CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 11, 6 February 1909, Page 6

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

The Clifton County Council held its monthly meeting yesterday. Present: Councillors Forcmau (chairman), Julian. Mclvenzie, Hunter, O'Suliivan, Sander, and JCennington, A CLOSED ROAD. Mr. R* II- Pigott wime stating that he estimated the value of the closed portion of Yickery's road, containing 2 acres •'} roods 10 perches, running through Mr. Yickery's properly on the Ngatimaru road, at .C3U.—The ciiairmau said Mr. Yickery had accepted Mr. Pigott's valuation, aud the money had beeu paid to the Council's credit. XGATOTO ROAD. Mr. A. W. Barnitt. of Puraugi, wrote reminding the Council that no work had beeu done on the Ngatoto toad for the last nine or ten months. The bulk ol the storm-water crossed and re-crossed the road, instead of being confined to water-tables. Two culverts near the house wero practically impassable foi three months of the year.—Referred to the engineer.

OKAU CONTRACTS. Mr. J. Slieehy wrote asking the Council to explain why plans and specifications of the Puketi and Okau road contracts had not been lodged at the Okau store, instead of at Tongaporutu.—lie will be informed of the Engineer's and Councillor O'tfullivan's explanation that to have sent the particulars to Okau would have been of very little use, be cause the contractors were congregated in the Tongaporutu district. ALLEGED FAUUY WORK. Mr. R. C. Hughes, acting on behah of Mr. F. Sarteu, demanded payment ot j£s, the value of two cows drowned, it was alleged, in water dammed hack on his property by the Council's negligent construction of a culvert on the Ohanga road. Unless payment was made without a week of the Council meeting Mr. Sartcn would be compelled to sue. Councillors did not see that the Council could be held responsible, and the] matter was referred to its solicitor. TELEPHONE MAINTENANCE.

The Superintendent of Electric Lines notified that the Matau telephtmr service had earned £ll 10s 4d during the year, and Purangi €l3 7s 9d. lixjienditure amounted to .1144 'ss, and the. Council was liable for the pavmcnt of £lB 15s lid. The Roads Department notified a further grant of Cl5O for-expenditure on the Mimi-Mokau road. OX HIS DIGXITY. Mr. H. H. Martin, till recently surfaceman in the Uruti district, wrote to clear up and explain one or two matters. lie understood that at Inst meeting he was hauled «\er the coals for purchasing a pick and two shovels on account of the Council. They were purchased on Mr. O'Sullivan authority. He got the shovels on the strength of what the men saw, namely, that Mr. O'Sullivan had told them to get what tools were wanted. Xo later than the day previous to the last meeting this same gentleman stopped the writer on the road, and told hint that if any tools were wanted for any works he was to procure them, and yet the councillor could "sit and listen to nte being censured for exceeding my authority. You

surely don't call this a fair deal." Regarding brief reports, he had always been given to understand that a report shoulil cover the whole of the district in charge of a foreman, the state of the different roads and bridges, and the requirements of same: particularly when a man was overseer ot tile road. As a matter of fact, any Council he had to do with insisted on it. and would not put up witli any shuffling by saying "roads are in good order," when things were very much to the contrary. Tt. might be palatable reading, but not faf'ts. and any man who wrote sneh reports was just about as reliable as his report. Your roads and bridges her", taken all through, with the exception of the metalled portion, were hi an abominable state, and are so still for that matter.'- To blame a man for writirig a full and correct report was offering a premium on carelessness, and nine out of ten councils, instead of blackguarding a man for a b>:»g report, would give him credit for taking an interest in his work. He had told the truth, and that would stand always. The letter was ordered to lie oil tile table. THE UKI'TI ROAD METALLING. "Mr. George Pott waited on the Conn oil and presented a petition from eleven ratepayers iu the I'rnti district, affirm'nig a desire to avail themselves of -part of a for -CI subsidy granted by the Government for metalling Uruti road. They requested the Council to take the steps necessary for raising a loan of JC7SO to be used, or such part 01 it as might be required along with the CI for €1 subsidy, to continue the present metal from the Uruti schoolhou.se to the Moki bridge. Mr. Pott explained that* several meeting* of ratepayers bad been held to consider schemes for metalling the road, and the result was that a sub-committee was appointed to canvass the district with the object of getting the opinion of 11n* whole of the settlers and reporting to ;t further meeting. With a number of other settler*, however, he had come to the conclusion that as tire ,s:»ttiers were not unanimous* on the matter it would be advisable to present something in the shape of n definite proposal 1 o the Coinicil. and then call a meeting of ratepayers ami submit the scheme to them.

