MATAMATA COUNTY CCUNCIL.

Putaruru Press, Volume III, Issue 95, 20 August 1925, Page 7

MATAMATA COUNTY CCUNCIL.

4k THE AUGUST MEETING. The August meeting* of the Matamata County Council was held at Tirau on Friday. Present: Crs. J. W. Anderson (Tirau, chairman), J. P. ICeeley (Karapiro), S. H. Judd (Maungatautari), H. Rollett (Peria), C. A. Stopford (Te Poi), W. H. Allen (Okoroil's), K. S. Cox (Tokoroa), E. J. Darby (Putaruru) and J. Pohlen (Matamata). In attendance: The clerk (Mr. H. Lewis) and the engineer (Mr. M. E. Fitzgerald). HIGHWAYS. No. 2 District Main Highways Council chairman (Mr. B. Campbell) wrote asking for the names o± ar_y highways the counciil wanted to have permanently classified, and the class it was desired that they should be .in. The main highways in Matamata county were: Hamilto-n-Rotorua, Wai-toa-Taupo, Matamata-Tauranga. He wished to know if the council wanted to prohibit the use*i)f motor lorries -under any condition on any highway. “We don’t want to grade them ■too highly,” said Cr. Judd, “for if -we do we will get an excess of motor traffic on some roads.” ( The matter was left in the hands of the engineer to make the classifications. PROPOSED GRANTS. 1 Mr. C. E. Macmillan, M.P., informed the council of the following recommendations made for the approval of 4he Minister of Public Works:— Buckland road, £1 for £2 (£200). Mala inatu to Gordon, £1 for £1 ;<£2000). Waharoa to Turanga-o-moana, £1 for £2 J (£324). i Waitoa stream bridges would be provided for out of maintenance grant, and so would not appear on the estimates. He trusted that the information would be of value to the council.—Received with thanks. MEMORIAL. Acknowledgments of the council’s -views in regard to a memorial to the late Mr. Massey were received from Messrs. C. E. Macmillan and F. F. Hocklv, M.’s P.

The council’s view was that a memorial should be erected, and paid for out of the Consolidated Fund. The attitude of the Government w r as that the money should be secured voluntarily, and not from the Consolidated Fund, nor from the local bodies’ funds, nor would such donations he validated.

Crs. Rollett and Judd held that the money would not be secured without a personal canvass. Other councillors agreed, and it was decided to inform the Minister of Finance accordingly. Councillors did not consider it a fair thing that members should have to canvass their ridings. WAIRERE BRIDGE. The Piako County Council, replying to a letter, stated that its engineer had been instructd to make a careful examination of the Wairere bridge, to place a danger notice if necessary, and to provide the promised estimates at an early date.—Received. COUNTIES’ CONFERENCE. Mr. S. H. Andrew, secretary to the conference held at Hamilton -on July 16, wrote asking the council to endorse the decisions of that conference, and to forward such endorsement to the Minister concerned and to the M.P. for the district.

The chairman said he attended the meeting. He was not opposed to a change in tire hospital levy basis, but had pointed out that resolutions on the matter had been carried at conferences year after year. We had to Careful of altering* the levy to a population basis, as it -would mean broadening the franchise, giving everyone the right to vote in tffe counties, and not ratepayers only. In that event the centres of population would outvote considerably larger areas of country. It was seldom that country people required assistance, but there were a large number of people in the cities who had charitable aid rations. The wasters, too, gravitated to the cities, and did not stop in the country. The proposal that the rating should be half on capital value and half on population basis was never likely to be supported throughout the Dominion, and he had opposed that. The two-thirds valuation and one-third population basis was more practicable. The various resolutions of the conference were discussed.

Regarding travelling expenses, members thought there should be uniformity, cn a reasonable basis of mileage. It was agreed to fall in line with the conference resolutions. PUTARURU DOMAIN. Mr. J. R. O. Lochhead, secretary of the Putaruru Domain Board, wrote in reply to a memo from the council, and stated in reference to the Lichfield road crossing, the board’s understanding* was that the Railway Department had undertaken to keep the approach in order. The scrub at the crossing end was cleared when the D-main was cleared by contract. The board had asked the Department to clear off a small rise in the Domain, which was the real cause of the crossing being* obstructed. So far, the Department had not agreed. There was a convenient gully in the Domain to put he spoil into.—Received. WITH EMPHASIS. Mr. 11. E. Pacey (Palmerston North) wrote at some length in regard to that part of Scherer’s road between the top of Scherer’s hill and the farm owned by Miller and Pacey. The council had agreed to repair the road some -months ago, but as yet nothing had been done. Parts of the road were in desperately bad condition during* the wet weather. The repairs on the other side of Scherer’s hill had been done by Mr. Scherer and trem selves, as agreed upon, and 1 “ emphasised the need for the promised repairs on the other side of the hill."

