COUNTY COUNCIL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 49, 22 February 1912, Page 5

COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. Tho ordinary monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was held yesterday morning, when there were present: The chairman (Mr W. Hathaway), Crs W. Rogers, J. Young, E. Walter, E. Marfell, J. Smith, T. R. Anderson, Christoffel, and J. Thomson. The Council approved of the action of the. chairman and the members of the South Riding in connection with damage to the Finnerty Road. The side track on Pembroke Road was authorised and the Engineer’s recommendation re Brecon Road was adopted. Ronald Road is to he ploughed as per report. Foreman Brown, of the North Riding, was given leave of absence at his own expense for a fortnight. The work on the Manga Road was to be put in hand at once. It was also decided to put in hand the necessary repairs to the bridge on tho Mohokau Road. A letter was read from settlers on the Waiwiri road, stating that at a meeting held in January the following resolution was passed :—“That ui deputation wait upon the' County Council at next meeting offering to pay a rate of Tkl in the £ for three years provided tho Council will do tho work on the Waiwiri road according to the engineer’s report, and also put the remainder of the road in good order, W. Griffin • and Mr Bain to attend the Council meeting to explain matters in regard to tho position of the road.

The deputation was headed by Mr Bain who said they had to pay a bridge rate and yet were not entitled to any mefney from this fund, there being no bridge on the road. All the settlers between the end of Waiwiri road and Huiroa township, also settlers beyond the township, uso this read for their traffic, and the cream from the Makxiri creamery has been canted on this road since it started, about 13 years ago, and the road had also been damaged to a considerable extent through being used by waggons carrying timber from Huiroa mill to Toko and Stratford., About 14 years ago the settlers agreed to rate themselves a Id in the £ (subsidised by the .Council) towards metalling a portion of the road which had been absolutely destroyed through logs being carted over it. “We understood that when we borrowed the money to form and metal the road ih' : the first instance, and the Council took’charge of it, 1 that any future metalling or maintenance 1 avouUl be; paid tor’.by the Council out of the bounty ‘funds. They still thought that this should be the case, as it was hardly justice that they should be called upon to pay so much to separate outside traffic. Under these circumstances jt.hey hoped that the Cbuilcil woidd treat fliefrT liberally when subsidising the amount they offered to raise. Cr. Walters moved that the rate of ltd in the £1 lyqjgpjisidised by,, 25s in the £ be granted out of the special fund to meet the case. He "thought! settlers had come, forward very well indeed with the rafte they had agreed to pay. • 1 • • I- h Cr. Marfell seconded. The amount received would be about £535, and the work would spread over some two years. Or. Thomson was opposed to doing anything more than a £ for £ subsidy. He moved, as an amendment, that for this year the county pay out of the special fund a subsidy £1 for £l. They had to look at -the other roads—others were pretty weak, and they would want subsidies. The resolution was carried. The necessary steps will be taken to put the work in hand straight away. The Midhirst Dairy Company applied to have some metalling at the Waingongoro creamery carried out in conjunction with the Council’s contract, the company to pay all costs. The request was granted. The Under Secretary of Public Works Department wrote with reference to the expenditure of Government (grant for road works, and to the Council’s request that the .Government should allow a deduction from; the grant to cover working expenses, and stating that the Minister was unable to comply with the request. In no case was a local body allowed any percentage to cover working expenses, and if the request wore conceded in this case of this Council, the offer could not be refused in these cases. As the work w’as extremely urgent, and the Council appeared to bo unwilling to undertake it unless allowed a percentage for administration charges, the Minister was of the opinion that it would probably bo better for the Department itself to undertake the work, the Council of course completing such contracts as it had already let in respect of the Manga road. He had instructed the resi-dent-engineer to confer with the Council with a view to ascertaining the exact amount which would be requircd to cover the liabilities entered into in respect of tins road, and the unincumbered balance could be dancelled and the amount together with the amount available in respect to PuniWhakau to Wbakawhaka. Block authorised to the resident-engineer for expenditures. A lengthy letter from Mr B. G. Mahony, organising officer for the North Island Legion of Frontiersmen, was received. The Premier acknowledged the Council’s application for a small grant for f lic purpose of re-instating a portion of the upper end of York road, and stated that he would confer with the Minister of Public Works .on the subject with the view to seeing whether the request could bo granted. The Clifton County Council wrote, agreeing to the re-adjustment of the boundary between Stratford and Clif-

ton. counties, .as outlined in the Stratford County Council’s letter. W. J. Armstrong drew attention to the. state of the road leading from North Douglas to his farm. This will he attended to.

It was also decided to attend to the request of settlors of the Akama road to effect improvements to the road.

A settler on the Toko road wrote to tie Council complaining of the noxious weeds on a farm in his locality. Two complaints had been sent to the Noxious Weeds Inspector, but there had been no improvement, and the wends were endangering other farms. 'Councillor Marfell said there was over a quarter of an acre of ragwort on the farm, but the place belonged to an absentee landlord, and these were always a nuisance.—The department will be notified and asked to .have the matter attended to.