FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 381, 7 June 1918, Page 3

FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monthly Meeting. At the monthly meeting of the Franklin County Council held at the Council Offices, Pukekohe, this (lay there were present Crs W. C. Motion (Chairman), W. H. Thomas, T. J. Lockwood, J. S. Montgomerie, J. A. Short, C. A. Hille, T. TV. Woods, H. Wilcox and R. T. Reid, with the County Clerk (Mr Alan P. Day) and the Engineer (Mr J. F. McArthuf). .MAIN ItOAB MAINTENANCE The support of the Council was asked by the Ohinemuri County Council to the following resolution, passed at a recent meeting: ' That this Council is of opinion that the time has arrived when the Government should take over the whole of the main arterial roads in the North Island and make and maintain the same out of consolidated revenue." Cr Lockwood in moving that the Council should support the resolutien mentioned that worse roads prevailed in the Auckland district than anywhere. He wps of opinion that the main arterial roads should be contributed to out of consolidated revenue although he was not satisfied with the Government taking over the roads. Cr Hille seconded. Cr Montgomerie thought that the Victorian road system as proposed for adoption by the Good Roads Association was a better one than that advocated by the Ohinemuri Council. The Council decided to support the resolution as desired. COUNTY ELECTION PROCEDURE The Wanganui County Council forwarded the following resolutions for the Council's support: (1) That with a view to obtaining a more suitable date for County elections and securing uniformity in time for the election of all Local Bodies that - the Government be requested to make an alteration in the date fixed for holding County elections to that of Municipal Councils and (2) that no ratepayer be elegihle to vote at a County election unless he has first paid his rates. No action was taken. PAPAKUIiA IOW'.V lIOUNDA HIE* Notification was received from the Minister of Internal Affairs that the proposed alteration of the boundaries of the Papakura Town District had been officially published in the N.Z Gazette of the lfith May last and also in the "Pukokohe Times." liRUItY STATION APPROACH As the result of a letter sent by Mr W. R. Walker, «>f Kunciman. to the Premier regarding the provision of a G6ft road to the new central station between Drury and Runciman the Railway District Engineer wrote that Mr Walker and other settlers had consulted him on the subject and he now asked what assistance the Council was prepared to give towards the provision of such a road. He pointed out that Mr Walker, in his letter, stated that the road was only wanted for 15 chains from the Great South Road but that the Postal Department had proposed that the road should be made from the Great South Road through to the road leading from the present Drury railway station, a distance of 25 chains. He asked for the Council's views on the matter. The Chairman stated that as intimated to the deputation when the delegates from Rama Rama and 1 )rury waited on the Council, they (the Council) wero not able to give assistance towards the formation of the road but when formed the Council would take it over. The Clerk was directed to reply to the District Engineer accordingly. HOSPITAL HOARD LEVY Advice was received from the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board that tha sum payable by the Council to the Board for the current year would be £2509 5s Id, namely at the rate of one sixth of a penny in the £ on the County's rateable value. The Chairman thought that it was desirable that a statement of accounts showing the expenditure of the Board should be supplied and he proposed that the Clerk should write for this and should point out that the Onehunga Borough Council had been supplied with a statement and that the Council in view of their heavy contribution to the Board should bo similarly considered. The Chairman's suggestion was adopted. POLICE PROSECUTIONS Following on the resolution of the Council pissed at the last meeting j asking that the prosecution against j f irnit'rs in the County for the alleged breach of by-laws relating to the keeping of pigs should be withdrawn I tin- Superintendent of Police (Auckland) write that he could not accede to 'lie request. lie stated that the Police only administered the law as thev found it and that the action was necessary m the interests of public health Tie added that if the Council considered that sections of J the by-law* should not. be enforced j the pi oner course would be for the | Council 'ii rescind them.

