TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8060, 6 March 1906, Page 3

TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Taranaki County Council was held on Monday, Present: Messrs (i. V. Tate (chairman), Brown, Stevens, AiJlain. Hill, Andrews and Brown. BIIIIJIiE KEI'OHT. Mr W. J. Clare reported that during the mouth, the only bridge work was the repairing of the bridge near the Sentry Hill flour-mill. With the exception of a few planks, this bridge w as now in good order. stone ( ursniai ukport. Tha engine-driver, Mr T. Urry, reported that he had shifted the stone crusher from the Tapuae to the Chain Bridge. The road was so soft thai lie had had difficulty, necessitating the the borrowing of Mr Harford's bullocks. He recommended widening the road, and metalling a couple of swampy places before taking the macl'.'i:.' again '.on to Mr Morris'properly. The Council authorised the foreman to do the necessary work, Jioi. Uiw.xu. Mr C. P. Lord, Moa riding foreman, wrote that he had employed Kerr's team for two days carting; the hole in front of the Tariki Hotel had been filled with metal from the stream ; new decking planks had been putin the Manganui, Mangainawhiti, Waitepuke bridges near JTorfolk-road and Pikau. The Titriki-road draining contract was now being done by Simons Brothers, the contractor Inning declined to go on with the work, the excuse being that he had not seen llie specifications before tendering. Mr I'. Zimmerman had finished his boulder carting contract, and MrWcllliani was arranging to push on with his breaking contract. The report was adopted, and the action of Messrs Brown and Stevens in engaging Messrs Simons Brothers lo do the Tariki-road draining at ;ls a I yard was approved.

The eliainiiau was authorised to art ill regard to filling in hole in I'ruii! uf the Tarilii llutel with metal. The "foreman win authorised In connect the wing uf the AVnipuku hridge witli Mr Colitis' fence, and it was decided to sell by auction the old timber front I he bridge. Mr Cr. Walker, Moa Hiding foreman, reported that a wooden culvert at the end of Lepper road must be renewed, 150 feet of timber being required. He was ready to slarl crushing, lie had procured pipes for a culvert at I he end of the Kent road, and had engaged teams and men to blind metal from Saxton's pit to the new meta) on Henui hill. The report was adopted, and Cr Stevens asked lo confer with the foreman regarding the Lepper road contract. Jl XI I'luX IIIIUJ. The Junction Road East foreman, Mr K. linneti. reported that the loose stones on this and Tariki roads luid been raked up, water-tables cleaned mil and sides banked up. l'ipes were required In replace culverts oil the liazor-baeti. Messrs McAlluni Bros, had agreed lo supply I.ll) iiialai posts, at I'd pel' po>l, for ihc Xig. Zag. The report was adopted, and requests for material were agrc«d 10. «' UTAIIA n 1111 -M;. Mr John Holmes, Wailara Hiding foreman, reported that the whole of the month had been spent in making up the .side-roads, cleaning out watertables etc. No repairs had been required on any of the bridges. Oil ATA HIOIXcI. The Omata foreman (Mr W Kvctts) reported that during the month a small slip and drift sand on I lie Breakwaterroad had been removd. furze, blackberry and fennel had been cut ai Omata hill, pipes leadiir: I > wain troughs haii been cleaned and .-diglrepairs effected to I'lymoufh-ruad

l>riJ^ r o. lit l iVcomnimU'd llial litcl;i 1 rci|UUY(l by llif XaLavaiiiinka. Jloail Eo:inUu give niti'anci' it) the IV(oik'I'oad siioutil bn oliininotl from i\lr 11. iSli;nv # roiih'iU'toL' lor lVUmr. nal. Tlio (Ivuiu wi, Watson's Gully. Oahura, nmlctl flouring I'm- four or live chains.

