CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 185, 3 February 1912, Page 6

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the- Clifton | County Council was held at Waitara yesterday. The chairman (Mr. S. Elliot) presided over the following attendance of members: Crs. Gleeson, Sander, Kennington, Hicks, O'Sullivan, and Bower, ENGINEER'S REPORT, The engineer's report was as follows: Otaraoa road.—T. West is progressing with his deviation contract. Further work has been laid off, and specifications are now in course of preparation. Matara Road: T. 0. Waite is pushing on with his widening contract, and further work will be laid off during the current month if time permits. Okoke Road, Paul's contract: The formation is now complete. The delay in metalling has been quite unnecessary, and unless pushed on vigorously at once, the penal-, ising clauses must operate. Taylor's contract: A gang of men and drays are busy forming the road preparatory to metalling. C. N. Rowe's application: Having inspected the site, he recommended a stringer bridge in place of a! culvert. Kaka road: A. mile of work has/been laid off, and plans and specifications are now in hand. Wai-iti Deviation: Falconer Bros, are moving along! with their work, but have been advised I ,to increase their strength. W. Rowe, deviation fencing: An offer was received for this, and subsequently withdrawn. Other arrangements are now in hand. King's Bridge: This was inspected, arid pronounced , unsafe. Active measures are now in hand to strengthen it sufficiently to carry the engine and crusher. The piers are apparently sound, but the super-structure requires renewal with permanent materials. Uruti Road metal, £ for £: An inspection and later an estimate of the cost of this work wad made and submitted to the secretary of the rating committee. Uruti Stream Bridge: Plans and specifications were for-i warded to Mr. G. T. Murray for approval, but having* to be forwarded to Wellington we anticipate the usual delay. Mimi-Mokau burnt papa: One kiln at the 36-mile peg is burnt and the road is under preparation to receive same. Two other kilns are being built at the foot of the mountain, and expect to be fired next week. Junction Road metal: The council is requested to decide as to whose tender they desire to accept for this work.

SURFACEMEN'S REPORTS. Reports were read from the various surfacemen as follows: A. Hutchins (Okoke) reported that the Pika road and the top end of Okoke road could do with a lot of repairing before next winter. As his time would be taken up with metalling for the next three months he asked permission to put on a man for four or five weeks.—Request granted. G. A. Smith (Tarata) reported that the bridge near Bishel's had again broken through, and he was quite without anytmg to repair it with. As there was a new settler going to build a residence beyond the bridge there would be some heavy timber traffic, and he again asked for assistance to form up by-roads while the weather was good. The settlers were loud in their complaints. W. Kuhtz (Mokau) reported that he nhad been unable to do much surfacing [this month, as a good part of his time had been taken up in getting the main Mokau road ready for the burnt papa, and the Uruti road thirds. Mr. Bellshaw was to start putting down the papa next month. A small culvert to the value of £5 had been let to Mr. Walsh on the Hutawai road. Men were required for metalling, but he was unable to engage any at the wage offered, 8s per day. «

A. D. McDonald (Waitara riding) reported that the culvert at the factory had been renewed with concrete pipes. He had also lowered pipes on the Inland JSorth road and filled up the old culvert. D. Paul had completed his stone-carting contract at Waipapa. There appeared to be very little stone at the beach at Turangi road.

Mr. McDonald also tendered his resignation as surfaceman.—This was ac- [ cepted ,and it was resolved to call applications for the vacancy, closing at next meeting. *w Telfar ( Urenui riding) reported that P. Taylor was making good progress with his stone contract. He asked for authority to obtain a dray and take gravel at present on the side of the road m order to repair the Main road between Onaero and Urenui. He also dre* the attention of the council to his report 1 concerning the dangerous condition of the Hawera bridge.' Authoritv was requested to obtain extra labor to the

