Our Stratford Page

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 274, 16 May 1912, Page 3

Our Stratford Page

Stratford, Wednesday. STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was field to-day, when there were present: Crs. W. Hatha way (chairman), E. Marfell, Rogers, J. Smith, J. Thompson, T. R. Anderson, J. Christoffel, J: Young, and E. Walter. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. C. E. Robinson) reported that the contract for the re-erec-tion of the Waipuku bridge was approaching completion. Filling in, metalling and removal of the old bridge were yet to be carried out. The South | Riding boulder contract had proceeded \ slowly, owing to the wet weather, and he considered that it would be advisable to hold it over till next season. The Manga-oapa and Manga roads forma- < tion and Ohura road boulder contracts were completed. The Makuri Valley drainage, for the same reason as above, was proceeding slowly. Over 1000 yards of metal had been stripped on the Mangaehu road, and the contractor was about to start quarrying and carting. The renewal of the Douglas road north bridge was now in hand, and the Denbigh road was being repaired. He considered that a Tough dray bridge could , be erected over the Puniwhakau stream near Young's at a cost of £75. The drain on the Mohakau road had also been completed. The Council resolved to erect a bridge as suggested by the engineer over the Puniwhakau stream, in place of tke bridge at the Puniwhakau-Tapuni junction, provided that Mr. Young pays half the cost and consents to exchange land for the deviation of the road if required; the engineer to put the work in hand as soon as possible. FOREMEN'S REPORTS, i The foremen's reports, as summarised by the engineer, showed that work during the month had been done as follows:

North Riding West. —The Mountain road had been patched from end to end nnd was now in fair order. MonmoutTi, York, Barclay, Upper and Lower Pembroke roads had also been patched, but the two latter required further repairs. Part of the Radnor road had been attended to, but about 20 yards of metal were required and could be obtained at a cost of 2s Metal to be obtained.

In the North Riding (East) various roads had been attended to, and work on the Esk road would be put in hand as soon as possible. In the West Riding the bad spell of wet weather had caused the roads to break up badly, but they were now in fair order. Maintenance metal was required on the Brecon road and a new culvert on the Rowan south road.

Tn the Mangaehu Riding the metalled roads were in fair order, and the unmetalled roads had also dried up considerably during the last few days. Pipe culverts had been put in the Mangaotuku road. Repairs had been made to the Mangaehu bridge and also to the Tututawa, Mangaehu and Mangaehu south roads.

In the South Riding nine chains of Finnerty road had been re-metalled at a cost of £4 2s per chain. G-rimmer and Chamberlain would be unable to complete their boulder contract this season.

Tn the East Riding the re-metalling, of the Toko road east should be finished in eight days given fine weather, and the balance of the road had been patched. The Ohura road from Strathmore to the saddle had been attended to. MOHAKAU DRAINAGE. Mr. T. Huzziff notified that he had snagged the Mohakau stream of logs, and that practically all the timber, had been washed away by floods. He thought it was ridiculous to ask him to do what the Government should do, as they had straightened and widened the stream above and provided no outlet. It was the culvert that flooded the road, and it was a wonder the Council did not ask him to alter that, or those above to drain the swamp. How many in the district, he asked, had done what he had done to the road? Why, he continued, were not those below the road made to cleark the creek, which, he considered, would end the trouble?— The engineer is to report. RANGER'S REPORT. The ranger's report shows that he has been keeping busy throughout the district. Since April. 28.he..had captured j six horses, two bullocks, nine cows and seventeen weaners straying on the ' roads. All, with the exception of one I horse, had been released. CONTRACTORS' HORSES. The difficulty that contractors have to | contend with in finding grazing for the

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A settler on the Surrey road drew attention to the state of the Derby road. The foreman in his report stated that this road was £5 in credit, and he proposed to expend this.—Agreed to. It was resolved to put in hand repairs to McCool's bridge, Puniwhakau. The committee's action in purchasing a section on Juliet street south for the Council's plant was confirmed. Mr. C. McPhee, contractor at Puniwhakau, stated that owing to adverse weather conditions it was impossible to proceed with metalling the Mangachii road at present, and he asked for a progress -payment on the metal already got out.—A payment of £BO was authorised subject to certain conditions. The Stratford Hospital and Charitable Aid Board notified that the amount due by the County Council for capital expenditure was £302 2s 4d, and that the Council's monthly levy for the working expenses would be. £55 19s 4d. Mr. L. E. Hann, chairman of the Bird road «chool committee, asked to be allowed to erect a fence along a dangerous embankment opposite the school.—Acceded to.

