TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 37, 24 May 1910, Page 2

TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING. ] The adjourned monthly meeting of] the Taranaki County Council was held 1 yesterday. 'Present: Crs. J. Brown l ' (cliairman), R. Stevens, M. Hopson, C. ' Carter, E. Allansoii, C. Andrews, G. V. : - Tate, and J. R. Hill. The chairman reported having agreed to pay 9s a day to the men engaged on culverts on tn'e* Mountain road.—Action v approved. ;'j- The chairman also reported that as the result of investigations it was now abundantly clear that the Tinra.ru bridge was not on a district road. There was no road in existence, and the Council was not liable for the cost of renewing or repairing the bridge. There was a road' from the Timaru stream along the coast towards Opunake, .but it did notcross the stream. —It was decided to re--3_ move all county placards from this .' bridge. ,' It was decided to charge the Hawera r ! Electric Light Co. at the rate of 17s fid ~ a week for the hire of the Council's t . centrifugal pump. i, FOREMEN'S REPORTS. |] Foremen's report were read and dealt L . with as follows: q Engine-driver Urry after going into details of work done by the crusher during the month rnacie an application for a new hut for the crusher staff, as the one they have is in a very rotten state and past repair. The weatherboards and under-earriage are breaking away ' and it is not safe to shift about. r Foreman Jones reported that the '' Mountain road and Tariki road were / in very fair order; that he had lowered ' the pipe culverts near the Dudley roadi and drained the waterholes on Parli's property; that he had raised the approach to the Maketehinu concrete bridge near the Norfolk road and widenI ed the filling; that he had finished the drain through Mr. Stevenson's property to his satisfaction. Foreman Bennett reported that Mr. C. Schrieber had completed his contract on the zigi-zag, and Mr. J. Neilson had finished contracts 159 and 160, hft-v----ing delivered 404 yards and 310 yards of metal respectively. ' It was decided to-sell the old shed at Kurapete. Foreman Oheffings reported that he had ibeen engaged in doing general road work; that he had c|it blackberries and done repairs to the fWe on the county reserve at Chain Bridge; that J. Neilson had delivered 56 yards of crushed metal on the Mountain road for maintenance purposes; that he had done repairs to the Mangoralka and Cunningham's bridges. Cr. Hopson moved, Cr. Carter seconded, and it was resolved—''That all persons be requested to cut noxious weeds on their frontages on roads under the jurisdiction of this Council, and that the foreman-<be requested to see that all weeds on the county roads are cut by j the owners of properties abutting on j the roads. . 1 Foreman Holmes reported that he had ' received during the month 140 yards 1 of metal for repairing and re-metalling 1 the Mountain and Richmond roads, that 1 he had repaired the approach on the ] western end of Lepperton bridge which i had slipped in; that the Maketawa I bridge on the Richmond road was not] strong enong.h to carry the threshing! : machine plant and some of the settlers are making a complaint about it. The foreman was granted timber for repairs to Waiongona bridge at Lepperton. Cr. Tate was authorised to arrange with Mr. Onbell to report on the state of the Matakara bridge. Foreman Huse reported that he had had'- the assistance of two men for three days in repairing the Hurford road bridge; that he had also engaged a man and dray for three idays clearing away sand drifts and slips on the Breakwater road; that he had started metalling. He also suggested that tenders be called for carting oil on the new metal, and thought it would he a good thing to call tenders for carting out stone through the winter months, as it would be done cheaper. Foreman. Brosnan reported that the road at Haw Haw was worn through and that the maintenance metal is all used. He suggested getting out 40 yards of boulders to be hand-broken for filling in the holes. A drain required to be sun'k through Mr. Healy's property neat the Oakura dairy factory. The stream had silted up, the Water not being able to get away and l coming on to the road.j Mr. T. W. Morris had complied with the] Council's notice. He had erected a *:n>stantial fence and cut gorse in Katakara reserve. A .resolution was carried authorising the (foremen to call upon occupiers and owners of property to remove from ■the roadside hedge clippings, in terms of section 149 of the Public Works Act; and that the names of persons