ELTHAM COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 July 1917, Page 3

ELTHAM COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Eltham County Council mot on Saturday. Present: Crs. 0. .J. ISeleher (chairman), .T. Granville. AV. McUuinliess, K. J. Gilford, A. MeWilliain, A. Campbell, A. C. Pease, A. V. Mrssena, and J. Black. CORRESPONDENCE. -\fr. C. A. Wilkinson, M>P., wrote statin? lie was in sympathy with the Council's resolution regarding the inspection of meat for human consumption. H. C. Duckott, Awatuna, offered to purchase pipes (concrete) for crossing purpose"., also old bridge decking timber from the Council.—Engineer to deal with requests. J. W. Rountree, Eltham, desired to purchase two yards of 'broken metalReferred to engineer. \V. Hardwiek Smith., secretary of Mangamingi school, requested grant of totara discarded from patea bridge, for use as a flagpole.—Matter held over. R. W. Tosswill, county engineer, reported on the Mangamingi creek, in reply to request as to the best means of notifying owners of sections mentioned in the report. ITe suggested that owners be'notified that if the work mentioned is properly carried out within a reasonable time it would meet the Council's wishes.—Engineer's suggestions to be carried out. E. Boddie and J. Hickey, Mangamingi, stated that work at the Mangamingi creek would he attended to as soon as the weather permitted.—Received. H. A. Hunt stated he had under a misapprehension signed a petition to form a special rating area, but would only be agreeable to 100 acre 3 cf his land being included in the area.—Received. Kaponga town clerk forwarded statements of receipts and expenditure on county roads within the town district during the past year, and also the estimate for the current year. The Board proposed striking the maximum rate, Ud in the £. —Received, the Council's subsidy to be paid. The Minister for Internal Affairs wroto re burial plots for returned soldiers, who die prior to their discharge, free of cost.—Clerk to reiply that the' Council has no jurisdiction. •T. E. Tlroadfoot, postmaster, Eltham, requested the Council to notify Mr. Dale, 'Dalziel Road, that trees were encroaching on the road, preventing telephone communication, and desired the obstructions to be removed.—Notice to be served on owner.

M. F. Voullaire, secretary of the New Zealand Farmers' Union (Riverle* branch) forwarded the following resolution unanimously adopted by liis union: "That this meeting of the Union, is utterly opposed to Mr. C. A. Wilkinson's Abolition of Toll-gates Bill, considering the extra heavy rates which would be thrown upon the ratepayers of the Eltham County. Seeing that the tollgate is a fair and equitable method of taxation, catching, as it does, those who mostly use the reads and those users of the roads who do not pay iiny rates whatsoever, this meeting therefore requests the- Eltham County Council to arrange petitions to oppose the Bill." Letter received ; delegates to be instructed to oppose the Bill. W. J. Lopdell, engineer to Stratford County Council, notified that independent of the 1000 cubic yards of metal that lias been placed on the IFinnerty road, which is a boundary road between Eltham and Stratford counties, further metal will be required. The Waingongoro bridge was unsafe for heavy traffic, and lie recommended a new ferroconcrete bridge.—Dealt with in the pnginesr's report. , THE COUNTY RANT, Kit. The county Tanger, Mr. J. Smith, in bis report drew attention to the heavy traffic bv motor lorries. According to the by-laws vehicles and loads should not exceed ftve tons. A lorry would carry four tons of coal and the lorry would weigh iy 2 tons. 1 Or McWiUiam stated that if the bylaws did not meet the case they should bo revised. The chairman suggested that this was a matter that might be discussed by the toll-gates committee. The ranger tlien remarked that, regarding straying cattle, it ofterf occurred that stock grazing on a road would be removed to some by-road when lie was in the vicinity. Still lie was glad to say some settlers gave him assistance. Cr. 'Pease said this was a matter in which the councillors should aßsist the ranger. Cr. Granville 'believed the ranger should prosecute every time an habitual ofl'ender, but he thought there were other occasions when he need not be too drastic. The chairman thought it was quite possible that some ot the free grazers notified their neighbors rather than assist the ranger. The ranger said it would simplify matters a good deal if lie had the telephone f installed on his premises. He would' pay the fees, but desired the Council to pay the cost of installing. Cr. Pease moved that the Council pay half the cost of installing the telephone. Cr. Mctiuinness moved as an amendment that the full cost of installing be borne by the Council, the ranger to refund same by monthly instalments. — The amendment was carried. ENGINEER'S REPORT. R. D. Tosawill, county engineer, reported on the Council's work as under: Ivaponga Riding.—The re-grading of side tracks and deepening of water-tables-has been continued on the Mangawhero road from Taylor's hill to the Eltham road. Similar work has been carried out on the Eltham roiul fro-m Kaponga town boundary to the Palmer road. The deck of the -Mangawher'oiti bridge had been repaired. Mangatoki Riding. —The sides of the Palmer, Eltham, Dut'liie, Hastings, Hunter and Stuart roads have been regraded and water-tables cleaned, the steep bills on the Stuart road have been scarified, re-faced and rolled, and timber for re-decking a small bridge has 'been delivered at the site.

