MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1532, 6 April 1916, Page 3

MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Manawatu County Council was held on Tuesday. Present: Sir James Wilson (chairman) and Messrs Hammond, Phillips, Penney, Barber, Gray and Hunt, Two ratepayers wrote reporting fires on their properties caused by sparks from the engine. One reported the destruction of 40 posts, a length of plantation, and grass. The other put the damage on his property at £7s. Another fire was reported which also did great damage. In reference to this latter, the Clerk said the driver and guard had left the train to fight the fire, and had had the greatest difficulty in getting it under control. About 80 acres of grass and 100 posts had been destroyed, and the fire had reachsd the blocks of a dwelling house before being subdued.

The Chairman said it was a great pity that plantations were destroyed. Everything possible would be done to prevent fires. It would be a good plan tor the property owners to plough a strip along the plantations to bfeak the fires.

treasurer's report

General account, dr., ,£Bl3 os xxd; Loan account, cr., £766 8s 4d. Riding accounts available for expenditure to March 31 : Mount Stewart ,£36 9s 7d, Waitohi ,£l3B is 3d. Over-expended : Sandou £143 18s 4d, Rongotea ,£l6 18s 2d. Carnarvon 15s 4d, Kawa Kawa £252 3s sd, Awahon 15s 4d. engineer’s report.

Awahou. Riding. —The usual road maintenance work has been effected on the roads in this riding during the past mouth in the shape of filling in ruts on the Kari Kari and Elkins Motuiti roads. Metal has also been carted and weak places patched up along the Foxton-Shanuon road. The question of obtaining metal for the Foxton-Shanuon road is becoming a serious matter. We have now called tenders lor supplying metal three times, and I think it may be Worth while considering the question of delivering the metal into Foxton by tram providing we can get a reduction of Government tolls on road metal. At present the freight and tolls on a yard of metal is about 4s 6d, and although our metal will cost more, it will stand the heavy traffic better and last much longer than the Shannon metal. General. — The men are now engaged redecking the Whirokino bridge over the Manawatu river, which is in a dangerous state. The following is my estimate for contracts : No. 218, Foxtou-Sham non road, 300 yards of metal, 12s per yard ; No, 219, building two tram sheds (labour only), ,£6 each. TRAMWAY MANAGER’S REPORT. The traffic was good, and a credit balance -of £46 *S S tn3.dc* The chief items of trsffic were: Grain 15 0'J4 tons, merchandise 255 tons, sheep 143» ti m^er 25,100 feet, chaff, flax, etc., 42 trucks. Fares amounted to £y 16s icd. The special trams run in connection with the Bulls races were not well patronised, and the Racing Club will have to be called upon to pay £6 2s gd to make up the guarantee. Goods.—Ratepayers and users of the tram are complaining about the serious blockage of goods at Foxton in transit from Wellington, and I have been requested to bring the matter up before the Council.