TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 310, 7 January 1908, Page 3

TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

| Tile Tarannki County Council met yesterday. I'rescnl: Councillors ,1 | Brown (chairman), 1!. Stevens, ,\l. Hop. | son. ('. Andrews, li. A. Allium, and ti. V. Tate. OVKIiSKKRK' KKI'OHTS. Th" eng n ■■ driver reported that during lie inontli the crusher worked on ten day.,, crushing (it)li yards, of which there were -llti yard* t'l.r the Waitara borough. and 2.10 yards at Tapuae tor Messr- I'ayly anil Sole. Foreman Kennelt, Junction road East, reported that lie had been engaged oil general repairing work. (I. Turner had not commenced his contract yet. The contractor will receive notice to proceed.

Foreman Jones, Tariki. reported having completed his work at the new Manganui bridge at a cost of £7O, exelusive of smith's work nnd his own time. He had put 205 yards of stone nnd gravel on the road there. The Waipuku steel bridge was rusting badly. Foreman Holmes reported having completed metalling at the new Waiongnna bridge, and fencing approaches at the new Waiwnkiiho bridge. The filling at the now bridge on the Mountain road needed fencing.—Recommendations to lie adopted. Foreman Walker required firtriilinn-il lnl»or for ftoiio-lirptiicin"' jiiul for repairing tlio bridge on tlie llursthmi<e road. —Authorised. Foreman flm-inn, South Oiimj-i ridTiol'hed 11 mt li'i li:id Ifcii en ,r i"red in lowering the ihinn-M (Ikiln tiu-Twliip. ]lc lrid ;iN.) r.-n-ihvd thr d' , fkin«r nf tlio Stony rivor and Kailiiki stream hridfjo s *. TllK TAKIM UOAI). The foreman reported that the extraordinary repairs to the Tariki road, occasioned by the li<mvv tra(lie from Mr T. V. Simon*' sawmi.l to the railwav station had cost ITS Bs.

liic Council decided to take action to recover £SO, portion of the amount of damages, from Mr Simons. The Council, on the advice of the county solicitor, Mr Rov. refused to entertain a letter from Mr If. J. Jf. Thomson on behalf of Mr. Simons. ]|,. denied liability, but expressed his interest in keeping the road in order. Without prejudice to the matter in dispute, and whilst denying all liability in respect of the alleged damages, he offered to procure and place free of charge on the Tariki road between his luilf and the railway station, and at such points and m such quantities on the roadside as the Council might desire. 100 yards of boulder stone. The stone would lie placed on the road by the Council. The offer was made upon condition that Mr. Simons oHlie owner for the time lieing of this mill should be freed in respect of wheel tax or any other tax for timber traffic for 1008. OMATA FOREMAN.

Mr. W. Evetts forwarded his resignation as Ornata riding foreman. The position had lieen advertised, and the only applicant, Mr. Otto Huse, was appointed. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The county engineer, Mr. John Skinner, reported that lie had prepared plans and specifications for a reinforced concrete bridge for Mangamawhcte river, Mountain road. The proposal was for a bridge 22ft wide over all, and having a length of 71ft. The waterway was through a 40ft span arch having a rise of 14ft. The design was such tint the roadway could be raised two feet above present bridge level. As instructed by letter of 27th December, he had consulted the District Roads Engineer re Stony River deviation. The course they had agreed to recommend the Council to follow was for them to have the stone removed from the old river channel on the west side to an average depth of four feet for a length of five chains and to a width of 33ft. This would necessitate the removal of 1600 yards of stone. Of this, what would be (suitable for crushing could be stacked at the depot, and the heavy stone should be placed in wire-netting cribs to form groins to divert the river from its present course into the new channel. They were of the opinion that the work could be carried out under a reliable foreman with day labor to the best advantage, as by management the river could be made to assist by scouring away sand and light soil. This system would be similar to that adopted in deviating the same river a short time ago. Mr; Skinner; wquld remind the Council that tlie sum of £175 that had been voted by Government as subsidy for Oakura hill deviation would lapse in March, to this vote had been in existence for two years, it was not likely that it would be renewed. The Oakura hill deviation had been in hand for two and a-half years, nnd work that cost £I4OO was left useless for want nf the comparatively small amount that wan necessary to complete it. The principal work remaining was the rcgrading of flip west hill. To do this required the lifting of the metal. This should he done in slimmer, and not left for the winter months.

