FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 409, 13 September 1918, Page 2

FRANKLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monthly Meeting

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Franklin County Council was held at Pukekohe yesterday (Thursday). Present: Crs W. Claud Motion (chairman), R. T. Reid, J. A. Short, T. W. Woods, J. 3. Montgomerie, H. Wilcox, W. H. Thomas, T J. Lockwood, J. Keith, with the Clerk (Mr Alan P. Pay) and the Engineer (Mr J. F. McArthur). NEW MEMBER The Chairman welcomed Cr Keith, the newly elected member for the Mercer Riding, and Cr Keith suitably replied. pratt's hill deviation

The District Engineer of the Public Works Department, Auckland, forwarded a formal certificate for payment of £733 9s lOd for half share of the work costing £1466 19s 9d carried out in respect of Pratt's Hill deviation.

The Clerk explained that when funds were available they only had to present the certificate to receive payment.

ROAD SIGX POSTS The New Zealand Farmers' Union submitted a copy of a resolution urging various County Councils to erect finger posts at junctions of main roads and of by-roads with main roads for the guidance of the travelling public. The Clerk reported that he had replied that sign posts had already been erected by the Council in all parts of the County. f ATUMAHOE's SOIIOOL APPROACH The Patumahoe Bchool Committee requested the Council to take in hand at the earliest opportunity the forming of the footpath in front of the school. The Engineer said that the work had been authorised and as soon .as the weather had taken up it would be attended to. The Clerk was instructed to reply to that effect. A POKKNO MATTER

A letter was received from Mr Thos Poland, of Pokeno, asking if the Council had granted permission to anyone to erect a bone mill on the Post Office reserve at Pokeno and in the same connection Mr W. F. Billings applied for consent to erect a dry bone mill. Providing the applicant could obtain a permit from the Health Inspector the Council decided not to object and the Clerk was directed to suggest to Mr Poland that he should lodge his objection with the Health Department.

AN HI7NUA LOAN The State Advances office forwarded debentures for execution re the Hunua loan of £ISOO The Clerk was authorised to make application for the money. smeed's road, tttakau

A petition signed by Mr Thos. J Smeed and five other ratepayers requested the Council to take steps to raise a loan for the purpose of forming, grading and metalling Smeed's road, Tuakau, and to endeavour to obtain a £ for £ subsidy thereon. They agreed to pay the interest and sinking fund on the loan. The Clerk pointed out that the petitioners represented six out of eight settlers on the road and the valuation of the properties was approximately £13,000. He had told one of the petitioners, however, that there was little chance of obtaining a £ for £ subsidy. It was arranged that the Council would do their best to secure a subsidy and the Clerk was instructed to ascertain from the petitioners whether they would wish the work being undertaken in the event of no subsidy being obtained. COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS

A firm of solicitors wrote stating that Mr M. Tobin was suffering serious damage in consequence of water running on to his property at Paparata from off the road.—Cr Thomas said the drain was there before Mr Tobin took the section up.—Cr Lockwood contended that the Council was in no way liable.—lt was decided to reply to the effect that as the drain had been in existence for some years the Council accepted no responsibility. Mr J. C. H. Bond, of Pokeno Valley, wrote complaining of the Council's employees at the quarry camping and grazing horses on his property—The matter was left in the hands of the Engineer and Cr Keith to deal with.

MrW. J. Harper, Grey Street, Pukekohe, wrote stating that he had no objection to the Council turning the storm water off the road fronting his property down one of his drains. —Left in the hands of Cr Montgomerie and the Engineer. Mr W. Finlay, of Mauku, asked in regard to the Waiau-Karaka special loan of £27,000, if there was an opportunity for him to apply to have his property, Section 16, Waiau, excluded from the rating area as it was adequately served by two other public roads.—The CI rk replied that only part of the property was included in the rating area and it was now too late to object. Mr H. C. Claik, mail contractor, Maramarua, drew the Council's attention to the state of the Mangata-whiri-Maramarua road at Mr Friedlander's homestead.—Referred to Cr Keith and the Engineer to attend t<».

