EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 September 1917, Page 2

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING The ordinary meeting of the Egmont County Council was lield at Opunake on Tuesday, when there were present: Crs. M. Fleming (chairman), W. C. Dudley, T. Harvey, M. J, Mdßeynolds, S. Forsyth. VV. R. Wright, S. Campbell, and R. W. J. McNeill. FOREMEN'S-REPORTS. The various foremen reported:— Oeo Riding (Northern Division).—The staff have -been employed at general-sur-face work, carting out maintenance metal, cleaning watertables and .widening cuttings, etc. The roads treated were the Eitharn, Oeo, Weka, Opunake-Strat-ford, Kiri and Watino. In i referring to contract no. 313, Oeo road, as H. Munro I has made a start on this contract I would recommend the contract remain as it is.

Oeo Riding (Southern Division).—The hands' have been employed at general maintenance work, carting out gravel and broken stone on the several roads where required. I have also replaced two old wooden culverts on the Patiki road with a line of one-foot concrete pipes. An old culvert on the.Skeet road at the creek near the Oeo stream requires replacing with a set of two foot pipes as soon as they can be delivered] Minor repairs have been effected to the bridges on the Main South road and ap-. attended to.

Rahotu (Southern) and Opunake Ridings.—The staff have .been engaged at scarifying, etc., on the Main South road, Opunake and Rahotu SoutTiem Ridings. Patching on the Main South and Elthaui roads has been done. Re-decking lieiruotua bridge has beeh completed, ready for tar-sealing, and I have tar sealed the Te Namu, Maungahuma and Waiteika bridges, also approaches. Repairs to crushing plant are on completion, and as soon as a driver is available we can make a start with contract No. 311. Owing to the shortage of men and high cost of living I beg on behalf of my staff and myself to ask your county for a further rise of is per day. Rahotu Riding (Northern Division). —' I have been employed at road work in general. I have attended to maintenance work on the Main South road between Waroa township and Punilio road and a good deal of water-tabling- has cleaned. There are several boulders in the watertables north of the Warea bridge which I intend to remove as soon as I can procure labor, and also metalling work at tho Oaonui Dairy Company's factory will be carried out. I cannot procure labor at present under 12s per day. 1' have also inspected ihat portion of tho Wireniu road between the Newall and Punilio roads, and I don't iind a great deal of damage done -by flood waters. The metal way is washed clean of all the blinding and left the metal bare in odd portions, ivhich I intend to reblind when I can get a warn to cart the shingle and blinding required to repair the damage that has been caused by the flood waters at odd times, i would also recommend that when the weather is suitable all the drains, inlets, outlets to culverts'lie deepened and cleaned oat where urgently needed on this portion of the Wiremu road. While oc the Wiremu road I inspected that portion of the road where some of the settlers require two wooden culverts replaced with pipes, which have collapsed between the Waitotoroa River and the Kopaiaia River. It will cost, including pipes, about £3O to do this work. This work cannot be carried out!until about February next, as it will be impossible to get a bullock drnv tl-vr»,rrh the bad places on the road before then.

Bridge report. — ui.u u .. .m. S has been stripped, limber and bridge gear have been removed to Waroa bridge and a start made with (the construction of sa me. Owing to the unsettled weather and difficuly of geting labor, this bridge is not yet far advanced. PUNEHU FORD. Crs. Wright and Forsyth reported on the removal of gravel and stone from the Punehu river close to the bridge. They stated that the contractor had explained that the gravel had been removed at the request of the County foreman. His teams had been hired to remove 34 yards for a private person who bad been granted permission by tho adjoining owner. The contractor had removed boulders from tho river. He had also obtained some stone from a pit for his contract, whereas the specifications provided for river boulders. Cr. Wright did not think the. Council should accept pit metal, a3 the caz'tage caused damage to the roads. Moreover, pit metal could be obtained cheaper and so gave the contractor an advantage. The adjoining owner is to be asked whether he gave permission to remove the shingle. The contractor is also to be informed that the Council will not take pit metal in lieu of river metal, and he is also to be asked to rornovn Stones from the ford.

ENGINE DRIVER. Mr. A. J. Smith, driver of the crusher,' resigned his position, tho wages (liJs (id per day) not being sufficient. The clerk stated that lie had applied to the -Minister in charge of the Returned Soldiers' Department, and received a reply that none wero available. Advertisements in Taranaki and Wellington papers produced two applicants. The chairman thought that the remuneration should be raised to £4 per week, at which they would probably got several applications from the South Island. Each man could then be given charge of his own machine. Cr. Mcßeynolds favored paying 15s per. day. when working at the engine and 12s per day when working elsewhere, Cr. Mcßeynolds favored paying £4 45,, and, after discussion, the chairman amended his resolution, which Cr. McReynolds seconded. The chairman thought that good permanent men should be obtained,, who would work on the roads when the engine was not working. The resolution was carried. Applications will be called and Crs. McNeill, Mcßeynolds and Dudley were appointed to deal with them.

