FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 351, 8 February 1918, Page 4

FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL.

Monthly Meeting

At the meeting of the Franklin County Council held yesterday then 'were present Crs W. C. Motion (chairman), T. W. Woods, W. H. Thomas, R. T. Reid, T. J. Lockwood, C. A. Hille, H. Wilcox, J. A. Short, together with the County Clerk (Mr Alan P. Day) and the Engineer (Mr J. F. McArthur). MILITARY ABSENTEES A return of military deserters was forwarded by the Recruiting Board, Wellington, containing the names of balloted men who had failed to report and whose whereabouts had not been ascertained by the police and asking for assistance in tracing their whereabouts —Received

DRT/RY-TTJAKAU ROAD With regard to the application by the Council to have the vote of £2OO (£1 for £2) appearing on the appropriations for Tuakau railway station to Whangarata-Pokeno road transferred on a £1 for £1 basis for expenditure on the '' Half Chain road" from Drury-Tuakau towards Razorback the Minister of Public Works wrote agreeing to the same and stating that the transfer would be make as soon as the Council's plans and specifications for the improvements had been approved by the District Engineer.—The letter was received and instructions given for the necessary plans to be prepared. PABRATA ROADS The Assistant Engineer of the Public Works, referring to an arrangement made with the Karaka Road Board for the Department to spend £3O on the road through Section 60, at Faerata, enquired in view of the Road Board merging what work the Council desired should be covered by the money.— Referred to the Engineer.

MAUNGATAWHIRI ROAD BOARD The audited balance sheet of the Maungatawhiri Road Board, now merged, for the period from the Ist April to the 13th December last was submitted showing a balance on the General Account of £9B 0s 7d which had been paid over to the County Council. Outstanding rates amounting to £3 15s lOd were shown as an asset and liabilities nil.—Received.

HUNUA FLOOD DAMAGE The Premier, the Rt Hon W. F. Massey, MP., replying to an application made for a further flood damage grant in connection with Hunua Riding roads said he would confer with4he Minister of Public Works on the subject. The Minister of Public Works also wrote that a report was being obtained on the matter.

\ beatxy's road The District Engineer (Mr G. T. Murray) Public Works Department, Auckland, replying to the Council's request for gravel or metal to be placed "at the approaches to the Waiuku branch overhead bridge at Beatty's road stated that he had given instructions to have such work done for such length as had been altered or affected by any work carried out by the Department in connection with railway works.—Received.

FREIGHTS ON METAL The Eairanga County Council (Palmerston North) forwarded a resolution and asked the Council to support the same. The terms of the resolution were " That on account of the bad state of the roads throughput New Zealand and the ever increasing traffic the Government should be asked to reduce railway freights on cement, tar, and bitumen to Local Bodies for road making to the same rate as coal" The making of roads, it was claimed, was a national benefit and would in time mean a great reduction in applications for subsidies or grants. , On the motion of Cr Lockwood it was resolved that the letter should be received and no action taken until after the war.

DOMINION ROAD, PAPAKURA The Clerk (Mr H. Wilson) of the Papakura Town Bpard wrote enquiring as to the amount of the grant expended on Dominion road. He stated that his Board was not in favour of a large expenditure being made on that road and suggested temporary repairs to that portion known as Red Hill. The matter was left to the Engineer to attend to.

ARROWSVIXLE ROAD The District Engineer forwarded a certificate for £290 19s 7d* being half the cost of work carried out on Arrowsville road, Aka Aka, by the Council —Received. COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS A request was made by Mr G. W Allsop for repairs to be effected to the bridge on the road to Manuk&u Heads near Wattle Gully farm. —Cr Short reported fhat repairs were being effected and the Clerk was instructed to reply accordingly. Attention was drawn by Mr If. Ash worth, of Kohe Kohe, to the bad state of the Kohe Kohe to To Ton central road from Kohe Kohe to its junction with the Waiuku-Pollok road. He said that the road was nothing more than a "track," as four culverts were blocked up and that there were only a few places where vehicles could pass each other. The road, it was stated, carried at least three quarters of the traffic to and from the wharf and yet V> had not been spent on repairs on it during the pa9t ten years. He added that a meeting of ratepayers had agreed to a deviation and several had promised to assist the Council, including the writer who offered to give a week's work with a team of horses.— Referred to the Works Committee.

Mr B. Peguoro, of Mercer, complained of tho road adjoining his property between Sections 11 and 1 7 in the Koheroa Parish being impassable. He asked that improvements should be made to the formed road to enable him to have access to his house. The Mercer Town

Board's and tho Council's boundury, he said, dividod the property and the former agreed to contribute half the cost of completing the road,—Referred to the Hiding member and Engineer to deal with, Mr E. R. # Drake, of Glenbrook, complained 'that the drain put through his property at Mauku, which was six or seven feet deep, was a danger to his cattle.—Referred to the Riding member and Engineer. Mr M. 11. Keat, of Maungatawhiri Valley, asked the Council to repair the portion of the road between Lyon's bridge and his gate. With regard to improving the approach at the southern end of the Karaka bridge near Beach road Mr Thomas Clements wrote that Mr White, the owner of the land t would be prepared to treat liberally with the Council.—On the motion of the Chairman it was resolved that the Committee who proposed visiting Papakura on Monday next should view the site at the same time and report. Mr P. 6. Chalmers, of Mauku, complained that sometime ago a drain was put through the land leased by Mr Robt. Quinn and since taken over by him, situated in Waiuku East Parish. He understood that a promise had been made bv the Council to pipe or fence the drain which had never been done. Two of his horses accidentally got into the drain and were removed with difficulty and one, after four days lingering, had died. He claimed the sum of £2o as compensation for the loss of the horse as he alleged its death was caused by the neglect of the Council to provide a proper fence to the drain.—The consideration of the letter was adjourned until the next meeting, the Engineer being asked to report on the matter in the meantime.