I It was resolved to empower, the county j surfacemen to employ extra labor, when ; absolutely necessary, with the consent I of riding members. J On the motion of Cr. Sander, seconded by Cr. Kennington, the clerk was inI structed to order powellised timber for I the Autawa and Pukeho road bridges. I The matter of procuring timber for the ' North Matau bridge was delegated to Cr. Kennington. Cr. O'Sullivan moved, and Cr. Bower seconded, that the county surfacemen be authorised to obtain extra labor and to employ good men at 9s per day during the dry weather. The engineer was instructed to report on the Mimi-Mokau bridges at the next meeting. After some discussion it was resolved to offer Mr. Drake £6O to metal five chains of the Junction road CORRESPONDENCE. Mr. T. Jones, of Uruti, wrote claiming royalty at the rate of sixpence per cubic foot for all metal taken from his pit.— His request was acceded to. A petition was received from eleven ratepayers in the Okau and Mangatora districts, asking the council fro sandstone between 30 and 40 chains of worst parts of the Okau road this summer. The petitioners stated that they were erecting a butter factory at the junction of the Main and Okau roads, and if the work was not gone on with it would be an impossibility to get their cream delivered. The clerk reported that there was about £6O of thirds available, and jt was decided to call tenders for the work, to close at the Uruti store on the 17th February. In event of no tender'being ; accepted Grs. O'Sullivan.and Bower were empowered to make the best arrangement possible. ALTERATION OF BOtINDARIES. Notification was received from the clerk of the Stratford County Council that his council had passed the following resolution at its last meeting: "That the present boundary between Stratford and Clifton counties be altered by the inclusion of sections 11, 12, 18, and 22 of block 5, Ngatimaru S.D., and sections 44, 45, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, and 42 of block 6, \ Ngatimaru S.D. in Clifton County instead of Stratford County, expenses of alteration to be borne equally, and unexpended thirds to be handed to the Clifton County Council." ' It was decided to agree -to the adjustment and to instruct the council's solicitors to .prepare, an agreement. The matter was also referred to by Mr. J. B. Hine, M.P. In a letter to the council, Mr. Hine said' he understood that the council had agreed to extend the boundary between Stratford County and Clifton County right up to the Kiore railway station, via Matau and Mangaopa roads*- He added that there was a Government grant of £IOO or £l5O for improvement purposes to the Matau road, and he understood the Stratford County had not made any application for the money, nor even submitted .proposals. He therefore suggested that the council should take immediate steps either to submit proposals or ask the Stratford Council to do so. Whether the Clifton Council would be recognised until the adjustment was gazetted was a matter he could not give an opinion 'on, but at any rate one of the councils must be right to apply. The clerk (Mr.. Vaughan) reported that he,had, already applied for the money (£ISOK / various woiks.

1 Mr. P. Darke drew attention to the I fact that the Okoke road from the Piko .to his gate is in *a bad condition. He complained that as the surfaceman was paid out of the metalling loan money it was .unfair for the council; to take him off the road for the best part of; the year.—lt was decided to spend £lO on the work. E. Whittaker, contractor for the Piko road, asked for an extension of time in which to complete his contract. Given fine weather it should <be out of his hands in a fortnight.—An extension was granted till the end of the month, after which the penalty clause will be enforced. !Mr, P. Burgess wrote asking the council if it had kept .in,- .view the necessity _ of again applying for a grant for the j Pita road, which was again in a very bad state. The two-foot track required to be J widened in plaoes to allow a horse to / pass along. v Seeing that he had never : had a day's\work done on his road for i months and was without proper access for stock, he intended taking a test case ■ this year in regard to his rates—The sum of £26 was allotted for the work. .-The Minister of Public Works (Hon. E. McKenzie) acknowledged receipt of the council's application for £4OO for metalling a portion of the Mimi-Mokau road, and stated that the matter would receive immediate attention. Authority for the full amount available for expenditure on the Moki road had, wrote Mr. W. S. Short, Assistant Under-Secretary for Public Works, been issued to the resident engineer, and he had no doubt that he would arrange to have the work put'in hand and carried out expeditiously as possible. The resident road engineer at New Plymouth, Mr. G. T. Murray, applied for the hire of the county grader and plough for one week early this month for use on the Mokau road between Tohgaporutii and Mokau, about eight miles ro-"-in-g up. ' "'ieation was made by Mr. J. J. y ' -i-ghlin. nf Kotarc, for }jhe transfer of '--nine thirds handed over to the council I from section 4. block B, Waro (severed from Chfton County) to the Ohura County, so as to be available for expenditure as soon as possible. Mr. E. Barnitt. secretary of tli» TJruti feettlers Association, wrote thanking the council for opening up the Uruti "roadmetal pit, and for authorising the gmeer to make an estimate of the cost of metalling the road to the Mold bridge. He also forwarded a list of the names of thirty-three settlers who would be specially rated for the work. _ Strong objection to their sections being included in the proposed rating area, mentioned above, was advanced by five settlers (Messrs. Miller, T. and A. L. Henry, Hayes, and Bone), on the following grounds: (1) The area being too large for so small a loan; (2) their sections being five to eight miles from the end of the proposed metalling; (3) that they would have to raise a loan to construct the road, which would make their rates too heavy. (Left Sitting.)