CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 68, 10 August 1914, Page 6

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

monthly mkictjnt; At. the annual meeting of the Clifton Count. Council oil Friday, there were present: .Mr. A. .M. Rower (chairman!, and eouiu'illors I!. T. I licks, S. Elliot, S. -I. Kenningnn. \V. Jones, unit 11. .Sander. EX I SINKER'S REPORT. The engineer. Mr. I'. K. Dowsett, reported as follows:--Wailii Riding: The surfaceman's cottage at Onaero was about completed. Stone breaking was proi ding in l'rcoling's pil. and tenders for supplies from Alleman's pit would be failed for next meeting. Heavy outside carting oil the Olaraoa li.-.u done considerable damage, and steps should lie taken to stop tile practice. Continuous le-coating lias become necessary on the Onaero hill, but gravel was quite unlit for this purpose, The stone at Onaero and also the boulder contract were intended for this section.

'The metal on the Okoke bill rcouiivd re-coating, the estimated quantity being o(KI yards. Certain ,progress had been made with the boulder contracts, out tlie weather bad been unfavorable, the estimated quantity to hand being about I lot) yards, • This completed the lirst contract. The widening of the points on the Matau-Kiore road bad been completed. The Tarainouka bridge was being steadily and satisfactorily proceeded with. The shell-rock contractors at Uruti hoped soon to have the quantities required under the various contracts. Tiie Ilawera culvert was completed, with tile exception of the earthwork. All of the ironwork and most of the timber for the I'll tiki bridge was ready in Waitara awaiting shipment. In response to the settlers' application, the chairman ami he had inspected the .'Wai-iti road and obtained iirst-hand information, when it was decided that owing to the very devious nature of the road, it would be desirable for the Council to spend money oil' present surveyed line, and the occasion hardly warranted an extensive deviation with its attendant cost. It was therefore suggested to the <;'ttlers interested that they should come to an amicable and equalk ocneiicial arrangement as to access.'whereby each would be served without detriment to the other. He referred to culvert, draining and regrading which would cost aliout "ill Hi. He was already making active enquiries with the view of engaging an experienced grader machinist for the cumin" season. THE nSItJDGK LOAN*. 'The Superintendent of the State Advances Department, writing with reference to the bridge loan, pointed out that while t>he Council bad power to raise a loan without a poll of ratepayers, the law required that a race imid account be opened, anil for this a poll was required. The ilcpartment would not grant a loan tili all legal requirements were observed.

It was decided to take a poll of ratepayers at the same time as the eleeURl'Tf ROAD LOAN. -Mr. If. Larsen, secretary of the Uruti road deviation committee, wrote that the settlers bad decided to go on with with the loan of .€2OIXI, independent of Messrs Kirton Urns, and Jensen. If necessary t.be objectors could be dealt with later, but the committee was anxious for the Council to push on with the matter. It was decided to take the necessary steps to raise the loan.

HOSPITAL LEVY. The Secretary tif the Taranaki Hospital Board wrote that it was imperative that the Council should forward its hospital loan levy. The Clerk reported that lie had seen the chairman of the Board who had expressed an aversion to harassing the Council in any way, and stated tlhat payment would lie accepted in instalments. It was decided to pay a first instalment of £BOO immediately. BERTRAM) ROAD.

A deputation from the settlers on the Bertrand road waited on the Council to ask that something should be done to remedy the state of the road, which they pointed out was practically a main road, and much used by stock. They asked -that 13 chains of the road bo metalled, and guaranteed that the metal should be put on the road at 5s per yard, and to do two chains for nothing. A member of the deputation (Mr S. Alleman) offered the metal free of royalty. The chairman said that the work would cost £6B and it was decided to proceed with it. TENDERS.

