CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 223, 8 February 1913, Page 6

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The 'Clifton County Council met at Wait.arii yesterday, Cr. iv-ii'iington presiding. Other members present were: Crs. R. T. 1 fieks. 0. O'Sttllivan. A. M. liowcr, S. Elliot, W. .lones and 11. Sander. PU K EAR UIIE MATTERS. Complaint was made by Mr. J. Ereeth that the settlers on the main Pukearnhe voail were bitterly disappointed at the very slow progress with the metalling on the' Wai-iti deviation, and they wanted to know definitely when to expect the work to be finished. Messrs. A. 1!. Davis and W. J. Bowman, settlers at Pukearnhe, waited on the Council in connection with the matter, "uarantceiiig to get a good team for their part of the district if the grader visited the locality.

On tills understanding the Council decided to grade the road forthwith. The deputation also asked for authority to put a man on the road when required. —On the motion of Cr. O'Sullivan it was decided to ask tin; Ptikearuhe settlers to call a meeting and depute one of their number who would make himself responsible for engaging and supervising the casual labor required. TURNTEI) DOWN*. Tb«' Bruce County Council asked the Council to endorse the following resolution: "That this Council is of the opinion that contributions to the Hospital and Charitable Aid "Boards should be made from the consolidated fund in lieu of the present system of making levies on local bodies."-—Generally speaking, members were not in favor of the proposal, which, as the chairman said, would not tend towards economy. At the present time, having to contribute, towards the cost of the work, local bodies economised to a certain extent. As the upshot of the discussion, it was decided not to support the resolution. PUKEARUIIE DOMAIN'.

The Commissioner of Crown Lands notified that the appointment of the Pukearnhe Domain Board had been revoked bv Order-in-Couneil in August last. He understood that no interest was taken i lithe control of the domain, nor were ahv records kept of meetings, and it was therefore surmised that it was not administered according to the spirit of the Reserves and Domains Act, 1908. —After a short discussion the matter was held over for further consideration. A PECULIAR POSITION.

Owing to the heavy drain on its relocal bodies, the superintendout of the State-Guaranteed Advances Office regretted that he was unable to accede to the Council's application for a loan of £3005 for renewing bridges in the Count v.—The Council has twice applied for the loan. On the first occasion it was provisionally accepted, and relying on this the Council committed itself to the expenditure of about £IOO. placing itself in an unusual position. Members generally held that the answer was not a final refusal of the application, and it was finally decided to write to the Department asking 1 it to reconsider its decision. The Council also resolved to solicit the aid of the members of the district (Messrs. Wilson, Hine and Okey, M.P.'s) in the matter. URUTI ROAD.

Mr. R. McKensde drew attention to the ■bad state of the Uruti Road, for the want of rounding up. He asked that the grader be sent out and the road rounded up before the bad weather set in.—Referred to surfaceman Jones with power to act. THIRDS.

Mr. G. H. Bullard, Commissioner of Crown Lands, notified that the Land Board had approved of the Council's proposals for the expenditure of accrued thirds to September 28, 1012, arid a voucher for the amount of £572 17s Od had been passed for pavment. TENDERS.

The tender of H. Bower at £IOB was accepted for the 30 chains sandstoning contract on the Okau Road. Tenders are to be called for carting 050 yards of metal from the Urenui beach. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. C. F. Dowsett) reported that the Okoke metal contract had been accelerated. The Wai-iti contract had now been satisfactorily completed ami the road was open for traffic. The contractor for the Wai-iti metalling would be in readiness for the crusher "on its return from Waitara. The crusher was now at Uruti and the MimiMokau metalling would be proceeded with. The earthwork had been attended to. The erection of the Olinu bridges would also be undertaken without delay. About 300 yards of papa had already been burnt and a similar amount was being prepared. The Public Works engineer had inspected the Matau-Kiore Road for which a crant had been applied for. and the Pita Road. Mangu street in the Naerni township had been dedicated and legalised. SURFACEMEN'S REPORTS.

D. fl. Rowe (Okau) reported he bad cleared a number of small slips and had jacked h>gs off the road. The big bridge at the Okau junction was in a vevv rotten stale, and would soon not be able to hold the dcekimr.

T!. .Tones (Uruti) reported that he had never seen the Uruti Road in such a slate before. He could do with four or five men to help him'to straighten things up. and put the road in some sort of order. Th Tangitu Road was also in a very bad stale. There Were slips all over the Moki Road, which was in an equally as bad state.

0. Selbv (Mokau) had boon preparing the road for metalling. Mr. Elliot had been falling bii'-li alongside the road, hindering him from cleaning out the water-tables. Seeing lh" bad the road was in hr> w: - -; dc- : v!,rs of ivo or three men beinu k-'pt after the melallinff. 0. V. T)o\v:>-m (PnrnmrM li-d h««n engaged on tin' Pnr.-in"i -Saddle, which was in a rough -date. Mullock's- pit required timbering u» in order to get the yr.-ivil down from the lon pit. A place was needed at which to denosit 40 or 50 yards of nctal at a time. W. W. V. Downum was well on with his tunnel.

•T. M. Tel far (Urenui) reported (lint the whole of his time bad been taken up in blinding and backing up metal on the Main Road, Comers on the Urenui Hill and at Waitoitoi had been widened. Gates had been erected on the road to the beach through the property of W. Rirdling. The decking on the Urenui | bridge was in urgent need of overhaul.!

a S. Smith (Tarata) reported tli.at Messrs. Tiowan and Thomason had completed their metal contract. Tie proposed peftiiifT a few yards extra to complete a weak Jul). A small bridge on T'ukeho Tvoad w;is in a i-tate of practical collapse and was dangerous to ride over. He recommended that two sets of 18-inch pipes be put in. Arisino' out of ihe surfacemen's reports it was decided that 0. Elliot, be requested to remove timber obstructing;, the Mamiainaho lload: that the Mok-iu i'Ui'faceman be instructed to employ men to repair the roads as soon as possible in readiness for the winter; that surfaceman Telfar be asked to simply particulars as to the amount of timber reouired for the Frenui. Onaero. and Okoke bridges: that the Council forward IS-im-h pipe,, for the culvert on Pukeho "Road. OT-XKTiAL. In view of ihe earlv approach of wet wether. Mr. A. V. Sulton (Frufi) wrote ask m.O- the Council io spend the'promised £IOO f,.r fascine work between Frasei"s and Sutton's in extra metal. Tic