WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 424, 20 December 1911, Page 5

WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

The usual monthly meeting of the Waitomo County Council was held at Te Kuiti on Monday evening. There were present —Crs Scholes, Hoffman, n'Dwyer, Smyth, Berry, Were, Gregg and Johnston. CORRESPONDENCE. The Advances Department nutilieJ that an Order-in-Council for the

Otorohanga-Pirongia loan had been gazetted. Orders-in-Council for Caves and Aria road were waiting for the executive council meeting. Received. Mairoa Roads Loan.—The Public Works Department wrote with reference to the council for approval of laying 27 sets of pipes on the Nagpaensja rond that as a £ for £ subsidy was provided for metalling and as the work of putting in pipes cannot be properly charged against a grant psecially for metalling the proposals were therefore declined. A certain amount of trimming up of the road to prepare it for metalling would be permisssable.—A similar notification was received in connection with the Pungarehu road. With re3pect to the letter dealing with the Ngapaenga and Pungarehu roada, the chairman said it opened up an important question. When he was in Wellington he had interviewed the authorities on the subject, and after explaining the position had been assured the matter would be adjusted. The department, however, had apparently forgotten the arrangement. The position was that the subsidy money was free, alt.ough the actual loan money was tied up the subsidy money could be utilised for culverting. The culverting had to be done before the metal was put down. Cr Were said he considered the matter of the greatest importance and suggested that, the chairman should again proceed to Wellington on this and other council business. Other councillors' endorsed the suggestion and it was unanimously resolved that the chairman and county clerk should proceed immediately to Wellington and endeavour to have all the loan matters satisfactorily concluded. The Post and Telegraph Department forwarded a statement of the revenue and expenditure. of the .Honikiwi telephone office. It was as follows:—Revenue £9 Os 4d, deficiency £l2 4s 3d, total £2l 4s 7d. Expenditure: interest at 3J per cent, on cost construction of line (£178) £6 4s 7d, maintenance £lO, salary £5, total £2l 4s 7d. The department explained that during the year there had been authorised a reduction to 3£ per cent, of the interest charged on the cost of constructing the lines, the deletion of the charge for stationary and the bearing by the department of half the loss on the working of such lines. Under these conditions the department made application for the subsidy due by the council of £6 2s 2d.—Mr Budden, who was in attendance at the council said he was prepared to indemnify the council. —The chairman said the council did not require to be indemnified. They were prepared to assist the settlers as far as their powers extended. He suggested the deficiency should be met out of the riding fund. —On the motion of Crs Were and Gregg it was resolved that the amount be paid out of the riding fund.

Roading Rangitoto - Tuhua. With reference to a mad through the Ran-gitoto-Tuhua blocks the Chief Surveyor, Auckland, wrote that the matter of compensation need not be considered as he found that the whole road could be taken without compensation. That practically only left the question of laying out and survey. Provided the council will undertake to have the road first laid out on the ground by the Public Works Department, and afterwards have the plan approved as to the laying out and grading of the road by the district engineer for the Public Works Department. He would recommend the Under-Secretary for Lands to issue the necessary authority to Mr Jordan. Kaeaea-Aria Road. —Mr F. Elwood, Kaeaea, wrote drawing the council's attention to the bad state of the road on the big hill between Kaeaea and Aria. The water had made a deep channel in the centre of the road from top to bottom, which made it very dangerous to drive over. The. cream cart went over the hill three times a week, and if something was not dune they would be unable to continue which would be a serious matter for settlers. —Cr [Smyth said the matter had already been attended to. Ngutunui Road.—Mr P. D. Hargreaves, of Honikivvi, wrote drawing attention to the desirability of improving portions of the Ngutunui stream road from its junction with the Otorohanga-Hauturu road as far as the metal continues, viz., 40 chains from the junction. Ratanui Requirements. Mr Edward Buckley, of Ratanui, wrote on behalf of the settlers of Ratanui and Pungarehu road, drawing attention to the unsatisfactory and unfinished state of the Pungarehu road. There was 20 or 30 chains of that road yet unformed and had been hung up for I more than three years, and was for various reasons detrimental to settlers, while they wnre given to understand money was voted for it twelve months ago. The engineer understood the position as regards the urgency of this road. Dairying had begun in the district, and there was tons and tons of stuff lying at the end of the formation rotting, and baking in the weather.

