ELTHAM COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 March 1920, Page 2

ELTHAM COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Eltham Count)' Council was held on Saturday. Present: Crs. C. J. Belcher (chairman), W. W. Barker, A. Messana, A. McWllliain, \V. E. Carter, c. K. McUuinness, E. J. Glllord, and A. Campbell. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. R. D. Tosswlll) reported as follows:—■ South Hiding.—The work done on Boylan Itoad consisted of water tabling and cleaning of culvert outlets, the (rutting back of overhanging scrub, tar patching, and repairs to metal. Recently the intake end of an old timber culvert on this road foil In and some damage was caused to the slope of a large tilling through which It passed. Concrete pipes havo now been laid and the damage to filling repaired. . A timber culvert on the Mountain Road has been replaced by 91nconcrete pipes and scrub overhanging the road has been cut back. Water tabling has been done on Rotokare Boad and a cu. ,ert on Tawhitl Road has received attention. Mangatoki Riding.—A considerable amount of water tabling, banking up, and cleaning out of culverts was done on Eltham Road, and metal shoulders were laid at several places to give a better sweep for traffic and to avoid damage to the edge of the present tar surface. The parts of Duthie Road that were remetalled last year havo been tar carpeted and two other short lengths that were considered to be in sufficiently good repair were also treated, making in nil ;iCOO sci. yards completed. Tho intermediate melal portions were also patched.

Oinona Riding—The wet weather eiperlenoed during the month was responsible for a considerable number of small slips the removal of which, together with the cleaning of water tables, etc., and the cutting back of overhanging scrub has been the principal work carried out on Itawhltlroa, Matalwhetu and Mataimaroke Roads. The necessary timber and ironwork for repairing the small suspension bridge over the Whenuakura River has been ordered and arrangements have been made for the carting of 100 cublg yards of shell rock required for maintenance purposes from the quarry to tho Omona Hill.

Kaponga Riding.—Channelling, banking up, and tar patching have been carried out in places along the Eltham Road and the whole of the length from Awatuna to Kaponga town boundary (40,000 square yards) has been top dressed with tar and sand. An old log culrert. carrying the Walokura Creek across Nelll Road has been replaced by 36-ln diameter concrete pipes, 30ft long; the filling and approaches have been trimmed up and a large hole at the upper end of Melville Road has been filled In with gravel.' The sand required for tar work on Auroa Rono has been delivered and the work of tar carpeting, which has been considerably delayed bv the wet weather, Is now finished, 7800 square yards having been surface treated and 3000 square yards top dressed, as It Is proposed to postpone the top dressing of the ower mllo of this road until nest summer, Its condition being such as not to require further treatment until then. The whole of the tarring work authorised in this riding is complete. Satisfactory progress has been made with the clearing awav of the wrecked porltion of the Mangawheroitl Stream bridge. A new channel has been formed to carry the water well away from the damaged abutment, which has now be«n well underpinned. All the steel has be.-n salvaged and straightened, and.the bormg for the beams is again In position, the supports for which are doweled to concrete footings in the bed of the stream and securely tied and cross-bracod. Very little timber was saved, but for the heavy timber required for the temporary supports mentloaed, Mr G bson has kindly supplied plnus lnslgnts log? which answer the purpose well. Eltham Riding.—On the Rawhitiroa Road, Bennetts contract for the supply and den'i? 1 ?' / sl l e " l ' ofl k r ' las boon complete#!, ihtrty-four cubic yards of rock has been hand napped along the valley and forty cubic yards have been carted from the summit to the ridge towards Hu Road for maintenance purposes. Slips have been removed and water tables have been cleaned on the ridge and a metal shoulder, as hacking to the tar surfaced portion, has been laid on tho long hill fronting section 96. Slips have been removod on the Hu Road and some forming up has been done on Sangster Road Tivo narrow places on the papa sidling on the Mangawhero Road extension to' Lake Rotokaro havo been widened and other repair work on this road Is well in hand and should be completed during the coming Tree];. General —During tho month about 420 cubic yards of botidler stone was supplied, naif of which has been delivered at the crusher, there now being very considerable supplies o. stone both at the depot and at Tempiar and George Streets, awaiting haulage until crushing begins. The services of the two teams regularly employed were dispensed with and I would strongly recommend that the Council purchase a team of its own to lit employed at river work during the wlntel*, and for tarring during the summer, and that the balance of stone required ho purchased at per cubic yard, delivered where and In such quantities as agreed.