The pnjpnper was instructed to prpparc alternative* plans for 14ft and 22ft bridges over tlie Maiiffrtmnlioc stream, nnd application will be made to the Treasury for a loan of £BOO for tlio work. Or. Andrews reported that Mr. T. Doyle liiid premised to contribute C 25 tow-irds tbe Stony river proteetionwork. ' ! TEXDKRS. Tender* wore received and den It with as follows: Timaru bridge. Main South road. —F. M. Grayling .tOl!) (accepted). Boon Bros. £B3O. Turner and Beadle £fiss. Two hundred yards metal on Junction road. Wsiitnra river to Mangaone bridge. —I. X. Nielson. 10s a yard (accepted). Collection of Dog-tax— Moa riding: (J. Taylor, SVyd per collar, or buy the rights for £O2 10s; 11. -T. Wilkie, (Id per collar, or a lump sum of £ls; O. Priest, 4d per collar. Waitara riding: S. Hale, 5V,d per collar; IT. J. Wilkie. fld per collar, or lump sum of £lO. Omata riding: H. J. Wilkie, Od per collar, or lump sum of £ls. O. Priest's alternative tender of 4d per collar over the

whole rounty was accepted. "Making Dog-collars. —R. Edwards, 6%d per collar (accepted); King and Co., 7d; H. H. Ford, 7d. Six hundred yards stone, Timaru depot.—-T. Colesby, 8s fid a yard; F. G. Sole (accepted), fis 11(1 yard; E. R. Baylv. 7s Id yard. Eight hundred yards stone, Stony river depot.—Swann and .Tames, 3s lid yard: W. A. Tlimnns. 5s 2d; -T. Colesby. 5s (id; F. (!. Sole (accepted); E. R. Bayly, 4s Od yard. Tlie Council authorised payment of the founcilV lialf-share of the cost of pain'ing. renewals, and repairs on Tarata bridge. A letter from the Omnia lload Board in reflect to work required at the junc. tion of the Hurl'ord and Main South roadx was held over till next meeting. The Treasury notified that the proposal to raise £7OO for the reconstruction of the Timaru bridge was provisionally approved. The Treasury also notified that the rates oi interest on Itrans had been reduced to 4'/. per cent, on loans with a currency of 2(i years. 4 per cent, for 32 years, and :l'/o per cent, tor 41 yeais. The Treasury requested payment of ,tl!)4 7s !)d interest on loaiw inscribed to the amount of Is Ad. The foreman will report upon Cr. . Tate's proposal to widen the road on , the Waioiigona hill at Ijepperton. Mr. t!- A. Marchaut will be requested to iunpect and report upon the Council's reserves. _ . _

The chairman wa> authorised to act in connection with the erection of tlie line of fence lietwcen the road and Mr. Morris' property. The foreman will be instructed to proceed with making approaches at the junction of the Kaimata and Tariki roads.

The matter of breaking stone to a larger gauge at the Stony River depot. wal< left with Cr. Andrews to confer with the foreman. Foreman Brosnan will lie requested to furnish an explanation relative to N. Julian'- time at 24s per day. Mr. I!. 11. Xicliolls 'asked Ihe Council to Ikmr portion of the cost of lowering the culvert under the Mountain road at tiiL'lewood iii order to enable him (o drain his property.—Some doubt wan c\ ore-- pd a- to whether Ihe culvert were in the county...-Left in the chairman's hanils. the Council to contribute a third of the cost if the culvert is under the countv road.