The foreman whs authorised lo procure the ncrrs,>;ti'y -tone I'roin Ml' Shaw for tin? lVlonc-roail. -lr I' 1 . Morns, Oali'ira, urole re'luesliug tjic Council [n see lliaf a righl-ol'-way is made lo his land, and reporting damage.--Held out pending I valuer's report. Messrs Bayly and Sole, 1 In- contractors, are held responsible lor the damage reported. M.ieiT.iiv mi.i.. Messrs Orbcll and Maekay l'eporied lliat Mr A. Schrieber's lender of L'lOl for the Slippery Ilill deviation had been accepted. HKimi: or i:\ti-s. Mr 11. Goodaere forwarded pariiculars of untenanted premises on which he had applied lor remission ol rates. One house had been untenanted for twelve months, and one was burned down six months ago.—Half rales will be refunded. UlvXKli u. The Council decided lo insure lis ollice furniture. Government subsidy will be allocated according to rates collected in the respective ridings. 'lhe Valuation Department notified that £l2 10s (>d subsidy hail been paid to lhe Council's account. TU'l Ai: AXI> OAKI IM. Mr J. Skinner reported on the Tapuac and Oakura contracts, that the re-grading of the Tapuac hill on the east »ide was Hearing completion. The tunnel was through, lessening danger ' of Hoods carrying away the filling. | Filling in the river-bed would soon be commenced. AVork to lhe amount of £■"> so had been completed. The tunnel contractor had met with unexpectedly hard rocky country, and the cost of working had greatly exceeded his own estimate, but the work had, nevertheless, been faithfully carried out. So far the only accident had been lhe loss by a rock-driller ot one of his lingers, '' As the work is one of considerable importance lo the district," continued the engineer, " being oucoi' the largest, if not the largest, tunnel m the colony, and one that lias been carried oulwithout artificial'suppon, 1 would ask thai--as many Councillors as fan make it convenient shall visit the work. There seems no reason why similar works could not be undertaken elsewhere to i the considerable saving in bridges." The work aL Oakura lull deviation had been carried on satisfactorily. As no ■ furilier earthwork could be done before the piers were created to carry lhe new bridge, the Engineer recommended the Council to call for tenders at once for the hitter. Mr Skinner also recommended that the piers be increased to a length of '2l feci, so Unit-when re- . ncwing the bridge it could be done by an arch to the lull width of the lorma- ' lion. The p'ans of concrete had been • prepared with this object in view. At [ present lhe idea was to civet piles ' about two chains up the river and i transfer one span of the present bridge (32 feel) lo the new site. This could be done so thai trallic would not be interfered willi to any great extent, lhe bridge Mas of puriri, and would outlast even a steel bridge, the use of the lalter being inadvisable so near the sea. Mr Skinner added that he had taken levels for footpaths at Okato, and recommended that the work should be done as soou as possible. The report was adopted and tenders w ill be called for the erection of the stoue piers. The mailer of putting in pipes in connection with lhe tilling at Tapuac was left lo Cr.-. Adlani and Julian to ( arrange with the County Engineer. ( Xi-:\Y IdtllMiKS \YANTi;i». ) The Kugiiieer was instructed to pre- ' pare plans, specifications, and estimates ' lor the re-ereclion of the Piakau (Mounlaiu-road) and Waiongona (.Tunc-tion-road) bridges, and plans and speeilieations lor I hi' Waiwakaiho bridge on Devon-road.

Ti:.\iu:iis. 1 endei's were received as under -oOytls. boulder slone. Mountain road, \\ aipuku I>> liiigby-road, j F. Zimmerman (only lender), :ls "J a yard (accepted) ; L'llilvds. 1 milldt'r-slollo, Mounlaiii-r< ul. Inglewood lo Wiihiiigona, J. Till ry, Is a yard ; Magce and llii'liardson ;)< lid' a yard'; none accepted. lie . inci:i llorroeks' Hill. Ivaiiuala, Magce aud Uieliardsoii, only tenderers, '.ls Id )H'ryard, accepted; (ioOyds. metal, Devon-road, between Bell Block and Waitara, .1. Colesby ."is lld a yard ;C. .1. luiuckey as Id a yard (accepted); SoUyds. nielal. Mountainl'cad, Waiongona Bridge to Devon-road. amlMauatalii and liiciiniond-roads, AV. Cartwrigiil, Is lid a var.l (accepted); J. (olesljy. Is lid a yard: breaking boulders on Mountain-road. [nglcwood to Rugby-road, K. Marshall :1s 2.1, B. Morris and I?. Kennedy.'ls 2.\d. rejected owing lo no deposit: \\\ Corncv :is (id yard, C .lorgensen :ls Id, .1. 11.I 1 . Kennedy :is and :is :!d, accepted. Metalling Kiclimond-road, AV. C'arlwriglit, its :id, only tender, accepted. Mel ailing .Slippery Jllll deviation, l'ikclt. and Wilkie, ill) 5s per chain (accepted) ; ■I. Tarry, I'l2 per chain. Mr P. Drodosky asked for repairs to a culvert leading lo his properly at Waiongona.—Referred lo llie Foreman

cdi'.vrY i:.v(!ixi:i:ii. I'our applications lor the position of County Engineer were opened. Or. Slovens moved, and Cr. llrown seconded, that Mr Orbell, of Messrs. Orbell and Mackay, i>e appointed County Engineer. Cr. Hill moved an amendment lliat Mr d. Skinner receive the appointment. Cr. Andrews seconded. The qualifications ol the Iwo candidates w ere discussed, Councillors agreeing that boll, hail served the Council faithfully in llie works they bad undertaken. The amendment was carried, and Mr Skinner appointed. Voting: For Mr Orbell, Crs. Stevens and Blown : for Mr Skinner, Cr:-. A.llani, Ilill, Andrews, .lulian, and Talc : 2 -j.