STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXV, Issue 282, 26 November 1914, Page 8

STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was held yesterday, there being present: Crs. W. Hathaway (chairman), T. E. Coleman, J. Christoffel, J. Smith, W. H. Were, E. Walter, H. 15. Worthington, L. Baskin, and T, R. Anderson. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The Engineer reported: During the past month good progress has been made in the various Ridings. The contractors are busy with their different works. H. Julian has maclo a start with his crushed metal contract of 1000 yards in and around Midbir'st. Green and Chard will he ready to start crushing the Beaeonsfield Road contract some time next week. Several of the other contractors are well on with the delivery of boulder stone. The Makuri Road loan metalling eontract is now complete, aud looks very well. Tt will be necessary to forward about 21 yards of crushed metal to make good damage done by carting between the railway station and new metal. In company with Crs Were and Walter, I visited many of the roads in this .Riding, the worst being the portion of road between the new metal and the oil wells. However, instructions have been given to the sang to procure 200 yards of sliell rockto re-face this portion of the road. Cr. Christoffel arid myself visited the Anderson Road and arranged that the Eltham surfaceman continue the work .uniform with that of the Eltham County. We also inspected the Waihapa Road and decided to deviate from the original survey, which will make a cheaper and a better road. I have inspected the Hunt Road, and recommend that a few days' work be done in filling up the wheel ruts. I suggest that a verandah be erected to the cottage at Douglas, also that «• washhouse be erected at the Manaia Road cottage. The old Hope stone-crusher has been sold at a satisfactory price. i'A horse has been bought for the Riding, and the dray will be ready next week. J would like your instructions to hire the Borough Council roller for a while during the summer, as it will be quite impossible to.cope with the work- with tin* one machine. An inventory of all the stock and plant has been compiled. The tenders of H. Julian (10l:-/cis crushed metal at Midhirst), Xeilson and Gray (1000yds Toko Road), aoo Berinett and Julian (300yds boulder stone at Cross and Croydon 'Roads) have been accepted. The matters of erecting a verandah at the Douglas cottage and a was'ihouse at Hanaia Road were deferred. The Engineer was authorised to hire the Borough Council roller as desired.

FOREMEN'S REPORTS. North , Riding (Foreman. i>.swn). During tiicf momm we iiave carried oui/ maintenance,and general surface worh on the Mountain, Rutland, Deruy, l'ork, Radnor, Monmouth, Barclay, oi>per Peinbrofca fcml Ga2V*# iioucis. iVortli Hiding (Foreman Kovaieski). —ihe roads under my care are ixi. xair order tliougii somewliat loose owing to drv weatner. General bUifave work nas. been done as follows: Keni Terrace, attended to \vater-tabl«v;

Beaconsfield Road, made side track, also trimmed up side tracks on Salis. bury Head; cleaned me water-tablet on Croydon and Ackliud lloi.es j Ooydon Road has been attended 10, ana a drain cleaned out; Aekiati 1 Road being in such a we.uc condition, 1 found it necessary to got ifbyds ol sJieil rock, besides the i'Jy-Ja of Qiu% ed metal. South Riding (Forr.u.tn Parker),.— My roads are all in fan cider. Most of the month has been taken up iu blinding the .Tuner line!, t\;r:.er. Robson, Waihapa and pait of 'be Mountain and Lo.v.'r Skinner Reads with clay.

East Riding (l'V-inin Ricbairis).— the work on Maiori Road has bfen completed with the excip-ion of jrni&ing a filling, which I w'll attend U, as soon as pdsjinle: 'jfMp tnwn.d.ip has'had a general cleanup. Bfcitfv'iig up and blinding Kis been dene on Standlsh, Ohiira and Heaoonsfielc! Roads, also cartnv? all Materials to band for' Toko brides.

-East Hiding iFoW-inan Rogw y All my roads uie ..: vi>r.v fan ■ u-.-.hi. General maintenance and blinding on most of the roads .occupied most of ovir time. We are now working witli the roller scarifying and re-facing the Douglas Road. Huiroa; Biding (Foreman Atkins).— Makuri Road West: The. metalling of 62 chains of this road has been' completed, it being necessary to use 16 yards of metal from Makuri Road East, also 25yds of shell-rock. Steady progress is being made with the supply and delivery of 200yds of sftollroek for this road. About 2-lyls of crushed metal will be required to makgood the damage done by carting over the Makuri Road East.

Mangaehu Riding (Foreman Savage) —BUring the month T have finished the Taihore Saddle, which is now in good order. T have built a small, bridge on Clark's track over a washout." T also finished the bridge on Kaitieke Road. Repairs have been done on the Runiwhakau. Manga and Mangaehu Roads, also several pipe culverts.

; West Riding (Foreman Robinson'). - All the roads in my Riding are now in good order. Tam having ti'f stones raked up and the roads b hided with .play. Many complaints have reached me concerning stock wandering about the roads by night en ihe Cardiff. Opunake, and Palmer Road':. There have been stock there for ths I past three weeks.

! Cr. Anderson said the bullocks on ..Palmer Road belonged Wan Eltham /County contractor, and he though" 1 such contractors should be treated the I same as their own contractors. He I could not see what damage the beasts ' were doing on the road.—Cr. Christoffel said it did not do much good to ! keep on impounding these cattx*. Ihe ! correct way to stop the practice was to take the owner to the Court. -Cr. Coleman thought there should be ;>' encouragement of bullocks on the road. He was against even contractors being .riven the right to graze bullocKS on the road.—The Engineer said that on many roads the Council relied eutiiely on bullocks to cart out stone. Otherwise the cost of stone would be m-creased.-rlt was decided to draw' t'e attention of the ranger to the number of complaints made regarding cattle on the roads, especially in t'ie West Hiding.

