HOROWHENUA COUNTY

Shannon News, 17 April 1928, Page 3

HOROWHENUA COUNTY

APRIL MEETING OF COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Horowhenua County Council was hold in the County Chambers on Saturday, there being present: Mr G. A. Monk (County Chairman) and Crs Barber, Whyte, Ryder, Bryant, Kilsby, McLeavey, Catley and Jensen, Mr F. 11. ' Hudson (County Clerk), and Mr A. R, Callander (Acting-Engineer). A circular was received from-the N.Z. Federated Ironmasters’ Association containing a resolution passed at a recent conference urging the Government and local bodies to purchase within New Zealand ab supplies and machineiv wire!) can be locally obtained — The letter was received. the Chairman remaiking that was always the custom of this Council to support New Zealand industries. A copy of the amendments to the Motor Lorries Regulations was received from the Public Works Department. MOTOR DRIVERS’ LICENSES.

The Minister of Public Works forwarded a request that unless the local body was satisfied that the applicant for a motor driver’s license already held a license a new license should no't be issued to any person without a practical test fairly severe in nature, with a view to ascertaining the suitability of the applicant to drive a motor vehicle in the 'bn. eei streets of the cities or on Lie molt d'lrice’i h ly country roads; also Liat a.Jcems be not issued to any peison who is .me owner of a car not garaged wLhin the local body’s district, or who did not own a car and was .not a readout, of the district; and that every applicant for a driver’s license be interrogated with a view to ascertaining, whether he is reasonably conversant with those of the Motor Regulations, 1928, dealing with the conduct of motor vehicles on the roads. —-Received. HEALTH REGULATIONS.

Notification Was received from the Department of Health that, under section 13 of the Finance Act, 1927, a local body might recover any fines and legal costs imposed by the larv courts for breaches of regulations aindinistered by such local authority.—Received. ROYALTY ON PIT METAL. With reference to the Council’s request to the Highways Board that it should pay royalty on metal taken from County pits, the District Engineer wrote asking for the names of the pits from which, metal was obtained, also the quantity taken from each pit to March 31st, 1928.—Information to be supplied. LETTERS OF THANKS.

A letter was received from the Palmerston Noitn branch of the Wellington Automco; e C ro, conveying its thanks for 'he Council’s. action in so promptly cab mg lenders for the erection of a new bwdge over the Kara stream, and the other works which the Council contemplated putting in hand. The Shannon Borough Council wrote thanking the County Council for its grant of £lO towards the Shannon cemetery. TOKOMARU VALLEY ROAD.

Writing with refeienee to the question of subsidy for maintenance of the Tokomaru Valley Road, Mr T. M. Wright, assistant engineer, Public Works Department, Msngahao hydro, stated that he bad referred the matter' to the permanent head, who advised that the Department agreed to contribute £IOO per annum, in the meantime, if the load is efficcntly maintained. The Older-!')-Council declai! ig the road to be a Government,road was being revoked. and the road world be under the control of the Council as from ’ April Ist, 1927. A copy was forwarded to the Council of an Order-in-Coun-cil revoking that Order which declared the portion of the Tokomaru Valley Road in the county to be a Government road in terms of the Public Works Act, 1908. . It was decided, on the motion ot Cr Whyte, seconded by Cr Barber, that the offer of the Department to con-? tribute £IOO yearly towards the cost of maintaining the Tokomaru Valley Road be accepted, subject to a revision being made at any time, if necess-

al? MANAWATU BRIDGE ROAD DEVIATION.

The District Engineer wrote with reference to the question of regarding the deviation in connection with the Manawatu river bridge as a major one,'stating that the Board had approved of the preferential subsidy towards the cost of the work. Toe matter was considered at the Highways Board meeting on March loth, when it was decided to pav 30s for £1 on that section between the Manawatu bridge and the Shannon borough boundary. The Chairman said he was a little disappointed, having thought that the "Council might have got a subsidy o. £2 for £l. He moved that the offer be accepted and the Board thanked.— Carried. MAKEKUA EOADING. Messrs Jacobs and Grant, of Palmerston North, forwarded particulars as to dedication transfers in connection with the reading schemeft was pointed out that the lots transferred -would constitute a continuous system of roading and connect up with the road leading in from Tokomaru, known as Hume’s Road. t was resolved that prior to the dedications being signed by the Council in respect to the roads in question, the Councillors for the riding and the Engineer inspect the same and report to the Works Committee. HEIGHTS ROAD EXTENSION.

