COUNTY COUNCIL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 85, 17 April 1913, Page 7

COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was held yesterday, when there were present: The chairman (Cr. W. Hathaway), and Crs. J. Christolfel, T. It. Anderson, E. Walter, J. Young, W. Rogers, J. Smith, and IV. H. Were. The last-

named Councillor took his seat on the Council for the first time, being elected to fill the vacancy caused by the retirement of Councillor E. Marfell, and was welcomed by the chairman and Councillor Smith, Cr. Were suitably replying. ENGINEER’S REPORT.

The engineer (Mr E. C. Robinson) reported as follows on the work done during the month:—Work in hand: McPhee’s metalling contract was taken over on the 11th instant, and is now being completed at his expense. Satisfactory arrangements have been made for carrying on the work which will bo pushed ahead as fast as weather conditions will allow of. The Makuri Valley drainage contract has been completed. The drain-cleaning contract in Douglas Valley is progressing steadily. The Waiwiri road metalling contract has been completed; also the delivery of maintenance shellrock on nearer portion of the same road. The Stanley road maintenance shellrock contract for roads in Mangaehu Riding is progressing steadily. The South Riding boulder contract is nearing completion. I was able to satisfactorily arrange for the contractor to get into Patea river from Lower Bird road. The crushing plant is still engaged in the West Riding, having completed at Cardiff, and having a few more days’ work in connection with Brecon road remetalling. The road roller is in attendance putting in the newly laid metal. The grader is also in this riding trimming up the various side tracks and banking up metal. The Finnerty road bridge and approaches have been completed with the exception of a few yards of earth on one of the wings. The Cardiff road concrete culvert and regrading of approaches thereto are nearing completion. General.—l have inspected the lower portion of Ronald road and think that from £2O to £3O could profitably be spent per medium of the grader in reformation and general trimming up. This would materially improve the unmetalled portion of the road. The difficulty of obtaining maintenance metal for East Riding is becoming serious. For two seasons owing to not being able to obtain supplies from Mt. Egmont, the roads have been starved, and the position in some instances is becoming acute. As there seems no reasonable prospect of obtaining. metal from the mountain in the near future, I have thought it advisable to communicate with the Railway Department re the terms on which it will lease its quarry reserve at Sentry Hill. The reply is attached herewith. The idea I have in view is to set our crushing plant at Sentry Hill during the slack season (orj if it should be otherwise engaged to arrange with a contractor to do. so-with his plant), and send up the crushed metal per rail. Should we not require enough for our own roads to make the proposition an economical one there are other neighbouring local bodies who will he glad of the chance to obtain material. FOREMEN’S REPORTS.

North Riding (West). —Mountain road lias been patched and banked and the banks cleared of fern and other growth. I have had trouble with the culvert just south of Monmouth road. The Railway Department has allowed the outlet of its culvert to silt up, and now the water is not strong enough to drive the silt out, causing the water to rise about six to eigiit feet in the manhole. I mentioned the matter to the ganger some time ago, but nothing has so far been done. Boulders have been put out on the following roads at an average cost of Is 9d: Upper Pembroke, Monmouth, Radnor, and Denbigh. The upper portion of York road has been trimmed up. The Surrey road has been repaired at a cost of about £SO. North Riding (East). —Makara road: The work authorised is completed, making considerable difference in the grade. One set of pipes lias been used. Ratapiko road: The watertables have been cleaned and one set of pipes put in. The work for the Moa Road Board is nearing completion. Croydon Road (West) has been patched and the watertables cleaned right through. Stanley road (East): The watertables have been cleaned, scrub cut, and metal patching done. Other roads have had attention given them. J. Nelson has completed his contract, delivering 78 cubic yards on Stanley and two on Ackland road. I have commenced watertabling and patching on Beaconsfield road.

South Riding.—Metal banking has been carried out on Mountain road, drains have been cleaned on Upper and Lower Bird roads, the fillings have been raised and cuttings widened on Brookes road. All the roads are in fair order. The boulder contract will probably lie finished by the end of the month.

East Riding (Toko). —The remetalling of portion of Ahuroa road west is finished. A good deal of work has been necessary during the past month to complete and maintain the recently metalled portion of Toko road, Toko road east, and Mangaehu road. As instructed I have had the shellrock on Mr Linn’s property, Standish road, stripped. General maintenance work is being carried out on Ohura road. About 20 yards of stone are being carted from Bell’s pit to the bridge, Ahuva road. East Riding (Douglas).—All the roads are in fair order. We have put in a set of seven 12-inch pipes, and done general road work on Tai-

here road, cleaned out watcrtables, cut

back fern, and patched Gordon road, and carried out general maintenance on Obura-Mangaehu road. E.ist Riding (Huiroa). —During the month general maintenance work has been carried out, chiefly on Makuri and Douglas roads. Mr H. Kidd has not made any start witii the drain he is supposed to clean out. If this is left until the wet weather comes on, the road will be almost unfit for traffic. I have had the drain on the top side of filling cleaned out and a small one on the bottom side put in to drain the surface water away. The top bridge on the Akama road is unsafe. It is rotten and of no use. i think tiie best tiling would be to pull it up and fill in the place with clay, as there is no water to contend with. West Riding.—-Cardiff road: This road has been metalled from the factory to Opunake road. Climie road: About three chains of this road have been metalled near where the crusher was standing. Opunake road No. 1: About eight chains of this road have been remetalled. The crusher is now working on Brecon road. The new horse is very satisfactory.