A r<''[ un-t that the Police should give warning iri all cases before taking '" - tior> against offenders for <■'•T-.tr iv» ntinn of the by-laws was i•: :i'1»» by 'hf ('rganisi'ig Sonretaty (Mr S. (il'Mield of the Frank I in I Sub-I'lovimial Aid i .of the Farmers' 1" 11 i i • 11 On t!ip it otii n of Or Reid it was jv-oln i! that each Councillor should V»- Mi'.p i*>d with a copy of the hylav/s so that they should ho consiili h"I for amendment at the next meeting l ut members concurred in tli" o|iiniori that warnings should lie Kiv.-n • '-fore jiroswiitiufis were :i;-lilllr' d 1' was al-o agreed to t.< 'i' \ tl '• ] oI:f e that amendments of tic by-laws were and the Chairman mentioned that Sergeant f'ovrnti, the [lolire officer permanently if. charge of the I'nkokoho district, had now returned to duty and it was

unlikely that he would take any action unless the same was justified. KAKAKA SCHOOL A letter was received from Mr J. F. Shaw, the Chairman of the Karaka School Committee, asking if the Karaka Road Board office could be rented or purchased for the purpose of providing temporary additional school accommodation, the present school building being overcrowded.—Referred to Cr Montgomerie and the Engineer with power to act. COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS. Complaint was made by Mr T. R. Haslip, Karaka, that the Council when forming a portion of RuncimanWaiau Roads near Glasson's Bridge had made no provision for the water to escape to its natural course and the result was it overflowed on to his land. He asked that an improvement should be effected. Referred to Cr Montgomerie and the Engineer. Mr A. H. Tapper, Clerk to the Tuakau Town Board, wrote asking as his Board had recently improved the footpaths on Harrisville Road as far as the Board's boundary that the Council should continue the work as far as the Harrisville School —Cr Wilcox reported that the work had been put in hand and would have been executed before but for scarcity of labour.

Mr J. M. Norrie, Uplands, Pokeno, wrote asking the Council to effect an improvement to what he described as the disgraceful state of the Great South Road opposite his house. — Cr Wilcox reported that he had as yet received no revenue from the old Maungatawhiri Road District but as soon as money was available the road would be attended to.

Mr Donald McPherson, Pokeno Valley, wrote asking for permission to use 10 yards of crushed metal lying near his land which he would spread on the road free. The same writer also stated that Mr T. Gordon had not removed the fence across the roai as requested by him and he asked the Council to aot in the matter.—Cr Hille reported that the gate was on a road that did not lead to Mr McPherson's house and he thought the request for its removal was unreasonable. The matter was simply a " fall-out" between the parties —On Cr Hille's motion, the application for the grant of metal was acceded to but no action was taken relative to the gate. A request was made by Mr J. E. Lepk, Paparata, for a cart track to be made along the roadway between his land at Paparata and that of Mr P. Wyatt as Ararimu farmers, owing to the uneven state of the road, were obliged to trespass on his laud. He asked for a road to be made passable for sledges or carts.— Cr Thomas reported that he had visited the locality and was of opinion that if the road was cleared of blackberries access would be provided. On his motion it was resolved that the Clerk should reply that the Council recognised no responsibility in the matter but that the respective owners should clear their frontages of weeds

A petition from Messrs A. E. Wright, P. G. Chalmers, R J. S. Dooley and S. Rowe, ratepayers at Mauku, was presented requesting that the road between Mr Wymer's sections, 87 and 88 Waiuku East parish should be opened for traffic The special reason advanced that the road should be opened was that it would save distance in the cartage of cream.—Referred to Riding member and Engineer to take whatever action was necessary. Complaint was made by Mr E. Rudd, of Mercer, of the bad state of the Bluff Road leading to his property. He asked that some repairs should be effected before the winter. —The Engineer reported that the repairs to the road were being carried out.

Mr R. McElwain, Pukekohe East, asked the Council to clear the culvert facing his property as it was blocked, causing the surface water to run on to his property and thereby damaging his land.—Referred to the Engineer. OTHER BUSINESS, The Council were still sitting when we went to press. A report of the later proceedings will appear in our next issue.