TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 126, 6 September 1910, Page 7

TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary monthly meeting of the Taranaki County Council was held yesterday. Councillor J. Brown presided. All the councillors were present. OFFICERS' REPORTS. The engine-driver, T. Urry, , eported for the month: —From the 27th July to August 30, the crusher worked 15 (lays, crushing 1015 yards as follows:—Foreman Chellings, S2l yards, Moa Riding, 12 days' crushing; Foreman Holmes, ID4 yards, Waitara Riding, 3 days' crush- ; ing; rolling new metal for Foreman j Chef lings, t l / 2 days; shifted crusher to I Waiwakaiho on the 24th August. lie j would like to get a few small repair# done to the crusher and engine before I going to the Omata Riding to crush.! This would take two or three days. Foreman Bennett (Junction Road east,! Moa Riding), reported that during thel month the most of his time had been taken up on the Zig; Zag. He had had. to get more wire for fencing, as- one of the places was very dangerous, for the road had slipped away and all the fences had to be repaired with new posts, as a great many were broken. He had also patched the had places and that part of the road was in good order. He had to employ a man for 9 days to help on the Zig Zag. The road for the whole length was in good order. As regarded the place on the Tariki road referred to in a letter from the office it is the same old grievance. It never will be any better. Every year the water is backing up more and more, and J. Moratti and V. Fabish have quite a lagoon on each of their properties. If the Council had not raised the fillings the road would have been under water. The creek in Mr. Harding's place will have to be cleaned out before it will get any better. It was decided to request Mr. Harding to clear the obstruction in the creekrunning through his property, under the Land Drainage Act, 1908. | Foreman Chellings (Junction road, I Moa Riding) reported that he had been '

engaged in spreading and attending to the new metal, raking, blinding, and patching the road in various places. He had had to employ a man with a 4-horse team' to cart metal from Avenue road to the Ilenui hill for repairs. J. Swan had kept the crusher idle for 3 hours on the 3rd of the month. The total amount of metal crushed in the Riding was 1083 yards. He would require a man with a horse and dray for three days for repairs. ' j Foreman Holmes (Waitara Riding) reported that he had received 149% yards of metal for the past month for repairs. He had engaged a man for ■ 5 days as he had been laid up for ten' days. Twenty 9in. drain pipes had been put in on the Hursthouse road, where a wooden culvert had broken in. It : would be useless to do anything to I the King road while the road was so! wet. If left till the road gets drier, it could be done for about half the cost. I

Foreman J. Holmes (Waitara Riding east) reported that during the month he had received 270 yards of metal from the different contractors for repairs and re-metalling. He had had to engage an extra man for 4 days picking up the road. The Matakara bridge on the Richmond road had been pulled down and replaced with new timber. Most of the old timber was very rotten. Mr. George had made the bridge two feet wider. He had also started the Manganui bridge near the mill. I Foreman Huse (Omata Riding) report-] ed that he had been engaged during \ the month on the Pheney road, as it was almost impassable; on the upper Barrett road, upper Hurford road, South road and Waireka road, where E. Bayly had given his man and plough team free. He required 25 yards of metal on the lower Barrett road, between South road and Breakwater road. I

Foreman D. Bi'osnan (Okato Riding) reported that the roads during the month had considerably improved and dried up a lot. He had had to employ assistance of a man at Watson's tunnel, as the water had begun to dam back on the paddock. The Oakura, deviation had been fenced with a good substantial puriri fence. He visited the Plymouth road bridge twice during the month and repaired the decking. He would recommend the Council to call tenders for the carting of metal from the old Oakura hill to be deposited between the Oakura hall and Croinpton's.

Foreman Eva (Hurworth Riding east) reported that the roads were in fair order, except a mile and a half at the top end of Carrington road, which in several places was cutting up a good deal. Foreman Norris (Hurworth Riding) reported that his time for the month had been occupied in attending to new metal, cleaning water-tables and making some fresh water courses and genera] work. The roads under his supervision are in very fair order. IRe the drain through Mr. Hills' property, it was impossibe to do anything at present, as there was too much water. It was like] a small lake. He would suggest leaving it until summer time. I

Foreman Jones (Tariki) reported that he had repaired the decking of the Ngatoro bridge. He had let 21 yards of stone napping at Manganui bridge, Long Pit, Tariki road, to Mr. J. Linklater at 3s per yard. He liadj used the stone for repairing the Tariki; road. Foreman Jones is to be required to fence the drain on Messrs. Quinton and Haylock's property at once. NOXIOUS WEEDS. A letter was received from Mr. C. W. Govett to the effect that for some years past the road frontage t« his property had been kept absolutely free from furze and blackberry, but the other day a neighbour had grubbed up a furze and blackberry hedge opposite and levelled the site "some two feet or so, carting ali the earthy debris on to the road opposite the writer's land, and on his side. "The result of this will be that directly the summer comes o«,'' he continued, "that I shall have a furze and blackberry brake on my side of the road, and will no doubt in due course receive a notice to keep the land free from furze and blackberry." Upon complaining, he had been informed by one of the workmen that the work was being done with the permission of the County Council, and Mr. Govett wished to give timely notice now that' he would not be responsible in future for keeping down furze and blackberry, which could only come from the debris which had been damped down on the road. ' The chairman stated that no authority had been given by the Council, and it was decided to write for an explanation. ACCOUNTS. Accounts were passed lor payment as follow: —Administration, £.1222 8s 8d; Moa Riding, £274 8s 9d; Waitara Riding, £ll6 Gs 6d; Omata Riding, £32 10s 3d; Okato Riding, £72 14s 3d; Hurworth Riding, £49 17s lid; total, £1703 6s 6d.

GENERAL. In regard to the recent complaint of Mr. Montefiore against a councillor's report, an explanation was made by Foreman Holmes, and the Council passed a resolution accepting the explanation of Councillor Hill and the foreman. I A request from Mr. Neilson. at Oinata, j for improved access was referred to Councillor Allanson to report. It was decided to write to the Minister of Internal Affairs relative to merging the Henui road district. Councillor Allanson reported a case of allowing horses to wander on the roads, and it was decided to prosecute. A special order was made to levy a special rate of l-40d to provide interest on the second loan of £IOO on the Eliot j road.

I Councillor Allanson reported that the Omata Riding foreman's hand-cart had been take from the roadside, thrown down a bank, and broken. Shovels and tools were often taken away. —To be placed in the hands of. the police. The toll-collector at Puniho, reported a case of evasion of the toll by a Maori, and it was decided to institute' legal proceedings against the youth. A resolution was carried approving the provisions of ' the By-Laws Bill introduced iby Dr. Findlay, into the Upper House, and asking other councils to pass similar resolutions.