RANGITIKEI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXII, Issue 9013, 28 November 1907, Page 4

RANGITIKEI COUNTY COUNCIL.

.'.The annual meeting of above was held yesterday. Present: Crs. R. K. Simpson (chairman), McGregor, Duncan, Lethbridge, Fraser, Morrison, Simpson, Canton, and Bailey. On the motion cf Or. McGregor, seconded by Or. Canton, Or. R. K. Simnsnn was re elected . Chairman for the ensuing year. The Chairman thanked members for re-electing him, and said that though he had been a councillor for many years lie found it was a very different matter being Chairman from being a. councillor. He warmly expressed his gratitude to_ the staff for the assistance given him in his work, and specially referred to the valuable help given by the clerk (Mi H. H, Richardson), whose knowledge of county affairs, tact- aun business _ capacity had always been put at his service Messrs Richardson, Mair and Thoms thanked the Chairman for his ■ kindly references to their work in ' various departments, i CORRESPONDENCE. Prom the Premier, stating ho was unable to see ins way to do anything hi the matter of increasing the Conn- ; c.il’s borrowing powers.--To bo replied to pointing out necessity of amendment in the law. ! From Colonial Secretary, asking !f ar a return of ratepayers having ! one. two or three votes respectivelyi —Supplied. ! From Receiver Laud Revenue, advising payment of thirds amounting V- ■■■) mw IBs Id „ „ , From Chief Engineer of Roads, stating that matter of exchange of road* s through Brace’s and Gower’s will’ he dealt with as soon as the plan has been approved by the Chief Surveyor. From Commissioner ot Crown Lauds, advising that section 10, block 111. Tiriraakawa, lias boon vested in the Council for the deposit of road material. —Mr Oscar Howling had dosued to lease this veserver Mr Mair was empowered-to see Mr Howling and make arrangements with him. Prom game, forwarding certificate ■ hypothecating third;;, in the Kawcka ■Special Rating District. —Received; From Agricultu nil Dopartmcn t, 'Vwwardiutr'slaughtering license for H T. ' Manning, Mar ton.—Re-

ceived. , From Wanganui Hospital and Chari table Aid Board, advising that Council is entitled to elect four representatives.—Received. From Patea Comity Council, thanking Council for information supplied about the road grader.—Received. T , . From Upper Waugaoha Rum Board, forw'ar.licg £ll 13s ‘TI thirds for the Tai 1 lapo-Otnaroi road.— Re-

eoivcu From H. F. Butler, il. Houe.ry, ;iud John Gill, application for loan for metalling Pahirna mad.—The Eugineer to define :ui area and take the usual steps. From John Chisholm, stating he

is in favour of proposed loan of £IOOO for the -Mauug-.ilioo road.— Messrs J. J. Lonrio, T. Gammon and Is. Sutherland wioto objecting to same. —Hell over for further consideration. ' From H. J. Hiidz applying lovjuye chains of protective fencing on Huia road.—Resolved (Crs. Canton—Duncan) that tho work be put in hand at once. ■ . From John Fraser, declining charitable assistance, and asking to be supplied with accounts paid by Council on his behalf. —Accounts to be forwarded From Bulls Town Board, drawing attention to the necessity of having some rules in force to regulate traffic

on bridge over liangitikoi river ar Bulls.—Council could do jiotliJug’bcyoud tho regulations already affixed to bridge. . , Prom Chairman High Bchoor Committee, Bulls, asking for _ grant towards funds for erection of High School at Bulls.—The School Committee was referred to Education Board as tho Council docs not subsidise ordinary education.

Freni O. H. ami others, stating a mooting of ratepayers would bo lie Id oil December 4th to consider the mutter of adjustment of •boundaries between Wanganui and •Rangitikoi Oountics.— Members of Council and Chairman, if possible, to bo present. From Puma Bead Board, declining to take any farther action in the matter of road through Mr A. Sutherland’s property at Foniell to the Wangaohu river.—Received. From Roads Department, stating that there will be no special conditions attached to warrant to he issued shortly for taking road through Rnataugata and Rakatawa blocks.—Received.

