EĠMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 236, 15 March 1915, Page 3

EĠMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary meeting of the Egmont County Council was held at Opunake on Fridav, when then' were present: Crs. M. Fleming (in the ehair), W. (' Dudley, T. Harvey, M. ,F. Macßevv-o',l-. McNeill, Haweliffe, 8. Campbell and J. Young. ENGINEER'S REPORT.

The engineer (Mr. C. A'C'ourt Op : c) reported as follows: Oeo Hiding, Northern—With the exception of repairs to the Opunake-Stratford road, the hands in this riding have been employed solely on bridge loan work during the past month, obtaining gravel for concrete work, also carting filling for completed bridges. Oeo Riding, Southern—Since last meeting three large wooden culverts on the Skcet road which were in a very advanced stale of decay have been replaced with 3ft reinforced concrete pipes, carried out to 24ft width of roadway, and when the grades arc raised over the fillings, as it is intended to do later on, this road will have a very much improved grade throughout. This work comes under the bridge loan proposals. Slight repairs have also been effe'ted to tin; Main South road. W Cou-r. the successful tenderer for c->-- ; ~i--, No. 20'.), anticipates comniencin;. his contract next week, starting on the Patiki road. Rahotu Southern and Opunake—Repairs to bridges and also to the Main South road has constituted a fair proportion of the work in these riding*. T have had the loose stur.es raked oIT different portions of the Main road and carted into heaps ready for using up again as occasion requires. Pipe-making has also been kept going at odd times. Rahotu Riding, Northern —The progress of contracts in this riding haTe kept the hands busy throughout the month. The contractor has made better progress during the past month, than at any other time his average daily output being 77.2 yards. Given fair weather, a fortnight should see th.? plants out of this riding and ready to commence the <~i.v vr.rk. General—l V.de.c v i ■•' under the I..an pioposals has progn ■- ed very satisfactorily during the month. The bridges on the Auroa road require a little topping off in the fillings and metalling. Those on the Stratford road are completed and one remains to be filled in and the grades of the approaches lowered. At present the bridge hands are potting a reinforced concrete top in the bridge by the coaching stables at Antuna, and thus widening the Tunning roadway out to 24ft instead of the lfifl as previously. Now that Mr. Rogers is back in the office T purpose completing the plans for Government grant work which have been hung up owing to want of time, and also taking fresh levels for some of the bridges which were destroyed. AUROA ROAD. The Eltham County Council asked that a committee from this Council should meet their committee and discuss various matters in connection with the Auroa road. The chairman, Crs. Dudley, McNeill, Rawcliffe and the engineer were appointed a committee to meet at Awatuna at 11 a.m. on the 10th inst. Messrs Taylor and Joyce waited on the Council later in the day and ask-ed that some work should be done on the Auroa road from the store upwards. They understood that the engineer had estimated that £350 would pick up and break the road and put it in order. The chairman pointed out that the rates available for the road were £4S 118s. Mr. Taylor stated that he was prepared to go in for a loan, but his neighbors were. not. It was pointed out that the Eltham ratepayers were prepared to raise £llOO for their half of a £2200 loan. Mr. Taylor remarked that they did not want an expensive tarred road, and that a good road should be made for much less. It was decided that the Cnncil would meet the settlers interested and diseu-s the matter on the date of the conference with the Eltham committee. OEO ROAD. A special order was passed striking a special rate of l-5d on the Oeo road rating area to cover interest on a loan. The position of the road was discussed. Cr. Dudley stating that the county was rating on its side of the road }d in tli.; £ and paving the Waimate West county id. The" clerk stated that the county had to pay its share of the upkeep, up to £lO4, as arranged by the commission. THE COUNTY CLERK. Cr. McNeill moved, in accordance with notice of motion, that the Council appoint a clerk at a salary of £250 per annum, to devote his whole time to the work of the Council. Cr. McNeill considered that it was a disgrace to the county to pay the clerk £IOO per year, especially when they were handling £SOOO or £OOOO per annum. If the present clerk applied and was appointed he would be the first to congratulate hiin.

Cr. Campholl socomii'd tthc motion pro forma, though ho stated tlint lie would have hecn in favor of appointing an en-gineer-clerk, if possible, and was opposed to the motion in its present form. Tile chairman moved, as an amendment, that the S"Wiees of the, present clerk (Sir. C W. Rogers) he retained and that he he paid Cl 5O per annum. Id' did not think there was emmdi work to keep a clerk fully occupied. lie eulogised Mr. (!. W. Ropers' services, and considered that he possessed the peculiar qualifications necessary. Cr. McKeynolds seconded the amendment. He considered that the salary ' f £l5O was not commensurate with the position, hut still an increase of .Cr>ii would he a step.

