HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Shannon News, 18 December 1925, Page 4

HOROWHENUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

DECEMBER MEETING. Those present at Saturday's meeting | of th'«( H;orowh.enua County (Council were Messrs Monk (chairman) Barber, Whyte, Ryder, Bryant, Broadbelt ? Catley and Jensen; Anderson (engineer) and Hudson (secretary). Accounts passed for payment totalled £3243 14s sd. Election of Sign Boards. The Manawatu Automobile Club enquired whether the Council was willing to erect sign boards, on the County roads. and requesting the engineer to furnish sketches of the most important points wh'ere such boards should be placed. The club also drew attention to the condition of the road between the Makerua railway station and the borough boundary with the request that something be done in the way of improving it and th'e .approaches to 'the-' two bridges on the same portion of the road. Also asking that a clanger post be erected on the Wellington side of .the concrete bridge south of Manakau, as the approach across the railway was very dangerous. Or. Harkness said there were one or two worthy suggestions in the letter, and something should be done at the Manakau bridge, which is a very dangerous spot. The road was straight, with a sudden turn, and if notice boards could be put up they would be a great help. * ■ The chairman moved that the letter be received. The engineer said it ■ seemed as though the Manawatu and Wellington Automobile Club were, overlapping. Each was asking the Council to do certain things, the Wellington Club were erecting sign posts, and if notice were taken of every club making similar requests the countryside would be placarded with sign posts. The chairman said it was no use for these concerns to bombard the County witri matters of ..this sort. Th'e Manawatu Club appeared to be going beyond ' their territory. The matter was left in Mr. Anderson'.s charge. • Supply of Gravel. ~ \ Mr. G. H. Harper, Te Horo, asked to

be supplied with 60 yards of crushed ! metal for his private road and at what rate per cubic yard. .The writer would supply the labour for spreading. Abo the writer asked what were the Council's requirements in the matter of delivering stone for crushing, iii connection with surfacing the main County road with bitumen, in the Te Horo region. -' He possessed a large aera of stony land near the main road and would be prepared to consider the collection of stone from this and other , properties.

The Works Committee reported that the engineer considered what boulders were required could be obtained more conveniently. The engineer said they , could supply metal at lis per cubic yard before leaving Te Horo. It was decided to reply on these lines. Maintenance Metal. The District Engineer of the Highways Board advised that maintenance gravel should not contain stones larger than one inch. Som'e Counties have been using coarse gravel for this work, but the Board's requirements allowed no latitude in this respect. —Kef erred to the engineer. The Half Holiday. A circular letter from the Department of Labour requesting the Council to advise the Department as which day shall be the statutory half-holiday during the coming year.—No action taken. Heavy Traffic. In regard to motor lorry licences the Main Highways Board transmitted the following circular letter: Prom reports received by the Main High : ways Board from time to time, it appears that local authorities are not taking advantage of the provisions of the Public Works Amendment Act, 1924, under which they have power to collect annual license fees from the owners of heavy vehicles. The revenue available to local authorities under this provision is so considerable that it is surprising to known they are not taking the greatest possible advantage af the provisions of the Act referred to. If such is the case in your district I should be glad if,you would communicate with the licensing authorities, drawing their attention to the revenue available from heavy

traffic fees, and suggesting that immediate steps be taken to collect them. To give an indication of the revenue which is available, it is estimated that whereas the annual revenue previously collected by all local authorities throughout the Dominion from motor vehicles was £40,000. the estimated revenue to local authorities from motor traffic fees will be in the vicinity of £2so,ooo.''—lnformation concerning the matter is to be supplied to the Board by the clerk. The chairman, said that in Ko. 9 District tho local bodies had agreed upon the collection of these fees and the method of allocation amongst the bodies interested.

Works Committee's Eeport. The Works Committee reported:— After due consideration of the water-race complaint of Messrs A. McLeavey and H. Dittmer, of Ohau, your committee recommend that no action at present be taken in respect to the matter. Your committee have to report that Mr. Robert Bevan's account for metalling the road to give access to his property near Manakau is under consideration. The following recommendations are submitted for the approval of the Council:— 1. That the engineer be instructed to call tenders for the formation and metalling of Ohau .West Road extension, tenders to close before the January meeting of tho committee. 2. That the section of the road formation *betwee,n Waikanae and Otaki bridges bo carried out under the same system as at present being done at Ohau and Manakau. 3. That warning notice boards be erected at the railway crossing north of Manakau,; and at the railway bridge south of Manakau also at the approach to the Poroutawhao School. ' 4. : That the roads in the Wirokino Riding be again closed for grazing stock. ' * Cr. Harkness said he was pleased to see that the committee was not moving hastily in tjie matter of the Ohau water race. It had to be borne in mind that there were people lower

down who had rights .that could not be interfered with. Acquiring a Bignt-of-Way. A 'petition from Messrs H. H. Wallace, H. Fielding, E. Parea, J. Nicholson, J. Horn, T. Gardiner, D. Gardiner, K. Davis, ratepayers of the Otaki Biding, was presented by Cr. Bryant, to take steps for the Council to take steps for supplying an estimate of the cost of acquiring a right-of-way, and the necessary land N to give a chain road to their properties, formed and metalled for about a mile. The information is desired with, a view to the formation of a special rating district if required, provided the cost of the proposed work is found reasonable. —Or. Bryant said it would be a very good thing if the settlers get a road down there. All the settlers were milking at the present time. One of them had 170 acres of land whieh wonld be brought in and had another 100 acres,- whieh would be brought in { n twelve aapi from" ail «»* that the County would get the rates if the road were constructed so that it would mean a. source of income to the County. The road would be a cheap one to make, the metal being at the river right alongside. ' It was finally resolved that the engineer shall report to the Council in compliance with the petition, Cr. , Ryder saying the road was a very necessary one. ,