STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 January 1916, Page 3

STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) Stratford, Yesterday. The monthly meeting was held today. Present: Crs. Hathaway (chairman), Coleman, Christoffel, Anderson, Smith, Walter, Were, Wortllinglon, and Baskin. Cr. Were suggested that a committee be set up to meet the committee from the Taranaki County regarding matters concerning the northern end of the Stratford county that comes under the jurisdiction of both counties.—Councillors expressed an opinion that the suggestion was a good one, but eventually decided to hold over the matter till next meeting. It ivas decided ito prosecute all offenders who allow pigs to wander on the roads, and to inform a resident that unless damage done to the road be paid that action will be taken. Mrs. Kovaleski waited on Council and asked for a rebate on toll charges fo* her" husband,' who had to go through the gate every day 011 motor-cycle to his busines sat Tariki.—Jt was decided that the Council had no legal power to Isake a rebate.

Cr. Baskin complained about the work authorised on Kent Terrace not being carried out. What was the good of bringing these matters before ithe Council if they were not attended to? He blamed the chairman as well as the en-' gineers for this laxity. Cr? Smith said he had to bring before the Council the question of the Cardiff bridge. This bridge had ito be ehargotf to the riding, because no bridge loan had been raised. He gave notice of motion to move: That £1 GO be charged to the Special Fund Account. If they made a concession to the Cardiff people, the Palmer Eoad bridge account should be treated similarly. Cr. Smith said the West Riding was £3OOO in debt, and £IOOO of it had been spent on the Palmer Eoad. The chairman asked if Cr. Smith was hinting at a job done near Cr. Anderson's property; if so, it was most unfair to Cr. Anderson. He had inspected the road with the engineer. Cr. Anderson had never spoken to him on ithe matter, and if any blame was attached to anyone he was quite prepared to take part.

Cr. Anderson said Cr Smith was most unfair to him to say that lie had placed £IOOO on the estimates for the Palmer Road. The Eltham County had paid for half of the road, and the Stratford County had taken all the stone .required for the Dutliie and other roads from his property. He had never charged the Council a penny for royalty, and had never abused his position on the C&uncil.

Cr. Smith: "I have stated facts and they cannot be refuted." The matter then dropped, j| : TENDERS. Tenders were accepted as follows: 500 yards boulders, Wingrove Road, Grimmer and Chamberlain; 1000 ywrds crushed slicllrock for Waiwera and Uhura Roads, J. Neilson.

Acceptances of a tender for forming 48 chains on Oruru Road was left in the hands of Cr. Wortliington and the engineer, with power to act. GENERAL. The engineer be empowered to hire a traction engine for this season, and it was decided to procure a crushing plant. Accounts amounting to £43G2 were passed for payment.

CORRESPONDENCE. Messrs Bredow, Howat, W. Watson, and Needham Bros., requested Council to raise a loan to metal th a ororu Road for the purpose of givin ( « uccess to sections being cut up by 11 • Uredow. It was decided, provided Railway Department had no objection to lease its reserve of forty acres between the railway and old Oruru Road, being specially rated that application be made for a loan of £9OO. Private P. Morratti wrote about a blocked culvert that was flooding his land. He asked the Council to inves-

{tigate and remedy the matter.—The enI gineer to report.

T. C. List, proprietor, Daily News, wroto asking the Council to make a, reduction in toll charges for the paper delivery car.—Cr. Walter moved that the letter be received. People who used the road should be made to pay; that was why the gate wa3 put there.

The chairman said the Council' had no power to give concessions and it was decided to reply to all applicants accordingly. H. H. Sharp, Resident Engineer, Public Works Department, wrote asking to be informed of ithe progress of works that are being carried out under the Council's jurisdiction, for which Government grants or subsidies were granted.— Engineer to reply. Mr. Richards, Cardiff, called attention to the terms of agreement entered into between the Council and him and other farmers re the taking of stone from the Waingongora River, reminding the Council that the small royalty paid would not compensate for the land destroyed, washed away through the banks of tike river being torn away by ithe Council's servants. He asked that the agreement be aflhered to.

It was decided to inform Mr. Richards that the Council regrets the action of the contractors a<nd hopes '.there will be no recurrence.

Acting-Chief Engineer for New Zealand Railways wrote regretting that the Department could not see its way to grant the lever crossing over the railway near Midhirst. However, to meet the Council in getting access to the deposit of stone in the Maunganui Stream from the Denbigh Road, the Department was prepared to grant the Council a lease for seven years (terminable at six months' notice), of about three acres of land adjoining Rum Keg Creek, with a right of way to the Denbigh Road, at a rental of £5 yearly. If this would suit the Council, the Department will cancel Mrs. Weighbourne's lease and will grant her a fresh one, at a reduced rental, of the land not required by the Council.

