COUNTY COUNCIL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXX, Issue 56, 22 October 1914, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETINC The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was held yesterday, there being present Crs. \V. Hathaway (Chairman), E. Walter, W. H. Were, J. Christofl'el, 10. Anderson, J. Thompson, J. Young, W. Rogers and J. Smith. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The Engineer (Mr W. J. Lopdell.) reported as Follows: —During the month {rood progress has been made in the different Ridings with general maintenance and watertabling. A small concrete bridge has been erected on the Opnnake Road, No. 111. The shingle lor the two bridges out at Toko has been delivered at the bridge, sites. I would like your instructions re starting these bridges. A start has been made with carting diingle from the Manganui River For Te Popo bridge at Midhirst. Indented steel: 6 tons 15 cwt of steel havs been bought at a satisfactory price, dso several tons of railway iron. Contracts: Owing to requests from contractors out in the west district v o let some of our work in their district at an early date I decided to call tenders for the .West Riding to close .vifch the East and South, returnable te-day. I would recommend calling tender's for about 1000 cubic yards of crushed metal on Toko Road West, and

• similar amount of boulder stone on bhe Manganui crusher site at Midhirst; ilso 100 o yds of shellrock on the %iira-Mangaehu Road. Croydon '.load: I. have seen Mr Zimmerman, vho agreed to ascertain the' feeling )f the ratepayers relative to raising i loan to have three hills reduced in ;rade and re-metalled. The proposd work would cost about £475. \Jniroa Road: I understand that Mr 'iper has obtained a consent of the atepayeif? to have the west end of his road re-graded and metalled. velly Street, Midhirst: A consent has >een obtained to raise a loan for the Hirpose of forming and metalling this oad. Makuri Road: A start has icen made with the metalling of this oad. The roller is there at work. V quantity of shellrock has been queried for repairing damage done to this oad by the carting of coal to the oil,'olls. - Motor Car: Your car has at ast come to hand, and you are to be congratulated upon the class of car /oil have procured. it surpasses the ligbest expectations of all those, concerned who have seen it. It is givng perfect satisfaction. I would like |.o take the opportunity of thanking Mr Vshton aild Mr Newton King's staff for the assistance they have given us in the use of their motor cars in runling contractors round the various ,'ontracts. This assistance will, lam •■lire, have helped us.in no small decree with to-day's tenders. The Toko bridges are to be pro:eeded with as soon as the loan money is available. ,

Authority was Riven to procure sand md shingle for the Te Popo bridge; ilso the crushed metal, boulders and shell rock asked for.

FOREMAN'S REPORTS. North Riding (West).—The roads in my Riding are all in fair order at the present time. Mountain Road : Repairs to side tracks, water-tables ind general maintenance has been done. Radnor Road: I have finishad the crushing and blinding of this .•oad and am at present picking up and breaking the large stones on the upper portion of the road. Denbigh Road: This road has been clayblinded. Monmouth, Upper Pembroke and Flint Roads have been repaired, the latter requiring more metal to carry through the season.

North Riding (east).—The roads under my care are in fair order with the exception of Acklanrl Road. During the month we have worked on Croydon South, Beaconsfield, Stanley East and Stanley Cross and Croydon Roads. Manawawiri Road: The wooden culvert on the first filling collapsed. I drove a tunnel through but had to put in five 18-in. pipes owing to the loose nature of the earth. South Riding.—All my roads are in fair order. I have re-metalled about fifteen chains on Warwick Road, also clay blinded the Mountain, Sole, Finnerty and Cheal Roads. The watertables are also being attended to. East Riding (Toko).— Mangaehu Road: Watertabling and trimming up has been completed. Wawifi Road has been attended to throughout. I. have widened three fillings and repaired fence at dangerous points; also replaced wooden culvert with six 9-in. pipes. Toko Road: Widened filling and erected guard (once to same. Main Road: Wo are engaged on this road at trimining and water-tabling. We have quarried 53 cubic yards of shell rock from Mr G, Bain's pit on Wawiri Road for maintenance, at a. cost of Is Gd per yd. One of my men and myself have been some days assisting the Hniroa foreman in quarrying shellrock in his Riding. East Riding (Douglas).—All my roads arc in fair order. Ohura Road: We have picked and re-metalled about lifteen chains of this road, also done a lot of banking up and watertabling. East Riding (Huiroa).—Autawa Road (expenditure of Government grant): This road is now fit for light traffic as far as Mr Meuli's cottage. Tunupo and Douglas Roads have been repaired. Makuri Road West: A shellrock pit has been opened up on O'Garrigan Bros.' property, and about sixty cubic yards has been quarried and a considerable quantity stripped. This IMtmU Jji> •:■ :';'•-: jljt^U^t^HM

