WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 347, 22 March 1911, Page 6

WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY. MEETING. | The usual monthly meeting of the i Waitomo County Council was held on i Monday night at .the Council Cham- | bers. "Present—Cr A. Scholes (chair- j man), and Crs Gregg, Johnstone, O'Dwyer, Hoffman, Smyth, Boddie and Were. The action of the chairman in giv- I ing the County Clerk (Mr P. C. Shaw) j tnree months' leave of absence, and arranging that Mr Broadfoot should act as deputy clerk, was approved. Hating on Native Lands.—The j acting clerk had. written the Minister for Native Lands as follows: lam instructed by the Waitomo County Council to writo you with reference to the position of native lands as regards rating. My Council suggests that steps be taken to put the natives on the rate book, as with owners or occupiers, so that it might be possible to collect the rates that may accrue upon the lands from time to time. The question is a very important and urgent one in counties like the Waitomo County where so much of the land is the property of the natives and where owing to the influx of European settlers improvements are being effected at a rapid rate. In almost every part of the County the settlers are banding together and are raising loans upon special rating areas. These areas in very many instances include large tracts of native land, and they are deriving the benefit of the expenditure of the money so raised by the settlers upon the security of their sections and are not contributing in any way. Such a state of affairs tendsto cause dissatisfaction and is certainly not equitable, so that my Council trusts that you will be able to do something in the way indicated. Poulson's Hill. —Mr Jas. Fogarty, representing a number of settlers, wrote of the impassable state of this portion of the Pirongia-Otorohanga road last winter and hoping the Council would give it serious attention. Owing to a mis-description of the loan, the loan would have to be gazetted again.-—Cr Boddie said the loan, to all intents and purposes, was carried, and the Council would be justified in expending the money out of current revenue in anticipation of the loan money. —Cr Hoffman said the two loans would have to be treated as one in calling tenders and the worst places could then be done first.—The matter was left in the hands of the chairman and Cr Gregg to be dealt with as soon as the specifications were returned from the Public Works Department. Water Trough.—Mr R. M. C. Carlisle wrote asking, on behalf of settlers, for permission to erect a water trough on Ranby's hill, on the Piron-gia-Otorohanga road. —Granted. Gravel Reserve.—Mr John Ormbsy wrote that Mrs Jno. Cox was willing to sell an area of gravel below the lower Waipa bridge at Otorohanga for £ls an acre.—lt was decided to accept the offer.

Te Rau-Mauku Road.—Mr G. F. Ni col son wrote asking the Council to remove various slips on the road. The matter was left in the hands of Cr Gregg to see to the clearing. Road Near Paritikona. —Mr Peter Hercus wrote, on behalf of his son, Mr A. F. Hercus, who has taken up 2000 acres at Paritikona, asking whether there was any likelihood of getting the road there, which would ultimately be the main Te Kuiti-Tau-marunui road, formed and available for use in carting material to his son's place.—The clerk was instructed to write that no road had been surveyed yet and the Council could do nothing. Maraetaua Block.—The president of the Maori Land Board wrote that the board wished to form a road from the main Te Kuit.i-Awakino road, to give access to the block, and asked if a six-foot road would satisfy the Council.—li was decided to reply that no road of a less width than twelve feet would be satisfactory and suggesting that it be formed that width.

Pirongia Bridge.—The chairman reported that he and Cr Hoffman had attended the commission and nothing was done. The general opinion was that the cost of the proposed bridge was too high—that a satisfactory bridge could be built for &JSOO, provided the Government passed the plans.—The matter was again left in the hands of the chairman and the councillor for the riding. Sainsburv Road.—A copy of the Order-in-Council was forwarded by the Public: Works Department, declaring a portion of this road a County road. —Received. Kawa Road Bridge.—The clerk to the Kavvhia County Council wrote asking the Council's support in urging on the jovernment the construction of this bridge as soon as possible and pointing out thnfc as soon as the bridge was construetcci it would be largely used by settlers in toe Kavvhia County for getting stock out to the railway line. Cr Iloilman said there was a grant of .£2OO on account of £2OOO. It wo.ild have paid the County to have erected the bridge long ago. —It was decided to write the Minister urging the expenditure of the grant. Taupae Road. —Mr Fin lay McLean wrote complaining of the condition of this road, and saying two men in a few r'ays could do all that was neces-sary.—'-K was decided to cut the scrub and make a sis-foot track. Wash-outs on Kaeaea. Road.- —Mr S. Williamson wrote that Xli or ii 7 would fix up the road and he would like it done before winter as one days rain brings the water We! with the surface."- - The matter war- being attended to. Grave! From Mangaokewa River.The Public Works Department wrote that Hit.' Government had no authority in i i i i :• IS i a tier ami suggesting that the Coimi\ take grave! under the Public Works Act. It was decided to write ami thank the department for the information and to put the work in hand as soon as possible. Mairoa-JT.angaotaki Road. Mr R. W. iW.il drew attention to this road and. asked that it be eown alongside

