EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 August 1916, Page 7

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING* i The ordinary meeting of tho Egvnont County Council was held at Opunake on Tuesday, when there were present: Crs. M. Fleming (chairman), W. C. Dudley, T. -Harvey, J. Young, M. J. Meßevnolds, S. Forsyth, W. R. Wright, S. Campbell, and E. J. W. McNeill. FOREMEN'S REPORTS. T'ne various foremen reported as follows: Oeo Riding (Northern Division].—l have formed and metalled six chains of unmetalled portion of the OpunakeStratford Road with hand-broken metal. Mr. Clement has put on two men to patch up the bad portion on the Kiri Road. Minor repairs have been done to the Punehu bridge on the Elthani Road. The roads repaired were the Elthani, Kiri, Opunake-Stratford, Oeo, Watino, Patiki, and Weka. For the Eltham Road contvact I would suggest that tenders be called for crushed boulders as soon as possible, with the understanding that delivery should be taken in the spring or whenever the weather suited; this would enable the contractor to take advantage of any fmo weather to get the boulders '"dumped ready for the crusher. Between the Taungatara river and the Watino Road 1100 yards ot crushed boulder stone are required. Oeo Riding (Southern division) —I have put in two more pipes and filled in and erected fence at Hone Road culvert. I have patched the upper portion of Fatiki 'Road with coarse river bed shingle; Councillor Forsyth kindly gave his team for two days and some of the settlera gave their services loading shingle. Maintenance work has- been in progress on the Main South-, Skeet, and Watino Roads. I recommend scarifying and rounding up portion of the ?dain South Road, between the Puketapu Creek and Mr. Allen's gate, as soon as the road roller is available. Raliotu (Southern) and Opunake Ridings.—A start has been made with contract No. 2SS; 432 yards have been delivered, but progress is very slow on account of wet weather. Main South Road is just on completion, and wc have, shifted the plant to Eltham Road, where a start will be made when the weather takes up. Raliotu Riding (Northern Division).— Tile stair were, engaged with scarifying and road-rolling in re-dressing the surface of that portion of the Main South Road between Warea and Puniho, adding crushed metal to the weaker portion wherever required. If a few more sections in this division were scarified and rolled, and a little more metal added wherever convenient, there would be a much smoother surface to the road, which would make the life of a road ever so much ioiiger, but owing to the. road roller being urgently needed on contracts in the southern division I was obliged to curtail a great portion of thi= work until the roller would be avaikii!" for this end again. The Utter part of the month we were employed in filling and widening approaches to the new ferro-eoncrete bridge at Warea, over the . Waiwci'anui river. I would recommend fencing the. approaches with plain ivire and posts. The brid?c foreman reported tlsst the I'onstruction of the K.-'po'''.:aa oriole was proceeding very fhum otorily. ■ The report was adopted. Tenders for the Deo "tiding (Northern Division) will be held over until after next meeting. A vote of appreciation was accorded settlers for work dcae on. the P&tiki Road, ■- LEGISLATION , The Anti-German League, New Zealand (F.awke's L'-iy), asked the Council to cxer its ir.'h'.e'iee -9 secure the passing of ths N£.u'-Uis;d Subjects' Franchise Bill. Cr. -Dudley considered that it was rather premature to discuss ".•he/: w.s going to happen when the wc.r w-s ova\ We had not won yet, and me would look foolish if we passed resolutions and then the other side "'on. Cr. Wright: That aeounts for so many people in New Zealand being rail-sitters over the war. It wts decided to take no action, TE KIRI ROAD. W. C. Clement (Te Kiri) notified that owing to shortage of labor he had been compelled to cUre down his sawmill, probably until two years after the war., He would therefore not be using the ftivi! Road. He considered that he had fulfilled his agreement to keep the road in repair, as it was now £1 per chain better than in 101-1. He pointed out tint he had not yet received from the Council the contribution of £2.") per annum. He had put 800 yards of metal on the road, in some places giving it a new coating of metal and making it ore of the best by-roads in the co.iuty. The Clerk stated that the arrangement re the upkeep of the road was jnade between the two companies, and the Council took no liability regarding the collection of the contribution. Members considered that considerable improvement had been effected on the road by the foreman. THE CARRINGTON ROAD. Mr. T. Willcox drew attention to the state of the Wiremu Road, a portion of the Carrington Road between the Kahui and Ngariki Roads. This had been cleared, drained and culverted by tile Public Works Department eleven years ago, but since then very little maintenance work had been done, and the road was now practically impassable, besides