CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1920, Page 2

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The ordinary meeting of the Clifton County Council was held at Waltnra yesterday. Fresent: Crs. R. H. rigott (chairman), T. Mc'Cenzie, H. A. Foreman, J. C. Jones, C. Musker, Itnd S. 3. Pennington. ENGINEER'S REPORT. < The engineer (Mr. C. F. Dorset) reported as follows: Waihi Riding.—Further quantities of stone have been deposited at Onaero, and It is proproposed in the near future- to commence rrusting, when a portion of the metal will lie allocated to Urenui Riding. Nothing furIher has heen done In connection with the Nikorima metalling contract. Plenty of stone Is available, and the settlers are getting anxious over the unnecessary delay. The pipe culvert at the Epiha Road junction bus been lowered and made secure. The roller has received a .second coat of paint, and when Ihe scroen Is in position the plant will be ready for work. Soma miles of the main rood fcave been blinded, and general maintenance work has received attention.

Tikorangii Ridtng.—The contract for the boulder supply In Alleman's pit has been signed, a road laid off giving access to the new face, and ■ a pipe culvert and filling have taken the place of the old ford, giving nccess from the Bertrand Road.' I underiland that the preliminaries in connection With the Walpapa Road metallong contract ive proceeding satisfactorily. The formation contract on the Otaraoa Road will be proceeded with, when conditions are .favorr.ble. The contractor is, however, ratter dubious' about getting adequate labor. Genoral patching and repairs have been attended Ngatimaru Riding.—Additional points have been taken off on the Kiore Saddle, and furiher simitar improvements will be affected with a small unexpended balance. The Mancnmalre contract has Been completed, anc? arrangemetns mads with the foreman to protect with a suitable fence, both the 4nlet tnd outlet and also the new filling. , The •onstruction of the South Matau bridge is progressing satisfactorily, and Us early «ompletion is assured,' tre contractor carrying put his work !n his usual satisfactory manner. Arrangements have already been made to complete the approaches and dlsmantlo nnd stack the old structure. The remova,! of the slips on the Ngatoto Road and maintenance and repairs to other roads have been receiving attention. Urenui Riding.—The length of work embraced in the proposed imetalllng contract on the. Kaipikari Road has been laid oft, the distance being 54 chains, and specifications fire in course of preparation. Only* earthwork of a small nature will be undertaken, us any regradlng would be expensive. I understand that the Mataro Road settlers are contemplating an Increased loan to extend the metal beyond Mace's gate. The existing tendered price covers the section only from Mangapoua bridge to Herbert's. It Is proposed to metal the Moerangi Road from Ihe main road junction eastwards, the existing gravel not standing up well in wot situations. Further gravel has been quarried from tho native reserve, and placed upon. the Okoke and main roads. As the roadman has been relieved of portions of his lengths In the south and east, I have given him an additional section to the north, extending from tho Mimi bridge, to the Wai-iti Road. Between the 22 and 23 mile pegs on the main toad, grass shoulders have been ploughed! off, and the road generally Improved. In the Okoke and Piko districts the settlers must !n the meantime rely upon their own efforts In keeping the communications open. There lire stacks of work, to do, and no permanent man in charge. Mokau Riding.—Tho bridge work Is proceeding satisfactorily on tho Okau Road. ■ It Is no light job to got large stringers over the mountain'at this season, but we have so far experienced nothing of a hold-up in such con-, [lection. The Boar Bridge might hare been confined to one span If piles were driven, but in the absence of this safeguard, I deemed It advisable not to rlsic a wing 13ft high, and so added another span. The one remaining bridge on this road is the Kotare suspension, and the work Is not of a heavy nature. Upon completion small repairs witlv (n the limits of our scanty timber supplies, ■will be affected to the "Dement Settlement Bridge, and thereafter the work will be south of lit. Messenger, where numerous matters await attention, Imprlanus: Murray's bridge. I hold a written undertaking that settlers will contribute to one-l:a!f the cost, of repairs, and 1 have ordered the piles and purchased tho stringers. Some of the Items requisitioned for the county cottage at Okau were considered necessary, and were authorised. I understand tl:at the work of procuring timber for the Mangaonga bridge Is proceeding. The matter of cutting vegetation on the Kiwi Road was authorised, and the prico for clearing drains on tho Okau (toad was accepted. General.—The County map and descriptive title, which has been prepared to show the new ridings, has been forwarded to Wellington to be gazetted. The map authorised showing all roads and river reserves suitable for occupation Is in ' course of preparation, and will be shortly submitted. I would suggest, the Council take the only way open to them to keep their roads properly staffed, otherwise the position will become acute. It must bo remembered that when the Estimates are passed the Government will be releasing many thousands of pounds to local authorities for expenditure, [besides their own requirements, and that competition for labor will be exceptionally keen. I would like authority to engage good men; tho work not the. price being the primary consideration. Ite Vehicles' Tax.—Referring to the Commission which sat recently 1n Now Plymouth to inquire into the Taranakl Vehicle Lleenfing Act, a suggestion is made that something' after the manner of tho proposed Licensing Act should be adopted net confined to Isolated Counties, but to embrace provincial districts. It is suggested that representatives of all the Taranakl Local Bodies should meet .-.ml decide upon an annual tax for each '.chicle for the whole province. The fees suggested are somewhat near tl'o mark. This tax to carry the vehicle in any part of Taranakl, nnd so throughout each province in the Dominion. Any car or vehicle so registered in a Taran.iki County and having paid its tax, for the upkeep of tho roads In Taranakl would lie eligible to travel in any other County exempt from taxation, and similarly any car from elsewhere could travel in Taranuki free, having, of course, paid its own County tax elsewhere. The Ineqalty of Taranakl's tax was the charge for, say, persons using the road once pr twice a year paying as niucb as those using it daily. In assessing any tax, difference would, of course, be made for cars for public or private use; their weights, speeds, and cither matters would be considered. All cars would be registered in the district In which the owner resided. Jhe suggestion by the Government is to tax rubber tyres, but Iron-shod tyres not boing extinct, they would also require to bo taxed. Should the Government tax rubber ryes, the allocation of tho tax would probably lend to dissatisfaction. Say, Wellington city registered 2000 cars and Clifton r-00, the city would expect to get considerably more than Clifton, although tho mileages in the County would lie greater. Anyway, Ihe Government would collect and distribute Ihe money as it thought fit. Under this scheme the collection would be carried out by each local authority, the. application would be provincial, and its adoption would eventually embrace tho Dominion. The engineer was authorised to advertise for four men nt 14s per dav, and free cottage or allowance. ACCESS REQUIRED. Edward Mowat. Waltnltoi, wrote stating that he bad no means of access to his 'Okoke sections, and asked if the Council could make any suggestion or recommendation to those in authority, so that the hardship under which he was working conld be overcome It was made quite clear that the complaint was a ■genuine one, Mr. Mowat's property being across the river, and ill order to get to it, he had also to pass throuel:- "Mother settler's property. It was resolved, on the motion of Cr, Musker and the chairman, that the Council I write to the Minister of Public Works, through j Mr. W. T. .lennlnks, M.P., pointing out that | the Council was In full sympathy with Mr I -Mowat in his efforts to obtain access to his