Mangaehu Riding.—. During tin month I have been looking after Ale Pbee’s contract, cleaning watertables ou Tututawa and Mangaetnka roads and forming Pnniwhakau road. ] have also put in 221 chains of post ant; rail fencing round a bluff, and I.J chains at the approaches to bridge o;; Taurakawa road. Also started tc put in culvert and filling which had been washed out on Taurakawa road. All the roads are in afir order. The enclosure referred to by the engineer in his report stated that the Stratford County Council would be granted permission to take metai from the railway ballast pit at Sentry Hill, that right to be granted under deed of agreement at a peppercon rental, a royalty of 3d per cubic yard to be paid, the right of other local bodies to get metal from the pit under similar terms to be in no wisd interfered with, fencing, etc., to be carired out by the Council. COMPENSATION FOR CARTING.

The chairman reported having arranged with Mr McCluggage to paj a royalty of (ki per 100 feet for al) timber carted over the Stanley road It would not compensate the Connci for damage done, but was a fair royalty to be paid. He also had an understanding from Mr McCluggage tha he would be practically finished bj the end of the month. The action of the chairman war confirmed, the Arrangement mare bein gconsidered very satisfactory. STRATHMORE SADDLE. Mr W. Gray (Strathmore) waited on the Council with the request that he should be allowed to remove tin fence opposite his property to a lint on the level of the road. The settler stated that he had mentioned the matter to other settlers and to drovers, who were all of the opinion that the move would be a good one. Cr, Walter agreed that the road was dangerous. At its narrowest place, he thought there was less than 16 feel space. He was of the opinion that it would be a great boon to stock-drov-ers and suggested that the engineer should visit the locality. He instanced the fact that the Council had in several places shifted the fence to the side of the metal.

The chirman agreed that the fence would be ,in a good position, but the question arose as to liability in case ol accidents. Cr. Christoffel moved that Mi Gray be given permission to move the fence at his own expense' and risk in .case of accidents.

On the motion being carried, Mr Gray refused to assent to it. While he was willing to erect this fence at his own expense, and in so doing he was safeguarding the public, he considered that it was very hard on him to have to shoulder the responsibility of accidents. The chairman remarked that since they had the opinion of the engineer that if the Council gave permission “to have the fence shifted, then the Council would be liable in case of accidents, they could not see their way to alter this decision. Mr Gray was at liberty to take the Riding members along, show them the locality, and persuade them, if he could, to use their endeavours to have this motion rescinded. ' OTHER DEPUTATIONS. Mr G. A. Harris also waited on the Council, and brought under the notice of Councillors the state of the Makuri road. Ho was prepared to do the work required, providing the Council would fix a reasonable price. The engineer reported favourably, and estimated that the work would cost £3O to £35. By clearing the scrub and levelling the surface, Mr Harris would be given an outlet to the Stanley road creamery.

The request was granted, and the engineer was authorised to put the work in hand. CORRESPONDENCE. A communication was received from the Public Works Department offering to supply Australian hardwood timber,, at a little above cost price. The offer was gladly accepted by the Council, who, it will he remembered, previously Ideputationised the Premier on this matter.

The Superintendent of the 'Advances Department wrote in reference to the Makuri road metalling contract, and said that the application for a loan of £3OOO had been provisionally approved at the rate of 4-J per cent exclusive of sinking fund, the halfyearly instalment in respect of principal and interest to be £2 13s 2d for each £IOO of the loan.—Received. Mr E. J. Blick (Midhirst) wrote complaining of the 10 par cent additional which he had paid on his rates, and asked the Council to meet him in the matter. He stated that he called at the Council office before the due

date when there was nobody in attendance. In consequence of a rather serious illness which followed, the matter was allowed to stand over until his next visit, which was made seven days after the due day.—The Council decided that they could do nothing in the matter.

The Council’s solicitor (Mr W. G. Malone) wrote on the matter of the Waipuku cemetery, and stated that while in Wellington at Easter he had called at the office of the Under-Sec-retary for Lands, who admitted that he then know of no legal way of vesting the land in the cemetery trustees, owing to the road having been closed by the Council under the provisions of the Public Works Act instead of under section 13 of the Land Act. However, the Under-Secretary bad promised to have the matter brought before the Legislature this session, and to have the case specially provided for in one of the “washing-up” Bills. In the meantime, therefore, nothing could be done.—Received.

The Lands and Survey Department (Wellington) forwarded copy of tire warrant appointing Messrs E. A. Adlam, J. E. Fenwick, and P. Thompson to be trustees, in place of Messrs A. Brown, and A. Rich!, resigned, and G. C. Blanchard, deceased, for the Waipuku cemetery.

The Commissioner of Crown Lands

for Taranaki (Mr G. H. Bullard), in reply to the Council’s letter protesting against the proposal to refrain from forwarding monthly schedules of land sold, etc., in the future, wrote stating that the decision could not be altered. It was customary for local bodies in other districts to obtain the information from the Valuer- f General, and he had no doubt the Council would he similarly supplied on application. GENERAL. Councillor Rogers drew attention to the dangers existing on the Monmouth road, where it joins the Mountain road, and said that the steep banks on either side required rounding off. The Engineer was authorised to have the work attended to. The Council instructed the engineer to procure the necessary earth required to fill up the lower portion of the section south of the Council building. j

It was decided to inform Mr Kidd

that unless lie clears out his watercourse on the Akama road as required, the Council will do the work at Mr Kidd’s expense. The engineer was requested to inspect the Akama road bridge, reported unsafe. The engineer was empowered to have made any size tracks throughout the county where it would benefit the metalled part, and where the money was available for the road. Councillors generally considered the ideh an economical one, and expressed the opinion that the tracks would naturally save the metal to a great extent. Mrs Reed’s tender of £7 per annum for the Toko Cemetery Reserve paddock was accepted. There were four tenders received.

The engineer was authorised to go on with the erection of a surfaceman’s cottage on the Manaia. road. Ho w ill also apply to the Lands Department for a paddock of, about fpyifh, acres at Huiroa.