CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 60, 5 October 1907, Page 5

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

The Clifton County Council held its ordinary monthly meeting at Waitara yesterday. There were present: Councilors J. W. Foreman (chairman), T. McKenzie, C. iiiahell and Gaustad. A REQUEST DECLINED. Messrs C. and It. Larsen asked pelmission lo fell bush on part of the Puke road fronting their section. They won"; grass and fell five acres at £2 an acre. The chairman said the land was being taken ii|i under the Push and Swamps tenure, and as such was exempt from rent and rates. The Council, then, hi! no right to expend, money there. C'v. O'Sulivan said the Council could not afford to expend money to pay set[tiers to fell bush when they were receiving no rates from them. | On the suggestion of the chairman, it

was decide,l to refer the letter back to Messrs Larsen Bros., informing them that the road was not under the jurisdiction of the Council, and advising them to apply to the District Roul Engineer. URl'Tf-TANTI PIT' ROAD. Mr G. T. Murray, District lioad Engineer. wrote in regard to the suggested deviation of the Uruti-Tangitu road through section 4, block (i, Upper Wkitara. He would be pleased to go over ] tho ground with the county engineer, l .n:l would subsequent!y refer to the Chief [Engineer of Roads the Council's request ! that tile Government should undertake | the survey of the road. —Referred 'Co the engineer. CLAIM EOll DAMAGES. Mr E. C. iileaUley forwarded a clai.ni ol' £4, cost of repairs Lo his waggon caused by the conditions prevailing on the Okohe bridge.—Referred to tho engineer and Or. Wright, to report at next meeting. ,

EaUINJJEIt'S llKimi, The engineer (_ur C. J;. buwscu) reported on atone supplied fur repairs iu | tiie Vi aihi r.ding. in litu iikurangi nduig ho hud been unabie Lu obtain labor ior stone-breaking. Lowe tuul Co. were aU>enlj lunu their met.il contract, aud little or nothing liad been done on it since last meeting. lie liad, with Air .Murray, inspected the proposed ULuuua road deviation. Air Murray liad suggested a dilkreiii point, ol contact wait tlie old road at the northern end. Bridges ill the Ngatimaru riding required repairs, painting and tarring, estimated to cost Cll7 15s. 11l addition tliree small bridges between Xarata. and l'uraugi required renewing, and one on the North Alatau road. lie recommended rebuilding these as composite structures of wood and steel, but would defer submitting plans and spec-idea-tions until the end of the linanci;il year. Tenders had been called for four chains of metalling at i'urangi. in the Urenui riding: Coleman had a fairly good sample of gravel at (Jnacro, but lie was not progressing as he should, and he had 'been liotilied to proceed with energy when the weather permitted. W. J. Clare liiid removed sills and driven piles on the north side of the lvoliangamoa bridge oil the Okoke road. On the Kaipikari road work was laid on for widening six chains of the track-to 13it, and was let to neighboring settlers up to the amount of thirds, £li Autnoiity was requested to call tenders for oOU yards of metal, and also for 100 yards of boulders to recover wet portions of Urenui township. ,\tokau riding: The bridges on the MaDganiaeho road had been re-decked; nothing further was proposed until the road improved. Arrangements should be made by next meeting for maintenance metal. He estimated 300 yarHS would be required. lie had examined the shell rock deposits on the Wai-iti beach, and submitted specimens. The Council discussed the Otaraoa deviation, and decided to again consult tile District Road Engineer.

Replying to Cr. Gaustad, Uic engineer said he would not advise the use ot ferro-concretc for re-erecting the bridge.-, mentioned in Lis report. The foundations were unsuitable, and tlie cost of ferro-concrete would he more than double than that ot hardwood and steel. In reference to maintenance mot '1 in the Ngatimuru riding, Cr. O'Kullivan siicl tlie gravel used last year was almost nsol<>«. He thought the Council would .he wise to prospect an outcrop of metal 011 Mr .Tones' property 011 the L'niti road. If there were plenty of slow it would he as well to get a crusher up there. He thought tlie stone could lie got out Mid put on the rond for 10s a yard.—The engineer will inspect. Tlie report was adopted, and it was decided to call tenders for 25(1 yards shell rock from the "Wai-iti lieaeli. TENDERS. Tenders were accepted: —Teams for grader, J. Theobald (liltham), .tl 12s jfl'd a. day for four horses, and £1 17s lid a day for six horses; metalling at Purangi, l'\ W. Pennington, £32. GENERAL. 11. Jones was appointed surfaceman in the Xgatimam riding. The District Roads Engineer forwarded tracing of proposed deviation of the Tirangi road, and asked the Council to give, its consent.—Agreed to. The Treasury forwarded sub-

sidy on £1703 8s 0d rates collected. Tenders will be called for metalling Oapui road, 100 chains. Accounts amoimtingjto C 227 17s 2d

wore passed for payment. -Mr. <U-orge I'oti, of the Uruti-road, complained of the state of (hat road just beyond the store. It was now nearly impassable, and settlers feared that unless some improvement were made it would soon be impossible, to run their milk to the factory. Even now it took two horses in a cart to take two cans of milk along the road, and tlie, time had already arrived for assist- ' ing one another out of the mud. A | meeting of settlers had been held to dis- , cusri tlie matter, and lie and Mr. Jupp had been asked to wait on the Council in this matter, and also to ask that a deposit of stone on Mr. Jones' property should be opened up. The stuiie was v<tv easily accessible, and its quality was undeniable. Mr. Hurra;, the district road engineer, had said that morniiyj that it was the best shell-rock lie ' had over seen anywhere. Tt was immensely superior to that now being used * on the roads, and he thought the Coun- » cd should use it on the main road as > well as on the Uruti-road. Mr. Tarry • would be in the district soon, and his ■ crusher should be obtained. The chairman said Mr. Dowsett, the - engineer, would thoroughly test, the stuff. - The Council recognised the unfortunate predicament of the settlers. They would metal all the roads if they could, but unfortunately more than metal was required. Money was the principal thing, and this was always in short supply.