EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 August 1915, Page 3

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary meeting of the Egmont County Council was held at Opunake on Friday, when there were present: Councillors If. Fleming (chairman), W, GDudlev. T. Harvey. J. Ynuns. M; J. McReynotds, 11. Rawcliffe. W. R. Wright, S. Campbell and H. J. R. McNeill. ■

FOREMEN'S REPORTS. ■Following foremen's reports were received:— Oeo Riding Northern.—The staff had been engaged on maintenance work on the Eltham, Opimake, Stratford, Oeo, Paiiki, Watunc and Anroa Roads. He had completed the filling and metalling bridges on Auroa and Eltham roads. He had a small amount of boulder stone carted out on various roads at a cost of iis lid per yard. Minor repairs had been done to the Puneliu bridge. Eltham Road. Two hundred pipes wore required to replace old culverts that were falling in. The late floods bad shaken the culverts up considerably, many of them proving inadequate to carry the extra water.

Oeo Riding Southern. —The hands had been engaged scarifying, reforming and rolling about seventy chains near Pihama factory. Several wash-outs had been attended to. On the -Sheet Road, the 'bridge over the Oeo Road was in a dangerous state. Watino Road was in a bad state. He had carted out 50 yards of stone, but lie could not get thcru broken under 3s 9d per yard, lie liad finished with the roller with the exception, of rolling Mr. Davison's contrails, and suggested that the roller should be brought back in a few days, when Mr. Davison would finish carting. Rahotu Riding Northern. —The hands in the early part of the month had been constantly employed procuring and carting metal from the various pits for maintenance work, and by constantly keeping the metal way in repairs the division was; in very good order. The recent heavy rains had overtaxed the majority of the culverts, and the HooA waters had done a good deal of damage in some places, which lie had promptly attended to. ft would take about two days to put Mr. Revolt's road in order, and lie had arranged with Mr. Revell to do the ploughing. The completion of Mr. A. E. Magon's contract on the Oa.rriiigtou Road would be undertaken as soon as he could get at it, and as soon as the weather was suitable.

Rahotu Northern and Opunake The staff had been encased on general maintenance work on Eltham and the Main South Roads. Several wash-puts occurred on the Eltham Road, mostly owing to a drain overflowing that had been partly bloiked with gorse. The damage was repaired at a total expenditure of £G. Tie obtained metal from Mr. ■Warner's pit, as Mr. Morris declined to allow them to take metal from his pit. ft ravel pit and water tabling on Main South "Road were receiving attention. Seventeen chains of the Eltham Road required rolling and breaking, and twelve chains requirerl an addUion of ten yards of pit metal per chain. Breaking bottles was a common occurrence on the roads, and was a very grave danger to the travelling public. It was resolved to give Mr. Davison notice to complete lira contracts. It was stated in connection with Morris's pit that Mr. Morris had not yet been paid for royalty. The clerk stated that lie was holding the royalty, as I both t'.hc IPub'is Trustee and lessee' bad claimed it.

BRIDGES REQUIRED. The bridge foreman reported that the Ouri bridge. Oeo Road, was in an unsafe condition. The Mill .Stream bruise (Lower Oeo Road) had been temporarily repaired, and was now safe for b'ght traffic. 'f'he Oeo bridge. Skeet Road, was unsafe for all traffic, the recent Hood having taken away part of tbe approach. lie suggested that a temporary ford should be made through (he river, and al-o that all un=afe bridges should have warning notices. iTe had completed the bridge on the Eltham Road, opposite Mr. Coffin's, at a cost of CS-2. The new bridge over the Oeo River, Oeo Road, would be completed under favorable conditions in a few weeks, and, meanwhile, the old structure had been removed down-stream to oarrv traffic.

The Rahotn Xorlhcrn foreman reported that the Waiuoranui bridge was in a bad state-of decay. He recommen-ded-(he council to have it reconstructed in ferroconcrete this summer, lor he fe't certain that next summer, unless (hey, were very careful in driving on to the bridge, some of the motor drivers would have it collapsing under them. Jt was pointed out that .C-'OOO of the bridge loan would be available, and lifter some discussion, as to the respective merits of day labor, as against contract, it was decided to appoint Mr. Robinson (Stratford) engineer, and to call tenders for (he erection of the Oeo and YTaiwcranui bridges.

The chairman staled that at present interest on the bridge loan mi, paid out (f the general account, and, therefore, was nn ccimil charge on all parts of the .ounty. Foi- the future, he I hough!-, that iutere-t should l>< : charged up to the ])aiticular division of the county in which the money was expended. That, lie considered, was the proper system, and he moved to that ef-fe-t.

Councillor Mcßeynolds second the motion, which was carried.

