COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XLV, Issue 3984, 17 July 1915, Page 8

COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING

The ordinary meeting of the Cook Countv Council was held yesterday morning. There were present: Crs T Jex-Blake (chairman), T. Holden, IX J. Parker, G. Witters, F. J. Lysnar, J. Tombleson, C. Matthews, G. M. Reynolds, G. E. Jones. CORRESPONDENCE.

The Gisborne Chamber of Commerce wrote, asking the Council to adopt a resolution favoring a provision being inserted in all contracts of local bodies for works to the effect that, except where expressly provided all goods and materials used- shall be of British or British-Colonial manufacture.

It was decided to as far as possible adopt the principle. The Town Clerk wrote, stating that he was directed by the Mayor to state that in confirmation of his verbal agreement with the County Engineer in regard to the Gentle Annie telephone line the Borough Council were cjuite agreeable that the County should i>ut a wire on the Borough’s poles, the same to remain during the Council’s pleasure free of charge. The line would be charged the same rate as other wires on the poles for maintea nee—viz., 10s per mile per annum. The •Chvinnau: Ton shillings per mile for maintenance is pretty stiff, isn’t it P

Cr Lysnari It’s robbery. It was left to the Engineer to make the best arrangements be could with tiie Borough. Council. Cr Lysnar suggested that the Council should connect up with the new line from Tiniroto. The Under-Secretary for Public Works wrote, stating that the proposal to close portion of Parkinson Street, Tologa Bay, and grant it in exchange lor a portion of school reserve for the extension of Monkhouse Street, was strongly objected to by tb(> Lands Department, which points out that the town of Tologa Bay was originally laid out by the Crown upon Crown land, and that the Council was not real I v the permanent local authority of the town, but merely temporary administrators pending an increase of population sufficient to justify rite setting up of a Borough Connmi, and it was urged that under those circumstances the Council should not reduce width of one of the streets in the manner proposed. Jn view ot this, it was probable that the Minister would be unable to see his way to recommend the Governor to sign the proclamation taking and closing a portion of the width of this street. Or Reynolds said that the Department. told the Tologa people to go ahead with the petition, as it would be all right, hut now it appeared it. was all wrong. The Tologa Bay people would sooner not have the road than shift the school. He did not see why the school should be shifted. . tie considered the Department should he approached again, end asked to reconsider tnoir decision. !here was evidently opposition somewhere, but lie could not understand where it was coining from. Cr Lysnar saul lie could mb see why the Tologa Bay school .should not be shifted.

It- was decided to approach the Department on tho matter again, and to solicit the assistance of the Hawke s Bay Education Hoard. Mr .T. Warren, sec retar v of the Trustees of the Mukuraki Cemetery, wrote stating that the Trustees had applied to the Minister to close the present cemetery at Makaraka for further burials except to those fatuities who have already purchased plots and to them only to the extent of the land already purchased. He stated that as the duties of the care of the old cemetery would he comparatively light the Council should ept the trust, and make implication to the Minister for Internal Affairs to appoint the Council as the trustees of the Makaraka Cemetery. L-pon roceint of the Council’s decision to. comply with this request, the present trustees would tender their resignation to the. Governor. 'The trustees had £4OO on fixed deposit, which they would transfer to the Council for the maintenance of the Makaraka cemetery. , . . v.-r Holden said that the trustees hart gone into the. matter, and had come to the conclusion that it would bn too expensive to have trustees for loth the old and the new cemeteries. Tho new cemetery was just an extension of the old, and one set of trustees was sufficient. The Chairman said that if the two cemeteries wore administered by the same trustees it would save a great deal of expense. For instance the oik' man could attend to both places, with occasional help at certain seasons of the year. It was originally intended to admiiLstor__tho new 'cemetery hv a joint committee composed or members of the Borough Council and Cook County Council, hut the Minister had objected to dual control. It was decided that the Council should a.eept the trust. The Superintendent _of tho State t Advances Office advised that the Board had resolved to grant the loan of C-IoG for the purpose of erecting a cart bridge across the Mangapmke river at Porter’s crossing. The Minister of Public Works notified that he had given instructions for the work to proceed. . The Chairman was authorised to sign the debenture in connection with the loan. , The Assistant I iider-Sroretary ot the Public Works Department advised that the matter of the rrtad througn WJiangara block was receiving attention. . Mr W. G. Maclanrin wrote, enclosing £9O, i'n terms of his agreement to'pav half cost of metalling the road past his property. He stated that lie had not made any charge for grave since last spring, and had spent at least Cod on the road, which also served a dozen other settlers. The letter was received. The Assistant Under-secretary of the Lands and Survey .Department wrote, stating that there was no power under which land, could be vested in tho Comity Council for town endowment or municipal purposes. This advice was in answer to the Council’s request that Block VI., Town of Buckley (Tologa Bay), he vested m the County Council for the use and service of the town. The Mangapapa Town Board wrote, recommending a conference between, members of local bodies to discuss the question of other local bodies contributing somethiirg towards the main arterial road and Hospital road passing through the Board’s district. Cr. Witters said the requevst seemed a very strange one. It was not so very long ago that the settlers of Mangapapa.formed a, Town Board, and asked to be. given control of they roads. The Council lmd offered to return control of the main road, but the Town Board would not hoar of this. It was decided to renly that the Council could not- see its way to entertain the Board’s suggestion. Mr W. IT. Skinner, Commissioner of Crown Lands, notified that the Land Board ltad approved of the Council’s scheme for expenditure ot thirds and fourths amounting to £217 Gs 3d. * T 1 The question of making an allowance to Mr A. (>. Burns, County Overseer, during the winter months for horse feed was considered. Crs stated that motor cycles should

