CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 81843, 8 September 1906, Page 3

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thi' ordinary nionlhly uncling uf tin' Clifli n Coun y Council was held on Friday at ttailara. Piescnt: Crs. Foreman (cliaiiman -, Mackenzie, Wright, O'Sul.'ivan, JoH, llishell and Gausted. MF.TAL AT MAXCAKOA. Tin' Dlstiiu Kuad Engineer at Tc Kuiti wrote ili.n gravel was dil'li cult tc ibtaiii ai Mangaroa, on account of the heavy Slipping rcituir id. 'llicre was plenlv of papa ob tainable, ami n denied probable papa-burning \u.tild ; U iv to be undcriaken. SI.AUGIITF.UIXG I.ICKNSK. Alms's 1.. Iraser and Co., of Urenin, wcie granted a slaughtering license. Tlll£ TOLL-GATK. William Co!e, jun.. wrote that his was the only milk cart passing through the- toll-gate „ n tl/j Main North road, and the tolls and rates t .(jt'th'T would amount to 3,0 an acre, so prohibitive a rate that he would have tc give up supplying the factery.

The Chairman said this was a matter of difficulty. Whilst the Council was in sympathy with the applicant, the granting if the application would open the door to endless trouble.

The Council recommended Mr To.'c to endeavour to continue his present arrangement of running his cart through private property to avoid the gate. OTAOROA ROAD.

The Minister for Public Works acknowledged receipt of i|„, letters regarding the Otaoroa road deviation forwarded tluough Mr W'. T. Jennings, M.H.R. J

The Chairman said lie had practically received assurance from the Minister that assitance would be furthcoming. GATES OX ROADS.

Cr. Mackenzie said ho had been asked to have the gates removed from the Apia road, in the Uaihi riding.—The Council decided the re moval was not nr-cessarv, in the interests of the general traveling public. A LOAN KEOLTKED. Herbert Wells and J. J. Elwin jun., wrote that they wished to raise a loan of for metalling the hill from the Blockhouse to the bridge across the Waimarama stream, and any formation that may be required. The engineer said the !road was practically a private one. |-J C had given instructions some time ago for metalling the worst parts of the road but these had not been carried out! The Chairman thought it advisable to enquire from the Commissioner of Crown Lands as to the feasibility of spending the monev, and this course will be adopted. PUKEARUHE ROAD.

Messrs W. B. Fisher, A. E. Watkin, and Geo. Kiddell, Pukearuhe wrote that there was a balance of .£lB5 to credit of the Pukearuhe road loan, on which the special rate had been paid for three or four years during which time no work had been done on the road. They suggested spending £;,o on cutting off some of the sharp turns, and that the remaining £155 be returned to the Treasury. This course will be adopted. THE ROAD GRADER! A long discussion took place in reference to the road grader jointly owned by the Council and the Waitara Boinugh Council. The machine had not proved altogether satisfactory to the borough, and the Council offered to sell its share for ,642 10 , and half cost of the shed, or £47 10 in all.—Deferred pending consideration of the matter by the Borough Council. THE ALLEN ROAD.

