HON. CARROLL AND THE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1952, 7 December 1906, Page 3

HON. CARROLL AND THE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Captain Taokor (Chairman) and Cca Matthews end Macdonald, of the County Oonnoil, met the Hon. J. Oarroll yeatorday at the Council Chambers in consultation with roferonoe to Government grants and the Rotorua stock route Mr Robertson, of the Roods Department, was present with Mr Carrol). The Chairman said tho firsi matter he wished to refer to was tho letter received from tho Department of Roads. With Mr Carroll’s permission ho won : d road tbo letter. Mr Carroll said ho was acquainted wish tho oontents of tho letter. Tho Chairman: Well, tho first two amounts mentioned belong to Hangaroa Road Board, and this leaves only about £SOO to be expended by this Goucoil on roads, Mr Carroll: It baa boon decided further amounts will bo spout by tho Roads Department themselves. The Chairman : If that is so it is re* assuring, Mr Oarroll: You will find that con cot. The Chairman : We have received £SOO for flood dom.-gis, but the Couucil have spent moro than this—a great deal mure. Tho Council would like the £SOO voted by tho Government to be regarded as already spent. tlpeoificatioD, he added, was re* quired by the Government as to what :bo money was to bo spout on, but ns it was already spent the Council should receive tho money witbuut further reservation. Mr Oarroll: You should moke that clear to the Department. Tho Government have also spent £IOO in flood relief. You should show tho Public Wo.ki Department that tho expenditure had already made, and point out tho £SOO had been speui. If I had kuowu uncut it at the time, I would have sum tbo moneyvoted outright and avoided any technicalties. I do not think, however, there will be any trouble about it. The Chairman said with reforenoo to the Other grants, so long as the work was dona by somebody the Council did not want the spending of all tbo money, and they would like to kaow what amounts the Government proposed spending, Mr Oarroll: I will lot you know while I am here. The Ohaitman: Now that is done we will get on to the real objects of the interview, which is the subjsot of tbo stock track,

Mr Carroll: This matter depends a great deal on the amount of expenditure, and I would like to muko a suggestion, which is that tho Department send a man, togethor with one from iboCouceiJ. Let them go over tho ground and report, and then wo will havo something to real with. At present wo aro working in tho' dark.

Tho Chairman: A most excellent suggestion. This looks like business. Ido not think tho track will bo found vary expensive. It is not necessary to have more than half a chain cleared. Tnaro is no need fer stumping and forming nod going to so much expense B 3 tho Department has previously done.

Me Carroll: lam aware that tha Department did soma expensive work, bat believe that the Council did some also. The Chairman : No, we only made the road passable for dray work as far as Sies-le's and past Morphy’s, the latter also assisting the Council. What wa want now is just a track which stook can pass over- There are a lot of boggy places not very wide, which can be corduroyed without muoh expense, as there ia plenty of bush.

Mir Carroll: The greater portion of the Hangaroa Waikaremoana section has been farmed ior riding, but no) for vehicles. Oa the other side of Waikaremoana only 16 milea are unformed. When this is completed it will giva a track right through to Eolorua. The track we are proposing will be a very serviceable flanking track. 1 rode through there last winter. Men have been put on to carry this road through. The Chairman : The Waikaremoana traok is no doubt very serviceable to the Bettlers in the South, but not to those in the North. Tue track we are asking to be completed will be most useful to settlers in the North. Mr Carroll admitted that there was no doubt that it would be very good to have this Northern track. Ho merely desired 10 point out the existence of a road. When he was through he had arranged with natives to givo 400 aores to be used a 3 camping grounds. The stock track was to junction with the Waikaremoana road at Xe Whiti, and he hoped the gap wonii shortly be reduced to 10 miles. The Chairman pointed oat that the atcok track would be preferred by tha people in tho North residing above Ormond, as they would otherwise have so oome Sooth and then turn N.irth again to travel by tha Waikaremoana road, iiivery hour was grudged by people when travelling stock, aod every additional 10 miles meant another day. Tners had been a suggestion to oatry the track even mare to the northward than at present. Mr Carroll, in conclusion, said if the Council would communicate with him when they had deoided what man to send, be would arrange for the inspection to be proceeded witb. Several suggestions were made by Oounoillors as to who should bo sent, tho Chairman holding to tho opinion that it was yery advisable that a man who knew the country should go.