metalling ol Makuri Road West should be finished in about :i fortniglit. West hiding.—Opunake No. 1: About lhAtf a mile of this road has been scarified, blinded and rolled. I am kept busy blinding roads with clay, and attending to water-tables. Mangaehu Riding.-*Mangaehu Road South: 1 have finished the forming of this road and have put in a set of pipes on the Mangaotnku Road. Repairs have been done on the l'opnanui, Tututawa and Mangaehu Roads. Kai'tieke Road: 1 am forming this road, repairing culverts and building the new bridge. The Puniwhakau surfaceman has been kept busy at his end, whilst a man has been cleaning old slips and cutting scrub on the Taihoro Road. The Engineer was authorised to do necessary work on Aekland Road, and to replace old culverts on Pnniwhakau Road with pipes. GENERAL. The Engineer was instructed to inspect Hunt Road, and report on work necessary. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr Newton King for the. use of motor ears pending delivery of the Council's ear. Formal consents were received from ratepayers for work on Ahuroa Road West and Kelly Street. Midhirst. The building of the Tututawa, bridge is to bo put in hand when the loan money is available.

A special order was passed authorising the raising of a loan of £2-10 for the metalling of the extension of Regan Street West. The Clifton County Engineer notified that his Council had a road grader for sale.—To he informed that the Council does not desire to purchase a grader.

The rates were apportioned as Follows:—North Riding, main roads Id, by-roads ltd. South *d and I'd, East 12d and IjJd, West Ud and l£d, Mangaehu Hd and IUI. The Engineer hrought wt\ the nuestipn of royalty on river shinele, holding that the Council was paying more for royalty than 1 should ho the case.— It was decided to submit the matter to Mr T. F. Martin, solicitor to the Counties' Association. A. M. Boddie, Mangamingi, asked that certain work be done on the Council's portion of Anderson Road. Some work had been promised by the Eltham County Council, and the writer believed that arrangements could bo made for the Eltham men to do the work on the Stratford part of the road.- Engineer to report. Contracts for metal supply were let as follows:—No. 889, Green and Chard; 890, A. Julian; 891, Neilsoh and Gray; 892, D. J. Kehely; 893, Grimmer and Chamberlain; 894, Grimmer and Chamberlain; 895, W. E. Hills; 890, Green and Chard; 897, A. Julian; 898, Green and Chard; 899, T. H. Taylor.. Mr H. Okey, M.P,,, acknowledged receipt of the Council's letter urging that road-making machinery should be admitted to the country free of duty, stating that he was in: full sympathy with the movement, and would bo pleased to support any petition the Council might send to the Government on the matter. —The Premier, acknowledging a, similar letter, said he was submitting the representations to the Minister for Customs for consideration.—Received.

The Chairman brought up the matter of foremen burning fern on the side of the road, it having been reported that one fire § had done considerable damage to a fence. On his motion it was decided to notify foremen that in future they would light such fires at their own risk, unless instructed by the Engineer, in which case the occupier could be warned and given a chance, to clear the ground near their fences.—Councillors agreed that much damage was done by such fires, but stated further that many of them were started by pas-sers-by in pure mischief