WAITAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 13 October 1880, Page 2

WAITAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

I The monthly meeting of the County Council was. held to-day, when, there were present—Mr, Dj. Sutherland the Hon. R. Campbell, Messrs, Falconer, johnston v Murcott, W, Sutherland, Thon^son,'and Todd, . minutes of tl\e. la&t meting were and consrme.d Vj and; th,e outwardcor-: respbndjjtfice was read and approved, ' The Secretary to' the" Treasury,;wrote intimating that the following amounts had been plaped to the credit of the County $t the Bank <--£}o per cent, of land fund on receipts u.p to July 31, 1880,;L187 16s 6d 5 fees, ; fines>. and goldfields revenue, L 9. " . '...'/ I :TheruColQnial ; Under-Secretaryiiwrote stating'thatta,voucherhad beenpap^d;for. L 673 9s 7d, the amount du,e to the Oopntcil on account of deferred payment land sold

in block 3, Kurow district, under section 59 of the Land Act. A letter was read from the assistant Under-Secretary for Public Works, drawing the attention of the Council to the provisions of the Public Works Act, 1880, with reference to the closing, exchange, or sale of roads, adding that the alterations would greatly simplify the mode of proceedure. The Under-Secretary for Public Works wrote acknowledging the receipt of correspondence with reference to the railway protective works at Maheno, and stating that the letters had been referred-to the Engineer in. charge of the Middle Island for report. The Clerk mentioned that work was still being gone on with, but he could not say whether the Engineer had yet inspected the work. A letter was read from the Clerk to the Geraldine County Council in reply to a letter from the Waitaki Council with reference to a.bridge over the Ohau, and enclosing the following resolution : " That the letter from the Waitaki County Council re Ohau Bridge be referred to the Mount Cook Road Board, with a request that they will permit their Engineer to report on the probable cost of a traffic bridge." As soon as a reply is received from the Mount Cook Road Board, the matter will be considered by the Geraldine Council, and the Waitaki Council will be communicated with as to the result. Mr. H. -W. Robinson, Warden at Naseby, wrote drawing attention to the fact that the Srack down the Otekaike River from the Pass is in a dangerous condition in several places, where land slips have occurred, adding that if the matter were not soon attended to, the road would become impassable. He stated that two men, having a knowledge of the track, and who understood the work, could put it in order. in a few days.—lt was decided that the sum of Lls should be placed at Mr. Robinson's disDOsal for the repair of the track. Mr. Martin, the Clerk, was appointed I valuator for the outlying districts. A letter was read from Messrs. Robert- - son and Kelly, asking the Council to appoint some one at an early date to show the writers the exact boundary of the road line at the west end of their quarry area at Weston. —lt was resolved i to take no action in the matter, it being pointed out that the Council could not undertake to give the boundaries of private properties. The Clerk to the Waitaki Road Board wrote calling, attention to the dangerous state of the road-line known as Lower Papakaio Road, parallel to and adjoining the Duntroon railway line in blocks 2 and 4, Papakaio District, and mentioning that there were several large holes in the road, which in places was overgrown with g orse ._H W as decided that the Inspector should attend to the matter. Tenders were opened for the removal and re-erection of a bridge over the Otematata River. The tender of Mr. John Berringer (L 129 10s) was accepted. It was decided to alter the day of meeting to the fourth Wednesday in the month. The report of the Inspector of Works was read, and in it were'the following remarks : I have examined the road at Moeraki Harbor. The present road terminates within four chains of the jetty, and, as the proclamation reads, " the road branching' off from the Main North Road to where it touches the Moeraki Jetty," I think there can be no doubt as to its being a county road. Should the railway authorities be willing to give the gravel from the abandoned railway line the cost, of gravelling would not exceed L 6, the distance being only four chains; I have inquired' into the complaint re water overflowing at Ngapara, It is chiefly cavsed by an inlet or diversion of the creek about 20 chains above the township, which overflows when, the ereek rises. No provision has, been made for carrying off the surplus water. The proprietor of the land informs me that the Road Board gave permission to construct the inlet. The only remedy is either to shut it up, or that the proprietor make provision for carrying off the water. I have examined the material of the old bridge at Livingstone, and measured the site for the new one, which is 5S feet wide. The old bridge would be available so far, and with the addition of two beams, and two piles with three casks oi cement, a servicable bridge could be ereoted at a cost of about L3S. JJ; would be a great convenience, and should it be decided to erect it, I would suggest tnat it bo done by day labor. I observe that the Government are surveying a block of land about three miles '■ above the Upper Waitaki Bridge, and would 1 beg to bring under your notice the advisablei ness of having the main road left two chains , wide from the bridge westwards to give better facility for driving stock, and that i gravel* and camping reserves, be left in as convenient places as possible ; also, that the . position and grade, of road-lines be sub- ' mitted to the Council for approval, seeing that the of construction falls on them. The several matters were attended to as follow :—Re Moeraki road, the work ■ to be performed ;. r©. the supply of metal '•■ for the main, south road, tenders to be cabled fox j. re overflow of water at Nga- . para, the matter was referred to the Engineer; re the Livingstone bridge, the , work to be done as suggested ; re Government sur-yey of land at Upper Waitaki, the Chairman and Engineer to attend to the matter. Mr. Johnston stated that his attention had been called to the road at Awamoko, in reference to which a petition had been presented at the last meeting. It appeared to him that the railway department had abandoned the line, and he thought the Board, might prooeed with the construction of the road. The. Engineer was directed to prepare plans and call for tenders for the formation of so muoh of the line as could be made 4 and to see Mr. Ussher with reference to the grades, Messrs. Hedley and Garrow waited upon the Oounoil as a deputation from the Kakanui Road Board. Mr. Hedley said they were appointed by the Board to wait upon the Council to ask it to re-consider its decision in regard to the Kakanui bridge. This bridge formed the collecting link between two ma.in district roads—one leading from K_akanui to, Qajnaru and the other from to Maheno. It was a work of great importance and magnitude, and he thought its maintenance should fall upon the County Council, which had more funds than the Road Boards. The Road Board, in anticipation that the Council would take over the bridge j had only levied a tax of 4d instead of Is as heretofore. He urged that, under the 85th section of the Public Works Act, the oontrol of the bridge rested with th.©* Council—with the right of collecting the whole cost of its repairs or from the two Road Boards concerned. The fact was,! the Boards/ cou,ld j do no more to it, and, if the bridge was left in a dangerous state the County Council would be the party responsible for- damage in the event of any accident occurring. The.* Council had in a manner assumed the functions of the Provincial 'Government, and upon it ; devolved works o,f such magnitude, while to ! the Road Boards fell the...smaller and more superncjul works. H the County Councils opulft nq,tattend; to important works of this kindj there wasno necessity for them, as the Road Boards could do all: the small worker He: maintained,-that the bridge fairly belonged to the Oounoil, as it was the connecting link between two county roads:- ;n:r;; •'•'■ j - -The Chairman intimated that theOounoil would take the matter into eonsideration'and send an answer!***the Board* The deputation than.ked. the Council and withdrew!, ■•'<>■■'■'•'■i•••■■■ • •'-"' ' • thought theylmight, without nxuch discussion, come to a con- | elusion upon,tb,e matter. He pointed put '^aMf^Mtitounoir s i£ would have no means of levying a rate '

