FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 6, Issue 316, 5 October 1917, Page 2

FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monthly Meeting At the monthly meeting of the Franklin County Council, held yes-, terday, there were present Crs J. Flanagan (Chairman), T. J. Lockwood, W. C. Motion, R. Lyons, H. Wilcox, T. W. Woods, J. A. Renall, and J. Henry, withtheClerk Alan P. Day) and the County Engineer (tar J. F. McAunur;. 1 LOOH DAMAGE In reply to the Council's request for a Government grant to repair flood damage caused in the Drury and Hunua Ridings the Rt. Hon. W. F. Massoy, in a letter to the Council, stated that if a detailed statement of the damage caused by the floods was submitted to the District Engineer at Auckland the latter would forward it to the Minister of Public Works for consideration. He pointed out that it was not usual to provide grants for flood damage on the estimates but the expenditure when approved by the Minister of Public Works was defrayed out of the General Flood Damage Vote on the £1 for £1 piinciple. GKAXTS FOR III'.NUA K'JAUS In reply to the Council's application for a free grant for roads requiring to be formed in the Hunua Riding, the Minister of Public Works wrote that it was impossible to entertain the request The fund at his disposal had first to be applied in providing funds for the unexpended authorities issued last year and since the Ist of April. He was providing funds for one half-of the unauthorified items for each county on last year's estimates and there would be a very small balance for new works. He added that the greatest difficulty would bo to find the labour to expend such money as was available. The Clerk and Engineer were authorised to prepare the necessary estimates and forward same to the District Engineer, Auckland. ROAD UOABD SriISIIUES The Valuer-General wrote that he had forwarded to the Treasury a voucher for the payment of £IOOO •Is Ud due to the Council for the year 1916-17 as subsidies on Road Board rates made up as follows : Karaka £l2l Is 9d, Maungatawhiri £23 2s lOd, Opaheke £169 6s 3d, Pokeno£lß6 Us Id, outlying district £boo.

The Clerk explained that more subsidies were received m respect of Road Boards by reason of the fact that the valuations now were higher J...*E> AM> liriCA EALI.S ROAD The Treasury forwarded cheque l,r £2OO being contribution towards compensation for the cost of taking land for the Jones and Uunua Falls road, now legalised MOCMOCKAI SPECIAL LOAN The Government Advances office notified that £SOO had been remitted in respect of the Moumoukai Special Baling Area Loan of £ISOO. HOSPITAL ISOARP REPRESENT ATIOX The Acting-Secretary of the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board forwarded au extract from the Gazette containing particulars of amended representation on the H >spital and OhaiitaViH Aid Boards, the combined districtof Franklin County, Pukekohe Borough and Waiuku brine now given a member instead of oharingirepiesentatiou with Ma:iuhau County, Panakuraaud Ouhuhu, who are also now to have a member. - Receiver?. INSIHANVK 01 I OUNI II- KMl'I- 'YKK« In a circular lette/ the _ N.Z. Counties Abs-<iuiio:i with a view to minimising the cost of insuring workers against accidents suggested that the Council and other local bodies should establish n mutual Acrid -nt and Insurance Association. Particulars of 'be premiums paid and clainii made by the Council were übked for to assist in fu:uiula:i: g the proposal. Tlw I hanciau th aght the idea i good one and the Clerk was authorised to supply particulars duair..J. LOAN AIUfSTMEXT Mr.l F iWine, town clerk, Pukekohe Horough Council, wrote wi h reference to the adjustment of the loan of £K,:iOU between the Borou<: i and the County tha" as the result < f the meeting of representatives of tt « respective* Councils on Monday t) 8 21th September last the Borough Council weto of npiuioc that i.llocatbn between the two bodi« s should be made on the basis of rateable value of properties at the date<>f the al'eration of boundaries n<mi a ly 31st March, 1916. He pointed out that all other adjustments lud been made on that basis. The County V share of loan on valuation of £61.110 ISs 3d l-'ss accumulated fund £67 2s .id made a total of £ll6O as the County liability. After consideration of the letter from ihe Town Clerk it was resolved that the Chairman, Cr Woods and the Clerk bo deputed to arrange the uiattor.

STEWART AN'l) DOMAIN l!°Al'< Cr Woods asked that some scoria should lie supplied to Stewart and Domain mads and this request was acceded to. MAXOATAXGI sEITLEMEXT Cr Lvor.s drew attention to the desirabilifv «>f the course of the river hod at Mangatangi being reserved for gravel purposes for about !■'> aires ami that eight acres should i.e reserved us a ijuany and a stock paddi'i k. iv* such would prove a great boon to settlers travelling through the i auraki Plains. It was agreed that representation should lie made t" tlie Government accordingly. II \|;lM-\ II I K l:l"i KI.AXP lioAl" ,',- \\'i:,,,x m.-nf ■iii-d '1": »'" though tenders bad been calleil some time "ago for work »\\ tho UarrisvilleH„, i 1.„,| r .ail 'in tenders had h*eii ~.<• iv.-.|. Cr Wii<..\ said he was oiidfavoiiini;: i" U'-' w-ineone to do i 1... U ' rk .mi Ii" h»H ho would be P.ucosstul. . nMI'I SIMS W!' KKwt'K.-TS Me>srs K. Strickett and E. Pook, Uarrisville, wrote reminding the Council that owners on the road

leading to their property had not been notified by the Council to cut back their hedges in accordance with the resolution of the Council and they asked that they should be notified and the road formation proceeded with as arranged.—f!r Wilcox asked that when the Council were doing work on the Harrisville road that the hedges should be cut back and it was agreed to notify the owners so that the work could be proceeded with.

