COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

Chronicle (Levin), 15 January 1948, Page 4

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

Horowhenua Couneil Meeting -The first-* monthly meeting for 1948 of the Horowhenua County Couneil was field in Levin yesterday. Tfiere were present: Mr. A-. M. - Colquhoun (.chairman) and, Crs. J, D. ■Aitcfiisofi, J. -H. P. Liggins, D. KL Guy, E. R. Winkler, A! M. Atkins, W."G, Taylor, R. W. Jenkins and L. F. Brown. Also Mr. F. H. Hudson (clerk) and Mr. W. H. Fraser (engineer). . . 7 • River* Board Dissolution A public inquiry was to be held by the Local Government Commission, at Palmferston North on :/ January 25. and 26, into the proposed dissolution of ihe ManawatuOroua River Board, advised a letter from the New Zealand Counties' Association. Particulars were forwarded for use if the ^.couneil desired to take any part in the proceedings. The communication was received. There did not seem to be any need for this part of the district to give evidence, eommented the chairman. ■ ■ Cr, Aitchison said he would not like to s.ee the couneil mixed up 'in the "fight!" The commission would go into the evidence and give its decision. Formation Of Road The forming and metalling of a road whieh will run off Buekley Road, Shannon has been the subject of discussion between some of the settlers in that area and the couneil. Now there is every likelihood of the road being formed in the near future. A'dviee was received in a letter from Messrs. Harper, Atmore and Thomson that Mr. C, C. Ward and other settlers were willing to contribute between them the sum of £100 tow,ards the cost of the road. They would appreciate the matter being treated as one of extreme urgency, as the question had been under consideration for many years. It was, true that the matter had -been before the eouncil for many years now, said the chairman. He 'was sure he was right in saying ' that this was the best offer the couneil had yet had. However, the qpestion now arose as to whether the couneil was prepared to conStruct a road that would not be an open public road. In the first place, the driving of- stock over the half formed surface would have a detrimental effect. This would mean that a gate and fence would have to be constructed to- stop th^ stock from wandering. The cost of the job wquld be ' approximately £450, The couneil should look into . the matter first, .. 1 Members should insist upon the fencing being done before the road was formed, remarked Cr. Aitchison. The matter was referred to, the works eommittee.

Bridge In Disrepair The bridge over the river on the" old Foxton Road was in a very bad i state of repair, said Mr. A. E. Burling in a letter to the couneil. "The decking is very dangerous for stock and eows are liable to go through and get a broken leg," he stated. The hand-rails had been off the bridge for 15 years. • The decking had probably been attended to recently, when all .bridges in the district had received attention, said Mr. Fraser. It was due to be repaired. The letter was referred to the engineer. Water Supply Sought Asking the couneil to make availafole the borough water-supply, 24 residents and two public bodies from Ohau signed a petition which had been forwarded from the Levin Borough Couneil to whorn it had been first addressed. Undoubtedly Ohau needed its own water-supply, said Mr. Colquhoun. The first step to take, however, was to make sure that the , Levin Borough Couneil had the water available to supply Ohau. It was no good going into the question of cost until it was possible to get the water. It was decided that the chairman and Crs. Guy and Winkler, together with the executive officers, /should meet representatives of the Levin /" Borough Couneil. if a favourable reply was received, the eommittee would then meet the settlers at Ohau, Ohau River's Thsteat . The Ohau River, near its mouth, was at present threatening to cut off all aeeess to the beach for the residents of the district, and wasa' very real danger to the houses, wrote the secretary of the Ohau braneh of Federated Farmers, who asked for the council's assistanee in raising the fhranee for the work of repelling the river. Like other rivers on the coast, the Ohau was heading south, and in this' particular case was reaching towards the new* road recently constructed at the mouth, said the chairman. The Manawatu Catchsg ment Board was prepared to pui channel out to the sea * if the • settlers eould raise the 'money. Mr. Fraser said that the end of the present • road^fla^ation was not actually the. end qf the road." The legal road cootinued out to . high Water mark. At the moment there was no danger to the road through, erosion. The matter was left to the works eommittee for a report. Improvement Of Access Drawing the council's attention to a "long promised" improvemerit to the entrance to his property on the South Manakau Road, Mr. S. T. O'Rourke of Wai-iti, Otaki, asked if something could not be done abbut the matter. Cr. W. G. Taylor said that some improvement was promised in 1942. Why this work had not been carried out he could' not ,say. . The matter was referred to the members of the riding 'and the engineer with power to' act.