his place. Mr D. L. Mackenize wrote in similar terms re the Kihikihi stream road. —The Council decidc-ii to take no action in either case. Te Kuiti No. 2 13 No. lo. —Crs Boddie and Were moved that the caking of the road through Te Kuiti No. 2 B, No. 13, to give access to Mr Cowern, bo proceeded with, now that he has signed the agreement. — Carried. Finger Posts.—The Tourist Department wrote asking that linger posts be provided where roa:l3 diverge and repaired cr made legible where necessary. —Received. Ring-barking Willows.—The Department of Lands wrote that the vote was exhausted, but the additional .£l5O would be entered on the estimates and the Council could go on with the work meanwhile. The District Engineer New Zealand Railways also wrote enclosing a copy of a letter he had forwarded to the Chief Engineer of Railways, strongly recommending that the department should hand over the long promised £IOO, "as a contribution to a work which has already proved an immense benefit to our branch." —The chairman reported that the old money ran cut in December and he had been anxious to keep the men on. The position was that two months' work was owing, £69, and the Council should pass a vote. It would be met next year out of the amount put on the Etimates. —It was decided to pay as suggested. Otorohanga-llauturu Road.I—Mr 1 —Mr B. Budden wrote, on behalf of settlers urging the importance of starting metalling at once some parts of this road. Various portions had been almost impassable last winter and they were dreading another similar experience. —The engineer had attended to this.

Mataparu Road. —Mr John Ormbsy wrote asking the Council's acknowledgment of liability of threepence per yard royalty on gravel taken from the shingle bank at Otorohanga.—The chairman said the position was similar to that at Te Kuiti. The esplanade ran on each side of the river and there was no proof it was Mr Ormsby's. Received. Pungarehu Road. —Mr V. L. Jackson wrote asking the Council to complete this road and also as to the apparently unnecessary delay, stating that the distance to complete was only 30 chains, yet to get stuff into Mangeao it has to be loaded on pack horses and taken over a bad track. According to the resident road engineer the money had been available since November. They had always understood that the Council's only difficulty was in getting the money and only the Government were blamed for the inability to spend it.—Cr Were said settlers were complaining that deviations were being made and delay would occur.—The matter was referred to the Public Works Department for attention. Rangitoto-Tuhua No. G8 D Block Road.—The Chief Surveyor wrote that to comply with the Council's request would absorb nearly 10 per cent, of the area and he had no power to take that amount. As the land occupies part of each side of the railway line he thought the owner or lessee should make some arrangements with the Railway Department to obtain a crossing. He could not, under the circumstances, issue a warrant to take the road. —Received.

Oparure Road. —Cr Boddie said a portion of the main Oparure road had been surveyed now nine years, but had not been legalised. He moved that the matter of legalising the road through the Otokoeka-Hapenui block be left in the hands of himself and the chairman to fix up.—Carried. Engineer's Report. —Specifications for works on the following roads have been approved by the Public Works Department: Parakoko, Ngapaenga, Mairoahuiao-Mangaotaki and Otoru-hanga-Pironiga, and tenders are now advertised, also for metalling 2j miles on the Pukearuhe road. The contract for raising and widening the bank across the Mangapu flat has been completed and the metalling started. The contract for widening a portion of the Pukearuhe road should be finished about the end of the present week. The contract for metalling the Otoro-hanga-Hangatiki road is not progressing very satisfactorily owing to the contractor being unable to obtain teams. I attended a meeting of the Kaeaea settlers who wished their accrued "thirds" spent on metalling the Ohura road near Aria to enable them to cart milk to the factory in the spring. I wrote to the Commissioner of Crown Lands, asking to be allowed to spend the " thirds" on metalling and I was informed that the matter would be put before the Board at their next meeting. I met some of the settlers at Kio'Kio with regard to the expenditure of "thirds" on the Puketarata road, and it was decided to only spend a r-.nail amount at present and have the vn hole of ihe road re-formed with the grader in tha spring. There is a culvert near the factory at Kio Kio which requires renewing and should be attended to at once.- -Received. Riding Boundaries. - Cr Boddie raised this question, saying that if any alteration was desirable it would have to be done this month or left for three years, [f councillors did not think any alteration was necessary well and good —but he was perfectly convinced that the Te Kuiti riding wanted revising. It had parts oi: three main roads in it,—Cr Were said the outlet of settlers in Waitomo County on the West side was over three or four main roads. If they were turned in the other direction they had only one road to Kawhia. — Crs Scholes and Hoffman moved that the matter of altering the Paemako and Mairoa ridings be left in the hands of the members for the repseciive ridings, with full power to act and fix the. boundaries, if they consider it necessary to alter the boundaries —Carried. Contract No. 5, Ngapaenga road. — Tenders were left in the hands of the engineer to deal with. Paemako Riding Contracts.- —These were left in the hands of the member for the riding to either accept or reject.