Mr E. Allan, of Buckland, asked the Council to metal or scoria Hamilton's road and pointed out that since the road had been graded there was much heavy traffic on it and the road would be cut to bits in wet weather unless some improvement was effected.—Cr Woods expressed the opinion that probably the fillings on the road would be metalled but the metalling of the whole road was out of the question —lt was decided that the Biding member and Engineer should do what metalling they could, Mr F. Piggott, of Moumoukai, in a letter to Or Lockwood, asked that the Council should order the road on the opposite side to his property to be fenced and the existing gate removed. He pointed out that it was not safe for his boy to go to school under the present arrangements owing to cattle being on the road and asked for the fencing to be insisted on.—On the motion of Cr Lockwood the Clerk was asked to ascertain whether the road 1 in question was a legal road and to communicate with him (Cr Lockwood) on the subject. Mr J. Cochrane, of Pollok, complained that he had not ytt received his title for the exchange of land agreed upon with the Pollok Road Board prior to it merging in the County —The Clerk was instructed to take whatever steps he considered necessary. Mr Duncan Pinlayson, of Papatoetoe. applied for permission to erect telephone poles on the road leading from the big bridge at the Karaka to his property.—Permission was granted, subject to certain conditions being complied with. Mr C. H. Kelly, of Pollok Settlement, wrote offering the sum of £lO for two small cottages standing on the old wharf at Pollock.—The matter was referred to the Riding member with powerto act. An offer of £4 a year was made by Mr S, Graham, Pokeno Valley, for the leasing of the reserve near his property for a term of three years.—Cr Woods believed the section would be of great use to the Council for grazing their horses and this view, he siid, had been sharei by the late Riding member. —On the motion of Cr Hille it was resolved that the Clerk should ascertain what the existing arrangement made with Mr Graham was and negotiations could then be entered into with the applicant.—Or Hille was authorised to ascertain the Council's position in the event of the section being considered to be an advantage to be retained for grazing purposes. Miss M. A. Johnson, of Papakura, complained that there was no drain on her side of the Hunua road to carry off the water which flooded her land and she asked the Council for a drain to be put in.—The Engineer was requested to report on the matter.

Messrs F. G Gailand and seven other ratepayers wrote asking for repairs to be effected to Herrold's road, Waiuku.—The Engineer having reported that work was being now carried out in the vicinity by the Council's labour the Clerk was directed to reply that the work would be carried out shortly. mckenzie's road, maxoatawhiri

VALLEY A petition signed by Mr K. H. Mclvenzie and ten others was presented urging the completion of the formation of MeKenzie's road. It was pointed out that, quite two thirds of tho children attending the local school used the road and that, it was unpayable in winter. The rent was also used hy all tradespeople and the mail cart daily. Attention was further drawn to the

fact that the road gave the greater part of Mangatawhiri Valley access to the prop' sod Pokeno-Paeroa railway lino, ami it was stah tl tliat the .settlors wonlil no prepare'! to undertake tho woik by tender at half cost. Cr Hille, sneaking in support of the petition, regarded the work as nocossary As the settlers showed a disposition to help he considered that the request should l>o acceded to.'

The Chairman expressed the opinion that where settlers were prepared to work as suggested the Council should do their best to assist them in their efforts. On his motion it was resolved that the matter should be referred to the Riding member and Engineer with power to act after tenders had been received,

SEASIDE APPROACH WANTED Tho Secretary (Mr 11. Melvillo Crispe) of the Mauku Branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union, in a letter to the Council, requested that an endeavour should be made to secure a public road to and a reserve at the White Cliffs a popular watering place on the Mauku salt water creek. He pointed out that the site was patronised by a number of picknickers from the district and suggested that a short road from the main Waiau road to the water with a small reserve was all that was all that was needed. Mr Crispe mentioned that if the Council acquired the reserve it would prove a valuable asset to the district. On the motion of Cr Reid the matter was deferred for consideration until the next meeting pending an election of a member for the Mauku riding. A GLENBROOK PETITION A petition, signed by Mr J. R. McElwain and twenty other ratepayers of Glenbrook, was presented calling attention to the bad state of the road from Drury road to the water front of the Waiuku stream. It was stated that the road was only of clay formation and in the winter time was quite impassable. The petitioners asked that the road slould be repaired. It was resolved on the motion of the Chairman that the Riding member and Engineer should be empowered to carry out such work as they thought necessary. KARAKA ROAD BOARD The resolution as passed at the pre vious meeting merging the Karaka Road District was confirmed.