TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 91, 3 September 1912, Page 7

TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL

) MONTHLY MEETING. Yesterday's monthly meeting of the Taranaki County Council was attended by Councillors R. Stevens, D. McAllum, C. Andrews, C. Billing, G. V. Tate, J. R. Hill and M. Ilopson. In the absence of the chairman (.Mr. J. Brown), Cr. Hopson was voted to the chair. NATIVE KATES, f Mr. E. C. Horner, clerk to the Patea County Council, in asking uie Council's co-operation, wrote stating that his , Council, as well as most county councils, had been very much hampered, especially recently, by the inability to collect native rates, and had lately urged upon the Parliamentary representatives in its district the necessity for a more satisfac--1 tory mode than at present existed for compelling payment of these rates, preferably through the Public Trustee or Government. As it was a matter seriously affecting revenues at the present time, and it being found impracticable under the present law to compel payment without a round-about course, likely to end in failure, he urged upon the Taranaki Council to bring the matter again prominently before its member with a view to united and strong fiction being at once taken to remedy the evil. It was decided to inform the Council that, while having no suggestions to make, it would support any measure to remedy the matter. EXPENDED LOAN MONEYS. Information was to hand from the Superintendent of the State-guaranteed Advances Office that there was no provision in the existing law with respect to local authorities expending moneys on another work covered by the same consent, nor was there any provision made J for unexpended balances of loan moneys i being refunded to the Advances Office, i Under the circumstances, it was always .' advisable that local authorities should I only draw so much of a loan as was ae tually required, as any surplus money | could" not be received by the Depart- | ment. The estimate of the construction of I certain bridges was exceeded, while in 1 the case of others the actual cost turned out to be below the estimate. The Council desired to "rob Peter to pay Paul" in order to square matters, but the Act does not permit of this. HEAVY TRAFFIC. The town clerk (Mr. F. T. Bellringer) of the New Plymouth Borough Council intimated that the Council had passed the following motion: —"That the report of the conference with the County Council with reference to heavy traffic be approved by the Council, and that the County Council be informed that as the agreement was unanimously agreed to at the conference the Council cannot see its away to agree to any alterations in the agreement." Deferred for consideration at a full meeting of the Board. The agreement is a mutual arrangement for exempting both parties from payment of heavy traffic dues to each other. LOWER MANGOMSI ROAD. A deputation of Lower Mangorei settlers waited on the Council asking it to j form and metal that portion of the Lower Mangorei road between the Junc--1 tion road and the limit of the area of J the late Fitzroy Town Board. I Referred to the inspector for report. COWLING ROAD.

Four residents (Messrs A. B. Monro. H. Autridge, W. B. Grant and A. R. Knight) petitioned the Council to extend the metal on the Cowling road ten chains next summer. They pointed out that nothing of importance had been done to the road for several years. Referred to the inspector for report GENERAL. The Taranaki (New Zealand) Oil Wells. Limited, asked the consent of the Council to the construction of a railway siding across the. main road to the harbor from the site of tlie proposed refinery on the prison reserve, at a point adjacent to tlie Freezing Works..—lt was decided to agree to the request, providing that the ro.ld was •'within the jurisdiction of the Council. ~ L. Coihctt wrote regretting his inability (o take up the position of foreman in the Ilurworth riding. P. Wood, Oakura, wrote asking the Council to assist him in removing a hank of earth at the entrance to his property. —R'efused. • . -. . ■■„ ~

The disposal of the old Mangamalioe bridge was left to the chairman to look into.

T. J. Edwards was appointed surfaceman for the Oniata riding, and S. Eider foreman for the Ilnrworth riding, and it was decided to call applications for a surfaceman for the Mangorci road.

On the motion of Cr. McAllum. seconded by Cr. Tate, it was decided to take into consideration the question of purchasing tlie cement pipes locally if possible.