The Council decided not to accedeto Mr Tiip'iss' application to open the Allen road, and he will be informed the Council has not authorised the erection of any gate on the road. THE OPUNAKE RAILWAY. The Mayor of Stratford forwardid the resolution 1 f a public meeting favouring the.eaily construction of the Opunake railway, commencing at the Opunake end, and asked the Council's support. The Council gave its atippoit to the movement, but decided it was nut in a position to send a den-gat,- with the pi unused deputation to W.-l'ington. A (QUESTION OF FUNDS. Mr W. J. l-'reeth (Ngalnwi) wrote that the road was now in good order for the grader In wolk, and the settlors wisiied that the road should be formed befuie the season advanced. He also dicw attention to a dangerous hole in the r. ad coming off the the Wai-iti Maori teserve. Some discussion ensued on the advisability of grading the roads at this season, the engineer considering this course was unprofitable. Councillors recognised, however, that many of tin- side-roads needed attention, tile chairman hinting the id had been nearly all anticipated. The clerk stated that the expenditure on the W'aihi road was over the limit. Mr O'Sullivan though', the Government wou.d have, to be called on for assistance. The Chairman's opiivnn was that in a year or two- the Council would, cui of ' rditiary levenue, be able to maintain all the roads when once made. Mi Gausted objected to increasing the present overdraft of £23(10, and also to the other ridings being called upon to pay interest on that ami unt. The Chairman lejoim-d ihat the C'.uni it - pnncipiM duty was to' maintain 111 •- main road, and this could not be done even with 3d extra rate. It must be lemenib'-ied that some of the most valuable lands weie occupied by Maons, who paid no Answering Cr. Gausted. Cr. Mac kenzie considered it as fair for Ngatitnaru rat'-payi-is to cnnliihutc to the est of the ,W'aihi road as fcr the Waihi rate|iayeis 0, pay [or it when it was of no me to them. The engineer was insiriuted to do thai portion of the road which had been ploughed. ENGINEER'S REPORT. Mr C. I-'. Dowscu, ciiinly engincei, teport'-d thai Maish Bros, wenbreaking and catting out nutal fTom Fn,-ling's pii (Waihi riding). In Tikorangi riding the road was being widened and metalled on the Fac nirv hill. Cu-'-'ngs mi Tikorangi road would b'- am n.1,-1 n. i.evt. The ir v, K g.i/..|li-l I'oilioi', of' the Mangoapa 1. ail. c..i.-i„g a distance of i| mile. w,i- 111 tail "I--1.-1-- A fur- ■ li.-[ mile hi ,|„- Mataio ic.i'l had been laid I.IV. av. ail tug tinnirv being made avai'able. In .lie Mllk.nl lidinu he 1i.i.l found a l.oge ..ipiih ~l ..or giavel tt, Jupi/s .pniny. and iecf'lll- - making an ariangemeni with the (onti.iitoi for the .ircion of a wooden c'iiiie and bin. a 1 an e-timav-siii.il'er metaliing contract on ll|i.Mam Nor'-h road. p'-n;!ing te.i-ipi of -.ni" infoimaiion as to the Govern mint's intention. Cr. O'Sullivan asked if the gravel 1 oniing troiii lla' p.t wou'd lie -Cieellli!. provis'on for m re'-ning. About 25 per lent. ~f la,- giavel wou.d ])•■ liisi m s.ieening. S- on- veiv interim giavel had lei n pul on ill'' ro.id. II lie si i-eemiiii we!,, insisted on the 1 i,t,-.,. .., ve„l,| have to .piarry addnion.il giav-l. an I would claim l.awnen- f.e ii. I.ell HI l',e ,-ngln'er's hands. 'l'll,- M.M.eei was authorised to I o v.ul. ~-paiis 'o lb- Manjja-ma-ho btidg,.. In aiiMM-r in (1. Wiig'ut. the en gin-.-i s.cd co, r: acu t..i the Malar,. ro.i.i wo,!.- ~,„:,! I„. 1,.t as soon as I G. vermin nt. I .-il.l.tK'ATMt, l-:|.,\ l-'.M'E. troversiai m.it'i-r in ilii- s'mpe of a suggestion thai lie 1 id rate -.heuid be divided, a pennv to be expended on the main 1- ads an I ;. h..llp"un-. on tie- lev-loads. 'lbis' p,inii|.l«' had been ado-pled previnusS, except that lb'' main road sn lions , ontri buted nothing to b>-roads, having the wlic-'e of th'ir 11 venue spent on the mam reads. This depletion of lb- in-:,,ads ii,„,l. Ingelher with the h spital and char.talj'e aid and ad miuisiratioii cxpenseSj left little for

the maintenance of the side-roads, and they suffered accordingly. The Chairman, complimenting Cr. Mackenzie on his champiunslii| of the by-ioads cause, complained that he was apt to overlook altogether the prime necessity for keeping up the main roads. lie (Mr Foreman) would never agree to starving the side roads, but it was absolute 1 )' impossible; to metal them all. Cr. Mackenzie objected to the Chairman's rebuke, and challenged him to find any instance of the speaker's refuse! to support the policy of keeping the main reads in thorough repair. lint, having lived far many years on a bv-road, he sympathised with the settlers ihus placed. The Chairman moved that the clerk be instructed to allocate a sum not exceeding a halfpenny of t -,e rate to the by loads in the riding where collected, and that in the event of the by-roads not requiring tile money, it be spent on the main leads. An amendment by Cr. Gausted was withdrawn, on its being explained that to carry out his proposal would mean the quadrupling of the Council's office staff. Cr. Mackenzie explained that he wanted a definite allocation, in order to do away with the system of "grab.'' At present the councillor who talked hardest could get money spent as he wished. , The Chairman's motion was unanimously adopted, after voluminous explanation. TIIK OTAOROA ROAD. On the motion of Cr. Gausted, the Otaoroa road was declared to be a main road. ACCOUNTS. Accounts amounting to .£339 17/S were passed, and the Council rose.