allowing these to remain on the roads .be forwarded to the county clerk. Cr. Andrews approved of Foreman Huse's 'action in removing 50 posts from ■the Oakura deviation for use in the Ornate riding. Foreman Eva reported that the roads were in fair order. His time for the month had been occupied in patching, blinding, and general work. Foreman Norris reported that he had been engaged for the month doing general work, chopping grass off roads, cleaning watertables, and forming five chains on the Cowling road for gravelling. All the roads under his supervision were in good oruer. Weather permitting, everything would be ready ror the crusher in a fortnight from now. CLAIMS FOR ROYALTY. Mr. A. B. Gamlin forwarded a claim of £6 13s 4d for damage done by a county contractor in carting stone over his property on the Mountain road. Mr. W. Mather claimed £3 10s (kl for surface damage caused to his property by a contractor in removing stone from the river. Foreman Jones, in a report to the Council, considered no damage had been done to . either property as the carts used the same roads as were used last year. Mr.) J. Dobson. Knimata. claimed £26 4s (id royalty on 1049 yards of boulders at (iil a yard, Mr. W. J. Matthews, Inglewood, claimed. £7 10s royalty on 300 yards of •boulders. Some discussion took place, councillors considering that threepence a yard was sufficient for summer contracts. Mr. W. Smith, Tariki, asked for an allowance in addition to royalty charges on stone carted from his property, on the ground that the loss by damage - and inconvenience exceeded the amount \ claimed by royalty. < ■Referred to the ridimj members. s , WAIPUKU BRIDGE. Foreman Jones reported that the superstructure of the Waipuku steel bridge was corroding. He suggested | that it be chipped and painted. I A letter from Mr. G. A. Marchant, , thaii'maa of the. Stratford County CorninMhn ritir -■ii i rfffhi'r : ' . . :'

cil, protested against going on with this work. (The letter lias already been published in these columns). Mr. W. S. Short, Assistant Under-Sec-retary of the Public Works Department, asked the views of the Council in the matter of control of this (bridge, and f what proportion of the cost of maintenj ance this Council was prepared to bear. The Stratford County Council will be 1 informed that the Council does not in- ' tend to proceed with the chipping and painting of the bridge. , The chairman said that the Council could make sufficient answer to the 1 points raised by Mr. Marchant in his 1 letter (already published) to the Public Works Department. As yet, however, I they had not received a copy of this from the Departmeat. i GENERAL. 1 Mr. G. Jordan, Egmont Village, ap- ' plied for a lease for four years of a 1 four-acre reserve near the Chain bridge, '■ and offered a rental of 10s a year, the ' tenant to keep the place clear of weeds. ' —Offer accepted. 1 Mr. Cecil Wright requested the Council to put in a larger culvert on the Vealc road. The present culvert was at L too high a level and of not sufficient 1 dimensions to carry off the water. In ■consequence, a pool had formed on the upper side of the road, and the water had backed up along the paddock turn- ; ing a large portion of the land into a swamp..—The owner of the land on the lower side of the road will be asked to open out the drain so as to prevent the water liaeking up. Mr. Thos. Rust drew attention to the deplorable condition of the upper end of the Hurford road. The ruts in the unmetalled portion near his house were so deep as to make the road unsafe to drive along. He complained also of a lot of boulders on the metalled portion of the road.—Foreman to report on this | and other roads recently taken over- by the county. M. A. C. Downes, chairman of the Frankley :School Committee, asked the | Council to remove a bank of earth which was on the road boundary alongside the new school site.—Acceded to. Mr. W. R. West complained that during the construction of the Waiwakaiho weir the Council had carted boulders through his property. He thought it would have been courteous for the Council to have asked permission first. He, claimed £3 10s compensation for damage done to the sections and fences.— Cr. Hill considered 10s would cover the damage, and it was decided to offer this amount. The chairman was-, appointed to affix the seal of the Council to the memorial citing the Clifton County Council for a contribution towards the upkeep of the Junction road. It was decided to notify Foreman Huse that the Council favors the system of picking up metalled roads before new metal is laid down.