COUNTY BUSINESS.

Shannon News, 17 August 1928, Page 4

COUNTY BUSINESS.

MEETING OP HOROWHENUA COUNCIL. The monthly meeting of the Horowhenua County Council was held in the County Chambers, Levin, on Saturday, ..v- • there being present: Mr G. A. Monk (chairman), Crs. Barber, Ryder, Bryant, Kilsby, McLeavey, Catley . and Jensen, Mr F. H. 'Hudson (Covjnty ■ Clerk), and Mr J. T. M. Brewster ' (County Engineer). Leave of absence was granted to Cr. Whyte. MAKERUA-RANGITANE EOAD. Mr A,. Seifert wrote asking the Council" to inspect the part of the Makerua-RaiEgitane Road, which he had had constructed on behalf of the other owners and himself. The length of the road in question was 2 miles 61 chains, and the work was now completed with the exception of some alfc . ■• terations to the 'bridges, necessary to •meet the requirements of the County ■ Engineer. The chairman stated that Mr Seifert had taken a contract from those in- , - terested to carry out the formation of certain roads. It was possible 'that/ while the' certificate from, the Loans ' ■■ Board was being awaited, some of the formation might deteriorate before the metal could be put on; therefore it might be necessary to have certaii work done on it in the meantime. Mr Seifert was willing to enter into an obligation that the road be formed to the Council's satisfaction, and to •give an undertaking that it would be kept up to J that standard. .:. A resolution was passed giving the . County Engineer authority to approve the work, provided that it is to his ••; Satisfaction, and subject to an undertaking by the adjoining owners that it ;. will be kept up to the necessary stan- ■ v d-a-vd until such time as the road is metalled. "'.'.. MAKERUA ROADING SCHEME. A petition from the owners of ten .properties Was received, asking for . the formation of a special rating dis;.trict to gravel the fdllowing roads in '•- the Makerua Plains:—From Makerua railway station to the road formed by Mr- Alters and called the Makerua- * Taue Roatl, 4 miles 57 chains) Seifert's Road, being the road from the present a Okuku Road to junction with the Ma-kerua-Tane Road,. 1 mile 53 chains; Campbell's Road, being a road leading off from the Makerua-Tane Road, 1 mile 29 chains; a part of Ashlea Road connection, 20 chains; total, 7 miles 79 chains. In a covering letter, Mr A. Seifert stated that a pa>rt of the Ashlea Road connection would be gravelled by the interested parties finding cash for this purpose, so gravelling the road mentioned in the peUtion * would make a complete through system of roads for Makerua lands all properly formed and gravelled. It was mentioned by the writer that, on a previous occasion, the Council formed ' a special rating district to road Makerua lands, but the Loans Board would not agree to a. loan being raised, on the grounds that the roads' to 'be formed were not through roads and that urates would be put on land that was ■ already heavily rated. .It had now been arranged for all connecting roads to be completed, which would get over the difficulty in this respect. The t ' promoters had cleared the line, put -- • down the- sub-foundation, aricT con- "' . structed bridges, etc., by finding cash, so that the rate for gravelling would be very much less than it would have been for . the whole of the work. It would be impossible for the various settlers interested to find the cash to gravel tdie -roads, _ and 'it was very ;. necessary that the'K should be completed with as little delay as possible, in. order to give the settlers every opportunity to work their farms,. In . . addition to" the land that had already been sold to small farmers, a further block of 800 or 900 acres would Shortly be offered for sale. The chairman, in explaining the readjustment of the scheme, stated that, while the rating district had been extended so tha't there would be a through road connecting with the Rangitane Road, the area at "the southern end had been curtailed. The estimate - " now submitted was £6060, which was about half the sum estimated for the original scheme. . The application was referred to the Finance Committee, with power to - v submit the. proposal to the Loans Board. .. ~'COUNTY CLERK'S ASSOCIATION, . . Advice was received from Mr F. C. Perry, clerk of the Waltomo County Council and authorised convenor of a - Clerks' Association, that the meeting would take place in Wellington on September 26th. The chairman remarked that the > ■ movement was not for the formation of a labour union. . The Counties' Conference had agreed that nothing but good could come out of an association such as this. He added that, in connection with the Power Boards Asso- »'■ ciation, there was the Secretaries'.Association and the Engineers' Associa- . tion, and they did the principal good, generally speaking, .in relation to the ■ r working of power supplies. The proposed County Clerks' Association should , make for the" better working of the '•■ : , Councils themselves. The suggestion , was made, that, before a man could

take up the position of a county clerk, . he should have some special training or knowledge, and later that it should . ■; be necessary for an applicant to pass some examination before being allowed .. to take up sneh work. The ability to - * . . interpret a statute seemed to be es- % scntial as a qualification for a county clerk. He moved that Mr Hudson be ' given authority to .attend* the confer- ... . enee. '- - . The motion was carried. .' , .OVEKFLOW FROM WATE&-RACE. - ; , v , Mr A. C. Macdonald, of McDonald ■.-,': • Road, in the Levin district, wrote stat- /. , ing that there was a culvert on the ;•' • - water-race in Section 28 that was too '' r - ■ t small to take all the water. The overi". flow came out on to the road, found :'"- • ita way below the road, and came- on \\i to Section 15 from one side to the

other. He had recently tried to put in a: few posts, but the water was on the surface, so he had had to postpone the attempt. The matter was referred to the Engineer, with power to act. DEVIATION XT MANAKAU. For the purposes of a small deviation at the Manakau, railway overbridge, a resolution was passed, on the motion of Cr. Bryant, seconded by Gr. Eyder, consenting to * 2 roods 4.7 perches in Section 29 D.P. 415 Block VH, Waitohu S.D., being taken for a new road, and consenting to the closing of .the old road abutting on Sec. 29 D.P. 415 Block VII., Waitohu S.D., containing 1 rood 15.4 perches, such area to be granted to Mr J. H. Staples, of Manakau, for an estate in fee simple, BATES LEVIED. The necessary public notice having been given, a resolution was passed making arid levying the rates for the year ending March 31st,- 1929. TAR-SEALING RAILWAY CROSSINGS. On the recommendation of the Works Commit-tee, it was decided that the clerk ascertain" from the Main Highways Board or the Audit Department if Main Highways construction loan moneys could be legally expended on tar-sealing railway crossings or 'any portion of the' highway on a maintenance subsidy. wmm- ■ ; " ,