MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Putaruru Press, 18 October 1923, Page 4

MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL.

OCTOBER MEETIN G. I This month's meeting of the Matamata County Council was held in the county chambers, Tirau, on Friday. The members present were:—Crs. J. \V. Anderson, chairman (Tirau), J. Pohlen (Matamata), E. J. Darby TPutaruru), K. S. Cox (Tokoroa), W. H. Allen (Okoroire), C. A. Stopford (Tc Poi), H. Rollett (Peria), S. H. Judd (Maungatautari) and J. P. Iveeley (Karapiro). MAUN GATAUT ARI BRIDGE. The Audit Office advised _ that the council could grant Cr. Judd s request that the Maungatautari bridge special rating area be abolished and the charges on the bridge paid out of the general fund, provided, however, that these charges did not. exceed £IOO per annum and the Audit Office gave its consent. This consent would be forthcoming if desired. Cr. Judd reported that the amount was £O3 per annum, and as the council had previously resolved to pay for and maintain all bridges over a 30ft span out of the general fund this i resolution should at least apply to j-” 58 bridge from now onwards. lhc council agreed and decided to take action accordingly. CARTING OF POWER POLES. The council’s application to the electrical branch of the Public Works Department for a special grant for repairs to Maungatautari riding roads allegedly necessitated by cartage oi poles for the branch received an unfavourable reply, the officer m charge writing that as the poles were carted in dry weather and on a waggon with Bin tyres he could not see how this had done any damage. In any case no complaint had been made by the countv engineer at the time. At the i instance of Cr. Judd it was decided to ! point out that the damage was done i through the waggon having no brakes j and thus being “ shafted ” down the I hills. The shaft horses were shod with { heeled shoes and these heels thus scooped out the gravel badly- Tt was I decided to reply to this effect. ! ROAD METAL DUMPS. The council’s letter to the Minister for Railways, stressing the importance of the department providing suitable metal dumps Tor the council at the railway stations in its territory resulted in a promise from the Minister to give' the matter his careful consideration. The clerk reported that he had received telephone, advice that in rei spouse to the council’s request- the j permanent way inspector would visit the stations on the following Monday j to go into the matter with the conn- { ciHors. The chairman and the engin- | eev were deputed to accompany the j inspector on the trip and explain the ; council’s requirements, also bringing up the question of a direct outlet from the Millanuita station for the Peria, ! settlers and the question of filling in ’ the Princes street pond. Putaruru. COMPOSITE LICENSES. . j A report that a further conference had been held at Cambridge to finalise the matter of composite traffic licenses for the Cambridge district was made by Cr. Judd as the council’s representative in the matter. He said that subject to formal endorsement by the Tamahere Road Board, which had meanwhile indicated its support, the proposal would now be forwarded to the Minister for Internal Affairs for enforcement. • VALUATION WORK, i “ l have here a batch of 224 alterai Lions to the valuation roll,” said the clerk, “ while the Valuation Department- has forwarded a memo to the effect that a further lot will be sent along shortly. But it is now October and I cannot hold the rate notices up until so late, in the financial year awaiting current alterations.” He asked the council to support the movement to have a branch of the Valuation Department established at Hamilton with a view to overcoming this congestion. The council acceded to the request and decided to circularise other local bodies asking for their l support also. ; HINUERA-TE POI METALLING. Cr. Stopford completed financial arI rangements with the clerk to allow : the '"crushing of metal forthwith for | tlie continuation of the. Hinuera-Te j Poi metalling. THE BUCKRAM D ROAD. A letter from Mr. J. Barugh, pointing out the suitability of Vickers' pit for obtaining' metal for the Buckland road, was referred to Cr. Rollett r.n< the engineer. INTER-COUNTY MATTERS. At the request of Cr. Pohlen it war agreed that the engineers to the Matamata and Piako counties, together with tho local riding members, should meet on the ground to decide what should be done in regard to the Wairere bridge, on the boundary between the two counties, and in regard to permanently repairing the Ward-ville-Waharoa road. TIRAU WATER SUPPLY COSTS. The chairman reported that the Education Board chairman, Mr. E. C. Banks, had stated that the board would now pay this year s water rate for tlie Tirau school under the special circumstances but declined -liability for further years. Mr. Banks had suggested that the council follow tho Auckland practice of granting so many hundreds of gallons free per child per year, all over that amount to ho. paid for by the board. The amount allowed free in Auckland per child was 500 gallons, but at Tirau it could be. sav 300 gallons. However, added Cr. "Anderson, this method would not ensure the SA per year required from tire school towards the ' interest and sinking fund rate for the water supply scheme. The scheme had more than doubled the rates of the ordinary ratepayers in the special