South Riding.—General maintenance work has been carried out on most of the roads, and a start is now being made with scarifying and re-facing Rotokare and Fraser roads. The southern end of Boylan road is getting int-o bad condition and should be treated in the same way. The cost of the proposed metalling of fifteen chains on the hill at the southern end of Mountain road would be approximately £2OO. _ _ Eltham Riding.—Work in this riding has been confined to maintenance ou tue Rawhitiroa, Hu, and Anderson voads. Additional labor will be required to keep pace with the necessary work. The Wingrove road is in a particularly bad it»ie of along the first Mile and

a ha f from Rawhitiroa road, practically all the culverts being blocked by he heavy growth of raupo in the outlets and in the Rahui creek through section -0, block 12. The ibridle track portion is almost impassa,ble for horse traffic. nie t a ' at north end is almost worn out and should receive a light coat of gravel before the present foundation breaks through; about 600 cubic yards of gravel will be required for the threequarters of a mile. The Kaitangi creek on each side of this part of tile road needs clearing out. Mr. R. Best is I . believe, putting in hand the cleaning out of the creek through lii.s property immediately. It will be advisable to make a start shortly with the work ot getting out shell-rock in the Mangamingi valley for le-facing and patching the Rawhitiroa road. Omona Riding.—The erection of a cottage at Moeroa, and a telephone bos and cart shed at Omona has been completed. Instructions are required as to proceeding with the re-building of the Mangatoromiro stream (bridge, Mataimaroke r °ad, timber for which, it is expected, will shortly be in hand. Boundary Roads.—.ln company with the engineer of the Stratford county, he inspected the Waingongoro stream bridge, Finnerty road, and recommended replacing the present bridge with one in reinforced concrete. A large timber culvert carrying the Mangawarawara stream across the Cornwall road (between the Mountain road and railway line) should be renewed in concrete during tho summer. The whole of the transomes carrying the decking are fractured. Temporary repairs were being carried out by the Stratford Council. General.—He suggested a further consideration of the estimates, with a view to deciding which were the most'urgent works. Further accommodation will foe required for the new motor lorries at the county depot by enlarging the present shed; a concrete washing floor and a coal bunker are also needed. About ten chains of fencing should be erected on the property recently purohased from Mr Revell to make it suitable for horses. \V. Carbis applied for permisison to occupy the cottage, which was now vacant, One of the county horses which had become too old for the work should be disposed of. He suggested that, in, order to avoid overlapping of authority, Foreman Taylor be designated "senior foreman," and that his wages 'be increased to 15s a day, including war tonus. Re the road at Te Roti station, the district engineer had promised to look into the matter. A letter was received from the resident engineer with specifications for asphalting the deck of the Hastings road overbridae, inquiring whether the Council would carry out the work for the Department, and, if so, for a. price for the work. Tho Riverlca school committee had taken the heap of screenings which they applied for at'2s 6d per cubic yard. The report was received. The work suggested in the South Riding is to be carried out under supervision of the engineer and the Riding member. Regarding the Mangatoromiro stream bridge. Mataimoroke road, on the engineer's suggestion it was resolved to have the work carried out by day work. The chairman remarked that it was necessary to have something done, otherwise they might have to face a bad accident. Concerning repairs to the Waingongoro river 'bridge (also mentioned by tho Stratford county engineer), the chairman thought that a conference with the Stratford County Council would be desirable, and a motion that Crs. Peasq and M("Guinness, with the engineer, form a deputation ty attend the meeting and discuss the earri«i