upon the districts interested. As it »«* the Council under the Act could perform the work and receive the amount from u. Road Boards. * tha Mr. Todd said he sympathised with ths remarks of Mr. Hedley. It had alwavs been his policy that the Council should take over the larger works in the Countv and leave the Road Boards to attend t the by-roads. He felt that if the Council could not take over these heavy works it was not equal to its functions. He would therefore move that the Council should reconsider its decision and take over the bridge. Mr. Thompson seconded the motion and pointed out that the whole of the through road, with the exception of about 500 yards, including the heaviest work (the bridge), was under the control of tho County, while the Road Boards, up oa which devolved the maintenance of tho bridge, have not a road within some dig. tance. The Hon. Mr. Campbell remarked that it had been laid down as a principle that the County should only take over themain through roads which were formerly under the Provincial Government. Mr. Johnston said there was one objectionable feature in the Kakanui Ro a j Board coming to the Council and asking it to take over the work, and that was that the Board while storing up the ratepayers' money at interest, aaked the Council to still further tax the ratepayers. Mr. Duncan opposed tho motion, saying that if the work was taken over it would upset the system of expending the money in the ridings in which it waa raised. He also pointed out that the Otepopo Road Board was not apparently in such a bad condition as was made out for he noticed that it was going to plaoa money at interest in the bank. Mr. Murcott opposed the motion, and said that if the bridge had to be rebuilt lie would be in favor of the county giving some assistance towards the work. Mr. Falconer said the Board naturally looked upon the bridge as a Council work as it was the connecting link betwoen. County Boards, and urged that the Council was the better able to do the work. The question was then put and lost. Messrs. Falconer, Todd, and Thomson voted for the motion, and the Chairman, the Hon. Mr. Campbell, Messrs. Duncan, Johnston, Murcott, and W. Sutherland against it. On Mr. Todd's motion, it was decided that the Engineer should report upon th& condition of the bridge. Tenders were ordered to be invited for several works. Accounts to the amount of LBC9 13s were passed for payment, and the Council rose.