The chairman's action was confirmed in accepting Messrs Rowan and Thomason's tender for the supply of metal at 3s fid per yard. J. Toms tendered his resignation an engine-driver on the etcam road roller. and it was decided to call applications to fill the vacancy. ACCOUNTS. Accounts as follows were passed for payment:—Administration. £258 2s 2d; Moa riding. £fi«B 10s 7d; Waitara riding, £133 3s ; Omata riding. £54 15s Id; Okato riding. £99 19s «d; Hurworth riding. £2l ss; total. £1230 4s 4d. INSPECTOR'S REPORT. The road and bridge inspector (Mr. R.

W. Bond) submitted his first monthly report. In it he noted that during the month he had been over the roads in the county and had found them all in fair order. He reported separately on the various ridings, as follows: Moa Riding: Foreman M. Jones had had 378 yards of metal, Foreman E. Bennett 250 yards. Foreman F. Harvey 252 yards, Foreman J. Holmes, junr., 200 yards. The crusher had been engaged in crushing 892 yards of metal and 58 yards screenings. The road roller had been engaged in scarifying and rolling road on the various foremen's lengths, and ten hours' rolling for the Inglewood Borough Council. Foreman J. lionner had completed No. 2 concrete culvert, Rugby ro;id, concrete top to the culvert at Durham road junction, and the concrete buttresses to the Ngatoronui pier, and was now engaged constructing a culvert in concrete near Peterson's, below Inglewood. Foreman .lames had been engaged on virions roads, patching, cleaning water-tables and general road work. Messrs Swann and Magee had completed concrete work in their contract on Albert Road near Mr. 11. King's. Waitara riding: Foreman J. Holmes, junr., had had 113 yards of broken metal on his length and Foreman J. Holmes, senr., 221 yards, and the balance of their time, had been engaged on general road work. Foreman F. Holmes had been engaged on the various roads in general road work. Holmes reported that Mr. O'Tirvne had completed his contract for stumping and forming on Kaipi road. Repairs had been effected to the Waiongonn bridge at Lepperton. Omaia. riding: Foreman F. Seamark had been engaged on various roads at general road work. Okato riding: Foreman I). Erosnan had been engaged on his various roads in general road work. He (the inspector) had interviewed Mr. P. Raill regarding trees on the road, and he had agreed Ito bave thnn removed. A crusher site could be obtained at the junction of TCoru and Kirahau roads and a good supply of stone close by from the Oakura river.

( RE-GRADING OMATA HTLL, J The inspector also submitted a report { on the, proposed regrading of the Omata j Hill, lie had taken levels on the Omata Hill which, with an Bft -fiin filling at the bottom, and by cutting down 7ft at the crown of the hill—a total distance of 26% chains—would cost £SOO. VARIOUS MATTERS. A number of items in different parts of the district, which required attention, were also reported on by Mr. Bond. Arising out of these, the following decisions were arrived at: —That pipes bo put in at the junction of Denham and Junction roads, provided the lion Road Board pay half the cost; that Mr. Baihurst be given notice to remove the willows obstructing the water-course on his property; that Foreman Bennett be authorised to remove the bank approach to the Ngatoro bridge on the Junction road; that Messrs Swan and Magee be requested to remove the blackberries on the road opposite their frontage; that Mr. Orr be requested to remove the culvert to his approach to the satisfaction of the inspector; that the Mangorei Dairy Co. be requested to put in a culvert at the entrance to their creamery; that about four chains of metalling be done on Albert Hill, provided Mr. Williams does the formation work and I grants the metal free of royalty; that 1 the question of metal on Devon road at the boundary of the borough of Waitara and the Taranaki County Council be left to the inspector; that Messrs Tate and Paul be requested to reinstate damage done to Devon road to the satisfaction of the inspector; that the Railway Department be requested to remove the earth from the crossing on the Henwood road; that applications be invited for the position of a surfaceman on the old Uakuva road district roads ; that the question of cutting trees back from the road, as mentioned by Foreman Holmes, be left in the hands of the inspector. A number of minor requirements in the different ridings were also authorised.