EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 June 1917, Page 6

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING,''"' The ordinary meeting of the Egmont County Council mas held at Opunake on Tuesday, when there were present: Crs. M. Fleming (chairman), W. C. Dudley, T. Harvey, M. J. Mcßeynolds, S. Forsyth, S. Campbell, and R. J. McNeill. •FOREMEN'S REPORTS. Foremen's reports were received as follows: Oeo Biding (northern divison).—The staff have teen employed at general surface work, carting out maintenance metal, cleaning water-tables, widening cuttings, etc.; the roads treated were the Eltham, Wiremu, Watino, Kiri, Oeo, and Opunake-Stratford. Minor repairs have been done to the Pune'hu bridge on the Eltham Road. H. Munro has* made a start paddocking the boulder stone for contract No. 312 of 1000 yards for the Eltham Road at the Punehu river.

Oeo Riding (southern division) .—The hands have been engaged at general surface work, clearing, out v water-tables, napping stones and carting out same j for maintenance. The roads repaired are the Main South, Skeet, Patiki, and Watino. I would recommend calling for 350 yards of crushed metal for the lower .portion Si the Patiki Road, between, Hone Road and Main South Road; this 1 would work in with the contract already let tin the Main South Road, one crushing site serving both jobs. I would also recommend laying a line of 9in. pipes in front of Pihama store to carry away the storm water coming from the Patiki Road and flowing across the Main South Road, doing much damage. Rahotu (southern)' and Opunake Ridings.—The staff in this riding have been engaged at patching and water-tabling op Eltham and Main South Roads, also pipe-making and water-tabling on Main South Road, Opunake riding. Bridge approaches have been attended to and a littlo re-decking done. I recommend a progress payment on contract No. 311. I recommend calling tenders for 176 yardc boulder stone, Opunake riding, to re-metal Waiaua bill. Rahotu Riding (northern division).—l am aorry to «ay that, with so much broken weather and breakages, we have not been able to make very good progress with the crusher on contract No. 300, having only worked the crushing plant 8% days, putting out 403 cubic yards of crushed metal and \62 yards of screenings. In the first start off v«j were delayed waiting for repairs to the front fore-carriage of the roller, and &h soon as that came to hand we were engaged for two days completing the rolling on contract No. 301. After completing this we were again hung up for a few days with wet weather, before commencing contract No. 300. Then on two or three occasions we had the misfortune of having the jaw bolt on the crusher break, this delaying the work for three, days in all. # While the weather was favorable to work and the contract was short of men to work the crusher, I kept the staff employed widening a cutting along Manuel Dix'g frontage, south of Newall Road. I may mention that Mr. T. H. Bowman, having been notified to proceed to camp on the 28th inst., has given over the crushing plant to 3. Smith as from Saturday last. Bridge Report.—Since last reporting on bridge work, etmber, etc., has been removed from bridge No. 21 to bridge No. 10, Oeo Road, and the erection of same ha 3 been completed and is now open for traffic. A start has been made $ with the construction of this bridge. Mr. M. Burke 'has kindly given permission for a service track through his property , until the new bridge is constructed. Machinery Department.—During the month I have been engaged on contract Np. 300. We have crushed on 15 days, putting out 884 yards of metal and 107 of screenings. We have had a lot of lost time through wet weather. "the r'ler has been engaged on the same contract, rolling and scarifying. He reported that the material at Oaonui would be suitable up to 12ft. span. Foreman Newport reported at length on the fatal accident at the crushing \ contract. * -., CHAIRMAN'S REPORT. The chairman stated that the contractor appeared to have some difficulty in getting stone to keep the crusher fully occupied at the present contract at Warea. The matter was left in the hands of the chairman to have the crusher removed to another site in the event of better progress not being made. The chairman also reported that he had arranged with the Oaonui 'Dairy Company to take any reinforcing iron that the bridge foreman considered suitable.—Action confirmed. A HARDSHIP J. F. Scott, on behalf of himself and three other employees of the Opunake Sawmilling Company,-asked for payment of £0 10s 9d for timber supplied by the council, and which sum the county clerk 'was holding against rates overdue by the company. Since April 1 the company had arranged with' the men to carry on the mill, and they were furnishing the timber on their own account, and considered it a hardship that payment should be stopped. The clerk stated that he had held the money against rates, £33 fls, owed by the Opunake Sawmilling Company, now in process of liquidation. Councillors admitted that it was a hardship on the men, who wrote that they had been working the mill sine* April 1, in order to get some of their back wages, but considered that the clerk had adopted the proper course in connection with this order, which was "iven to the Opunake Sawmilling Company prior to notification of the agree* i ment. ' NEW CRUSHER. The council again considered'the ques- . tion of purchasing a crusher, and after being interviewed by Messrs Collet (Dannevirke) and Barren (New Plymouth), manager for Messrs Booth and Macdonald, unanimously decided to purchase an Acme crusher from the latter firm, with detached elevator. ROAD VOTES. Mr. H. H. Sharp, resident en s Stratford, forwarded schedule representing the unauthorised balances of votes appearing on last year's appropriations 'for works in the county . The votes were: Okahu (Ngariki-Newall) £4Ol, Wiremu (Kiri-Ngariki) £7OO. It was decided to have these votes re- ! instated. A NEW RIDING. In accordance with the decision.arrived at at last meeting, a resolution was i. -"d. at a special meeting.v<Bi tluvmo- »

