COUNTY COUNCILS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18900, 15 January 1927, Page 4

COUNTY COUNCILS.

RANGIORA. The monthly meeting of the County Council was held yesterday. Present: Jl essri W. Stalker (chairman), and Crs. K. M„ c . Donald, JI. C. Ormandy, H. Tallott, G. K. Crysell, A. Mcintosh, and J. Brosnan. A motion of sympathy was passed with Mr J. 11. Blacknell in the death of his wife. The electrical engineer reported that the line at Tulls road, Waikuku, was completed, throe new poles were erected in Kevell's road, Tuahiwi. and two new consumers were connected. The report was adopted. The foreman reported that a great deal of patching had been done on the No. 1 drain road. Kevell's road, and Woodend Beach road. The report further stated that the Main Highways Board had rejected the shingle from the Woodend pit as being too sandy. The report was adopted. Mr W. Stalker was appointed representative on the High School Advisory Board in connexion with the management of the School Experimental Karm. An application was received from Mr S. R. Hicklands asking the Council if they would consider leasing the road running parallel with the main road adjoining his property. The matter was left in the hands of the chairman and Crs. Mcintosh and Brosnan to inspect and with power to act. The appointing of the statuary half holiday for the county for the ensuing year was left to the Minister. An extra i'lo was voted towards the, expenses of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York to Amberlcy, making a total of

