KAWHIA COUNTY COUNCIL.
A special meeting of the Kawhia County Council was held on March 15th, a full council being present, the object of the meeting being to consider proposed alterations to the harbour by-laws, an amending by-law making the scale of dues uniform for all wharves was adopted. The question of raising the wharfage dues in order to enable caretakers to be provided for the various landing sheds was considered. The council decided that it was inadvisable to raise the wharfage as Kawhia is at present the cheapest port on the coast. It was, however, resolved to make a trial of employing a caretaker at the Kinohaku landing, and to offer'a reward of £5 for the conviction of anyone pilfering at the sheds.
ORDINARY MEETING.
The ordinary monthly meeting took place after the special business was concluded. A letter was received from the Chamber of Commerce protesting against the proposal to raise the harbour dues.
The Under-Secretary Public Works Department stated that the grant of £397 offered to the council for the Kihi road, had been reduced by £IUO, this sum having been handed to the district engineer.—lt was decided to draw the attention of the Minister to the fact that plans had been prepared involving the expenditure of the whole of the grant, and to request him to grant sufficient money for the completion of -the work. The district engineer stated that a report had been obtained from the assistant road engineer at Hamilton as to metalling 9 chains of the Hauturu road, and the work would be put in hand as soon as the authority was issued.
The district engineer enquired whether the council would be willing to, contribute £3O towards the cost of metalling Williams' hill on the Pirongia-Kawhia road. —The clerk reported having replied agreeing to contribute this sum.
The Under-Secretary, Public Department, wrote informing the council that the offers made to the ' council to expend the grants for the Lemon Point-Te Maika roads, had been withdrawn. The council took strong exception to the action of trie department as the engineering work on these roads is now in progress.-—lt was decided to communicate with the Minister protesting against the withdrawal of the votes, supplying him and the member for the district with full details of the case, and in the meantime to proceed with the work. The Commissioner of Crown Lands stated that his department dirl not at present see its wav to fence and grass the stock reserve at Oparau, and suggested that the council should take control of the reserve" and do the work itself.
A notification was received from the State-Guaranteed Advances Office to the effect that the rate of interest on the balance of the £4OOO loan for the Oknpata road had been raised to 3f per cent , and that it would be necessary to increase the special rate to meet the increased charges. A rseolution increasing the rate was accordingly passed. ENGINEERS' REPORT.
Owing to the recent bad weather and the short period between meetings I have to report a very slight advance in all work since your last meeting. Mr F. Eshelby has completed his work on Kawhia to Marokopa river road, and Mr H. Swanson now has only 12 chains of metal to lay, and should easily complete his work on this road this autumn. On the Okupata road Mr Stokes and Messrs Davies and Schreiber Bros, have each laid about 20 chains of metal. The last named contractors still maintain the same standard of work as I reported at your last meeting, and the work now compares more tban favourably with any metalling work previously done in the county. In regard to the council's proposals for expenditure of grants for Awaroa to Mahoe road, no further information has been received. During the period 1 have prepared plans and specifications in duplicate for widening a portion of Kauri road, and commenced plans of same on Kawhia to Marokopa road in continuation of Contract No. 46 completed last autumn. This last work will include the raising of an embankment .across two low-lying flats that are particularly bad during winter. My assistant has completed his work on Kihi road, and has been employed in re-establishing the engineering survey of portions of Kauri and Kawhia to Marokopa river roads, and is now engaged in making an engineering survey of Lemon Point to Te Maika road. On 2nd inst. I took passage to Lemon Point wharf by s.s. Rimu, and beside noting the number and position of buoya' required in the Kinohaku channel I also watched the loading of stock at the wharf and by this means became acquainted with all requirements. At present it is impossible to load cattle and great difficulty is experienced in loading sheep. 1 estimate the cost of erecting holdings, yards ,etc., at the wharf at £lB, and the four buoys required in the Kinohaku channel at £l4. I would advise that battens be nailed around the inside of the walls of the Oparau landing shed to prevent damage to the iron during the handling of goods inside the shed. I estimate the cost at £2.
The report was adopted. Survey of Harbour. Cr Nocnan moved that enquiry be made as to the cost of a survey of the harbour and that the Mirisfcer of Marine be invited to visit the port. He pointed out that very meagre information was supplied in the Nautical Almanac, and outside of the adjacent district very little was known of th,3 capabilities of the harbour. He thought if a survey were made there would be then definite information for the public,—The amotion was carried.
Mangapohue Road. —It was resolved, on the motion of the chairman, to protest
gapohue road to 12ft, and to ask the department that it be formed to 14ft throughout. Launch. —On the motion of Cr Norton, it was decided to procure a launch for council purposes.
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King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 553, 26 March 1913, Page 5
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989KAWHIA COUNTY COUNCIL. King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 553, 26 March 1913, Page 5
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