MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Matamata Record, Volume VI, Issue 440, 28 May 1923, Page 3

MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL.

fc- , SPECIAL MEETING. In conjunction with the statutory annual meeting of the Matamata County Council on Wednesday, a special general meeting of the Council was held. The members present wpre: Crs. J. W. Anderson (Tirau riding, in the chair), J- Pohlen (Matamata), E- J- Darby (Putaruru), W. H. Allen (Tirau), K. S. Cox (Te Poi), H. Rollctt (Perm), S. IT. Judd (Maungatuatavi), and J. P. Keele.v (Karipiro). THE SPEED MOTORIST. '' The Council’s endorsement of the Stratford Borough Council’s protest against motor speed-records being undertaken over public roads led to a rep ly by the Minister for Pub he Works, the Hon. J. G. Coates, that he would take the Council’s representations in the matter into careful consideration. Mr. F. F. Ilockly, ft • wrote also promising his assistance in the matter of preventing the practice. FUND FOR THE BLIND. On behalf of the Sir Arthur Pearson Memorial Fund for the Blind, Mr. Clutha Mackenzie acknowledged -receipt of the Council’s donation of £42. THE KAIMAI ROAD.

«i shall certainly assist you in your verv modest request for grants for the Kaimui road,” wrote Mr. Clias. K Macmillan, M.P. for Tauranga, m reply to a communication from the Council, “and I trust if it should be necessary for me to endeavour to gc further' subsidies from the Public Works Department your Council will give me itS'backing. , Mr. H. E. Hughes complained ot the bad state, of this road at Te Poi, opposite Mr. Hopkins’ property. Cr. Pohlen said there was a broken culvert there. Repairs were authorised. HINUERA METALLING. . The final instalment of £ISOO on account of the Hinuera loading loan of £4500 was received from the State Advances Office. “THIRDS” FOR PUTARURU RIDING. “Thirds,” etc., f0r.£153 Jls 4d for the Putaruru riding* were received from the Crown Lands Office, Auckland. The matter was referred to the engineer to prepare the required proposals for the expenditure of the amount. WAOTU, ROADS EXTENSION. The Commissioner of Crown Lands advised in connection with the arrangements being made for the declaration of Armstrong’s roads, the WaOW as public voa!ds under the Native Lands Amendment Act, that prior to giving his consent Mr. Walter Barnett asked that the timber on the portion of road line through his property (in the Waolu bush) should be reserved to him. The, Commissioner added that he thought that this .reservation was onlv reasonable, and should bo effected by arrangement between the. Council and Mr. Barnett. The matter was referred to the riding mamber (Cr. Darby) and the engineer to report, in reply to the Commisci(//ier’s oYiginal question as to whether the roads were required for the settlement of the district. HOT SPRINGS ROAD.

The plan for the amended dedication of the roadway at Aitkcn’s corner, Hot Springs road, Matamata, was signed by the Council. TAUMANGI .SANDING.

Several tenders wpre received for the contract of sanding on the TirauPutaruru road, opposite Mr. J. Lake’s inn and thence along the road to the Taumangi station. They were referred to Cr. Allen and the engineer to accept the lowest tender, from a distant contractor, or in the event of his failing to take the woik to accept the next most favourable tender. karapiro Metalling scheme. Cr. Kceley reported that the Karapiro ratepayers at a public meeting had agreed to a scheme to metal the three and a-half miles of road towards the school, at £3500, and then by subsidy or further loan of £ISOO continue the metalling on hills to the school and Mr. P. Muirhead’s, in one direction, and to Mr. C. Brunskell’s in another. Mr. Lye, M.P., was at the public meeting and had promised to do his best to obtain a Government subsidy for the loan. It was agreed to take steps to get ratepayers’ authority by consent ,to raise the total of £sooo'as a special loan. • A STREET LIGHT.