Mr R. «T. Law, of Te Rohenga, Shannon, wrote with reference to improvements to Heights Road extension, stating that, in company -with Cr Catlcy and Messrs Robbie Bros., he recently went over the road. At Cr Catlcy’s request he now submitted a price at which lie was prepared to carry out the proposed work—namely, £22.——The matter was referred to the Councillors for the ridings concerned, with power to act. KUKU DRAINAGE DISTRICT. The Department of Internal Affairs

wrote advising the Council that the Orclcr-in-Coiuieil published in the Gazette of February 23rd, altering the boundaries of the Kuku Drainage District, inadvertently omitted to include Drain No: 2 in the district, as recommended by the Commission -which sat to consider the matter. A further Or-der-in-Council had been issued including the drain within the boundaries of the Kuku Drainage District—Received. DAIRY COMPANY RETURNS AN ACCOUNT. A letter was received from the Levin Co-operative Dairy Co., Ltd., stating that they were in receipt of invoice covering the cost of preparing the two road entrances, at the factory in Queen Street. This account was discussed by the directors on April 10th, and, in their opinion, the amount charged, £24 13s 4c l , was excessive for the amount of work done. Referring to the company’s letter of June 9ih, 1J27, asking that the two road entrances be treated when laying down the permanent road, the company contended that the treatment given these two approaches was not in any way pennanent, and an inspection would convince the Council that a large amount of this work w-ould have to be done again before these two pieces of road could be treated with bitumen or tar. They failed to understand why this account had been rendered when the work had riot been completed. They were returning the account, and would like the Council to consider the charges as made* as, in their ■’.opinion, some error had occurred in v'orking out the cost of this work. The chairman said that the account appeared to be for the cost of the work so "far as it had gone. The question, was whethev '.*e Council v r as going to hold over Are account until the work , was completed.

Cv. KV.rby said that, with U*e metal handy, the company could have carried out the wo*'c more cheap’v than the Council had done; but the company had been under \,.<e impression that the Council could do it for a lower figure, and for that reason had entrusted the work to the Council.

Cr. Ryder sahl he d d not see anything wrong w.’ii the account. Cr. Kilsby, in rep’y, said he failed to see where 30 yards of material had gone in making the approaches. The Chairman said that, as the Works Committee had recommended the authority for the work, the matter should be referred back to the committee, so that they could ( negotiate with the Dairy Company. The chairman’s suggestion was agreed to.

WAITARERE ROAD EXTENSION. Mr W. M. Park wrote with regard to the propoed Waitarere Road extension, leading to the Hyderabad beach, stating that Mr Edward Newman had interviewed him with regard to the objection to be included in a special rating district of which Mr Kidd had given the Council notice. Mr Newman expressed the opinion that, in view ot the deed of covenant entered-into with the Council as a condition on n'hieh the land for the road was taken under the Public 'Works Act by the Council, no persons other than the signatories to the deed of covenant and their successors in title should be included in the proposed special rating district, While not necessarily agreeing with this view, Mr Park had, after consultation with the other petitioners, been instructed to ask the Council to delete Mr Kidd’s property from the petition. Lest there should'be any misapprehension on vie part of councillors that the formation of this rpeeial rating dis trict would enable a subdivision into township sections to be made, he wished to point out that such was not the case. In the event of a subdivision in to township sections being made, a plan of such townslrp would have to be approved by tnc town-planning officeis, and the roading in such township would have to be dedicated to the Council after compliance w ; th the provisions oi Section 116 of the Public Works Act which referred to the formation am metalling to the sacisfccrion of tin local body hav'rg control of the road proposed to : ie dedicated. Au estimate put ’ i by the County Engineer placed . ie cost of the wori, at £1253 10s, as compared wiib a pri vatc estimate of i 000.

It was reroived, o i the motion o* the chairman, seconded by Cr. Ryde; that, in accordance with tee Loca Government Loans Board’s require meats the Council give public liotic that it is their intention, at a meeting to lie held on May 12;h, M2B, to con sider a resolution to make application to the Loans Board for consent to step:: being taken to raise a loan of £1250 for the formation of Waitarcre Beach Road. WORKS COMMITTEE’S REPORT. The following recommendations were contained in the W6rks Committee’s, report, and were adopted:— Hydraulic Ram in Water' Ra,ce at Ohau. —That Mr A. McLeavey, of Ohau, be authorised to act as caretaker of this ram, which is’ in the water race on his property, on the understanding that this Council will be responsible for the maintenance of the same.

Drain through G. H. Clay’s property, Wailranae. —That the necessary order under the Land Drainage Act, 1908, be now served, as no steps have been taken to clear the drain through this property or reasons given why the clearing should not be done. Crs. Catlcy and McLeavey were appointed a committee to wait on Mr Kuihi Wehipeihana with reference to the cutting back of the trees on his property at the Ohau West Road.