CORRESPONDENCE. From the chairman of the Potrol SubCommittee of the Board of Trade, stating that Mr. O. Hawken, M.P., had applied for supplies of petrol for the Eltham County Council. Fourteen cases had been forwarded on Ma rch 3, and If the Council would supply particulars of Its requirements, the Committee would endeavor to keep them going; unMl the alufrta&e was c,Ydr.-—The chairman said he believed the Council would now be able to obtain sufficient supplies to enable them to carry on. He bad seen Mr. Hawken and Mr. Wilkinson, who had promised to do what they could for the ?M n ° ' . T? 8 en / Inter (Mr. R. D. Tosswlll) said that the 14 cases forwarded by the Committee had not yet arrived, but the Council had 11)0 cases of benzlno coming by the Walhemo, which should arrive shortly The letter from the Committee was received and It was decided to thank Mr. Hawken for the action he had taken.

From the Awatuna Co-operative Dairy Factory protesting against tho Council's action In abolishing the system of booking tolls and in offering tickets in advance without any discount for cash. The Council went Into Committee, and on resuming, the chairman reported that it. had been decided to reply stating that the Council had adopted a system which it considered did not inflict hardship on anyone, and that It could not see its way to meet the company's objections.

With, reference to the Rawhitiroa Road donation, the Department of Lands and Survey wrote asking If the Council Intended to proceed with the matter, as tho plan could not bo registered without the usual gazette tiotice.—Referred to the engineer The Department of Agriculture wrote drawIng attention to the growth of blackberry on the Council's property adjoining the Waineongora bridge—Matter attended to. Mr. E. Forrester (Mangamlngl) wrote drawing the Council's attention to tho state of a culvert on the Wingrove Road.—Referred to the engineer.

A strongly worded letter from Mr Edward do May, of Awatuna, was received, protesting against the manner in which the Council had trealed previous correspondence from him respecting the Upper Auroa Road, and stating that although the Council had decided months ago to spend £2OO where the completed road was finished, nothing had yet been done —The chairman, who objected J°i'°v 0f the „ lctter ' sald that although £2OO had been allocated for the work the money had not been authorised, and tho Council could not go on with it. The total cost of the work would be between £3OO and £4OO, of which the Egmont. County Council had agreed to vote £OO. On the motion of the chairman, it was decided that the Council strongly disapproved of the Insulting tone of Mr. de May's letter, and that, if any further communications of a similar nature bo received from the same source the cleric should be instructed not to present them.

GENERAL. The chairman reported that Mr. H. E Williams had been appointed County ranger It was decided to defray half the cost of Installing tho telephone in Mr. William's home The matter of purchasing a team, as suggested by the engineer, was referred to the Metal Committee, with power to act. In connection with an application by one of the Council's workmen for a suitable dwelling. the matter was referred to the Metal Committee with power to act.

In pursuance of notice previously given it was decided on the motion of Cr Campbell, that the repayment of principal and Interest. ii|Km loans over the South Riding, be paid out of general rates, subject to the approval of the Auditor-General.

Tho cleric stated that in acemi.„nce with the Act, it was necessary to hold „ - meeting of the Council in Marcl' the election of members for the pm-nosi of deciding the representation anil the. boundaries of (ho different ridings. In view of the fact that 'the whole of the County was likely to be re-valued during the next twelve months, resulting In big changes In all the ridings, the Council decided to take no action la the matter at present. Accounts amounting to £1025 14s Id. were passed for payment.

The Council decided to Increase the salaries of tho County clerk and the engineer by £.*o per annum.