MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1607, 7 September 1916, Page 2

MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING.

Tho monthly mooting of the Manawatu County Counoil was held on Tuesday. Present: Crs Sir Jas. G. Wilson (ohairman), B. Gray,' W. J. Phillip*. W. S. Penny, W. E. Barber, M. Hammond, and H. H. Hunt. CO H RESPONDENCE,

Government Railways, forwarded copy of agreement vesting an acre at Rangiotu in the Council for road

purposes. Mr W. 11. Field, M.P., wrote saying he would endeavour to persuade the Railway Department to permit metal to he delivered at Rangiotu siding. Mr J. W. Peers, Rangiotu, drew attention to the state of the road at

Rangiotu. Mr John Chrystall, Foxton, asked for improvements to the Kari Kari road leading to the Moutoa Estate.

Mr A. P. Easton sent a similar complaint. Mr J. lanklater, Foxton, complained of the bad state of Foxton Beach road.

Mr R. Walden, Marotiri, lessee of a road reserve on river bank, wrote asking his position in regard to the lease.

.Messrs .). F. Reay, K. Kennedy, and other ratepayers wrote objecting to .Mr Walden having the lease, as it was the only approach to the livin' in dry weather, qnd Mr Walden would not permit the ratepayers to approach the river with stock. BUSINESS DONE. The Chairman reported that a clause had been put in the Appropriation Act making it legal for local bodies to pay legal expenses incurred in connection with the Fox-lon-Sandon Tram Commission. The Chairman stated the Soldiers’ Settlement Board had purchased a farm from Mr Fairfield Thomson, at Waitohi. There was a road line through the property, which was covered with gorse and unfeneed. It had no formation. Now the Government asked the Council to put a road through. He had an estimate made and found the road would cost £2,40(1. The Council had no money for the purpose, and be suggested that the Government. should meet the cost out of a, sum which they had for the purpose.

Mr E. Newman, M.P., attended the meeting, and offered to represent ihe Council in anv wav desir-

It was also reported that the Purchase Board had purchased two other properties in the Manawatu County. The Council decided to determine the lease to Mr Walden referred to in his letter. TRAMWAY MANAGER’S REPORT. Owing to the month’s account including payment for relaying and concrete bridge, a debit of £79 3s lid is shown. The following are the chief items of traffic; Minerals HIM tons, merchandise 150 : f tons, metal 570 cubic yards, timber 30,800 feel ; fares amounted to £3 15s. ENGINEER’S REPORT. Kawa Kawa and Awahou Ridings.—The old wooden culvert, on the Palmerston-Eoxton road just, above the Rangiotu station collapsed during the recent Hood. Temporary repairs have been effected for the present, but it will be necessary to rebuild in concrete as soon as. possible, as most of the timber in the culvert is very much decayed. Awahou Riding. —The surfaceman in this riding has been employed during the past month repairing weak places and breaking stones on the Eoxton-Shaunon road, and also trimming up No. (i and No. 2 line. The Hood in the Manawatu river broke through the stop-bank in several places along the Foxton-Ghan-non road, but very little damage was done beyond scouring off a little road metal. There are signs along the bank where settlers have placed a few. shovels full of silt and sand hags in places to keep the river in hounds when threatening to break through the stop bank. This is a weak indication of keeping a river like the Manawatu in bounds. I have made up an estimate for trimming and metalling 70 chains of the Kari Kari road, and also three other roads which are very much used and not metalled. The total amount required for these roads is approximately £2,475, made up as follows; Kari Kari road, 70 chains at £8 10s, £505; No. 0 Line, 80 chains at £0 18s, £700; Elkin’s Motuiti road, 80 chains at £B, £040; River Bank road, 80 chains at £O, £4BO, There is also Ihe road leading to Mr “Whitlow's which is not metalled and is in a very bad and should be included with the above roads. General. —We commenced stone crushing about the 10th ult., and turned out approximately 000 yards of fine crushed metal up to the end of the month. We are now running out the metal required for top dressing the road from the Foxton racecourse up to Motuiti, and when we have completed the orders along this line it would be advisable to put out the metal required for Pal-merston-Foxton road and ofhep roads to Bainesse,