NATIVE RATES. A letter was received from the Hokianga County Council asking support in obtaining an amendment to the Rating Amendment Act, so that in the case of >"ative land having no title in the offices of the District Land Registrar or RegisItrar of Deeds, the lieu for. unpaid rates should be registered against the title' in the Native Land Court. The clerk stated that the land in. the. | Egmont County was not aliected as most, of the land hud titles. I It was unanimously resolved to support the amendment

OAONUI IRRIGATION DISTRICT. In reply to a letter from the Department of Internal Affairs jisking whether the provisions of the Warer Supply Act, 190S, could not conveniently be, adopted in connection with the proposed Oaonui Irrigation District and tfio district constituted for the purposes of that Act, the clerk stated that the proposed district was a very small portion of the County. The settlers proposed to find the money themselves to carry out the suggested scheme, and thev proposed and 'preferred to manage it themselves, and the Council much preferred that this should be done. A HEALTH MATTER. Mr. J. N. Twomey, Hawera, wrote stating that Mr. E. J. 0. Hauton, who had' leased his farm, complained that "he was being compelled to carry out eeuauv instructions by a man named Kimbell, who purported to be the health officer for the Council and acting under the council's instructions."

The clerk stated that he had replied that the Council had received no communication on the matter from the Health Department and had no cognisance of the matter. The clerk's action was approved. i (BRIDGE LOAN, The clerk stated that on looking into the matter he discovered that one of the original bridge loans had been £6OOO instead of £SOOO as he had estimated. He had accordingly applied to the Advances Department for the additional fIOCO arid had received a reply that the matter would toe placed before the Governor for the necessary Order-iu-Council. A Councillor remarked that this £IOOO would be required, as the estimate on which the £15,000 loan wa» based was a very low one. ENGINEER TO BE APPOINTED. Cr, Wright moved in accordance with notice of motion that a working overseer be appointed over the County.. He considered that with the number of foremen ft was now advisable to have one head. He favored a worktng overseer, as being more economical for the Council than ah engineer, pointing out that in Mr. C. -E. Robinson, of Stratford, the Council had one of the best bridge engineers in New Zealand as consulting engineer.

Cr. McNeill, in seconding, stated that ho would have preferred the ap paintment of an engineer. They were just oil the eve of getting a bridge loan of £15,000. Whatever old prejudices had existed against one head, he hoped it would not he allowed to influence Councillors. Even at this late hour, if he could pursuade the Council to got one head he would feel that he had dona his duty. He pointed out that there.was a tendency to regroup with a. view to economising labor in dairy factories, and probably thero would he a proposal to abolish some of the Counties. ' ■,

Cr. Mcßeynolds moved as an amendment that a fully qualified engineer be appointed. An engineer, would more than save his salary. Cr. Harvey seconded.

Cr. Dudley had contended since ths inception of the County that ono head was necessary in order to give uniformity of woric. They should pay whatever other counties paid, even up to £ooo or £ GOO. '

The chairman said -fliat he had been convinced against his will that one head was necessary. He favored the appointment of a thoroughly practical man. Cr. Campbell stated that he was also convinced against his will, having been put on the Council to get rid of tlia engineer.

Or. Wright withdrew liis motion and the amendment was carried unanimously. A special meeting will be kekl on. Monday to arrange conditions, etc. GENERAL. The Department of Agricultur# forwarded renewal of licenses for slaughterhouses owned by A. Stewart, Kaliotu, W. 0. Dudley, Opunake, A. Thornley, Pihama. li. F. Munro asked permission to transfer contract to ;D. J. Kehely. fused. Mr. V/. H. A. Wilson, Oiaonui, agreed to allow the Council to take 3tone subject to payment of 4d per yard for surface damage and replacement of damage to fences. The chairman stated that the" roller would l)e ready for work next treek. li, was resolved to send the engine-driver to New Plymouth to bring the roller out. . Special rate of 4-lttd on the Eltliam road was passed. It was resolved to draw the foreman's attention to pigs that were doing damage to the approaches to the Oeo bridge, with instructions to take legal proceedings. Mr. 0. 11. Burgess, Mayor of New Plymouth, forwarded copy of letter receiv-/ ed from George T. Brown, C.F., acknow-' ledging receipt of gifts for comforts for men on troopships received from the Women's Patriotic League to which the Egraont Council had donated £lO,

The Parihaka Road Board Risked thai the water from, the Majuv South road should be diverted, and prevented from scouring tho metal on tile Kahui road during flood time. Foreman to report. A letter was recoived. from the Mayor of Hokitika forwarding resolution passed at public meeting urging thq. necessity for a national day of prayer,—Received. Mr. .Jas. Garcia wa.3- appointed the Council's representative on the National Park Board in succession tor Mr. Paul Will cox, of Rahotu,' who is at present in England. I It was resolved to grant oojlcrete culverts required in the Rahotu • Riding. The 'question of obtaining a bridge carpenter was left in the hands of the chairman. A permit was granted to 'Mrs. E. M. •J. Clothier, Warea, to collect patriotic funds. Two of the foremen applied for increased wages for themselves and their staffs.—Held over pcnding : the appointment of an engineer. Mr. I'entelow drew attention to the state of the crossing on the Wiremu road and suggested that certain repairs bo effected between Xgariki and Kina roads. Foreman to attend when weather suitable. Accounts amounting to £571 4s 2d (general) and £IM 10s Sd (bridge) Avere passed f or payment.