HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 6 December 1920, Page 8

HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. (_ The Hawera County Council met on Satur- ft | day. Present: Crs. .1. B. Murdoch (chalrn.an), E. J. Linn, E. Washer, A. Larcom, B. C. ai Lysaght, C. J. Hawken, and J. Dunlou. 3 FOREMAN'S EBPOKT. 9 The County foreman (Mr. A. Muggericige) reported as follows: — The hridge over the Kiritae stream on y t the Tongahoe Valley Koad is now completed rnd opep for traffic. This is a very strong bridge and the workmanship is first-class. There is a 13ft Gin roadway. Kotukutuku Bridge.—A start has heen made with tte foundations of this bridge, ana the two ton lorry is carting the shingle to the sile for tho concrete piers. A start na% been made with the delivery of shingle where required from the Waokeaa , depot for tarring purposes. The metal from Norfolk Ttoad is coming to hand slowly, there being 840 yards delivered up to date. There is some stone he : >i;; hauled off the Waokena bead:: as opportunity arises to supplement this as there will be a good deal wanted for the Whareroa Road in Ararata. The inspector of machinery examined the five engines last week and passed all !ha hoilers at the original pressure. The old road roller is now in the yard being overhauled and the brass bearings being renewed. It is intended to start scarifying the Ohangai Koad during tte coming week with the smaller roller. Morea Road.—There is a wash-out on this road opposite Mr. Duckworth's property. A concrete culvert will have to lie, built as tho present pipe culvert is continually Retting blocked and has given a lot of trouble during the past three years. One of the teams is going down the road next week with the small grader to clean out the water tables and straighten out, tho road generally. .. The tar dressing will he commenced next week on tte Main South Road at the toll gate and will go on from there to Mokola. The Leyland lorry Is promised for \\e end of next week and as soon as it arrives it will lie engaged In carting shingle for the 'rest of the month. After that it will have to deliver metal on the Ngawhini Road anil on the Mells Road, Whakamara. The chairman and myself examined the roads through Mr. Livingston's property and caime to the conclusion that the, money that it would cost to grade a new road would he ' better Spent In metal on the present Ohawe Beach Road as there would bo a considerable ; grade if a new road was opened and It 1 would not get over the difficulty of getting up from tho beach in wot weather. With reference to the Ohawe Beach Road . which it was proposd to metal for a distance of about 25 chains, It was decided that as tho road Iwas used by the borough for carting purposes and also by residents of the borough going to the beach, to ask the Borough Council to bear a proportion of the cost. CORRESPONDENCE. Mr. W. Davis, Beach Road, Okaiawa, wrote drawing the Council's attention to a blind road off the Beach Road, known as Iredale Road, which Is shortly to he remetalled, asking that a gate and side obstruction which converted about ten chains of the road into a grazing paddock bo removed as It was a nuisance and source of danger.—lt was decided to inform! Mr. Davis that the Council had no jurisdiction over the road at the present time. The District Land Registrar wrote with reference to tho land in the Iredale Rosd dlsrrict which had been subdivided for the purpose of sale, stating that some of the allottments had bene sold, but he could not complete registration of the transfers, pending the formation of the road. As the matter had been in abeyance for over 18 months, he would be pleased if the Council would expedite the necessary dedication, etc, giving the purchasers access to their land. Iredale Road was at present a private road, the registered owner being Frederick Iredale, who held the certificate of title. The chairman said that the position was that any rond which had not been dedicated but which had boen used as a public road before 19lN), county money could be expended upon thorn I on a petition from two-thirds of the rate- j payers on the road, and the money collected ' from the ratepayers. If the Iredale Road - hnd been used as a public road prior to 19011, it could come under the Council's control u .without further dedication. He understood ,1 that this was the position, and he did not think ii was possible that Mr. Iredale could 5 fold a certificate of title of the land com-1 3 prised in the road.—lt was decided that ; ! the clerk communicate with the ratepayers on the road asking If they wished to have 11 a loan raised for metalling the road, etc. , The town clerk, Hawera, notified that his Council was unable to accede to the Comity (1 Council's request for a supply of water for 5 the thickly populated areas outside tte e borough. The town clerk also notified that ~-> the Borough Council had decided to take necessary steps towards closing the pound.— 0 The chairman remarked that he thought the Borough Council should he urged to take steps to extend its water supply and drainage system, because if the borough took In the areas referred to, it would have to make the extensions later on. ' It was a pity nothing could be done on the matter at present. With reference to tho proposal to close the borough pound, which had been used by the County Council as well as the Borough Council, it would be necessary For tie Council to get a pound of its own, hecause wandering stoeW crtuld not be impounded unless there was a pound available. A committee consisting of the chairman and Crs. Dunlop and Washer was set tip io go into the question of selecting a site for a r.ew pound. The secretary of the Hawera Repatriation Committee wrote asking the Council to nominate a successor on the committee to replace Mr. 0. J. Hawken, M.P., who had resigned.—lt was decided to approach Mr. Hawken asking him to reconsider his resignation.

