STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 201, 22 February 1912, Page 7

STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was held to-day. Present: Messr*. W. Hathaway (chairman), J. Thomson, J. Christoffel, T. R. Anderson, .;. Smith, E. Marfell, E. Walters, J. Y.,ung, and W. Rogers. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. E. C. Robinson) reported, inter alia, that material was now being supplied for the Waipuku bridge. The culvert at the Monmouth road washout had been built, and as soon as it had set sufficiently it would be filled in. Arrangements had been made with Mr. Beesby for cleaning drain on Radnor road. Raking and blinding of Pembroke road was being done. A continuous sidetrack on the north side of the road was desirable. On the advice of the county solicitor, and with the concurrence of the South riding members, that portion of the Finnerty road recently damaged by heavy carting had been inspected by Messrs. Climie, Sladden, and Basham, engineers, and was now being reinstated prior to the cost of 6uch work being claimed at law from the contractor responsible for such damage. Progress was being made with the Ohura road boulder contract, concrete bridge on Toko road, Mangaoapa road formation, and south riding boulder contract. He had inspected the culvert on Brecon road recently under discussion, and found that there existed at present an 18-inch diameter concrete pipe culvert, which, though well put in, and at a suitable level, was not large .enough to carry all the water in time of heavy rain. He recommended that a 12-inch pipe culvert be put in as an overflow. The necessary ear'Y work prior to metaUing along that ) • tion of North Cardiff road proposed tn metalled was in hand. With refereno the Ronald road, he recommended th<. the metalled portion of the road be ploughed up and the metal re-formed, breaking down the. large stones to gauge at the same time. An extra surfaceman was required for the western end of the West riding, and in connection therewith | the matter of procuring a horse and cart for this riding was worthy of consideration. The cleaning and straightening contract in the Makuri Valley was proceeding very well, and the results so far were very encouraging. He had inspected the suspension bridge on Tututawa road, but until an examination of the cables underground was made it was impossible to report on anything very definite. The tunnel anchorage on the w*st side was now being cleaned out, and should the cables where they went round the bedlog be sound, it would be possible to keep them so by continued tarring. The eastern anchorage would, however, prove a serious difficulty, and it was certain to require renewing, and a portion of the cables (the part underground) replaced with rods, a matter which would prove costly and tedious, as the structure was too high above the stream to scaffold \ip. He would be able to report more fully when the western eide anchorage had been examined. The Manga road formation contract was being pushed ahead vigorously. The small formation contract on Mt. Humphries road was completed, with the exception of a little slip clearting. Side-track on Pembroke road was authorised—The action taken' re Finnerty road was approved.—The engineer's recommendation re Brecon road was adopted.—Ronald road to be ploughed, as per report.—Horse and cart {or West riding will be purchased, and the engaging of an extra surfaceman was left with the engineer. FOREMEN'S REPORTS. Foremen's reports were read and considered. owners <m lower Pembroke. road to replace private crossings with larger ones or to remove them, otherwise the Council will remove them.—Foreman Brown (North riding) was granted two weeks' holiday.—Report on Manga road is to bt» put in hand.—Repairs to bridge on Mohakau road were authorised.—A settler on the Rowan road who has been using a sledge on the road is to be warned that prosecution will follow a repetition of 111? offence.

WAWIRI ROAD. A letter was read from settlers on the Wawiri road forwarding the following resolution passed at a meeting of settlers: "That a deputation wait on the County Council 'offering to pay a rate of l%d in the £ for three years provided the Council will do the work on the Wawiri road according to the engineer's report, and also put the remainder of the road in good order; Mr. Bain and Mr. Griffen to attend the Council meeting and explain matters in regard to the position of the road."

A deputation of several settlers waited on the Council with reference to the road. Mr. Bain pointed out that the settlers paid a bridge rate, but yet were not entitled to any money from the fund, as there was no bridge on the road. All the settlers between the end of the Wawiri road and Huiroa township used this road for their traffic, and the cream from the Makuri creamery had been carted along it since its establishment 13 years ago. The road had also been damaged to a considerable extent through being used by waggon traffic from the Huiroa mill to Toko and Stratford. About four years ago the settlers agreed to rate themselves a penny in the £ (subsidised by the Council) towards metalling a portion of the road, vhich had been absolutely destroyed tli rough logs being carted on it. They had understood when thev borrowed the money to form and metal'the road in the first instance and the Council took charge of it, that any future re-metalling or maintenance would be paid out of county funds, and they still thought this should be done, is it was hardly justice to call upon them to pay so much in separate rates to keep in renair a road carrying so much outside traffic. They asked' the Council to treat them liberally when subsidising the amount they were pre- , pared to raise—a special rate of lV,d in I the £.

Cr. Walters moved that the rate of iy 2 d in the £ proposed to be raised by the Wawiri road ratepayers be subsidised to the amount of 25s in the £ out of the special fund to meet the case,, to be spread over about three years. He pointed out that a mile of'road needed remetalling, to cost about £7OO, before the winter, and another £3OO was required to put the rest of the road in order. Cr. Marfell, who seconded, said the amount required from the special fund would be about £535. Or. Thomson opposed the motion, £1 for £1 being in his opinion sufficient. A lengthy discussion ensued, and eventually the motion was carried, Cr. Thomson dissenting. MANGAEHU ROAD. Cr. Young mentioned the matter of metalling the gap in the Mangaehu road A balance of £403 of a former loan on the Puniwhakau road could be transferred, the settlers being willing. This carried a Government subsidy of £550. He moved that the engineer prepare plans and specifications and call for tenders for the work. Cr. Walters seconded, and said he was glad the settlers had come to this arrangement. Cr. Smith queried the power of the Council to spend the special fund on a main road, as had been suggested by Cr, Young. The fund was raised on the'sideroads, and was for expenditure on sideroads only. Crs. Thomson and Christoffel were of a like opinion. The motion was carried. GENERAL. Mr. Robt. C. Gardiner and others aaked

for the expenditure of £3O in improving the ikama road. —A further £2O will be expended, and the settlers' offer of a free dray accepted. A settler on the Toko road called the attention of the Council to the spread of noxious weeds, ragwort and ox-eye daisy, on a farm in the locality. Two complaints had been sent to the noxious weeds inspector, but there had been no improvement, and the weeds were endangering other farm 6 Marfell said there was over a quarter of an acre of ragwort on the farm, but the place belonged to an absentee landlord, and these were always a nuisance.—The Department will be notified, and asked to have the matter attended 00.

A lengthy letter from Mr. G. B. Mahoney, organising secretary in the North Island for the Legion of Frontiersmen was ordered to be acknowledged. It was decided to expend £5 in making a tunnel on Swansea road, the borough council to expend a similar amount. The Midhirst Dairy Co. applied to have some metalling at the Waingongoro creamery carried out in conjunction with the council's contract, the company to pay all costs.—Acceded to. Mr. Vickers was voted 10s for royalty on stone taken from his place at Midhirst. Mr. J. Armstrong wrote in reference to the impassable stale of the North Douglas (Autawa) road.—To be attended to. Cr. Christoffel urged the necessity for purchasing a grader for use in trimming up the edges of metalled roads, and thought the engineer might report as to whether the grader could be worked in conjunction with the steam roller plant. —Resolution accordingly. On Cr. Walters' motion, £l2 was authorised to be expended in draining on the Douglas road the second railway crossing. . ".',■.'•••