The clerk was instructed to reply that the council had carried out its part of the agreement, had spent the money promised on the road, and could not see its way clear to do anything* more at present. TAUMANGI. Mr. W. Campbell drew the council’s attention to the state of the road at the entrance of his front gate. Since the road been crowned and metalled the water lay knee-deep in the tables. Mr. Campbell also enclosed a sketch of a culvert referred to at the previous meeting.—Reply that it was Mr. Campbell’s duty to provide the required culvert. PERIA DRAINAGE. The engineer reported having made satisfactory arrangements in i-egard to the flood water clearance at Mr. G. Johnston’s frontage. WHAKAMARU ROAD. Regarding WLakamaru road, New Zealand Perpetua. Forests, Ltd., wrote stating that it wa. a public highway, and ran through the block now beingplanted in pine forests. It was, in the course of planting, necessary to form the road, a considerable portion of which had already been done. The cost was about £1 a chain, but there would be no bridges before the summer, and this would incrase the cost substantially. They asked that the council reconsider its decision not to assist in tire formation of the road. They wished to be authorised to complete the formation throughout, and to be credited at the rate of £BO per mile plus the actual cost of the bridges; that repayment be made to them by a yearly payment of one sixth of the amount of rates payable for the block through which the road ran. Thus, if rates remained at £l2O per annum, they would receive £2O per annum. The company did not intend to ask for any maintenance. They held that the road was a proper object for a Govermnnt grant, and they asked that the council make application. for such grant. Cr. Judd pointed out that the rates could not be refunded, but the council could pay so mucifi a year for maintenance. Cr. Cox gave a description of the road and the bridges required, and the probable cost of upkeep. Cr. Pohlen proposed that £2O a year be paid, conditional upon the road besatisfactorily maintained.—Carried. TIRAU REQUEST. Messrs. F. Rose, R. F. Rutledge, R. Peverel, N. G. Van Veen and Rush Bros, wrote regarding* the state of the Tapapa road. “ This road, to our knowledge,” the letter went on, “ has had nothing done to it for about ten years, and as \ve are called upon to pay rates we should at least have a road that is fit to travel on. We do not ask for a concrete road, hut we do maintain that the road should be graded.” The engineer said the road was bad,, but the petitioners need not have exaggerated by saying that nothing* had been spent on the road for ten years. Two miles of metalling had been done on the road last year.—Left to engineer and riding member. TOKOROA REQUEST.

Mr. Wm. Carruthers, secretary of the Tokoroa Progress League, wrote stating that he had been directed to draw the council’s attention to the

“ shocking condition ” of the road from Putaruru to Lichfield. There was heavy motor traffic, with tourists,

and as Tokoroa district was becoming thickly populated, the settlers would like the road attended to. It was reported that the road had been repaired since the date of the letter, which had come in at about the time of the previous meeting. Cr. Cox commented that the road as a whole could not be put in order until loan money was available. TIMBER LORRIES. Cr. Darby said he had gone to Waotu to find out what was being done in regard to the lorries, and the weight of timber carried. Ire had interviewed the parties concerned, who had guaranteed not to carry more than two ions per load. His ambition was to prevent over two tons beingcarried over unmetalled roads. (Hear, hear). Cr. Darby said he had been able to get 30 miles of grading done in his riding* during the past year; it was a rgeater amount than had ever been done before, but he greatly regretted that the heavy cartage had undone all this work. A man who had sarted two tons of cheese had to pay a license, and yet another party had carted thousands of tons of material and paid nothing. Cr. Judd moved that in cases where the traffic regulations were contravened the party or parties be sued forthwith.— Carried, GENERAL. Cr. Darby suggested that the engineer include in a scheme of improvements the putting in order of the road past the Putaruru hotel. The water from the back of the hotel ran across the road and formed a channel. A culvert was required. A 16ft rhyolite formation would make a good road.—Agreed to. Cr. Cox asked that the Tokoroa road be graded again.—Agreed to. Cr. Darby requested that a surfacceman be employed for his riding.— Agreed to. Cr. Cox asked for repairs to the Paranui road, for which a grant had been available.—Agreed to. Cr. Stopford asked for repairs to be continued on the Selwyn road, half of which was done; the ratepayers mostly concerned would pay their rates, amounting to £6O, as toon as the notices were out, so long as the work would be done.—Agreed to. Cr. Stopford requested that Riston’s road, about half a mile from Waiomo bridge, be repaired. It was only a matter of two days’ work.— Agreed to. Cr. Darby pointed out ohat. the road near the Pairere bridge was dangerous at one place, and needed attention.—Referred to the engineer.

GENERAL RATE. General rates for the year were decided upon as follows: Matamata, Id; Peria, lid; Tirau, lid; Te Poi, lid; Okoroire, lid; Putaruru, lid; Tokoroa, Id; Karapiro,*-, l id; MaungaTJAitari, lid. Cr. Judd advocated the allowance of 5 per cent for prompt payment of rates. General discussion ensued, members being at variance in regard to the benefit. Cr. Judd pointed out .that, without discount, a ratepayer would be foolish to take his money out of the bank. Finally, Cr. Pohlen moved that 21 per cent be allowed for payment up to December 1. Cr. Judd seconded. Cr. Allen moved that the amount be 5 per cent.

Cr. Stopford seconded. The amendment (5 per cent) was carried. The general rate includes the hospital levy, which amounts to approximately one-fifth of a penny over the whole county.