RANGER'S REPORT. 1 i The Hanger reported: On the I&tii j ult., I impounded in Toko one horse, j On the 20th I was at Strathmore aid , Puniwhakau, and impounded two , cows and one horse. On the 21st I was at Douglas Hoad, Huiroa and , Wawiri Roads and found two hqrtoa . straying. On the 23rd I found one ( cow straying in Midhirst. -n the 25th 1 found one horse on Ahuro-i , Hoad. On the 26th I got one hone , on Bird Hoad. On the Bth inst I got two cows on York Road; on the 10tb, one horse at Toko; on the 11th, tnree , yearlings at Kiore; on the loth, «x - bullocks and two horses on Uuwl Hoad; on the 17th, one bullock on Pembroke Road. CROSS ROAD. Nine residents on the Cross Road and adjacent properties' petitioned for work to be done in opening up, tor light traffic, that portion of the Cross. Hoad, between Mr J. Fryday's and Mr Fred Wellington's. If this road was (opened up for wheel raffio, i would lighten the traffic on the Stanley Road end of the Cross Road considerably. At present it was utterly impassable for a gig, and even for a horse in wet weather. Cr. Baskin said he had been informed that only five hours' work had been done on the road during the past four years. If the road was.texed up the settlers would be able to reach Midhirst much easier. There were, said. Cr. Baskin, a good number of properties paying rates.—The Chairman said that in the.first place the settlers did not raise enough monev to put the road through. Any -woik now would have to be paid for out oi the Special Fund or taken from another road. The loan was raised to give access to the butter factoiy, bVTS no milk carting took place over the part in question. He thought settlers did not properly understand the position of the Council's finances. - Cr. Baskin said it appeared that the rates from the properties had - been spent on the metalled roads.—Cr. Smith moved that the Engineer be asked to report. He thought the ebrreot course was for the settlers to strike a special rate, which might ba subsidised from the special fund.—Cr. Baskin seconded, and the motirii was r carried. CENERAL.

Plans for the'renewal of the bridge over the Te Popo stream are to be prepared for next meeting. The Chairman reported that no advice had-been received as to the arrival of, the Council's new crusher. # Cr. Smith gave notice to move u l next meeting that the Engineer prepare plans for replacing the bridge on Cardiff Road.

The dog registration fee was fixed at 2s (id for cattle and sheep dogs, and 10s for all other dogs. The Under-Secretary of the Public Works Department forwarded the following schedule of balances of grants available: Ahuroa Stream bridge £250, Mangaotuku River bridge £250, Pa. tea River bridge £250, Pembroke Road .upper) £250, York Road £IOO, Manawawiri stream bridge £lO, Wawiri stream bridge £IOO, Te Popo stream bridge £loo.—Received. Cr. Baskin brought up the question of the bad drainage in the Midhirst cemetery, and after discussion it was decided to give Mr Gray a fortnight's notice to clean out his drain, failing which the work will be done at his expense.

In reference to the Government grant of £250 for metalling the Upper Pembroke Road, it "was decided to offer to carry out the necessary work and to contribute one-third of the balance of the cost, provided the other two-thirds is contributed by the Borough Council and residents generallv.

Cr. Raskin advocated the opening up of Gambia Street at Midhirst, in order to .save cattle from the eastward roads having to go through the township. If the road was opened, the stock traffic would be kept off Beaconsfield Ro#id for about twenty chains and also off Mountain Road for some distance. —The Engineer is to inspect and report. Cr. Anflorson brought up the question of a bridge in the West Riding, asking the Engineer what the position was Engineer said that timbering had been taken out rather soon, and the deck sagged. A crack developed, giving the bridge an odd look, though it was thoroughly strong. To improve the look of the bridge on under-strut was put in.

Mr T. C. Fookes wrote on behalf of Mrs Baker, Huiroa, claiming -Id per yard royalty on stone taken and crushed on her property. His client could not agree to receiving fid per yard, half of thai sum to be paid to property owners on the other side of the stream. —Consideration deferred.

The general opinion of Councillors was that some definite, general decision should be come to. The Comptroller of Customs wrote: "With reference to your letter of September 19th, I have now 10 inform you by direction .of the Minister for Customs that arrangements have been made to remit the duty on road rollers and road graders of British made. Stone crushers of British make are already on the free list. Any application' you may wish to make respectling any other"road-making machinery j w m be considered for revision of the ! tariff, if you will be so good | send an enumeration'of the items.' Received.

The State Advances Office, referring to an application for. a loan of £1350 for the Waihapa Road and £9O for Kelly Street, Midhirst, stated that the Board had limited fresh advances to £IOOO, and asked if £9lO would suffice for Waihapa Road, the, Midhirst loan of £9O bringing the sum up to the limit.—A certain amount of the necessary loan for Waihapa Road is to be applied for at once. Cr. Christoffel said the remainder might not be required for twelve months. The Chairman reported that he had recentlv been over the Manga Road and thought something should he done, as at any time the Council might be called upon to speml a lot, of money on it in with slips which were frequent owing to the papa formation. If something was not done there was a possibility of people on the road being cut off. There was a tunnel through a big tilling which needed alteration.— It was decided to write to the Land Board protesting against the road having been vested in the Council m such an unsatisfactory state.