TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 2, 3 June 1913, Page 7

TARANAKI COUNTY COUNCIL.

.ii 177 . _ I MONTHLY MEETING.

■The monthly meeting of the Taranaki County Council was held yesterday, when the Chairman (Mr. J. Brown) presided over an attendance of . the following mejnbers:—Councillors D. McAUum, C. Andrews, C. Billing, M. Hopson, R. •Stevens,. J. R. Hill'and J! Andrews.

The Chairman reported having visited Eltham with regard to the purchase of a roftd roller. The Eltham County Council wanted £7OO, without a scarifier, and he had offered £650. Eltharal had since wired and withdrawn the offer. INSPECTOR'S REPORT;

The Roads and Bridge Inspector (Mr. R. W. Bond) reported that, the Toads throughout the country Were' in fair order, though the recent heavy rain had a good deal of damage to the roads at Tarurutangi and along the Junction load at Tarata. . A start had been made with the erection of a concrete bridge over the Makara stream in the Moa ilid-

In the Waitara. Riding, the earthwork on the upper end of the Upland Road was now completed. The cost had exceeded the (imount authorised by £2 and two settlers had given two days reach free labor on the work.. Pipes were required in two places to replace ~ xlen, ones on the Upland Road, and in three places to shorten the run'of water down the Koi Koi Hill. The Tarurutangi School Committee and Mr. G. Giddy required to replace or remove their entrance culverts as they did not carry. »way,the ■vya.ter fast enough. Owing to .Hood, waters causing temporary bridge' '.on the Hutethouse-Road'to become une f.or traffic, the Settlers had taken it upon themselves, to use the new conbridge, the approaches of which had; been completed, as well as metalling work done. The settlers on the Dorset Road were agreeable to do the' necessary carting in connection with the repairs .to the above road, and one hundred yards of metal would be required. Haskell and Co. had delivered 96 yards of metal on Corbett Road and 32 yards on the Wills road. This, with the as-

"ice of two men could be quarried by the foreman. C. Kendall had had to stop work on the King Road, leaving 19 chains to complete when the weather was suitable. During the month A .Cowling had delivered on the road 1400 yards in the Okato Riding. The crushing plant .had worked 15 days for. the month. The roller had been engaged scarifying .and rolling, and had the work well forward. Messrs. Rowan and Thomson had completed their contract of 500 yards from Pheney Road pit to Waireka, and and main road for the Omata Riding. Pipes were required on the Frankley Road to replace wooden one, and also on the Veal >d to take the water which at present ran over the road .near Eva's. In : the Mangorei Riding repairs to Alfred d had been done, and the concrete culvert on the same road completed. Owing to the ba(l weather J. Magee had •nped work on the Mangorei. Road i contract. All the worst portions of this I road were completed, and the balance I would be done when the weather per- ; tted. One hundred and sixty yards of'| i-nl had been crushed by J. H. Magee's plant and delivered on . the Mangorei j Road for maintenance contract, No. 266.} With reference to the Dorset Road', J Cr. J. R. Hill urged that the work should done as early as possible, to which the Council assented. It was decided to ike proceedings aaginst two persons for drivjng unlicensed vehicles on the country roads. Other recommendations made by the Inspector were adopted. It was decided that the Okato Dairy Combe requested to pav 12s Od towards damage to Main South Road through the How of their race, and that they' be requested to discontinue allowing the water to flow over the road. ° THE HOSPITAL LOAN.

The Superintendant of the New Zealand State Guaranteed Advances Office (Mr. G. F. Campbell), wrote stating that he was m receipt of the Council's application for a special loan of £5344, bein" ' Council's share of the cost of erecting a new hospital, and replied that he regretted that he was unable to place the application before the Advances Board as this office was not empowered by law to advance monies for the purpose mentioned (see sections 0 and 7 of the Sta,te-Guaranteed Advances Act 1912).

The Chaiman: There vou are, gentlemen!

Cr. J. R. Hill: As thev (the Government) say we've got to build a new hospital, let them build it. The. letter was received. THE YEAR'S RATES.