' The chairman said it was a valuable pit and it would pay the Council to open •it up and fence the land. It was decided to accept the Department's offer, ( and ithe engineer was requested to put the work in hand at once.

Mr. C. Milner was appointed clog tax ( collector on the same terms as last year. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer reported thai; notwithstanding the Christmas holidays and scarcity of plant good progress has been made with work in the. respective ridings. North Riding.—General surface work has been done, the contractor ha.? all the bou'ders out for the Pembroke Road contract. The crusher will be available at the end of the week. Keelj l Street is now sufficiently dry to carry the roller and this work will be-put in hand as soon as possible. A start has been made to procure stone for the lower end of the Salisbury Road, also I intend obtaining metal for the Ratapikri and Stanley Roads, while the teams are available in this riding. South Riding. —Work is progressing favorably in this riding. Boulder contracts are being pushed on with. East Riding.—General surface work is proceeding very well, the Aliuroa Road has been formed and is now ready for the metalling. West Riding.—Considerable work lias been done in this riding, which has been dealt with in Foreman Plew's report. General.—Owing to pressure of time several matters have been held up. Regarding" the Straker wagon, road roller, and crusher I will report verbally on these. The engineer said he had inspected the Straker waggon, at Invercargill, and in company with the Government inspector had made a Wiorough inspection, and after a trial run was satisfied it would pay the Council to get the waggon back because it would be useful in carrying cement and tar about the country, and he had made arrangements for its return to Stratford. The chairman said the machine should be useful.

Cr. Smith said he would vote against getting the mtchine back. It had never worked satisfactory, and never would. He preferred purchasing an up-to-date motor waggon.

Cr. Anderson aaid he was satisfied the machine had never been properly handled, and with careful and experienced treatment it should prove useful to the county, A motion confirming the action of the engineer was carried, Cr. Smith wishing his vote io he recorded against it. Cr. Worthington moved that the engineer be instructed to lay off the ICaitieke Road, and call for tenders for same and for cleaning slips on the Mafigu Road. FOREMENS* REPORTS. I). Brown, NorUi Riding, reported that the roads in thistnjmiingk.spere in failorder, a fair amoußi*'«'t «"ork had been done to the Mountain fUJaASCeIIv Street had been trimmed up, andf was now ready for rolling Bridges and eulverts had been attended to. on Derby Road. Fillings on north side of Waipuku had subsided and light repairs had been made to filling on York Road. Light repairs had been made to the Rutland, Cardiff North, Pembroke and Monmouth Roads. Pigs on the York Road had caused a lot of trouble to the watertables, One of the employees had not been at work since December 17 through having his fingers crushed at the Palmer Road. North Riding East. —Foreman Kovaleski reported that the Croydon Road West had been blinded. Two teams had commenced carting boulders for the lower end of the Salisbury Road. W. Atkins (Huiroa), reported that all metalled roads throughout'the riding had been trimitied up, and all except fliell-l-ock roads had been blinded with ':iy. Necessary repairs had been macfe to the Okaina Road, and the worst places on the Mohakau Road had received attention, but a great deal of work is still necessary, and he proposed putting the work in hand as soon as possible. Douglas Road North had been trimmed up and was reasonably good for wheel traffic. Urgent work had been carried out 011 the Tunupo and Autawa Roads, but before these roads can hi opened for wheel traffic it will be necessary to reinstate a filling near Mr. Zurcher's whare. Foreman S. Parker, Souith Riding,* reported all roads in fair order. Bridge on Robson Road is in a very bad state, stringers having completely gone, and a concrete bridge is necessary. Seeing that Mr. Grimmer is going to cart boulders on this road he would be willing to cart the gravel for the bridge. Thirteen 9-inch pipes had been put in in the Wingrove Road. Some planks were broken on the Skinner Road brigo which was very dangerous. R. Richards, East Riding, reported j that general maintenance work had been done throughout the riding, formation ! work on Ahuroa West Road had been I completed. Mangaelm Riding: J. Savage reported —During the month approaches to McLauchlan's filling had been made, slips -had been cleared, bridges had been repaired at Puniwhakau, and meital had been got ready for the Tututawa B'-idgc. Pipes had Deen put in the Mangaeliu and Puniwhakau Roads.

R. E. Plews, West Riding, reported that a mile and a half had been refaced on Palmer Road, 161 chains refaced on Upper Palmcrt, and 17 chains on Cardiff Road. Maintenance had been tipped on Upper Palmer and Cardiff-Wain-gongora Road. Work at Cardiff hill should be completed in a few days. Txiose stones on Maitson's hill had been raked off. The blinding put on Upper Manaia Road had also had attention.