STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 198, 19 February 1914, Page 3

STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

ORDINARY M EFT I NO. The ordinary meeting of the Stratford County Council was held on Wednesday, when there were present: Crs. \\~. Ilathaway (chairman), J. Thomson, Anderson, Christoil'el, Smith, Walter, J. Young, and W. Rogers. ENGINEER'S REPORT. Tlie Engineer (Mr C. E. Robinson) reported as follows: North Hiding.—Decking had been ordered for repairs to small bridge on Croydon Road west. The decking of bridge on the Kaiapoi Road was in an unsound condition. It would cost niiout £23 to repair it, but it was very questionable if the structure was worth thia expenditure. The most satisfactory type of renewal would be a concrete culvert and earth filling at a cost of about £llO. The metalling of a further portion of Denmark Terrace, and repairs to Upper York Road were about to be put in hand.

South Hiding—Contract for the supply of boulders on B.rd and Skinner Roads had been completed. The other boulder contract in the ridiii" was nearing completion. Noxious weeds had been cut and cleared on Finnerty Road. East Riding—Repairs authorised to Autawn Road had been put in hand. He had inspected Waitara River suspension bridge on Tunupu Road, and found one of the tower legs unsound and also one of the floor beams. Stcos were being taken to have these renewed. He had been in communication with the Consolidated Oil Field Company re damage to Makuri Road. The building of a foot suspension bridge over the Patea River near Toko, was well in hand. Good progress had been made with obtaining stone from Patea River at Skinner Road pit AVest Riding.—Crushing operations were in full swing, the plant having grst been sent to the western boundary. The roller was in attendance, and was doing good work. The Waingongoro bridge at Cardiff wa» being cleaned, tightened, ami painted. Mangaehu Riding—The remaining portion of the clay ro..d on the Mans;aehu Road had been metalled, now making a continuous metalled road from Stratford to about two miles beyond Puniwhakau Village. Maintcnanec metal for the repair of Puniwhakau Road had been delivered, but owing to the Puni Bridge being unfit for heavy traffic only a limited amount could be carted beyond it. The reports were adopted. Mr. Johnson is to be notified to clean out his creek on the Skinner Road, as reported. TENDERS. The tender of P. Jacob for the supply of 150 yds of shell Took for WaiwiriAhuro» Road, was accepted. Mr. Copestake's tender of £2 Oh fid for old timber at Kahouri Bridge, on the Mountain Road, was accepted. PUKENGAHU ROAD. Five settlers of the Pukengahu Road, Ngaerc, petitioned the Council to raise a loan for the purpose of metalling about 118 chains of the Pukengalm Road.—Members were' of oninion that the rating area was very small, whilst metal would .be very expensive, so that the work would cost about £I2OO. This would mean that a prohibitive rate would have to be struck.—Committee to inspect.

Messrs. Martin and Gooding waited on the Council and asked that something should be done to prevent a settler at lluiroa from grazing cattle on the road. lie now had twenty-one animals, and they were u nuisance to everyone. -Action to be taken. UNAUTHORISED ROAD GRANTS.

The Under-Secretary of the Public Works Department notified that there were no unauthorised balances of votes for road and bridge works in the Stratford county other than those which it was proposed should be carried out b.y the Department. RADNOR ROAD. Mr. Peter Moratti asked that the Radnor road should be repaired. It was in a fearful state, the stones be ing as "big as cannon balls," and they were only breaking vehicles by bumping here'and there over the stones Mr. T. A. Reisby also wrote on the same subject—The Engineer was authorised to expend up to £2O in im'proving the road. LEVEL CROSSINGS. Mr. .1. 10. Jones, District Engineer of the New Zealand Railways, wrote that at several level crossings in the Stratford district, considerable improvement to the view could be obtained by cutting down some of the trees along the road boundary and trimming down hedges to, say, four feet from the road level. Some of the roads in point were: Cornwall road (north-west side), Brookes road (south-eastern side), and Cliniie road (south-western side). Legislation on the (subject threw on local bodies the onus of improving the view at level crossings, and they could compel the owner or occupier to do the work.—The Council will give the interested )icrsons notice to attend to the matter. KLKCmC' LIGHT COMPANY. The Hon. Mr. Fraser (Minister of Public Works) acknowledged receipt of the petitions signed by ratepayers resident, within the county, with regard to the supply of electrical energy in the county. The representations were duly noted, and would have his consideration. Meanwhile he was in correspondence with the Stratford Borough Council over the matter. GENERAL. Mr. Skedgwell is to be informed that it is not the practice of the Council to enter people's property to open inlet 3 and outlets of drains, and he is to he notified to clear out his creek to the satisfaction of the engineer within

three weeks. The State Guaranteed Advances Ofliee notified that it had finally agreed to grant the loan of £3OO for the Makuri-lluiroa road. The special rate of '/.d in the -£1 provided sufficient security for the increased rate of interest, viz., i\'-. .per cent, which was the. minimum charge under the Act of 1913. The Secretary of the New Plymouth Harbor Board'notified that the election of one member to represent the Slratford-Whnngamomonii ward on the Board would be held on the last Wednesday in April. Mr." das. Phillips, of Cornwall, road. Eltham. asked the Council to hold buck stilhVient from a contractor's money to pay (id per yard royalty on metal taken from his property. The contractor, he stated, refused to give him any information as to the quantity taken.—The Council will attend to the matter.

Mr A. F. Wilson, Inspector of Noxious Weeds, notified that the resolution passed by the Council re the spread of St. .lolm's wort and blackberry in the County would receive his earnest attention.