FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 2, Issue 109, 11 July 1913, Page 3

FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL.

The July Meeting. Tba July meeting of th 3 Franklin Ounly Council was held at the county office, Pukekohe, on Thursday, 10th inat. Present—Meßsr3 W. C. Motion (Waipipi), chairman, ors R. Higgineon (Waiuku), J. A. Renall (Awhitu), J. Flanagan (Drury), J. Henry (Karaka), H. Wilcox and Dynes Fulton (Pukekohe), R. Lyons (Mercer), U. (Hunua). The lls_ session at 11.30, and there was a~great mass of business to be tackled. MERGED ROAD BOARDS* The clerk reported that the account* of Mauku and Huoua had not jet come to hand. The documents had been received'from the Waipipi Koad Beard, but he had rot yet had time to check them over. Some discussion ensued, but it was shown that the late clerks had bsen unable to have their books audited. Cr Henry suggested that the Mauku books might be deposited in the county office until the auditnr was ready, so that the currfnt account! could fc-e reviewed. —It was decided that this be ssked for, and that the late cierks of (ha various merged Boards be atsked to have their audited accounts in by next meeting.

THE HUNUa LOAN. On June 19th the Council applied to the Public Works Department for a progress payment of onc-quaiter the money voted by Parliament for the read works in Bunua and adjacent districts. It was pointed out that the Council bad taken a poll of ratepayers and they had authorised a loan of £ISOO to subsidise the Government votes. Id reply tha Public Trust Office wrote saying that that office could net entertain a loan cf £ISOO as it had no funds available for investment. The Public Works Department replied saying that it was not possible (o deal with the application in its present form. The letter added: "The usual procedure with regard to road grants is as follows: As soon as the Public Works Estimates are submitted to Parliament offers are made to the local bodies ot the available balances on votes for works which it is intended to entrust to them for expenditure. Plans and specifications for carrying out such works are then prepared by the local bodies and submitted to the Department's engineer,. Provided these aie satisfactory, formal monetary authority is then issued and the local todi:s make claims for progress payments as the work proceeds. If your application means that the Council desires the Government to pay to the Ccuncil's credit 25 per cent, of the money proposed to be voted by Parliament next session for road works in the district mentioned, I regret that it ranrol be complied with. With reference to your intimation that a proposal to raie'e a loan of £ISOO for road works has been carried, and asking that a vou:her should be forwarded for the same, I have to state that your request in this matter is not understood. Any matters in regard to the raising of loans by local bodies through the Government are dealt with by the State Guaranteed Advances Board, with whom you should communicate." Cr Campbell said it was of course impossible to get the money until the formalities had been complied with.

A ROADLESS SETTLER. G. Rhodes, of Ellereli* and Hunua, wrote: "After eome years of weary correspondence with the Government Roads Department, as also the Minister for Lands, I am like a boat laid upon a rock high and dry, having no road that I csn get a trap of the most fragile Btamp within near half a mile of my boundary and empty at that. I saw by the paper that your Council haj placed £IOO for Rhodes' road in your allotment of works, Gentlemen, I shall be glad to feu the route laid off by your Council or the Public Works Depaitment in order that I may, duiing the next three months, foim a track to enable me to cart out produce and cart in manure, which I have neea unable to do for the pest 40 years." •'Forty years!" exclaimed the Councillors. The letter was received. Cr Campbell remarked that Mr Rhodes was a member of tne sub-committee who promoted the loan, and there was as allocation of £IOO for the road. Mr Rhodes was labouring under a very severe handicap, and was no doubt entitled to a road. kauri ;;lump road. The Assistant Under-Secretary of the Public Works Department stated that, the grant for the Kauri liump rozd had been made to and applied for by the Wairoa Road Board ar.d had been expended. It would seem that this Council had no claim to the expenditure of this grant. "It's spent, anyhow," briefly commented Cr Camphell. "And on the wrong road," said C'r Henry. WAIAU PA TELEPHONE. In answer to a communication from the Postal Department the county clerk wrote:—"Your letter opens up an aspect of the question that was rot understood by the Council. When the Council agreed to beeomo responsible for the i'ti this Council understood the connection was to he mace with Pukekohe via Patumakoe; now your letter implies the conrectiun to be made via Waiuku and Kuakahua to Waiau Pa. I am instructed to inform you that the Council's otter docs r.ct hold good for this latter route, as it is against the wishes of the people interested and a very much more circuitous route and the number of connections would seriously hamper its usefulness. We shall be glad to hear from you that the connection is to be made with Pukekohe via Patumahoe, in which case the Council will he pleased to contribute the amount of £6 asked for." The foregoing letter .had been writttn ipon Cr Henry's advice. No reply had so far beeu received. [The Council sat ail day ard a considerable amount of further business was transacted. The report will be completed in Tuesday's issue.]