The Matanuita Town Board advised that it agreed -with the Council’s suggestion that a street light should be provided at the corner of Smith .street and Station road, but some ratepayers of the Town Board area had objected to the present light m Station road being removed. Under the circumstances, the board would •provide a light at the corner on the Council agreeing to pay half the cost, especially as this locality be included in the Board’s area when the boundaries'"'wbre extended. * , Cr. Kollett said that the Conned was already paying half the cost of the present light, and if *thc town Board wished it to -pay for two lights in this vicinity, he disapproved, the matter was left in his hands. METAL AT TE POI. An agreement was submitted by Mr. P. Rushton, of Tatuanui, providing that the Council could take the road metal from the metal pit in tiro river at his property at 3d per cubic yard royalty, but it must first construct the promised groyne to divert the river and protect Simpson’s road. The agreement was approved in principle, it being stated that very good metal was available there. The completion of details was left to Ci. The engineer said the groyne could be constructed under the supervision of the foreman after urgent repairs to wash-outs in various parts of the county bad been completed. TOKOROA ROADS. In regard to complaint by Harrington Bros., Maraetai, that the reformteg of the Maraetai roads had not yet been done, it was stated that Jemeliminary survey work was now In Another Tokoroa resident submitted a price and conditions _ for the comprehensive job of keeping the lokovoa roads in good order. At Cr. Cox s suggestion he and the engineer were deputed to draw un specifications foi the position and call tenders for it. MARAETAI BLOCK VALUATION. The Valuation Department and Cr. , Cox advised that a revaluation of the properties of Mr. W. Scholium,

Maractai Farms, Ltd., and Messrs. Friedlander, Warren and Woods, all in Tokoroa riding, was being made, with a view to assessing the separate valuations of flic holdings of the various owners of this huge area. It was decided to inquire whether, in the event of .the total of flic whole valuation being reduced, the Council could appeal. MANGAITI DEVJATION. A suggestion by Cr. Cox that the Public Works Department be asked to transfer the construction of the Mangaiti deviation, between Tokoroa and Atiamuri, to the Council, together with the grant for llte work, waradopted, with a view to the Council expediting the work. OVERDUE RATES. It was decided to advise the ratepayers whose rates for the past financial year were still outstanding that if the amounts were not paid by June 15 next summonses for the recovery would be issued. Irrecoverable rates amounting to £Ol and covering the period from 1913 to 1919 were written olf. NEXT COUNCIL MEETING. It was resolved that the next meeting of the 1 Council be held on Juno 22;’ the chairman and engineer to have power to pay the May accounts early in June. MAUNGATAUTARI WORK. Permission was received from the Waipa County Council for the Matamata county to supply and spread GO cubic yards of sand on the lull, through the Crow’s Nest, Pukckura, Cambridge, for the benefit of Maungatautari settlers, the work to be done at 3s Gd per yard at the cost of the Waipa county PUTARURU RIDING Cr. Darby asked that the engineer accompany him in an inspection of the whole of ' the Putaruru riding roads as soon as practicable. Tbe engineer agreed. GENERAL. In the case, of. poverty in a deceased’s estate, an application by the Public Trustee for remission of half the rates on the property for last year was received. The riding member agreed to remit half the amount, which was still stated to be small. An application by a Cambridge carrier to be allowed time to pay bis license fee by instalments was granted, provided the first instalment of £5 was paid forthwith. An enquiry by Mr. R. M. Waite, of Matamata. as to whether ‘ bachs, etc., could be erected in the county in pinus insignis, led to thp clerk stating that the Council had no bylaw prohibiting the use of pinus informs for building in the county. The sum of £ll 12s Gd as royalty for the .four months ended April 30 was received from Ihe Maung'atautai i sawmillev. Mr. Frost. Ai the instance of Cr. Darby, the, erection of a street light on Over(l.,m road. Putaruru. was authorised. The District Railway Engineer, Auckland, advised in reply to the Council Ibat the metal dnmn at Putarnru station was still available on a vear-to-veav tenure, terminable on three months’ nolice.