The Traffic Manager for the Railway Department, New Plymouth, wrote in reply tc lie Council's letter In regard to shortage of wagons for stone traffic at Xoi*Vk liontl. statins that owing to the heavy shipping at New Plyyouth it was regretted the Department could not supply the Council with eight wagons a day, but every endeavour would be made to supplement the present supply of wagons.—Received. The secretary to the Hawera Hospital Board vvrpte stating that the Board doubted whether they would- be doing right in paying rates on the new hospital site, and in order to obtain further information the matter would he placed before the Audit Department— The chairman said the reason why the Coun- . cil was collecting rates waa because the Board was not using the land for hospital purposes —The letter was received. The Gisborne Borough Council forwarded a resolution the introduction t(f legislation to enable local bodies to raise loans by means of premium bonds, and asked the Council to give the matter irs eonsidera- . tion.—The chairman said that the Government had set up a commission to enquire into the Question of raising money by premium bonds, and had turned the p-opiwal down. In the face of that he did .1 t tliink It was advisable i'or t.l:e Council In iai:e any action In the !:><'>.—Thd letter was received. The secretary to the Taranalii Counties' Conference notified that the conference would meet in the Town Hall, Eltham, on Wednesday, Dee. IS, when uniform wages a>

location of cost of by-laws and general business would he discussed.—The chairman and Cr. Linn were appointed the Council's delegates to the conference. The Minister of Public. Works forwarded a circular dealing will:' the expenditure of

moneys granted by the Government for road and bridge works stating that owi';g tc the very huge aggregate of unexpended authorities, it was deemed advisable to limit auth-

ority to those works which could be carried out during ihe current financial year, and asking the- Council to inform the District Puhlli! Works Engineer of the works for which grants had been made and those which the Council had reason to believe could be gone on with during the year.—The clerk stated that he had forwarded the necessary information to the district engineer. Mr. H. T. Bollinger, New Plymouth, wrote asking why le had not received a reply to 411 claim for cost of damage to hli motor

car caused by the Council's tar sprayer Decided to reply stating that the Council accepted no liability for the damage. The matter of .unking repairs to the cutting on Lysaghl's Road was left in the hands ->; (he foreman and Cr. Lysaght. The chairman said that Mr Brewer lad rung him up regarding the condition of the road ftMii High Street to Ketemarac Uoad .slating that very little had been done to it. 'there wore six mill; suppliers using the road, ana to metal it throughout (a distance of two miles) would probably cost irom £ KUO to *-. :'.OOO. —It was decided that the rid ng me".tei's and the f..rv:r.an inspect the void snd report at t l '.- :;cxt meeting. ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN. The sljtulorv annual meeting of jife Council which hail been adjourned from Nov ::■!, I was held al noon, the clerk taking 'he elixir. Tn? iciiring chairman Mr. .). B. Muvdo.-h tins unanimously re-elected to the porMon, on the motion of Cr. It, .1. Linn, seconded by Cr, C. .1. Hawkcn.' Mr. Murdoch, in returning lhauks for his re-election, referred briefly to tl:e work contemplated during the year, and expressed the opinion that the Council should be careful in regard lo its expenditure, because theip seemed to be. indications of something in the way of a financial crisis coming. He also welcomed' Cr. Dunlop, a new councillor, to the Council'tabic, remarking that Cr. Dunlop had formerly , been a member of tl»s Council. /" ■ -jL.