OHURA COUNTY COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 453, 3 April 1912, Page 5

OHURA COUNTY COUNCIL.

A meeting of the Ohura County Council was held at Mangaroa on Saturday last. There were presenters Loveday (chairman), Currie, Kelly, Risk, Hayward, Lyon. Sandison, Goldfinch, and Sowry. Waikaka Bridge. The clerk was instructed to write to the Public Works Department that aa the bridge was outside of the loan area the department be asked to do the work. Phillips Street, Matiere. Mr Phillips applied for permission to use brick clinker for metalling the road in place of pumice.—Left to the Engineer to arrange. Waikaka - Rimu Special Loan. — Hypothecation of thirds for the purpose of paying interest approved by tne Land Board. Tongaporutu - Mangaroa Road Authority issued for expenditure of £250 for forming and metalling.— Engineer instructed to prepare plans and call tenders for the work. Niho Niho Deputation. A deputation of Niho Niho settlers waited on the council to request that the metalling contract be pushed ahead. The chairman explained that as there was an inconsistency between the contractors' terms and the specifications approved by the department, the council had called upon the contractors to fulfil the terms of the spacitications. The contractors informed the council that the arrangement they had entered into had been approved of by the tender committee and they could not fulfil the specifications at the price of the contract.

Cr Sandison endorsed the statement of the contractors and considered it would be a breach of faith on the part of the County Council to endeavour to get the contactors to work up to the specifications as approved by the department. The matter was debated at length by the council and it was finally decided that the contract should be cancelled and fresh tenders to be called for the work. It was further decided that Messrs Ryan Brus.' deposit should be returned and that they should be paid for their work done on the road. Thirds.—Mr W. A. Carter wrote complaining that his thirds had not been scent in giving access to his section, and that there was something wrong in respect tu the expenditure of thirds in his locality. He wished to have it cleared up and requested all the information the council could furnish. The chairman said some settlers thought they had sole control over their thirds, and could have them expended where they wished. This was not so. However, he thought the matter could always he adjusted by councillors using a little diplomacy in meeting the settlers freely in the matter.--Cr Lyon said he had heen led to believe that a good deal of thirds money which had been snent was thought to have been Government road grants. lie knew for a positive fact that some thirds had been spent when the Government would have done the work. In answer to inquiries the clerk said that thirds had been pooled and spent under the direction of the the councillor for the riding.

The chairman staler! they were going in for a system of keeping soparate riding-.accounts 3nci in future al! such expenditure would be easily traced and accounted for. Mangakara Road Thirds. —Mr Dons applied to have the thirds spent to give access to his section at the upper end of the road.—-The engineer said he had put work in hand to the extent of about ,£o to take oil the points on the road so that Mr Dons could sledge Unifier to his section.— The engineer was authorised to have the amount of the thirds, .£l2 l!)s, spent on the road.

Miroahuiao-Matiere Road, — On the motion of Crs Lyons and Sanaison the engineer was authorised to prepare estimates for metalling the road from the Matiere riding boundary. In the same connection the clerk was instrucetd to write to the Taranaki Land Board applying for a gift of firewood in the Matiere township for the purpose of burning papa. —On the motion of Cr Sowry the engineer was instructed to prepare estimates for the further extension of the metalling of this road to the junction of the Mangakahikatea road. Mangaroa Township —Cr Sandison wanted to know if anything had been done with respect to the survey of the townsh'p. He said that duting the discussion on the motion he was under the impression that the Mangaroa township could be rated to bear the expense. He had discovered that according to the Act they had no power to do so, and the expense must be borne by the whole county. The chairman differed from Cr Sandison. The matter had already been dealt with. They were going to strike a separate rate for the purpose, and it would not apply to the whole county. Cr Lyon said he did not wish to block the Mangaroa people but considered that according to the Act Cr Sandison was correct and the proper procedure should be taken before the work was gone on with. Cr Sandison gave notice of motion that the resolution empowering the council to expend money on the Mangaroa township be rescinded unless settlers present a petition in proper form. Waitewhena Bridge. —On the motion of Crs Risk and Kelly it was resolved that the Public Works Department be asked to complete the Waitewhena bridge .at the Hapurua junction before winter. Matiere-Whenakura Road. —It was resolved that the Public Works Department be written to drawnig attention to the dangerous state of the bridge. Ohura Main Road.—The engineer was authorised to expend £lO on the slip close to Mangaroa township. Wheel Taxes.—Cr Lyon drew attention to the operation of the wheel tax, and wished to know if it could not be held up for five or six months in view of the bad state of the weather. It was merely an additional impost on the settler who would be the person that would pay the tax. The chairman said that the by-law had already been passed. Otangiwai Road Culverts.—On the motion of Crs Lyon and Sandison the engineer was instructed to carry out the culverting and work on the Otangiwai road mentioned in the engineer's report to the extent of about £2O. River Metal.—lt was decided to make application to the Taranaki Land Board to have the metal in the Mangarua stream near the tuwnship vested in the council for roading purpose. Hapurua Bridge. The chairman mentioned that at the last council meeting a voucher had been put in for payment for a bridge at Hapurua. There was no authorisation for the building of the bridge and the matter bad been deferred pending an explanation from Cr Risk concerning the bridge.—Cr Risk said the bridge had been constructed under the direction of the engineer. A considerable time ago it had been decided to utilise thirds amounting to about £3O for the purpose of building the bridge. The matter had remained in abeyance for a time, but it became urgently necessary to have the bridge erected to enable settlers to get their wool out. He had seen the engineer, represented the urgency of the work, which had been put in hand and rushed through quickly to assist the settlers. The estimate for the bridge was about £3O, but this amount had been exceeded. The excess of the cost over the amount of thirds available could be charged to the riding account. The chairman drew Cr Risk's attention to the feet that no councillor was authorised to expend a sum exceeding £lO, without the authority of the council. Cr Risk said he was aware of the position, but the work in question had been begun before the resolution Was passed. The chairman said he was satisfied with the explanation and the voucher was passed for payment. The engineer said with respect to this matter that it had been widely stated that he had refused to sign the voucher, and he wished .to assure Cr Risk that he did sign the particulars and certified to the work. He could not sign the voucher as he did not know what the work was to be charged to. In fairness to himself he wished to have this made clear. Native Rates, —Cr Lyon asked for information with rqspect to the visit I of the chairman and clerk to Auckland in connection with native rates. The chairman said that he and the clerk had all the native land leased to Europeans and confirmed by tho board handed to the Valuation Department to he placed on the roll. Or Lyon suggested that the. clerk should write l>> the member for the district requesting him to eo-uperate with Mr Fisher, Dnder-Sceretary for Native Affairs, to have matters arranged so that it would be unnecessary for county officials to take journeys and inem- expense in the matter. The chairman said he agreed with Cr Lyon that an Act; should be bought into force making it obligatory for the department to put transactions through and notify the Valuation Department.