The matter of applying for grants for roads and bridges was referred to the engineer. The engineer and the Ea^ ( Riding representatives were also authorised to submit to the Land Board proposals for the expenditure of thirds amounting to £339.

horses or bullocks engaged on the job was referred to by the county ranger in his report to the Stratford County Council to-day. He stated that contractors could not get grazing, and the settlers considered that he had not done his duty in refraining from removing these teams off the road, and certainly it made matters awkward for him, as he could hardly take settlers' cattle off the same road. He understood that an accident on the Opunake road was attributed to a contractor's horse, and since -then he had notified the teamsters that they must find paddocking and in future would see that all horses were paddocked unless instructed to the contrary. Tn the short discussion that followed the reading of the letter, it was pointed out that the settlers were at liberty to impound the contractors' horses or bullocks if they wished, but that as the Council recognised the difficulty of securing grazing they did not take notice of the trespass, but at the same time accepted no responsibility. GENERAL. Mr. T. J. Jones, District Railways Engineer, notified that no objection would be offered to the Council running the batten of the Celia street filling on to its property. Mr. S. G. Stanton, postmaster, Stratford, askpd for information as to the exact locality of the telephone poles alleged to be on the footpath at Toko. He stated that he understood they were in the water-table. Cr. Marfell was deputed to interview the postmaster on the matter.

LOANS TO LOCAL BODIES. Recently the County Council received notification that the State Guaranteed Advances Department did not intend to grant loans to local bodies that had already borrowed up to £SOOO. The Stratford County Council asked to be enlightened as to whether this meant the annual amount or the total amount. At to-day's meeting a letter was received' from the superintendent of the N.Z. State Guaranteed Advances Office (Mr. J. W. Poynton) stating that the limit of £SOOO did not refer to any one financial year, but was made to apply for an indefinite period. As there was no prospect of the resolution being rescinded in the near future, it would be useless for the Council to make anj further applications for some time to come.

This was a startler for the Council, and Cr. Walker moved that the Council receives with regret the information that County Councils which have borrowed a total sum of £SOOO from the N.Z. State Guaranteed Advances Department could not borrow any more at present for the construction of roads, and think it a wrong policy for any Government in a young country to check councils from developing their districts by refusing to advance on loan a reasonable sum per annum for building bridges, road formation and metalling. In speaking to the resolution, Cr. Walter sai'd that when the resolution was introduced by the Advances Board it was understood that it was with the idea of giving county councils an unlimited .amount of money for the development of their districts, instead of tying them down to £OOOO per annum. They received a sudden shock to discover that any county which had borrowed £SOOO could borrow no more. Tliis meant a serious thing to young dis'r'<"H particularly. Cr. Christoffel, in seconding the motion, suggested that county councils through the Dominion should be circularised asking their assistance. This was added to the resolution, which was then carried unanimously.

PRESENTATION. Miss Ethel Black, who for a -number of years has been organist at Holy Trinity Church,, and also pianist to the Operatic Society, was entertained by the congregation of the church last night, prior to her departure from Stratford. The gathering was in the nature of a social and dance, and was well attended. Songs were given by Miss Gladys Black nnil quartettes by Messrs. Lewes. Wilkie, Landers, and Liddington. The music for the dance was supplied by the Orchestral Society, extras being contributed by Misses King, O'Leary, and Mac Donald. During an interlude the Vicar (the Rev. W. A. Butler) took occasion, on behalf of the parishioners, to present Miss Black with a Nellie Stewart bangle and a handsome matrix turquoise necklet.

BERNARD'S PICTURES. To-night is the bi-weekly event that is always eagerly looked forward to by picture patrons, for it is change nisrht at TTis Majesty's Theatre. Madame Bernard has again secured a powerful programme of the best films in the cinematographic arena, the release of which cannot fail to please. The star dramas include "Tale of the Wilderness" and "Edna's Imprisonment," supported by a full programme of scenic, topical and humorous views. A feature, too, is the appropriate music from the Symphony Orchestra. A popular announcement for fathers and mothers is the fact that from and after May 25 matinees will be held every Saturday afternoon, commencing at 2.30 p.m., when every child will receive a present.

GENERAL NEWS. The Stratford County Council'expects a long meeting next time, when separate rates on various roads will be struck. With this in view the Council will meet at 10 a.m., instead of 11 a.m .as usual. Next Saturday is dairy factory cheque day—the day that gladdens the hearts of the dairy farmers. Factories around Stratford will distribute £B6BB for April butter-fat as follows: Stratford, £4306; Cardiff, £1059; Ngaere, £1805; Lowgarth, £1428. "He is a good workman, but a bad organiser," remarked the chairman at County Council meeting to-day when discussing the state of some of the roads on which the water-tables had been neglected, with the result that the water made channels down the centre of the road. Members of the Council were of opinion that such men were of no use to the ratepayers, and that the engineer's action if he dispensed with their services would be upheld by the Council.

Miss L. T .Reader, who has been lady attendant in Mr. F. N. Fussell's dental surgery, leaves Stratford towards the end of the month to take up an appointment as probationer nurse at the Gisborne Hospital.

The Stratford Acclimatisation Society holds its annual meeting next week, when there will no doubt be a big attendance of sportsmen. Heavy Tain started to fall in Stratford early to-night, after a spell of fifteen days of fine weather —alm'ost a record for the district.

"The settlers there are highly pleased with the bridge and its approaches, which undoubtedly are a credit to the engineer and staff," remarked Cr. Marfell in reference to the bridge recently erected on the Toko road. This meed of praise is worth recording, as the reverse is usually an engineer's reward.