The engineer in repiy to the chairman stated there was an expended amount of £l3O for the road. On the, motion of Crs Were and Johnston," it was resolved that the engineer be instructed to expend the amount on this portion of the road as soon as possible. Engineer's Report. —A contract has been let for metalilng the portion oi; the Arapae road between the racecourse and the Pukearuhe junction, a a distance of five miles 12 chains. The following specifications have been sent to the Public Works Department for and metal-

widening Kumava, Kiekie and Kuoaca and cuvlerting Mairna and Tapune roads. Spociiieations have, also 'ueo:i prepared for widening and metalling on the Cave? and Waitomo roads ami will be forwarded for approval as soon as the loans are passed. Tenders arc nOvY being called for widening portion. 7l of the Kaeaen ami kiekio road? and close on the. 2-rd insl. O-.v-ing to the loans being laisol for metalling only, several speeiiieat ionfor widening an.! eulverting have been returned unapproved, am! as there, are no grants available it will be impossible to carry o:\ the work: 7 . Very little progress has been made with any of the metalling eoelarten account oftlie continual wot weather. The contractor for metalling the Arapae road intends starting work immediately after the Christmas holidays. The grader has been work ing on the Puketarata road, and will, after finishing there, start on the Ouruwhero road; 500 pipes have arrived at Otorohanga, and I propose calling for tenders for carting them to the various roads for which they are intended. Two men have been employed repairing the Waiteti road, which was cut up very badly last winter. Other men have been employed at maintenance work on various roads. Te Kuiti-Awakino Road. A telegram was received from the Engineer-in-Chief stating that the proposal that the council ivvould undertake the expenditure, of the grant had been referred to Cabinet for approval and would probably be dealt with in a day or two.

Leave Proposals. The following telegram from the Advances Department was received : -■- "Submitting Aria, Caves and Tawanui loans for legal examination. Ordors-in-Council gazetted page l-iGOfi; OtorohangaPirongia loan legally passed and now with Minister for final approval." Te Kumi Road. Messrs IJrondfccii; and Finlay wrote stating that it had come to their knowledge that the road was not oti the proper line. The engineer said he had seen the engineer of the Public Works Department on the matter, and Mr Williams had written to the authorities to lake the proper steps to have the. matter attended to but no reply had yet come to hand. Oamaru Road. —Mr G. S. Ci?rk wrote with respect to Having a bad place metalled a few chains beyond the end of the metalling contract. Mr Budden, who was in attendance, explained the situation and supported Mr Clark's application. The chairman said some money would probably be available after the present contract was completed and the council would do what was possibly to meet the application. A New Road. —Mr J. Wall wrote requesting that the county's engineer should pass a road he was having surveyed at Paemako. —The engineer was instructed to inspect and report. Blocking a Track'. -Mr J. G Miller wrote requesting permission to fall bush on the old Marokopa track. Inferred to the councillor for the riding to deal with. Racecourse Drain.—-Cr Berry said that Mr Lusk, chairman of the Racing Club committee had approached him with respect to having the road drains near the racecourse opened up. The water was flowing on to the course and if the present weather continued the course would be under water.- -On the motion of Crs Johnston and Gregg the matter was left to Cr Berry and the engineer to deal with. Mangaotaki Thirds. —Mr J. Daly. who was introduced by Cr Were, said he had been appointed by the Mangaotaki settlers to lay before the council the position arrived at with respect to the thirds on Mangaotaki sections which had gone astray some years ago. The amount, according to the settlers as .£95, The return from the Land Office showed four amounts as follows: —£23 l (is expended on Pungarebn road; .£lO 9s Sd, £7 Ss (id and £:'.? D.ls 3d expended on the Arapae road making a total of £79 9s (id. The chairman said evidently the thirds bad been diverted, but this council of course had nothing to do with the business. The matter of certifying to the expenditure of the thirds lay with the Crown lands ranger. Cr Were suggested a committee should be set up to confer with MiDaly and settle the matter. The chairman said he saw no reason why the matter should not be settled at once. If a wrong had been done some years ago a committee was not going to set it right. Eventually il. was decided on the motion of Crs O'Dwyer and Smyth that £BO be voted for expenditure on the Mangaotkai road, the sum to be charged to the Mairoa riding. Suggested New Riding. —Mr Daly said he would like to suggest the formation of a new riding to include portion of Paemako and portion of Mairoa ridings. The chairman said the matter was being kept in view by the council but in order to complete the matter satisfactorily portion of Awukino County would require to be included. Action would be taken as soon as it was possible to complete the matter. Hangatiki Township. Mr A. S. 1 Board introduced by the riding mem- ! ber, Cr Johnston, waited on the eoun- | cil with the request that the council I should contribute half cost towards the I formation of a footpath from Ilangai tiki railway station to the post cilice ! and the locality of the proposed i township. On the motion of the chairman and Cr Johnston the engineer was instructed to report on the proposal.