Mr. ('. Mucker wrote that as mm <»f tlm commit too appointed tn canvass the sutler* ami <_'o|. their Minus on any propu-al brought forward, tlu» M-hemo submitted bv Mr. Poit had had no consideration by meetings, nop was it in the interests of settler* on the upper TnUi road, who favoured a scheme to absorb the whole of the Government grant for the work*. Mr. Musker also interviewed ilie. Council, and presented a eonntor-poti-1 lion signed by seven on thoj upper t'niti road, tagging the council' not to accede to tbe request of "Sir. G. Pott and others set forth in their petition. A mooting of settlers interested in the metal question had appointed a committee to gather all the informa-! tion they could, and call another meet-, ing. Tho meeting. however, had not bee~i ealled. An alternative scheme, to metal the whole of th« Cruti road to tli# l T ruti ford was being pvepavod.

not •Settlers o ul metalling of su The Chairman petition was legally pusal legally correct. The Council uothiug ollicial from the. upper end people. The proposal from Mr. Pott, if put into effect, would tuuoie Uic settlers 1 to avail themselves of a portion of the Government grunt made for the improvement of the road as fur as the

Moki bridge. Tile whole of the pros and cons were threshed out, Councillor Hunter seeking to protect the settlers at the back from) being rushed into a loan for the metalling of the road at the " front," on lite grounds that once the "front" was done the back settlers would be lef! to raise another loan, all on their own account lo convert their present almost impassable six-foot track into a metalled road. t The i>lher side pointed out that- thrrc was danger of losing the subsidy unless tlie work was proceeded with at once. It was clearly shown that the ratepayers wen* anything hut unanimous on the point, and, upon tlie motion ot Councillors Ketminglou ami llimter, it was decided to refer the matter back

to the ratepayers to see if they could arrive at some definite conclusion, an amendment by Councillors O'Sullivuii and MeKenzie to act upon the petition being lost. The Chairman intimated that' unless the upper end people could bring forward a better scheme, Mr. Potts' petition would come for decision again at next meeting. ENGINEER'S REPORT. Mr. C. F. Dowsett, county engineer, submitted his report. Waihi Riding: The balance of the metal at Onacro has been crushed and laid down. Maish Bros, will now recommence carting further supplies r.o the depot. Coleman has also carted and stacked about 330 yards of boulders at Wai-papa. The grader would l>e beneficial on some of the bye-roads in this riding. Tikorangi Riding: Waite has commenced work on each of his contracts on

the Otaraoa road. West will finally complete his contracts during the month. Ngatimaru Riding: Oapui Road. All the preliminary work having been completed, the contractors have now a fair start and have put down about ten chains to date. The quality of the metal is very fair. The Toro road deposit's were inspected, and if tenders are accepted to work these supplies the labour on the access road will be small. The small bridges on the Junction road, one opposite the Toro road and the other near the 32-mile peg, should bo re-built. ( would recommend composite structures of steel and hard wood—the tiers and decks to he hard-wood and everything else of steel. I estimate the cost at about .CI7O each, and the life at between -10 and f>() years. Urenui Riding: The maintenance metal for the Moerangi road will be obtained from the Onaero. and has been let to C. Marsh at last year's price. Further

work luis been done on (he Kaka road, and litis Government grant is now nearly exhausted, lor the Okoke metal a gravel face in the Okoke reserve, opposite Hie school, was accepted. Mokau: The contractors for tlve metalliu<r contract have commenced work, and have about eighteen chains of filling already done. The work of sand-stoning near the HG-niile peg "will be completed tins week. Schmidt is commencing at once the sanding of the Okau and Piitiki roads. W. ,1. Clare has eomJJ plcted the overhauling, strengthening, and painting of the Mimi Valley bridges. An examination of the bridges and Hood openings beyond t T ruti reveals the fact Hint another tfOOM feet of timber is required for immediate repairs. The Connoil would do well to consider ways and means to commence re-building in permanent materials. Work was laid oIV nu t.he Clifton road to (continue thfc' metal towards Mri Fisher's, and also to metal sections at the I'apatiki and near the new cheese factory. Messrs. Whitehead and Matthews, settlers on the inland North road, asked for some metalling. At present llie.y had to cross private property to g<it their milk to the factory. -Councillor McKenzic strongly supported the application.—The chairman moved that tenders he invited for carting 200 yards from the Waiau stream. At the request of a deputation of settlers, the Council decided 1o metal S chains of the Moerangi road. TKXJ)I-KS. Tenders were dealt with as follows: For widening I'iko l*oad. JTeuwood and Kkdahl. .U) 5s (accepted); Junction ttoad. W. X". Xeilsen, ,C 175 (accepted); metalling Crenui Riding, A. Syme, t!259 An (accepted), .1. Coleman C2OS 15s; Clifton road metalling, Piripi Tcaho, C 241 l:ts 4d (acceptedL The matter of a pit and metalling at Purangi was left in the hands of the engineer and member* of the riding, with power to act. It was (Je<-id"d to increase the travelling allowance ot Councillor Hunter (member for .Mokau riding) to 255.