being a veritable jungle of undergrowth, through which it was almost impossible to drive cattle. The roaii was used to some extent by settlers at the upper end of the road, thus saving the metalled roads to .a considerable extent. As he understood that there was a grant of £000" still unexpended, he asked that the Council should endeavor I to get a little of the most urgent workput in hand, such as scrub cutting and the corduroying of some of the swampy places. The chairman stated that he had instructed the eierk to communicate with the Resident Roads Engineer on the matter, and as a result an official of the department would visit Opunake that day to inspect the road. Cr. S. Campbell also referred to the state, of another portion of the road,, near the lhaia Road. Cr. W. R. Wright stated that if the county spent money on the road it would be gazetted a county road. .He thought that ii the IJovornment made a giant the Council might, ex gratia, subsidisi it £ for £." ■Further consideration was held ovei pending the visit of the Government

APPOINTMENT OF OVERSEER. ' Cr. Dudley moved, pursuant to notice, that the Council appoint an engineer or overseer. He considered that the Council should have one head. The present system of having various foremen, and or the councillors having to take a hand in the overseeing of the work, was most unsatisfactory. -Personally he considered that an overseer woul<'- lie the most suitable. Cr. McNeill seconded The chairman did not consider that there was any Work in the county that required the services of an engineer. The Government had taken over the expenditure of all grants, and this lessened the need for an engineer. He certainly considered there were too many heads, and that better control was required over the crusher and machinery. In the Raliotu Northern Riding they bad a foreman at present .who could not be improved upon. Cr. W. R. Wright thought that a man was required to look after the machinery, and he suggested that such a man should be procured. Cr. Campbell opposed. If an engineer were appointed the foremen would not take any interest in their work. Cr. Young favored the appointment of two foremen, instead of four as at ' present. The resolution was ?ost on a division, only Crs. Dudley, McNeill and Forsyth : voting in its favor. The appointment of someone to take charge of the machinery tym left in, ]tho hands of the chairman. r THE KINA ROAD. The clerk to the Parihaka Road Board notified that the Board had! discussed the matter of lodgment of storm water at the junction of the Kina and Main RjjPads, and had directed him to ask the Council to look into the matter, with a view to having . the water drained away. "-<>»*,...... ■ The foreman reported that he had inspected the culvert and foutjl that a portion of the culvert had brolaj in. and required replacing with 12-incb concrete pipes. He recommended that the necessary pipes should be found by the parihaka Road Board and the Oaonui Hali Committee, and that the Council should place the pipes imposition. After some discussion it was resolved that the Council do the work, provided the pipes are found by the owners of the adjoining properties. : J I GENERAL BATES STRUCK, ! i The rates for the ensuing year were struck: —Oeo Siding (outlying districts), 13/td;l 3 /td; Raliotu and OuuuaLo Ridings, '","'" i SENERAL. ! The Agricultural Department forwarded certificates of slaughter-house'lieenseg granted to A. Baker, Raliotu; W. C. Dudley, Opunake; J. Lawn, Warea; A. Thornloy, Pihania. It was resolved to approve of the transfer of the license at Raliotu from A. Baker to A. Stewart. Geo. Vickery's application for a billiard room license at Opunake was ap- - proved. i Tl-.'•. Treasury forwarded cheque for . x '7o'j 13s Od, being subsidy on rates col- , looted. It was allocated as follows: Parihaka Road District (£172:! Ss 3d. at 7-lfid) £215 Ss (id, and outlying district ( £11157, at l%d, reduced to %d) , £IS!> ss. The Motor Transport Company noticed that it would endeavor to meet the Council in the matter of tonnage. , Mr. White waited on the Council to . ask that some repairs should be effected to the unmetalled portion of the Pati'.a I Road. He was informed that the read i would be metalled as, soon as the wochev was favorable. The chairman and Cr. Dudley were appointed to sign the rate-book. It was decided to forward claim to ', A. E. Magon for £f> Is Sd, being cost , of repairing Waiwerainii bridge. > The Oeo Riding foreman reported several settlers whose hedges were over- . hanging the roads. The majority were '. minted "to be, attending to the matter. . It was decided to affix notices warning i traffic, to cross at a walking pace the I Kapoaiaia bridge, during the erection or the new bridge, and the loremen , were given authority to see that the 5 regulation was carried out. The cost of hiring teams was laid on the table, and the question of purchasing horses for each riding .was held over till next meeting. Accounts amounting to £052 3s Id ; (general) and £l5O 17s (loan): were i passed for pajinent. «=* (