£l3O. Correspondence was received from (he District Highways Council concerning the condition of some of the main highways, and noiifving that until certain repairs were effected payment of subsidy would not be made. It was decided that the matter receive' immediate attention. The annual dog tax was fixed the same as last year, viz., sheep and cattle dogs 2s 6d, and'others 3 os. Mr James Thompson was appointed dog tax collector. It was decided to cease the purchasing of birds' heads and eggs at the end of the present month. The offer of Mr K. L. Bailey of £"> for the right to cut cocksfoot in the Fcruside district was accepted. The treasurer's statement for the month showed the receipts to have been: Rates. Kan"iora riding i'loo 15s (id, Cust riding .l'-l 1.- )S °lod, rents £l3 15s, Hospital Board rates A-10 "s 10d sale of electric eurent £3: l 14s "d electric service £5 16s lid, refund electric lWht loan £394 16s sd. sundry A'SB 16b lOd. total '6BO Ms lid. The expenditure during December totalled A' 2992 13s 2d, which, with a credit balance in the general account of c.'!2 18s 4d left a debit balance of .12073 Tl's" The rates outstanding in the Kangiora ridin" amounted to £3822 7s 8d and Cust riding .f631 19s sd, a total of £llO7 6s lid. EYRE. The mon'.lily meeting of the Eyre County Council was attended by Crs. H. O. Dixon (ir. the chair), -J. Cowens, C. E. Bayncn, 11. E. Evans, J. W. Frizzed, end Jas. Wright. t'r. Cowens rtpo:ted en his visit to Amterley, as delegate to the North Canterbury Caledonian Society's conference, concerning the visit of tho Duke and Duchess of York, and the chairman's promise of ±'23 towards the funds was approved. • Notice being received from the Public Trustee that uo debit note would in future be sent out in regard to interest clue on debentures, and that a penalty would accrue if the interest. wa3 not paid on the due date, the Council decided to make an emphatic protect against the departure from the usual business methods, as possibly putting the ratepayers to expense shou.d the interest remain unpaid by oversight ,of the office staff. . Several p»P er l ' oada having becn . c!o3 =' J between the North road and the Waimakariri river, it was decided to asik the Commissioner oi Crown Lands to assess tho. value and collect from the owners taking a title to same. The Hon. Mr Buddo, M.P., wrote that hs was quite in sympathy with the Council's request to tho Minister of Internal Affairs that tho matter of advertising bylaws should be made as simple under the Counties Act as under the Municipal Corporations Act, and that he would advocate liic matter with the Minister. The tender of Mr J. C. Dobby, of Coutts Island, was accepted for filling in a washout on the Coutts Island Main road made by the late floods, the work to begin ca soon as the Waimakariri River Trust forwarded the loads of scrub necessary to prevent j future erosion of the lower edge. j The offers of Messrs A. G. Burt nnd A. E. Fcachey, for cutting cocksfoot in certain toads and reserves, was accepted. It was agreed to again make a grant of £lO towards the funds of the Kaiapoi Technical school. A proposal having been received frothe British Pavements, Ltd., to lay a l •- coat of bitumenised material on the Ao.'.:i road mam highway nnd maintain the sam: j for five years, taking payment in five yean..- I instalments, it was decided to wait and sea how other local bodies fared with similar j roads before accepting tb.e offer, as the | Council considered the methods at present j used to be reasonably successful, considering the comparatively low cost. The chairman's action in approving of the proposed address to the Duke and Duehess of York was approved. It was decided to take no action in the matter of the Dobson Mine Belief Fund, pending.eome knowledge of amounts being subscribed elsewhere. Information being received from the Pitol;o Works Department electrical head olfico that the Department was prepared to sell current to the. Council at iIA per unit, instead of at the flat rate of £2l per year for a two horse-power motor, it was dc- ( cided to let consumers take current at that rate if they paid the cost of installing meters. Mr Samuel Stone waited on the Council concerning improvements to tho road at the corner of his land opposite Evans's o'd mill, and arrangements were satisfactorily completed for the rcunding-off of tho dangerous corner. The engineer was instructed to prepare plans for tho deviation of Dixon's road, now that the consent of the owners had been obtained to the exchange, and to put tho work in hand as scon as the approval of the Highways Board bad been obtained to the plans. It was decided to renew the offer to the trustees of the Kelso Estate in connexion with buying land to make the deviation from the Middle leland road to the Girder bridge, and if not accepted to ta,ke the land under the Public 'Works Act without further delay, as favourable arrangements for purchase had teen made with the other two owners. The clerk reported that rales and othor amounts yet to come in amounted to £2470. and that after paying_iho month's account of £6OO funds should be sufficient, after paying the further three month?' accounts, to leave a sound balance at the end of the financial year. The engineer reported that all roads in the county, were in fair order, but that as the Alain Highways Board n>w definitely required all shingle put on the roads to comply with their specifications, the cost of hand screening to get the sample would cost some 38 per yard. He asain advocated tho purchase of a self-contained port-Me screening and elevating plant for prod"c----ln" this sample, a motor-truck for its delivery on the roads, and a self-contained liffht grader for improving the surface of the reds, the latter be-in? required if (ho Council desired further improvements, to the road surface. CHEVIOT. The Cheviot County Council held their monthly meeting recently, when there were present—Councillors J. H. L. Hiatt (chairman), G. L. Rutherford, S. Douglas, T. Stevenson. T. Meikle, and D. McLaren. Correspondence was received from the Mayor of Christchurch and the Amberley Caledonian Society in reference, to the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Tork. The various matters were left in the hands of the chairman,'who had been appointed a member of the Entertainment Committee. The secretary of the Dobeon Mine Disaster Relief Fund wrote asking, the Council, to make an appeal to the public in tho co'unty for funds. It wos decided to place subscription lists in the various centres. The Engineer reported that 630 cubic vards of shingle had been carted-and spread , on various roads during the period; that renairs *ere being earned out to the KaiTin Caverhill, and Cathill roads; that the motor "rader had graded the main road from the. Hurunui to the Conway and several of the riding roads, with good results. A orf wa- now being made with Darrach s '"• w "The debit balance was £330 15s 4d. ! "The "tax mr cattle and sheep dogs was j r- l nt •''s 6d, house dogs as, and rabbit "The Sffic allv taken over the Hurunui „Jh, from- December 16th to Decern-

4 ( ber 28th, excluding Christmas Day, showed that 810 vehicles and 3220 passengers *.*£' crossed the bridge, vIt was reEolved that authority for the erection of the Caroline stream bridge be obtained. At a special meeting of the_ Council at was decided to revert knelt to 'Wednesday as the statutory half-holiday.