HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUCIL

Levin Daily Chronicle, 10 November 1917, Page 3

HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUCIL

The last monthly meeting of the Horowhenua County Council before tlie the elections was held at the County Office Levin to-day.

Present—Cns. G. A. Monk (chairman), H. Freeman, G. P. Cat'ey, F. W. Venn, G. N. Stephenson, S. A. Broad-belt, A. Murray, J. Kebbell, and F. J. Ryder. Accounts amounting to £1200 (general account) and £94 16s (loan account) were passed for payment. CORRESPONDENCE. (Mr W. J. Draper asked whether tlie council eouSd increase tJhe price for lampF.gliting at Te Horo as the cairbide bought last month cost £7 2is (id. The letter was referred to the Councillors for the Riding. Mr G. A. Griffiths, Kohat'u, Ofaaki Railway, wrote asking for an approach from 'lis property to the Pahiko overhead bridlge approach, which would soon be finished, and would bo abou): fivo feet high. The request was referred to the Councillors for the riding. Messrs iMiddlflion and Smith surveyors, wrote re the Heights road, stating they could not say what the cost of eertili.viing that tlhe pegs are -al'l intact woiihl bo owing to the fact thai'; they were in ignorance as to their condition at the present itilme. The only way was for them to charge for tlhis work by tlie day, the daily rate for tlie surveyor and assistant being £4 10s. Tlie roa.d through 'Horowhenua XI B 41 G (through J. Ryder's and others) would be subject to the same requisition if it was not sent in for examination soon. They regretted this extra unnecessary cost but it was a. matter between the Survey [Department and tlie Council. Instructions to be given for surveyors to supply information. The Arapeti Co., Shannon, by Mr V. Croon, wrote enclosing specifications for contract let to them by the Council for the construction oip a. road connection to their property. Also asking that something be done to the 1 2ft Manguone Road which was in a very bad condition. It could be attended to for £15 or £20 beside the cost of three or four culverts which were badly needed.

The chairman remarked that evidently when a request was agreed to, it was taken as an invitation 'to ask for more. A sum of £100 wias authorised to be .spent, in the locality and the council stretched a point, not thajb the work was nojti altogether necessary. Now came thCs further request.

Cr. Stephenson: It is only a roadman's job, but we have no roadman.

The mnl-ter was left to the Engineer "ALMOST IN THE BACK BLOCKS."

Mr 11. M. Lang, Shannon, wrote: "T have repeatedly drawn your attention for three years to the shameful rfate of this end of the Kaihinau road, giving access to my property. lam beigjining to conclude that the policy the Horowhonna Council is to tci':allv ignore the demands—no matter how urgent— of the ratepayers. lam three miles from tlie Makerua station and I might as well be in the back-block 3 . People cannot come in and when I venture out with my family, the state of the road compels me to drive a draught horse. Shortage of metal is no excuse a s there is tons of it right on the roadside (rock), no need to take tbc drays off tihie roadl, and on a. spot tharbadly needs widening, as no one except those with exceptionally strong nerves can dirive round it. In its present condition it is a constant danger to man and beast. I looik to you to give me some relief right away.

The chairman said the Engineer assured him that what work was necessary would' be done now the cruslher was in the Takomaru riding. The Engineer considered the road was not so bad as stated.

The matter was left to the new Conn cil to deal with.

Mr W. S. Park forw a rded a cheque for £143 T6s 9d (proportion of judgement for rates on section 78 iNgrara. West in tlhe case Council V. Parana, plus refund of Court costs £9 Qs 6d, less 3s 9d exchange.

■Mr M. S. Hyde, Shannon, wrote asking that something be done to the road from his son's gate down the bill as it was in a most dangerous The water courso* wianied cleaning out and the culverts making bigger.

Cr Stephenson said the request was justified as something was needed. The Engineer said, the work would be attended to ! now.

W. S. J. Mullins asked for repairs to the upper end! of Victoria road as for over ten years there had not been one shovelful of metal put on; consequently it was nearly impossible for a vehicle ito get within a hundired yards of his galte during four months -oif the year.

The Engineer said the road was next on the scliediule for attention.

The N.Z. Society of Civil Engineers wrote advising that the annual meeting would ho held n Wellington on February 1918.

The Engineer was granted leave to attend the conference his expenss being granted.

Mr C. J. Spiers, chairman of a public meeting at Te 'Horo, forwarded a resolution asking that a footlipath bo <mwle from the Daory Co.'s store to a little beyond Mr Draper's shop; also that the Telegraph Department he asked to remove one or two telegraph poles removed in the same locality so as to i'*traghten the roadl as there was a dangerous bend there. The filling in of tthe road was also asked for.

The letter was referred to the Councillors for the Riding.

The Minister for Internal Tffairs has informed the Horowhen ua County: Council that in a recent case the Full Court held' thai'; Clause I of the General Motor Regulations was ultra vires, the manner in wlhich indenti. fication marks shall be attached to motors being a. matter that musl'i he. decided by the Governor-in-Council and thol'j cannot be delegated i<) registering authority. A new Order j inCouncil had therefore been drafted and was forwarded to tho Council for consideration. It provided tlh ;1 t every registering authority should assign to each motor a sepanaib number, such number to he affixed both in the front and back of the car in a clearly distinguishable position, and in the front and hack of each motor cycle. The chairman said the difficulty was to catch the fiaist driver, whose number plate was often obscured by dust, riie ):? J • !

clerk pointed out that the new regulation meant that there would be uniformity in the numbering of motor vehicles the style of which would be laid down by tho Governor-'in-Couneil. Tho County Engineer, Mr J. Malcolm, reported as /follows: — Wirokino- Riding. Nothing is dping in the riding but maintenance and it is getting very dfficult to do as tho continuous Tain and the motor cars are tearing tlie roads f:o pieces, 1 went over the Foxton road about a week ago and must confess it is in a bad state, but I can suggest no way of getting metal until the drays come back from Tokomaru and this will be at least a month. Tokomaru R-idiin.g.—lf the weathci keeps good il hope to be able to report to the next mooting thatall the worst roads have been metalled. Te Horo Riding.—Th'c metalling of the roads was finished for the present on the 7th; a very fa r quantity of metal was crushed and delivered, during the month considering Che weither, 1440 yards lie believed. I was at Te Horo on. the 7tli when it was raining and I must say the roller was doing splendidly.

Otaki Rid:ing.—'Nothing is doing in the riding, but the usual maintenance. 1 regrdt very much that I could not leave the crusher for a week before igoing to Tokomaru, but the Oteiki roads will have to wait a.s they - are not nearly so bad as they are in Tokomai'U. Some of the South Manakau settlers /together with the directors of the riheoso factory want' a water supply from the Mamaikau Stream a,nd the Engineer proposed! a small water suppi 3' district to enable the water rights to bo conserved for all time.