MANUKAU COUNTY COUNCIL

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 9, Issue 531, 14 May 1920, Page 2

MANUKAU COUNTY COUNCIL

MOjNTHLV MEETING. The ordinary monthK meeting ol the Manukau County Council was held on Tuesday, when there wew p/esent: Crs A. D. Bell (chairman! F. H. Brownhill. A. D. Reid. P. M Maters. A. E. linttiway. J. LuM g. H. House, together with the clerjl (Mr Edgar Ashcroft), and the engil neer (Mk W. J. Lopdell).) | Workers' Dwellings. The clerk reported that he had in vestimated the Act eir.powerinrwi bodies to raise money whereby t< erect dwellings for its workers, aro found that the council could raise f loan without a poll of On the motion of Cr. Hattaw#} seconded by Cr. House, was deferred, and in the meantitn the clerk was authorised to obtaii full particulars. Deputation to At a previous meeting .of cil it was decided to deputation to wait on thr Mihiste for Public Wolks on the icJcaßion c his next visit to Auckland, in coi nexion with various matteis; one l particular with ieg;ud to a subsid for the Mangcre mf.in roads. in Minister for Public Works (Hon. J G. Coates) notified that, he would t pleased to receive a depuattion froi the council on the occasion of ft next visit to AucUand. , . The whole council was deputed t wait on the Minister. Mi Rlangcre Loan of £30,M1. . The deputy-superintendent of A Staxe Advances Office wrote in M nexion with thfe *30,1.00 Mangere toai advising that the matter had bee referred to the Ui.der-Secretary f< Public Works (with a view to obtau in°' an opinion Trovn thf- chief eng neer as to whether or not hei coi sidered that the work proposed i be ca i"ried out would comprise a p® nose eligible under section 60 of tl Local Bodies Loans Act 1913. He « vised that an opinion could not I expressed in the absence of & of the plans and LpecificatioM Of scribing exactly how the WW* W» to be undertaken. He pouttMjW that the council had been teqWW to furnish the ne :es3ery data> had not yet done so. The cle'ik said he replied that thei was evidently some misapprehenSM in connexion with the submittal s the specifications -.f the PJpP o®® 0 ®® work to the Public Works Deparl ment, as it ,was stated that had been caused through the counc: failing to supply the Departmen with the desired speciiications. H pointed out thait the first set otSW cifications was handed to the Bggjg; ment at Auckland on Marchi as the district engineer aesireW mor detailed data, a comprehensive speo fication was handed in to Mm « April 10, 1920, and was subsequent fa.warded on by him to Welhngta on April 22. The council had_aparej no efforts to comply with the rq quirements of the Department aw as far as the council was concwnei was only too anxiods that jpo urn* should be lost in the consWttatio of the proposal r. onths ago, ™ the poll had been successfully CM l ied, and no objection to the floaty of the loan was anticipated, .«» council took steps to protest tbem selves against the rapidly increaslnj cost of* materials of all kinds es sential to the carrying out ol ttt work, to procure 200 tons of bitu men. This product has since amved and the council were found with TW p.oblem of paying- the account » same amounting to approxunatel] £3OUO. New road has also been purchased in antwipa tion of carrying out the wore, » vou will the efore hive no difficultj in rnderstanding how urgently tW moiiey was required. Tne council die not wish him to thmk that t!h y ueen eedlessly ppetdin? the tnonej befoie it ad been granted. In WW of the legal side of the * ork J£ a ™! been satisfactorily put through, a«l they had every occasion to oeuew thev were justly entitled to an ®avan'ce from the Department (funds being available) as the pwpg work was looked upon not as nWUB* tens nee, but as new-constructed wasx of a permanent character, and tnerefore came within the piovisions ol section 60 of The Local Bodies Loans Act 1913, they made ar protect themselves rgainst the rmpidlv increasing cost of plant ;a materials which has taken place ing the past few months, and action which he thought the Depart®** would endorse as being not only Wise rbut. justifiable under the circmm stances. The clerk said he hoped the explanation would serve to plwe tne :ull facts before the Lepfrtmejt. t was sincerely trusted Vf" lartment would be 1 vay clear to acced- te pplication especially whe'i consldejg ion was taken of the great difficulty f raising such amoants of money rom other sources, at a rate of inerest, to comply with the l-equr.e ien|ts of the Act. The Department's letter was reeved, and the clerk's action was. anfirmed. A deputation consisting of j lairman, a. House and th ®® ;er was appointed to Ellington and inteanew the enel-jer-in-chief in connexion with *n® atter, also the Pi ime Minister •*» inistes- for Pubic Works with » ew to raising the n.oney. v . r-