Jn tin: course of discussion it was brought out tliat tlm clerk was paving €2O out of liis salary for tin- olTicc,"and the cliairmau altered his amendment to read .CI7O. to include office

Councillors, in supporting the amendment, referred in high terms: to the clerk's valuable services, and the amendment, was carried, only Cr. McNeill voting against it. as a protest tliat the remuneration was not sufficient. TWYMI-VNT (if TIATES. The auditor, in commenting on the audit of th" accounts, stated (hat the audit was necessarily incomplete, owing to the hi-., of voucher.,, etc.. l.v the fir-, lie suggested that the Council should review the outstanding rates, as shown by the rate-hook, anil write oil' any irrecoverable rates. (In September Su'. lilM. (he list of outstanding rates was: HlKi-lt, European, CiidH Ids )Md, native CH7:i 2s <lil; l!l]2-l:i. European, €SS ids Id. native €.121 !)s 10,1; 1!H 1-1-2, European. €.ll Ills Id, native €2! IS Ills M ■ lilll)-ll. European €2l) 12-, Id, native . £2:tS 2s Sd; l'.mil-111, Kuropean €l7 "s. native €21:1 7s (id: I'.IIIS !>, European €ll lis, native €2IS 3s lid; IIMI7-S. European C 3 i:!s !ld, native .CIC." 1lld; l'.«Mi-7. European (is Sd; 1'.10.10. European 10s -Id; a total of European €11(1 Ms KM, native €2:ios Is 7,1. The clerk mentioned that a considerable amount of thee arrears or rates had been paid or satisfactorily arrang-d for. He had claimed on the I'ublie Trustee for the native rates. Kates not arranged for had been sued for. and the ca-es would co, before (he next >■.',- tings 0 f the lipunake Court. The rie,ir.,:an moved (hat all '.'a'-o-.vln- lor i!d:;-l!lll. including lint'.v

Cr. Campbell: Mr. Herrics said the Public Trustee could be sued for rates. The elerk said that this was only as a last resource. The motion was seconded by Cr. Campbell and carried.

NOXIOUS WEEDS. The Secretary for Agriculture acknowledged receipt oE a copy of a resolution pointing out that the Noxious Weeds Act was not being carried out in its entirety, and asking the Department to see that it was strictly enforced in the whole of the Egmont county. He stated that enquiry was being made into the matter, and the Council would again be communicated with. LOAN MATTERS. The State Guaranteed Advances Board notified that £2OOO on account of the £9OOO bridge No. 2 loan had been placed to the Council's credit. The Public Trustee notified that unless tlie application for tlie loan of £7OO was proceeded with within fourteen days it would be treated as lapsed. RIDING BALANCES. The elerk notified that the riding balances were as follows:—Oeo riding, debit, £377; Opunake, credit, £245; Rahotu Southern, debit, £880; Rahotu Northern, £OO7 13s (id. He stated that the whole of the riding bal-ance-statements had been lost in the fire, and it was necessary that the Council should decide the basis of the riding balances as at March 31, 1914, for incorporating in the balance-sheet. He stated that he had deducted £IOOO from the accounts for the plant, but he understood that the auditor would want the plant allocated over the various ridings in the one year. The Council decided to approve of the balance. Other adjustments re cost of bridge loan, plant loan and Rahotu Northern riding improvement loan poll were made. Tt was resolved to call a special meeting for the purpose of passing the lial-anee-sheet for the yeas, Milling March 31. 1014. This had been received from the auditor without a tag, "and should hfivrbeen passed last May. UNAUTHORISED ROAD VOTES. Tlie Under-Secretary of the Puldic Works Department forwarded a schedule showing the unauthorised balances of voles for road and bridge works, the expenditure of which it was proposed to entrust to the Council. The votes were:' Carrington road (Saunders road to Now-all road! £-t- r >o; Okahu (Ngarski road to Ncwall road) £343; Wiremu read (Kiri road to Ngariki road) £IOOO. Mr. G. T. Murray, Resident Roads Engineer, notified that he had approved of the plans for the expenditure of the £450 on the first grant. The engineer is preparing plans on (he Wiremu road for the expenditure of the £IOOO grant (Kiri to Ngariki road). GRAVEL ROYALTY. Mr. ,Tno. MeDavitt requested the Council to forward a detailed account of all gravel, etc.. removed from the Harlnr Board's reserve (section 31 of block 11. Opunake S.D.) and also of all shingle and sand removed from the river bounding the said section, He also ndvis"d the Council that a very serious and avoidable inroad had been made in the reserve, the value of which had been | much depreciated, and he hoped tliat similar destruction would not take place again.—Held over til) next meeting. GENERA!,. Mr. G. T. Murray asked for information as to what quarries are now in operation in the district, and as to what managers or foremen were employed in those quarries, and if they had permits. —The engineer stated that the county had no quarries within the meaning of the Act in operation at present. Tin- Valuation Department, forwarded an account for £59 13s fid for revising tlie valuation roll for the county for the year ending March 31, 1914. Accounts amounting to £1159 4s 9d were passed for payment.