Messrs Maurice Coughlan and Son, Puni, wrote offering to sell to the Council their quarry which they state! was easily accessible and contained good stone.— lt was resolved to reply that the offer should be considered.

Mr D. C Kay, Pollock, requested that the road to the water sheds past his house should be surveyed as he desired to fence it instead of having a gate on it as now.—The Engineer to inspect and report. A request was made by Mr H. H. Civil, of Hunua, for repairs to be effected to the bridge approaching his property. If the Council would supply '{ feet concrete pipes, he would do the work. —On the . motion of Cr Lockwood it was resolved to do the work on the understanding that the metal would be provided by Mr Civil free of royalty. Mr W. H. Dean, Mercer, wrote offering the sum of £2 10s for the flax growing on the Franklin side of the Maramarua stream — On the motion of Cr Lyons it was resolved to reply that Mr Dean could have the flax on the usual royaltv basis. 1

A complaint was made by Mr W. Douglas, jnr., of Brooklands, Waiuku, of the unsatisfactory state of the road near his property. He pointed out that there was a vehicle at present lying on the side of the road with a broken axle and he expressed surprise that there were not more, considering the state of the road —Keferred to the Engineer and Hiding member. In a letter to the Council a request was made by Mr Joseph Foster, of Mauku, for the Council to deepen the drain which ran through his property as the old drain was too shallow. He stated that it was the first time he had approached the Council and he thought his request was reasonable one.—The Clerk was directed to reply that the Engineer would do what he considered necessary.

Mr Thos D. Reid, writing from Glenbroik, enquired the price of crushing about 24 yards of spawls. which he proposed purchasing and he asked whether the consent of the Council was required to stack them on the roadside.—lt was resolved to reply that provided the Council's crushing plant was working in the district the Council would assist in the direction indicated. lIARRIsVILLE-TCAKATJ LOAN Cr Wilcox reported that he had written to the Minister of Public Works, through Mr R. F Bollard, M.P., asking that a subsidy should be granted towards the work on the Harrisville-Tuakau road. Unless such subsidy was received he was afraid the proposed loan would drop. A PAPARATA PETITION A petition from Mr A. L McArthur and eleven other ratepayers of Paparata Valley was presented asking that the flooding difficulty under which they were suffering should be remedied. They suggested that owing to the drain constructed having been overtaxed another drain should be formed on the north side of the road starting from Thomas'jborner as far as Shaw's property. This, it was urged, would enable the surface water to be carried off the adjoining properties. The Chairman intimated that he, with Cr Lock wood, proposed visiting die district at an early date and the mattei was accordingly referred to them for attention.

I'AI'AKI'HA SALEYARDS ROAD A lptter was forwarded by the Papakura Town Board from the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co. asking that the road to the new sale yards at Papakura should be constructed at an early date. The Chairman mentioned that 15 chains of metal would cost about £2OO and that the County's share would be £IOO. The sum of £25 had already been promised towards the road provided it was dedicated. As there were several questions which had not yet been settled regarding boundary and other roads the matter was left in the hands of the Chairman, Engineer and the Clerk to deal with. ' COMIXG EVENTS < AST SHADOWS" Mr Wm. Douglas, Kohe Kohe, enquired as to the cost of three culverts put in about three years ago bv the Council on land owned by Mr Earl Westhead adjoining the road to TeToro wharf. Cr Renall explained that if the writer made application to him direct he would be able to give all the information required. He regarded the letter as -'an election dodge."

JERK 110 ROAD, FI'KEKOJIK EAST A petition was presented by six ratepayers stating that the Jericho road between the bridge and the top of the hill was in a very bad state. They applied for 200 yards of metal to be spread. Cr Wilcox expressed the opinion that the mad was a good clay road and that the application could not be entertained as the metal was required for tlie main roads. I'ROI'OSKD KXOHAXGB 01' LAJYD Mr H. E. K. L. Wily, of Mauku, attended the Council and submitted a plan of a proposed exchange of certain of his land in place of an unformed road from the end of a road running from the Anglican Church hridge to his (Mr Wily's) property. The Engineer was instructed to vi-.it the locality and to report. i IIIT.I II BOAD, MAUKU Mr Wily drew attention to the bad state of the Church road, Mauku, and Rsked that several gaps should l>o tilled up and metalled. He pointed out that the Public Works 1 tepartment were proposing to close one poition of the road and to open up a new road. He understood that

scoria would be placed on the road but it was possible some arrangement could be arrived at with the Department for metal to be laid instead. Mr Wily further explained that the diversion was being made to avoid the site of the station. In reply 1o the Chairman Mr Wily said the new piece of road was about 10 or 11 chains. Cr Henry agreed that as there was likely to be a good deal of traffic on the road it would be advisable to have it metalled, especially that portion immediately adjacent to the station. On the motion of Cr Henry it was resolved that the engineer should inspect and report on the estimated cost of the proposed work. I'ATUMAUOK STATION APPROACH. Cr Henry drew attention to the need for metal being provided for the road to the Patumahoe Railway Station and urged that representations should be made to the Public Works Department for blue metal to be placed on the road insteau o' scoria. This was agreed to. MATJKU TO PA KINGTON ROAD. Cr Henry drew attention to the state of the road leading from Mauku to Pakington, from the Waiuku corner, which had never been formed. It was part of the old tramway line and the ratepayers asked that something should b9 done. Referred to the Engineer. BUOKLANT) ROADS. Cr Wilcox reported that he had made arrangements for a contractor with teams to reform Harrisville, Morgan, Brown and Jamieson Roads, Buckland, and Ewing Road Whangarata, so that those roads could be put in crder before the metal was placed on them. The Engineer said that he would arrange for a grader to be used in connection with such work. This arrangement was considered satisfactory and was regarded as showing that Cr Wilcox was doing his best to provide good roads.