area and it would bj unfair to require them to make up fir ■ £i also. However, Hm county hom es at Tirau, etc., were all connected with the scheme, but the whole cost was being borne by the special area. He though! this unfair, and at his suggestion it was resolved to pay the co d of pumping out of the general account. MAMAKU BUSH LOAD. Continuing tiro correspondence on tho question of improving the Mamuka bush road, the Auckland Automobile Association wrote that it was requesting the Government to renew the grant for this road on a lighter basis for the county, and it was asking' tire Tourist Department for its support in the matter. In regard to the council’s- suggestion that the association, itself contribute towards the work, its members felt that any contribution they could give would be too small to be of any use. At the instance of Cr. Allen it was agreed io cancel Murphy’s contract on this road, the work having never been started and the whereabouts of the contractor being now unknown. WAIT O A STREAM BRIDGES. Cr. Rollett reported that the Richmond Do.vns settlers wished the approaches to the Waitoa bridge on their road made more secure, while the bridge over the same stream on the station road required temporary repairs and should later be replaced by a concrete structure, for which a Government subsidy should be forthcoming-. The matter was referred to the engineer for his attention. CLEAN FRONTAGES. An application, by Mr. M. McKenzie, Karapiro riding, for permission to fence in and use for cultivation tlie side of the road along his frontage for about 20 chains was granted, Cr. Keeley reporting that this would clean up wliat was otherwise an eyesore, being overrun with noxious weeds. However, Mr. McKenzie would have to allow the poles for the power line '.o be carted on to the piece and erected there. The chairman commended a number of ratepayers at Turanga-o-moana for having likewise cleared and grassed their road frontages, while the engineer reported another such instance on the Tapapa-Putaruru road. Cr. Stopford said that on rural deliveries. the postal authorities were requiring the farmers to erect their boxes out against the' formed road. However, if an accident occurred through a vehicle colliding with one the council would be liable. It was resolved to point this out to the department. OKOROIRE RIDING. A request by Cr. Allen that repairs to the Okoroire-Waiomo road be put in hand meanwhile pending the extension of the metalling, as the road was iit present in a bad state, and that ihe contract let for sanding on the Tirau-Putaruru road be put in hand as soon as possible, was referred to the engineer, as was also a further request by Cr. Allen for proper drainage for the-portion of the road between the station gate and Cochran’s. TIRAU POUND COMPLETED. it being reported that the Tirau pound was now practically complete, it was formally declared by resolution a public pound. An account from the Matamata Town Board for £B7 as poundage charges was passed for payment after discussion, and it was agreed that in future the Tirau pound be used as much as possible in preference to the Matamata pound. CLARK’S SUBDIVISION. Concerning the application for dedication of the new road in the estate of the late Mr. W. R. Clark, the engineer submitted a special report to the effect that be had visited the road ami found it far from completion. In fact Mr. Clark, jun.. had expressed surprise at seeing him there, freely admitting that the work had yet to be completed. The clerk advised that he had forwarded a copy of the report, to the Deputy Public Trustee at Hamilton, the administrator of the estate. GENERAL. An application by Mr. H. W. Baldwin for permission to erect a telenhone line across the Waotu road, Putaruru, to his homestead, was granted. The Agricultural Department advised that as Mr. T. E. Rae had ceased slaughtering his slaughterhouse license would not he renewed. On application, formal permission was given the Cambridge Power Board to erect power lines in the portion of the county in the board’s district. A foimal notification was received from the Waikato Hospital Board that in addition to its expenditure as set out in its estimates it proposed to expend £6OOO this financial year on the erection of the Huntly and Matamata. collage hospitals and a nurses’ ' home and isolation ward at. Hamilton. The. Health Department advised that tlv> health inspector for tho district. Mv. Sargeant. of Rotorua, way s on three months’ sick leave ami ,ms duties would be performed meanwhile by Inspector Franklin, of Thames, o