From guarantors Tirirankawa tele - phone line, asking to bo relieved oi ! responsibility-, as the lino was a paying one.—Resolved (Crs. Dnucau—Simpson) that Council should take over liability as in other cases. From Sanitary Inspector, with regard to two "insanitary wharos erected on the road at Tailmpe.— Hotico to lie given to occupiers to remove whares within 1-1 days or they will bo destroyed by Council From same with regard to drainage from Rata factory.—Road drain to bo cleaned out. Application from T. Brady for increase in contract price opting to rise in price of horsefecd.—Case to receive favourable consideration on completion of contract to satisfaction of Engineer. ENGINEER’S REPORT.

Mr Mair reported that the month past had presented a groat contrast to the two preceding months, the weather having been splendid, with the exception of local thunder showers which did considerable damage on the Tnrakina River road. With the fine weather the work of reopening and repairing the roads bad been pushed on as rapidly as tho 1 scarcity of men would permit. However, with a great deal of trouble all i tire main roads had bgen opened, 5 though there still remained a great deal of repairs to bo done. The Maugaboo road was still in bad order, but the settlors deserved little sympathy as the road was crowded with their stock day ami night. As directed, Mr Mair had mot the persons interested in Messrs Wakoliu and Hadley’s affairs and considered it useless to press for the whole of Gouncil’s claim for damage to Torero road. He had, therefore, submitted through Mr Meldrum a claim on the estate for £350. A proposal in legal ' 3 form would be submitted to Council by trustees. Mr Alex Livingstone had begun ' bis contract for gravelling Pukeos kalra road. After investigation the Engineer had decided on gravel instead of shell rock as the metal to be. used. This would produce a saving of £2OO, but damage to the probable extent of £IOO would result from haulage of the 2000 yards of metal required on an already metalled road. Wo had considered it advisable to purchase a metal pit from Mr T. Busiiby to provide the gravel required’. The cost of half an acre bought Was £lO, which would save £3O in royalties for the work iu hand alone. The Engineer had inspected the contract on Moawhango road recently abandoned by Mr Geo.- Wheeler and valued tire work done at £B4. Claims for wages amouu tod to £45 and the contractor had received £35 from Council, be recommended that £9 be paid to wages men pro rata. The contract for Utiku footpaths had been let to Mr Jas. McKcowu..at £BO, the lowest tender. Foreman Halkot replaced Foreman McDouall, who retired and was leaving the distirct. The report continued Settlors iu Erowhou and Awarua cud on the northern borders have been agitating to raise a loan to complete gravelling on Taihapo-To More ban and Taihapo-Otnaroi roads. The recent portions gravelled by this Council are rendered useless by the uugravellod portions. Owing to the position of County boundaries nothing could be done in the way of a comprehensive loan for the work. A meeting has been convened at Taihape for December 4th to consider the matter. The Councillors for northern ridings and myself have been invited to attend. As the cou- ! trolling members of the Whangaohn Board are the northern members who are all more or less interested, an endeavour could bo made to get that Board and this county to agree to a commission re defining the boundary to the advantage of 'both counties. At the request of Councillor Canton, directly the Public Works Estimates were brought down I submitted a list to Mr Remington of .the amounts which could bo spent advantageously with county monies now in hand. A , list of those amounts,is attached as j follows: — - i 1. Jacobson’s Road, Taihnpn, £3ll. j S. Maugamahoe Road, gravelling, J £250. , 5 8. Mangaweka-To Kapna Road, j formation, £OOO. 1