The Chairman submitted the ratin" proposals for the year, and the follow" ing rates will probably be struck at the next meeting of the Council:—Moa ridwg, %d; Mangorei riding, I'M; Waitara riding, %d and 1 Vxjd; Omata riding, J °"^? 1(I va, . uation )i l%d. otherwise, i%<l; Okato riding, 1 '/ 7 d and %d. The Chairman emphasised the need for caution in expenditure, and the necessity for Councillors keeping within reasonable bounds their requests for expenditure on work in their ridings.

CORRESPONDENCE.

Mr. King (Bell Block) applied for permission to fence in a short road adjoining his property near Corbett Road station ,as the road was used by himself only, being the entrance to bis place, and the only entrance he had. The road was a nuisance to people driving cattle, and it was chiefly for their beneiit that he made this application.—Granted, at a rental of os per acre per annum, .provided another settler agrees to the road being fenced off. Mr. S. Webster, secretary of the Bell Block School Committee, proffered the request that permission should be granted to move back one of the school fences about five yards in order to allow more room for the children to play in, the present grounds being very small,—lnspector to report at next meeting. A letter was i-eecived from the Prime Minister (Hon. W. F. Maesey), acknowledging the receipt of the Council's letter asking that sections 9 and 10 of the Road Districts Act should be amended so as to enable a County to alter the' boundaries of a road district adjoiningan outlying district, and replied that. lie. would bring this communication befor,e the Minister for Internal AH'airs for consideration in connection with the legislation to be submitted to Parliament next session.

A similar communication was acknowledged by Mr. 11. J. 11. Okey. M.P., who stated that he would be pleased to urge the matter upon tlio Government with the view of getting the necessary legislation parsed. _ Information was received from the Assistant Under-Secretarv of the Department of Internal Affairs (Mr. G. X. Newton) that on April.lst. 1011, a portion of the Waitara Borough would lie excluded therefrom and included in the Conntv of Taranaki. 'Hie in ssnrv Order-in-Council would be Gazetted short! v.

Mr. IT, D. Atkinson (secretary of the Xew Zealand Counties Association) informed the Council of tin- decision of the executive after consultation with the Prime Minister to hold a conference of delegates this year in .Inly or the beginning of August, as there were nuiny and various matters which the committee was of opinion could be profitably discussed in the interests of local government. A PETTTIOX. Mr. H. 1-liinchet.t. on hr-bnlf of ih> Upper Carvington Road settlers, sta'.':'.g ti:at

tion through Mr. 11. J. H. Okey, M.E., to the Minister of Lands, asking for the opening up of the Carrington Road, and at the suggestion of their member they were now requesting the Couneil to pass a resolution in support of their petition. He might say that the settlers were would be opened right through when given a definite promise that the road they took up the land, but very little had been done on the road' for the last six years'. He would also point out that the Carrington Road crossed six or seven 'by-roads, the traffic from which would naturally employ the Carrington Road, which would certainly be used as a stock route once it were opened up, the South Road be thus considerably relieveu. The Couneil decided to endorse tha petition. GENERAL.

It was decided to notify the Commissioner of Crown Lands that thirds should be spent in metalling from the end of the Plymouth Road towards the Kiri Stream.

A resolution was passed that the Inspector inspect the bridge over the Kiri Stream on the Carrington Road' and furnish the Council with a report.

A debit note of £lB 10s will be forwarded to Mr. T. V. Simons of the estimated damage to the Carrington Road caused by timber traffic during the past month. <

The iChairman land Councillor .Andrews were authorised to seal and sign the agreement with Johnston BroSi relative to extraordinary damage on. the Main South Road.

Accounts amouijting to £1230 5s 10d were passed'; for payment as follows: Administration, £197 ;14s; Moa. Riding, £lO7 14s; Waitara Riding, J149 • 14s 104; Mangorei,Riding, £176 3s Id; Omata Riding, £lO2 9s 8d; Okato Riding, £43G 10s 3d.