The Mauku branch of the Farmers' Union asked the Council to have certain work done to the entrance to the Mauku cemetery to enable hearses and vehicles to enter the grounds with some degree of safety and ease.—Cr Montgomerie moved that the Engineer be instructed to have the necessary work carried out

and this was agreed to. Messrs Heald Bros, Eunua, wrote stating that they had it on good

authority that the owners of 'ho Falls' property intended to fence the track which gave them access to their (Messrs Heald's) property and as there was no other means of access they appealed to the Council to take action to have any obstacle removed.—Cr LockwooJ said com-1 plications had arisen since the Council first took action, the road being now under the Land Transfer Act.— It was resolved to obtain legal advice

on the matter. Mr J Kelsall, Kama Rama, asked the Council to attend to the road near his place. He also drew attends to the fact that metal drays had*BU up a once passable portion of the road—Left to the Eugineer and Or Thomas

Mr R. A. White, Hunua, wrote

asking if the Council would allow him to close a short by-road between his and Mr G. L. S. White's properties. The neighbours, he said, were all agreeable and the road was never used.—The matter was left in the hands of Cr. Lockwood and the Engineer to deal with. The Buckland branch of the Farmers' Union wrote urging the necessity of the Council metalling the Hamilton Road during the summer months They pointed out that the road was their most direct route to Pukekohe. In its present state it was useless during the winter. -Cr Woods explained that the work was already authorised and would be proceeded as far as funds would permit.

Mi 8 A. Davis, Paerata, aaked the Council to clean out a portion of the creek at the Paerata bridge to prevent the flooding of her property. —Left to Cr Montgomerie and the Engineer to deal with. PAERATA's ROADING BCUEME The Clerk formally reported as to the meeting of ratepayers recently held at Paerata in connection with the proposal to raise a loan for metalling the roads in that district. He explained that at the meeting the Engineer (Mr McArthar) submitted a scheme for adoption, the cost of which was estimated at (roughly) £6OOO but the meeting favoured additions thereto. Since the meeting the Engineer had looked into the scheme as recommended by the ratepayers. It comprised 11} miles of road and the approximate cost would be £IO,OOO, which would be an aDß'ial charge on the rating area of £625 The rateable value of property concerned was £116,195 which would mean a special rate of one penny and one third of a penny and Such rate, they considered, wculd be too high and the chances would not be good of raising a loan of £IO,OOO for £ll6 000 rateable value. The position was that the ratepayers' scheme meant an addition in cost of £4OOO for the eastern side of the line where there was only £23,840 in rateable value. The western side of the loan could do more than required with a penny rate and people on the east side would hardly join in if they had to pay more than those on the western side, it seemed to them that the original scheme submitted to the ratepayers with some slight improvements should in preference be carried, such comprising 244 chains on the west side and 241 chains on the east, the estimated cost being £6043 (£3220 west and £2823 east), the rateable values being £92,355 (£62,000 west and £30,355 east). The roads they proposed to be treated were: Western side— Pukekohe to Paerata (Harrison's to new railway crossing), Paerata smtion to Karaki road, aud Pukekohe—Paerata road to end of metal on Helvetia road via Odtiich farm; Eastern side -Paerata station to Wilson's Corner, Wilson's Corner towards Grey Street and also towards Runciman, and Tahimata voad from Blanchard's Corner towards Tuhinnta creamery. Cr Montgomerie stated that it was on his proposition that the Paerata —Runciman road was ad led to the fichenn at the meeting, other roads also being thereupon included. Howover, after hiving consulted with the Clerk he recognised thas it was better for the schema as originally drafted to be carried through. He therefore proposed that the Clerk and Engineer should be instructed to take steps tow'»ds raising a loan of £6OOO on the liues as indicated. Toe motion was unanimously adopted.

OTHER UUSIJfESS Other matters dealt wi'h will be reported in our next issue.