WAITEMATA COUNTY COUNCIL

Kaipara and Waitemata Echo, 23 December 1920, Page 3

WAITEMATA COUNTY COUNCIL

ITEMS OF INTEREST

At the last meeting of the above the following matters affecting this portion of the county were dealt with :— COMPENSATION WANTED. The engineer reported that a small piece of the main road at Rewiti station had been excluded from D. Lyons' title and in purchasing a small section of • land Mr Lyons found a small portion of the area he has paid for is practically a public road, and demands compensation at the rate of £128 per acre. The engineer recommended that Mr Lyons be offered payment at the rate of £25 per acre, and if this offer be not accepted, that the road be legalised under section 101 of " The Public Works Act, 1908." Adopted. NEW ROAD ABANDONED. The engineer reported that Mr Phillips had notified Messrs Williams and Turner that he would not allow them to trespass over his land at Woodhill after the 30th November • instant. The engineer stated that the people who desired the road were doing nothing to help themselves, and he recommended that the project for a new road be abandoned entirely, and that the Minister of Public Works be advised that there is no chance of accepting the grant of £300 voted for the construction of this road, and that application be made for the grant to be diverted for some other purpose, as it was not advisable for grants to remain upon the Estimates when there is no prospect of them being spent. Resolved that the old road be cleaned up and the grant diverted as recommended. Cr. Dillon moved and the chairman seconded. SAND DRIFT. Cr. Aitkenhead pointed out the trouble caused by sand flowing into the Kaipara river from the valleys on the sand hills, and on his motion,-seconded by Cr. Oliphant, it was resolved that the Council petition the Government to declare that, the provisions of "The Sand Drift Act, 1908" shall apply to a special area as follows :—" All that portion of the county of Waitemata bounded taw&rds the south by the Motutara" Ddfhain, the Motutara road, and the Wafmauku West Coast Road to the Kaipara river ; towards the east generally by the Kaipara river and the Kaipara harbour; towards the north and west of the Tasman Sea to the ppint of commencement." SHELLY BEACH DOMAIN. On the motion of Cr. Aitkenhead, seconded by Cr. Oliphant, it was resolved that the portion of the Aotearoa block lying between the Shelly Beach Domain and the Kaipara harbour, now owned by Mr Jamos McLeod, be taken under the provisions of " Tha Public Works Act, 1908" for the purpose of a public road. METAL DEPOSITS In his report the engineer states :—Now that the Government has purchased the Hon. E. Mitchelson's Motutara property every effort should be made to secure to the public use for ever, the very extensive metal deposits that exists on the property. The deposit consists of blue basalt of excellent quality in practically unlimited supply. It is situated on the sea coast, just south of Motutara Domain. The stone is not easily got at, at present, but as time goes on there is no doubt that it will become very valuable. The country in which the stone lies is very rough and broken and of little value for agricultural purposes. I understand that the homestead has not been sold, and it is quite possible that this stonebearing area has been retained by Mr Mitchelson, still it would be advisable to get into touch with the Hon. Minister of Lands, and make applicacation for the whole of the stonebearing area, to be reserved from sale. : .