Taranaki County Council.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 28, 3 February 1904, Page 4

Taranaki County Council.

The Council met on Monday. Present • Mr H. Okey (Chairman), Crs. Andrews, Hill, Hopson, Gray, brown and McDonald. The Chairman reported that Mi MonWliore had amended his tender for supplying metal at Okato. He bad allowed the alteration, and his action was approved. Mr Brown reported that Mr Mactoy's fence on the Junction Road £ear Kurapete was Hi feet, cm the tins matter will be attended to. The Moa foreman s repoi t was was decided that old timl»r from the Kurapete budge be handed £, Mr Curtis in exchange loi tus reserve- near Mr Brill's will be advertised on a yearly lea*'. The clerk will make a claam on t u Ipgiewood borough .or lv«-sha.e o Jolt of Kurapete bridge, and U Council WW be askcid to state what Kind of hand-rails they pivlor The repairs oi J.mctn.n Road towards the Zigzag were de.errou at present. _ - The bridge carpenter will '- Strutted to .eport on the le He.wi bridge on Avenue Road. Authority was given to employ labour to clean out dram near lng.e----•wood borough. The Waitara foreman s report was Resolved that Mr Holmes be instructed to attend to blinding road at Te Henui, and to have enough metal broken to complete the contract and also extra [or Bell Block end 'before the crusher leaves. The Ou.ata foreman's report was read. It was decided to lra\e M yards of stone crushed for concrete work, and to authorise required supply oi stone. ... The suggestion to obtain stone from VVaiwakaiho for South Road from New Plymouth to breakwater was deferred for the present. In reply to a request for a penimOent assistant, the Omata foreman was empowered to engage casual labour. T. Urry reported on repairs required to the portable crusher, recently returned to the Council by Messrs Bayly and Sole—lt was decided to obtain an estimate of cost of repairs, and to obtain a fair proportion from Messrs Bayly and Sole. The bridge carpenter will be instructed to make a permanent chute to the crusher. Two days' holiday was granted to libe bridge carpenter for the purpose Of attending the Rifle Association meeting. It was decided to authorise two new culverts near Wiarekino, the roadway to be 23 feet wide. The Woiongoim bridge on Mountain Road will be posted as dangerous for traflic. The Ngatoronui bridge on Mountain Hoaid will be closed against traffic for four days from Bth'inst. The sale of old timber from the Mangonui bridge at os per 100 ft was approved. The Chairman stated that no de- . finite reply had been received from Wellington as to granting tihe bridge loan. The Roads Department notilicd there was no balance for expenditure tm Junction Road. CARRIERS', LICENSES. Mr R. H. Pigott, Chairman of the Clifton County Council, attended re traffic by-laws. He recommended a reciprocal arrangement, so that vehicles licensed in the Clifton county might be allowed to run on the Taranaki county roads, and vice versa. There were many carriers end mail coach drivers whose business lay in both counties. He suggested that as a way out oi the difficulty license fees should be paid to one county, and shared between .Clifton and Taranaki counties.

In answer to questions, Mr I'igott cited the carriers betwwn Creniti and Waitara, or coaches between Inglewood arid I'ui-a.ngi as instances. The Chairman thought tine Council might well allirm the principle advocated by the deputation.

Cr. Gray moved in the direction of approving the suggestion that vehicles pdying for hire and licensed in either county might trade in both .without paying a double wheel tax. Mr Brown seconded, and the motion was carried. TE AREI ROAD. Mr T. K. Skinner waited on the Council, and laid -before the meeting the plans for deviation of the Te 'Arei Road at Sentiy Hill. It was decided to offer £2O per acre to Mr Sampson and Mrs Petch for land taken, the cost of fencing to be borne by the settlers interested. HIRE OF CRUSHER. Mr Bayley, of Bayiey and Sole, waited on the Council re hire of crusher. They had agreed to bring to the crusher from Puruho to New Plymouth, ami on the way (acting on a conversation with the chairman) they used the crusher for a couple of days. Mr Bayley thought the charge of £.:, a day, ltesides paying for repairs, was excessive. The Chairman said the crusher bad been taken wi thornt authority. Mr Bayly said the crusher was used from Dec. 7to Jan. 4. He unBerstood that the chairman gave him permission to use the crusher at £8 per week, the same as had been, paid *>y Messrs Twouiev and Muir The Chairman said he gave' no authority. It was impossible now to ascertain what amount for repairs Should be charg.il to Messrs Twomey ajid Muir. Cr. McDonald could not see winthere should be any difference in the amounts charged to tin- two lirms of contractors. It was finally decided that Messrs Bayley and Sole be charged £8 per .week for four weeks-actual working time—and proportionate cost of repairs, on condition that the engine remain as at present on the contractors' section at Fitzroy. OAKUKA CONTRACT. Mr Mace asked w-|„.„ he would be able to have the stonecrusher for the Oakura contract. He was assured that he could have the crusher in about a fortniirht's time. RICHMOND ROAD. A-petition was read from settlers on Richmond Road, asking that the road be metalled to the Main North »oad. There was a quam- on the road. The, Chairman said that the deviation and bridge in that part of the distnet were quite enough expenditure at present. Cr. Andrews said that there wis £2OO available. ft had bee,, ear Barked for a bridge at Sentry Hill omd tad not been spent Why n J spend it now on repairing roads ? Cr. Gray moved, and (jr. McDonald seconded, that the matter sfin-l IWr for the present.-Carried ' DAMACES Mrs IVtrie wrote that the decking ofle Be„ u , bw , K „ lu ,„ £ under her pony carriage, and stated fcer intention of forwaeding a claim ifor damages. SLAUGHTERINO IdCFNSF A slaughtering license was'granted to W. J. Lile, of Inglewood TENDF.HS. Applications for the position of *>g-tax collector were opened as under :—Whole county : A. F. Mason 4d per dog ; H. Mulrafley, Is ; 1\ lyall, 6d. Onrata : A. S." Frost, 8d and Is. Moa Riding : Driest ■ Mitchell, sjd ; Adams. ssd ; H.' Bisnop, 4d ; J. Rowlands, 4Jd ; ,J. F. Habuscki, 5d and 7-d. Waitara • Stephen Hale, 5d ; C, King, sj<d,

It was decided to accept the tenders of S. Hale, Waitara ; A. S. Fiost. Omava ; 11. Bishop, Moa. J tog Collars.— Tenders were opened from Mavnur'd Kamson, Oil : Harris Ford. l> ; ;d : llarr.\ 11. Pond, s'tl ; R. Edwards, («l. The tender of 11. 11. Ford was arointed. iron handrails for the Kaliknra bridge —Messrs Okey and Hollo's Winder oi ill 7s lid was accepted. ACCOUNTS. Accounts were passed :—Administration, JU37 17s 2d ; Una riding', £B.". 12s 3d ; Waitara riding, L3<>B Is Kid ; Omata riding. ,C 72 (is. Total, £(i."i7 (IS .".d. HKl'l TATIOX. It was deckled to send the Chairman and Cr. Ilmwn to Wellington to interview beads of departments on bndge loan, licensing, .Inaction Road, and oilier matters. The Council rose.