two ridings, that southward of the nor-j thern boundary of the Opua riding to bo known as Opua and to have two members, and the remaining portion, to bo known as Rahotu, to have three mem' bers. The special order will take effect on October 1, 1917. The Hastings Borough Council forwarded copy of a soherne known as the National Beamish Development Scheme, which the council was supporting, and asked the co-operation of other local bodies. ' The council resolved to discuss the matter at the next meeting, after members had'studied the scheme. 1 The Alexandra Borough Council for- ' warded resolutions passed at a meeting ' of residents: (1) Urging the Government : to bring down at an early date a more liberal scale of pensions to discharged soldiers, and also to make more adequate 1 provision for the dependents of soldiers who had fallen or were now on active ; service; (2) urging the Government to consider the advisability of introducing i a system of national service so that the i resources .of the Dominion may be developed to their fullest capacity. The chairman was of opinion that soldiers should be given their pensions by right, without having practically to beg for them. It was resolved to support the resolution. INSPECTION OF MEAT. "• The Waimate County Council asked , the council's support to a resolution requesting the Government to make proVision for the of all meat intended for human consumption,jkilled at , all slaughter housqs throughout the Do- 1 minion, in all districts, irrespective of population. While agreeing that all meat should be inspected, councillors did not think ; the scheme practicable, so no action was taken. LIOBNSING MOTOR DRIVERS. The Timaru Borough- Council request- ; ed the council's support to a resolution asking the Government to make it com. pulsory, for all motor-registering authorities to examine drivers and issue yearly licenses of 5s and 2s 6d respectively to competent drivers of motor-cars and motor-cycles, such licenses to be available all over the Dominion. (2) That front and rear identification marks be made compulsory.—Received. _ GENERAL. - T. Bowman, crusher driver, notified that he was going into camp on June 27, and asked to be relieved of his duties a week or two earlier.—Agreed to. Messrs Roy and Nicholson advised that the County Council had jurisdiction in regard to the by-law re hawkers and pedlars over the district roads In th» Parihaka road district. J. G. Rutherford, flax miller, Waverley, offered £lO for the right to cut and remove all flax on the county roads by September 1, 1917.—Accepted, subject to load not exceeding three tons on a fourinch tyre. The Manukau County Council forwarded a resolution re powers of county councils in compelling owners to clear willows from streams.—Received. The Public Works Department forwarded a copy of a Gazette notice, dated May 10, vesting control of portion l of the Auroa road in the Eltham County Council. / The action of the committee (Crs. McReynolds, Campbell and McNeill) in accepting the tender of H. Munro for contracts 312 and 313, the lowest in each case, was confirmed. Mr. Madgwick, contractor at Oeo, wrote offering to make a road to the Ouri beach on condition that his contract was extended by 1000 yards. He offered to wait for payment.—Agreed to. Renewals of slaughter house licenses were granted to A. Stewart (Rahotu) and A. Thornly (Opunake). Accounts amounting to £954 5s lOd (general) and £74 9s (bridge loan) were passed for payment.