appointment, ho had workod both day and night at his work. vWr Byrno considered Mr Davios' in* torrugations as utterly uncoiled for, as it wan apparont from tho amount of work got through, that tho duties of tlio En* gincor were being disohargod in o highly Bati«faetory manner. In this opinion the Councillors gonerally concurred' Mr Davica said that certain works pro* posed by ofchor Councillors were hurried on in preference to thoso proposod by him (Davios). At this stage tho Chairman took tho oooasion to flatly contradict Mr Davios' statoinont. He said Iho works had been proceeded with according to urgoncy and [ oxpodionoy, and no deviation upon any other ground had ocourrod. Mr Byrne said tho imputation thrown out by Mr Davios. impliod that Councillors had induced tho Enginoer to hurry L on oortain works. Ho therefore urgo^fl that Mr Davioß should bo callod wpoij^M substantiate bis assertion: For hirr^^H he cculd any that ho had never intorfd^H in the slightest way with tho Engine^H or tho ordor of the works, and ho could^ therefore fully endorse tho Chairman's : oontradiolion of tbo imputation. ■ Mr Kolly branded tho statomont of Mr d DaviS's as uttorly fatso and challenged thefl lattor to adduco a singlo instance >r^^^M kind imputed. Ho could wy^^^^^M self that ho had never intaMj^^^^^^M way with tho Engineer, nvfi^^^^^^^^M (Mr Kollv) Icaov,-, Mr D^^^^^M

only person who did intcrforo with tho Engineer, . Mr Caplcs equally denounced tho imputation and challenged a Mnglo cano to bo instancod whoro works had boon forced on out of thoir propea rotation. Mr Davies after this ignominiously suboonto'ntinc himself with mor'ng— • That Engineer in future ourrv out all instructions from tho Council in tho order in which resolutions ordering the samo aro passod, unless othorwiso instructed by tho Council.' Mr Dick seconded Iho resolution. Tho Engineer said that ho proceeded with tho works m tho propor order and always endenvorod to ftot as much wo»k oft' his hands ns quickly as possible It his prosenco was requirod in any particular direction to pass » contract, or oxamino a slip or report upon a speoinl work, ho penorally oxnminod his work book to ascertain whether tJioro woro any other works to bo dono in the sumo lo« calit}', and if so, nnd his time would permit it, ho generally did whatever was requirod to bo dono and thereby did away with the necessity of making anolhor visit to tho same locality, and if ho was not to bo allowed to foliow this eourso it would bo found that half his timo in futuro would bo occupied in making doublo journeys. Tho Chairman trusted after what tho Engineer hud Btntod that such an obviously obstructive and mischievous resolution would notboallowod to pass. It was tho business of tho Engineer nnd | the duty of tho Council to sec tho public works of tho County enrnod out with tho I greatest potsiblo expedition, no matter in what part of tho County thoso works might be, l'lio resolutidn proposod f would only havo tho eifftct of tioing tlio bonds of tho Engineer nnd thereby ' crippling his usofullncss, Ho wholly failed to soo that tho rosolu.ion would answerany good purpose. After some furthor discussion tlio resolution was put nnd thcro voted for it, Mosirs Daviee and Dick, and after some bositHtion Mr Irting also guvo his voto. Tho votes against it were Messrs Byrnos Caplos and Kelly, and tho Chairman gave his casting voto with tho noes, nnd tho resolution wus acoordiimly lost. Resolved tbnt tho members of tho dis« trict in tlio Assembly bo writton to in^ ' struoting thorn to eikloavnr to nlttain a.\ amendment of tho ' Counttos Aot,, whoreby persons miiy bo provontod from voting at Iho forthcoming County elections unless they pay their rates beforohand. Tho Clerk reported tlio Bank ovordaft ns standing at £5122 6» 2d, tin's sum boing Buljeot to a deduction of £700 daily expected Irom tho Government. A number of accounts woro passed, and tho mooting adjourned.