VESTING THE FORESHORE. In connection with t'»i- council's application Hint the foreshore outside the Opuna'ke Harbor Board's rp-erve should be vested in the counJl, t!w> Hoerotarv for Marino (Mr. Ceorpo Alport) notified by direction of the Minister for Marino Unit it was never intended when section 13 of tho lT.irhor- Amendment Act. 1014, was pa-ied, that the whole of a fore-dioro of a. county should be vested in the county, the intention hein.'.; that such portion as illicit be required fsir recreation and bathin.i;' purposes could bo panted for a jieriod of twenty-one years, and the Department did not see its way clear to ;ro beyond this in the present ease. If the. conned required iuiy particular part of tho fore.-hore for 'hathm- ami recreation purposes, and l'urnedied a plan showing flie portion that wa-, so required, the question of grautin;: it would receive consideration. The eliajrinan stated (hut the control required by the council for the pur. pose of obtaining metal from the foreshore. He pointed out that there were oonie valuable deposits of metal within ton chains of the road at places. Councillors were unanimously of the opinion that it was neee-sary to obtain I control of the metal on the foreshoru outside thfi Hiu-bor Board limits-

11 was accordingly decided, uii the motion of Councillor Dudley, to ask Jlr. Wilkinson, M.P., to endeavor to arrange that the Egmont County Council could obtain any metal required from the foreshore outside the Opunake Harbor ■Board's limits.

LOANS. The Advances Department notified that a further instalment of £IOOO, in respect of the bridge loan, No. 2, £SOOO, would be available upon receipt of a debenture for the amount duly executed. The Public Trustee notified that, on receipt of certain particulars, the council's application fO'V a loan of £IE-"> for the hospital could be entertained at five and a quarter per cent, plus one per cent sinking fund, for a period of not fewer than thirty-six years.

WIREN'UI ROAD. Mr. G. T. Murray, resident roads engineer, notified that he could not -pass plans for the expenditure of £IOOO Government grant on the Wiremu Road in their present state. lie stated that if the council's representative could come to his office. 'Bringing the field notes, he would endeavor to assist in the production of proposals that would pass, The chairman stated that their plans were the work of the late engineer, and it looked as though they would have to go over the matter again. After further discussion, it was resolved to leave the matter in t-hfe hands of the chairman and Councillor Wright.

RATES. In accordance, with resolution passed at last meeting, a general rate was struck as follows: Oeo Riding (outlying district) 1 5-Sd, Opunake and Rahotu Ridings 1 H-Sd in the £l. A special rale of 7'3M in the !l £lon the Elthaim Ebad special loan was also passed.

OAONTI DEVIATION. The Commissioner for Crown Lands forwarded copy of letter received from the Public Trustee Office to the effect that it was customary, when any alteration was made in a road through any of the West Coast Settlement Reserves, that the road closed should revert to the Public Trustee as owner in fee simple. No notification had been received by the Public Trustee Office that the closed read was required by the council as a crusher site. The Egmont County Council would require to take the laiifl under the provisions of the Public Works Act.

WIREMU ROAD GATBS. ilr, W. Pontelovv waited on tlie council ami stated that lie had received notice to remove gates from the Wiiemu Road. 'He admitted that the council \va s within its rights in acceding to a ratepayer's request to have the gates taken off. He was prepared, to fence, but could not get labor to do it at present, as the cows were coming in fast, pnd he would like extension of time. Councillors stated that they could not jive extension of time, but advised applicant to wait until the matter was further .pressed. Applicant further stated that traffic passing along that road had to go over his property to cross a ford, and he thought that he wai entitled to some compensation for an acre of land.

It was pointed out that Government money had been spent on the ford, so that tiie road could not be fenced.

GENERAL. The Valuation Department notified payment to tlic council's credit of £433 IDs 10J, being subsidy on rates collected by the county, ami also 121S &.i Id, half-subsidy on rates collected by tile Parihaka Road Board.

The application of Te Kiri Church Working Bee for subsidy of 15 towards improvements efl'ected to Te Kiri Road from the Elthani Road to the Anglican Church, was held over until the work had been passed by the foreman. Tiie manager of the Bank of Xew Zealand, Opunake, notified that the limit of the county's overdraft for the coming year would be 17809 Ureal limit 17533).

'Die eoimeil decided to support the Manawatu County Council's suggestion to make a combined effort to 'get the telephone regulations amended, so tliat telephone exchange* where there are over thirty subscribers shall be 'opened from S a.m. 4o 8 p.m. A copy of the resolution will be forwarded' to Mr Wilkinson. M.P.

Mr. J. X. Twoiney wrote, stating that at the .lime meeting the council promised to grade the unformed top end of the Patiki Road, but so far, though the weather conditions been favorable, nothing had been done. As the road was in a deplorable state, he a.ked tiiat something should he done at once.

Mr. P. Burgess, sawmillcv, Warea. notified that lie was prepared t 0 do the fair thing in connection with lieavv traffic over the Currington Road. Consideration of application by the bridge foreman and bridge gang for increase in wages was deferred till next meeting.

Accounts were passed for pavnient as lollow.s: Cencral 1300 \ 6 S ,l bridge loan 187 Os 3J, »