Mr Robertson said he understood what was wauled was how much i! would oost to make the traok passable,

Mr Uarroli : All we want is to obtain a comprehensive idea of the route and the oost of putting it in order,

TEE WAIHUKA LOAN. Or Macdonald called iho Minister's at tention to iha above loan. Although the petition was aeni down last year, it was still huug up. The amount required was £2500 (or the construction of iho Walhukt Valley road. About £7OO had been spent on the road, the Council having spent £3OO, and he believed tho Department had spent anolhor £4OO. There was another £IOO on the Estimates for this road The season was pretty (ar advanoed, and the settlers had hoped to have been able to use the road this season. The Oieik said that the papers with reference to this loan had been forwarded with two other loans, whioh had been passed through. For some reason or other the Walhuka loan had been held back.

Mr Oarroll said this was a moat desirable oonneotion, and the road was along the route the railway would take. He would wire for information as lo what had been done in the matter. THE KARAKA CUTTING. Or Macdonald said thi.i was another matter whioh he would like to direct tho attention of the Minister to. The Council’s Engineer, Mr Fraser, had conferred with the Government Engineer, Mr Arm strong, and they had jointly recommended to pul a level crossing over tho lino about 10 ohains from the tunnel, at a cost ol £9OO. Tho Department had refused io allow an open crossing, and said an overhead bridge crossing would have to be built, and this would coat an additional £250. What he contended was tho Department used the road for the purposes of their works, and tho Council had to keep it in repair. Now they wanted to put the Counoil to the additional oast oi an overhoad crossing. It was usual when the Department took a road for departmental purposes they would maintain it. ' Mr Oarroll said that he had no doubt that the Department wero guarding against possible danger in refusing to allow a level crossing.

The Chairman maintained that a leva

orossiog at Karaka was no more dangerous than level crossings elsewhere—at iho wharf, Wellington, for instance. Mr Carroll maintained that the precaution against danger was necessary, owing to the fact that thore wa3 only a short distance between the station and the tunnel. Or Matthews agreed with tha Department that precaution was necessary, but be thought it was only fair that the Do pariment should contribute something for the use of the road.

Mr Oarroll promised to look into tho matter, and if a grant of £250 woald meet the oasr, he would bo prepared to reoommend that.

OTHER ROADS. Mr Oarroll asked Or Macdonald how the road to his place was, aud Or Maodonald said Iho Mota road wasia a very bad way, j?etag almost impassably The road was

worao than over it had booD, though tho Council had eponl £7OO on It. Tho Chairman said tho ArniValloy road was in want of attention, tho work thoro

boing carried on by tbo Government. Bad elf pa wore constantly ooourring, more especially aftor tho flood. Thors was no mention of it In tho last grants. Mr Carroll said tho District Engineer hud £SOO on his list to bo spent on this road. Thoro was also a small amount for she Maraotaha ond of tho road. Tho Chairman stated tho Gouuoil had also spent a groat deal on this road. Ho also mentioned >bc Oliver road, which was boing looked forward to by tho Mniu nettleie as providing aooess to tho railway. Mr Bob or Don said a bridge had boc-n orcoicd at Boulder croaaiug, uud a small oontraoi was in baud for makiug a dray road of O:ivor road at ono ond, slips being cleared off tho other.

Mr Oa:roil though) Oliver road would ho ua important connecting road in tho future, and bo much used. Or Macdonald pointed out that Oliver road would bo tho route taken by Moiu settlors to roach tho Waikato stook route. Tho Chairman thanked Mr Carroll for his oouriusy, und apologised for occupying so much of his timo, but She Council’s □ oso was constantly to the griudstouo, ond they woro obliged to usk for tba interview.