Tellers were accepted as' follows: — E. Whitaker, formation of Piko road, £l4B Is 8d; Marsh Bros, metal at Waipapa, 2s 4d yard; carting boulders at Turangi, 2s 6d per yd.; Hesp and Scott, Webb's culvert, Purangi, £9B; and Marsh 'Bros., boulders at Onaero, 3s per yard. GENERAL. The New Plymouth Lands and Survey llTice forwarded a plan of a deviation of the Matau road through section S), Block XL, Ngatimaru S.D. The road was formed about fifteen years ago, but only recently surveyed and the proposal was to exchange the closed portion for that now takne. The consent of the Council was asked to t/hc closing of the old road. Cr. Kenneington objected to the proposal, as the land in qucsion would be useful in the future for a surfaceman's cottage, and the matter was deferred to enable hnn to look into it.

Mr A. Iliitehiiis was appointed rosi:] foreman at Cruti. Two oilers were made to supply power for tlic crusher, and it was decided to advertise again for tenders. ■Mr George 8. Taylor asked for permission to erect a fenco a few feet on tlie County road in front of native land oil the Matoro road, which land lu. had just acquired.—Granted. Eleven ratepayers of the Okoke road forwarded an emphatic protest against the proposal to remove, the present surfaceman from that road. There was plenty of work for him. and lie was a good man.

It, was decided to inform the settlers that the Council has 110 present intention of removing the six, faeeman. Mr J. 11. Burke was granted permission to fence oil' a portion of the footpath in front of his shop, and the section adjoining where lie intended building another shop. The acting secretary of the New 'Plymouth High School Hoard (Mr L. M. Monteath) wrote for a statement of the metal taken from tile Hoard's gravel pit at Onacro, and 11 j; Lying that in future a royalty of lid ncr yard would be charged. Mr T. Carey asked that the Council grade tin; old Beach road, which was in a very bad state, as he intended to plough the sides. —Held OTer.

The Waitara Town Clerk applied for the loan of the Council's crusher before it was taken into the country. This was agreed to at a'hire of Sd per yard for all metal crushed. Accounts amounting to £'I4lH. 10s (id were passed for payment. TAUKIiD ROADS. The committee, consisting of the chairman, and Crs. llicks and Kennington, appointed to visit the Ilawera and Eltham Counties with a view to inspecting tiie tarred roads there, reported as follows:—We travelled over about 3U miles of roads that had been treated with tiir preparations, mid the general conditions we found to be satisfactory where doubly treated. * All these length's of roads had been re-coated or otherwise properly prepared before any tar was put on. I't is considered quite useless tar seal metal without such preparation. The engineer attached great importance to thoroughly sweeping the surface of the road before spreading the second coating of tar sur as to eliminate all dirt and debris. As a result of our inspection, we are convinced that a steam roller is an absolute necessity if work is to In? carried out satisfactorily, The cost of tarring in Ilawera is. £4 2s (id per chain, 14t't. wide, and a\ ei ages about one gallon per square yard, in the Eltham County, the cost of the work at Kaponga" was £2 2s (id per chain, averaging 12y,ft. wide. The report went on to quote the different prices of tar and the various' preparations, and a summary of the traffic which passed over the Waingongoro bridge, Main (South road, Ilawera, during a 12 months period was given to show the capacity o_f tarred sealed roads. In conclusion, flie committee said that it was thoroughly convinced that tarring the roads meant a saving in the long run, and it recommended that all future re-coating of the main roads be done witill some preparation of tar. ROADIXO AXD BRIDGING, the chairman said that before the council considered tarring the roads it should .see to the metalling of l-he 111 am road. The .Council wanted a loan of about .130,001) to do any good with tar preparation. Cr. Sander suggested experimenting dn a lew chains of road. Cr. Kenningtou pointed out that this would lie an illustration for the settlers which would be likely to induce them to vote for a loan. The chairman said that ten or twelve chains must be done if the experiment were to be useful. Eventually, it was decided on the motion of Cr. Sander, to experiment on five chains of tins main road between Waitara and Urenni, whenever convenient ill the coming summer, the matter to be left to the engineer and Crs Elliot and Ilieks, The engineer's report was held over.