Suggest Government .-should give us £750 to complete this road when it could be taken over. •1. Mataroa Road (£OSO £ for £) £750. 5. Ohaka Road (£55 & for B ), £zoo. G. Tailiape-Waionrn, gravelling, £1134. 7. Hawaiian bridg’, £ for £, £2uo. This amount is useless unless increased to £IOOO £ for £. S. Makohine Valiev Road, £ for £, £3OO. Mr H. S. Had Held has very generously given me authority to take all gravel free of cost from his property, Bracmorc, for both gravelling contract, Ongo Road, and any future repairs required. The driver of motor waggon, Mr Nairn, has given notice asking for a rise in salary from £3 to £8 10s per week'. I would suggest that, if decided to take- the waggon to Huutervillo, ho be offered a bonus on all profit he can make over the cost ol ; work by horse teams. I have received several letters from Baruicoat ■and Treadwell re Mr Noil Wilson’s claim for royalty. I would therefore ask for instructions re this matter. INSPECTOR’S REPORT. Mr Thoms reported :—The weather this mouth has boon flue, therefore the name tailed roads have dried up well, and are now being rounded up and put in good order as quickly as possible. In some places the metalled roads began to break up, so I had clay put on to hind them again. Good progress has boon made with clearing off the slips on tho Ngarnru, Makohau, and Tnrakina Valiev roads, and as they are now practically all cleared off most of the men have been discharged. The formation of Lake Alice road is not quite completed, as it was necessary to take away the grader about the middle ot tho mouth to do up the umuotallcd roads before they got too dry and hard. The grader has rounded up the Ruataugata, and Craig’s roads, and should bo on the Tuvakina Beach road to-day. WTieu it has finished there it is going up the Turakiua Valley road. As instructed at your last meeting, in oomoauy with Or. Fraser I met a committee of the Rangitikei Racing Club with reference to the Council purchasing a metal pit from thorn, also tho exchange of road lines desired by them. We agreed that tho Council should purchase half an acre of ground, not to include any of the old pit at £33 10s. With reference to tho exchange of road linos, I think the Council should agree to tills as it will make rather a better road to the cemetery, and will suit all parties better. I suggested to the

Club that the (right of way) or the top of the cliff should be dealt with at the same, time if possible, and the laud sold and the money devoted to forming the road to the cemetery. Oommun'cation is -about to be made with the Roads Department to see if this can bo done. Tiro following statement shows the quantities and an estimate, of the cost, of the gravel required for maintenance on the different roads this season :—Grcatford, Bulls and Scotts’ roads, SSO cubic yards at 3s, £137 10.-;; Mart on, Bulls and Malnrikiri roads, 900 cubic yards at Os (id, £lO7 10s; Cliff and Hammond’s roads, 7GO cubic yards at 3s Bd, £13!) (is 8s; Upper' Tutaonui and Jefferson’s roads, 1000 cubic yards at -is, £200; Benny Glen and Union roads, 9GO cubic Turds at 4s Gd, £210; Turakiua and waugaehu roads, 150 cubic yards at 4s. £80; Turakiua Talley roads, 070 cubic yards at 3s Oil, £125 J2s Gd. Totals 5290 cubic yards, £995 IDs 2d. As it has boon suggested that the mot oidwaggou is going to Huntervillo to work, I would ask authority to call tenders to close at your next meeting for the supply of tho above gravel.' Tho motor waggon started work again on tho 7th hist, to haul gravel on tho Union road. It draw? its loads out of tho pit much better than it did last season, and (ho only trouble now seems to ho tho dirty water which causes tho boiler to prime. Mr Nairn has altered the wider lifter aud it it is successful he will bo able to lift the 'water a greater height which will enable liiin io get clean water from a creek which was too deep for the lifter tol draw it from before. This month it has hauled out 128 yards of gravel at a cost of £lO 102. The value of tho 128 yards at 4s per yard is £25 J2s. At' tho request of the chairman I have made out a statement of tho whole expenditure since tho motor waggon was purchased. Also estimated value of work done by it. RESOLUTIONS. That Crs. Simpson, Fraser, Lethbridge and Mr . Bebau (of Taihapo) represent tho Council on tho Chari-, table Aid Board.

That (Chairman—Or. Canton) a letter of thanks bo scut to Mr Remington, M.H.R., for the valuable assistance ho has given the Council in all matters concerning the district.

That. (Crs. Lethbridge—Dtmcau) the Engineer bo empowered to paywages not exceeding 9s a day to suitable men whore the cost of living is high. That (Crs. Duncan —McGregor) a hearty vote of thanks bo parsed to Mr Hud filed for permission to use his gravel pit. That the Engineer's action in regard to claim for damage to Torero road bo endorsed, and that ho be authorised to make a claim against Messrs Gardner for damage to road. That (Crs. Fraser—Lethbridge) iu Raugitoto Riding the ranger bo ordered not to impound cattle on the roads between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Following was tho financial statement for the mouth Receipts : Rates £41(1 11s, thirds £2OB 13s 3d, miscellaneous £lB7 11s 7d; total, £8(13 15s lOd. Debit balance, £4705 13s 3d. A special meeting will be hold on December 3rd, and the next ordinary mooting on Saturday-, December 31 st.