OEoko property*, and asking favorable Consideration to any proposal to grant him » road. ... REQUIREMENTS. W. E. Hawke, P. .T. R. Warren, L. H. Knuckey, and P. T. Wood, settlers on the Waipapa. Road, wrote agreeing to contribute the sum of £ls each towards the metalling of the road. Their subscriptions amounting to £75, supplemented by tho Government subsidy of £IOO and £25 promised by the Council, made a total of £2OO to be expended in metalling the Waipapa Road from its junction with the Tikarangl Road, a distance of about 40 chains. It was resdived that Mr. W. S. Hawke be informed that tho Council was prepared to submit plans and specifications • to the Government engineer as soon as. the settlers' subscriptions amounting to £75 were received. A deputation comprising Messrs. Cole and S. Elliott waited on the-Council pointing out that they were about to raise a loan for metalling the Ohangai Road, and they asked the Council to assist them in the mater. With the Government subsidy, llio Bettler9 would still have a rate of over Id to pay. The Council had assisted settiers on other by-roads. The chairman pointed out-that the Council had already metalled a fow chain on the road, towards which the settlers had contributed half.

Cr. McKenzio said that metalling the road woud relieve the Council of expense in maintenance for some years. Mr. Cole considered It would cost £2OOO to do two miles of metalling, exclusive of earthwork. Eighteen ratepayers of the Onaero-Mataro Road special rating area asked the Council to take tho necessary steps to raise a further £4OO loan on a £ for £ subsidy basis to be utilised to make up the deficiency on the present proposed metalling contract, and also to extend the metal.—Agreed to. Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Public Works, notified tfcnt the Council's application for a grant of £ISOO on the £ for £ basis for the purpose of metalling the Pukearuhe Road from the White Cliffs factory to the Waikaremoana Bridge would receive enre- | ful consideration when the estimates were being prepared. Cr. Musker said that the people in tho Tongitu district who had raised money for a tunnel and road deviation were beginning to wonder If they would ever get the tunnel. He understood there was only one man working thereon at present, and he wondered whether anything could be done to push on the (matter.—lt was decided to write the .District Engineer on tho subject. TOLL CONCESSION REQUESTED. George Farquhar wrote further in regard to his application for a reduction on the toll charges of his push bike, pointing out that some farmers paid £1 per annum for toll on their carts seven days per week, whereas the toll on his push blko six days per week, came to £3 18s. . Failing a reduction they would have a pusb bike each side of the gate. In reply to Cr. Pennington, the chairman said that ho understood some farmers were paying £1 per annum foT their milk carts going to tlie factory only, but he thought that ..this should be stopped. Cr. •: Foreman said that these farmers paid rates and used only a few chains of the t:;ain road in running to tho factory." The letter was received. GENERAL. Mr. H. Esmond Greig, Pukeaiuhe, asked permission to ro-erect a fence on a line ■leaver the Pukearu.be Road—Granted. Mr .P. Page wrote offering to rent County paddocks at Okoke.—Resolved that the Council could not grant the request.' Mr. J. P. Raven applied for permission to trect a gate across the Mohakatino Road at his boundary. The settlors along the road had consented.—To be. informed that the Council cannot grant ilis request, but that the gate could be erected at his own risk. Tl:o Defence Department notified that a district committee consisting of members of Boroughs, chairmen of County Councils, and Town Boards was being formed for the purpose of dealing with the allocation of war trphies allotted to the Tarannkl ■ Group District. When >the guns have been allotted to the Group, the committee would meet to discuss. the allocation within the Group Mr. Gray, general manager of the Taranaki Farmers' Meat Co. Ltd., wrote asking what had been done with regard to the renovation of the Whitecliffs Tunnel, pointing out that' the stock season would commence in about two months' time. The action of,the clerk In replying that the plans and estimates had been seen by the Government inspector, etc., was approved. A lengthy letter was received from Mr. O. I. Young, Toko, regarding obstructions on Tarawa! Road.