bo provided for tlio overseers. Or Tomblo-son considered that there wore many roads in the County where a motor cycle could not travel. • The' Engineer'-stated, that Mr lveane travelled right no the Court as far as Tologa- on the County's motor cycle. Ho considered the Hack roads would not be .fit for a motor cycle until the beginning >:f November. • • c -Tt was-decided on the motion of Cr ■Jones,-seconded.bv Or Holden, to proC;Uro' a motor cycle for the usft of tlie 'Overseers, a ad to make Mr Burns * .grant of £2O for horse feed. ° -The Girborne Harbor. Board wrote. for wa rd! n<z 4 pi an of- the proposed. ad-, justnicnt of boundaries between 'Cook

and "Waiapu Counties affecting tlio Tauwhareparae endowment bloik. Or Reynolds said lie had had a talk with Cr. Boland, the other member for the Tologa riding, and they were ■both, opposed'to handing over a large portion of their rate producing area to Waiapu County. They had to keep the road open, and wanted all the rates they could get. He understood the suggested alteration of boundaries included nearly the wnole of Tauwhareparae block in Waiapu County. They were opposed to anything'of the kind being done Cr Lysnar said the letter., gave a wrong impression.' It was only proposed to hand over to Waiapu County a portion which drained into that county. Cr Reynolds said that if the Waiapu Council would; put in the road to Arundel's they would be prepared to hand over Arundel’s property to Waiapu County. The latter, however, appeared to want the lot, and they were decidedly opposed to this. Cr. Lysnar suggested that Cook County, * Waiapu County, and the Harbor Board should share the cost of making a through road, which was wanted. He moved to this effect, which was carried. The Eltliani County Council forwarded particulars concerning the cost of running its motor lorry. The Chairman said that he had been making inquiries on this subject. lie had seen Mr I). J. Barry concerning the cost of running his hi- lorry, and that gentleman had informed, him that lie did not think motor lorries would prove economical to the Council. Air Barry stated that lie had carefully kept a statement of the working of his machine, and Councillors would be welcome to have a look at the figures at any time they wished to see them.

Mr Parsons, pound keeper, reported that 144 head of stock had been impounded at the Ormond pound during tne mouth. ORDINARY BUSINESS. Cr Reynolds said he would like the Engineer to report on Mr Cobbet-t’s road at Tapuwai, which could be attended to in the spring. This was agreed to. Cr Tomblesou said he would like to have"a report from the Engineer at next meeting concerning the power of the Council to cut down trees which were keeping the sun off the roads. Cv Reynolds said the idea was a good one. They should deal with all tbeset trees at once, and treat all alike. The Engineer asked if this referred to hedges as well. Cr Witters said that hedges were just as bad as trees, and should be dealt with in the same way. The motion was carried. At- the instance of Cr Lysnar, the Engineer was instructed to take proceedings against anyone allowing briars or other prickly hedge material to lie on the County roads. Cr. Witters asked if the Engineer could give the Council some idea ot wnat quantity of metal would be required during the coming year. For some time past they had been putting inferior metal on their roads. The Engineer replied that they considered they had live or six years supuly still at Patutahi. River shingle was not suitable, and an experiment carried out between town Mekaraka had not proved satisfactory. He could not recommend again that, river shingle should be put on the roads. River shingle was not suitable for roads which had to stand heavy traffic. . . Cr Jones remarked that river shingle was 'doing well on the roads, about Ormond. . The Engineer: Yes, but the roads about Ormond have not to stand anv thing like the traffic the GisborneMakaraka road has to stand. Cr Tombleson asked if the Engineer was satisfied with the dry binding which had boon carried out near Alukaraka. This piece appeared a succession of pot holes. They had done road work near Muriwai with dry binding, which had turned out firstclass. "Of course water binding was by far the better system, but the trouble was to get the water. CASH STATEMENT.

The Clerk submitted the following statement of accounts as at July lb: Overdraft at 19th June. 1910, £10122 7s Od : Collected : Rates £1238 6s od, Gisborne Borough Council interest £B4 15s od. Government grants £1895 10s Id, Gisborne _ rebuilding interest account n 3, deposit with contract £SO, Mangapapa lown Board hospital lew £74 3s 3d, hotel licenses £l2O, billiard licenses £ls, dog registration £4l 15s, screenings Patutaln quarry 17s M, sale of timber Ui 4s, surplus sale Tologa pound £1 12s od, repaid cheques £l3, law stamps £2 14s hire road grader £4 19s, total £3557 16s lid; balance £12564 10s 7<l; required to-day £222° 9s 3d; overdraft 17th July, 1915, £l4-93 19s 10d; required Ist August, 1915, £l4sS*l2s 6d • advances £6203 8s Id ; overdraft 2/8/15. £16252 12s 4d. Or Jones brought up the necessity for the erection of a bridge over the Weihirere stream on the back Ormond road. He said that a motor car had recently come to brief at the crossing, and another car had to go out from town to pull it out. • Cr Witters, the other representative of the Gisborne riding, said he was in favor of the erection of-the bridge. The riding could afford it now, and the work was necessary. The Engineer .was instructed to prepare an estimate of the cost. _ On the motion of Cr Hoi cm n. it was decided to approach all the local bodies interested to see wliat amount they were prepared to contribute towards the erection of a bridge across the Taruhem river near the new cemetery. , , .. , The Engineer said the budge would cost £I2OO, and it was resolved that a deputation should wait upon tfie Borough Council at its next meeting on the matter. . r ~ * Cr Parker gave notice of motion to the effect that Huxley road from intersection of Tyndall to de Ljuitour road and Parraday road and Tyndall road from intersection of Huxley road to Owen road, be brought under the lublic Works heavy traffic by-law.