CLIFTON COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 July 1922, Page 7

CLIFTON COUNTY.

MEETING OF THE COUNCHPAST MONTH’S WORK. The Clifton County Council met yesterday. Present: Councillors R. H. Pigott (chairman), R. Mounsey, C. IE Bamitt, F. C. Jones, H. A. Foreman and S. Sutton. Leave of absence was granted to Councillor T. McKenzie. The engineer (Mr. C. 'F. Dowstet) reported for the month as follows: Matau-*Kiore Ro-ad.—As instructed, I met Cr. Mounsey and laid off a section of this road for the purpose of supplying an estimate for metalling. The distance chained was from the railway station to Wallace’s bridge, totalling 217 chains. I called upon the resident engineer, and ascertained that the lowest price he could quote for the metal on trucks at Te Wera was 11/6 per cubic yard, and to this has to be added the sum of 2/7 per yard for transport to Kiora. This appears unduly high, but I was informed that this is a standard minimum charge to local bodies, arid up to 33 miles. This brings the cost of the metal to 14/1 at iKiore, and to this must be added the cost of the haulage from, the station to the work. Further, most of the road is only about 12 feet wide, and this would require widening to 13 ft. as a minimum and as the cuttings are heavy and the material mostly papa and sandstone, this again increases the costs. I estimate the cost to widen and metal 200 chains at £4OOO, and asked the Government for a subsidy up to half of this amount. Kaipikari Metalling.—This work has been satisfactorily completed and was inspected during the week by the resident engineer. An application has already been made for the Government subsidy. Halcombe cutting and the flat adjacent to the Main road require reeoat ing.

Piko and Okoke Metalling.—Nothing further has been done to these works, and it is inadvisable to proceed before the summer. Access to beach at Urenui.—As instructed, a traverse was made through Mrs. Browns’ property, Urenui, indicating the route usually adopted by the carts, and this plan was handed to the county solicitor for embodiment in the agreement. Mr. Freeth’s Access.—l have been of-, ficially notified that the plans in connection with the acquisition of land for this road have been approved. Any further delay, therefore, cannot be charged to this council. Mangamaeho Bridge.—rl have called on two occasions upon the resident engineer, Stratford, in connection with this matter, and the delay has been caused by the fact that plans of all works exceeding £5OO must be submitted to the head office at Wellington, and upon arrival there must naturally take their turn. However, the plans have been returned to me, approved, this week, and f request to know whether I should advertise tenders to close at next meeting of the council, or earlier. The clerk was instructed to call tenders for the Mangamaeho bridge contract. The report was adopted. ANTECEDENT LIABILITY. The Bank of New Zealand notified that they could place a loan of £4OOO at 64 per cent., repayable by ten yearly instalments, for the purpose of extinguishing the council’s antecedent liability. The bank was also prepared to grant a limit of £5OOO on the county fund account overdarft.

Offers of loans were also received from a life insurance firm for a loan at ■' 6% P e r cent., paid free of exchange in i Sydney, and from a financial broker for a loan at from 6% to 6| per cent., subject to 1 per cent, brokerage. The Public Trustee notified that he had submitted the council’s application . for a loan to the Office Investment Board, with a recommendation that it be granted, the interest to be 6 per cent, plus 10 per cent, sinking fund for a term of IO years. The clerk pointed ou that the amount applied for from the Public Trustee was £4OOO and not £lOOO as mentioned in the notification. This was probably a clerical error. A decision was left over pending further information. BACKBLOCKS ROADS. D.‘ Mcßean wrote asking that some formation work be done on the Rerekino Road. He wrote: “I now ask the council to do something for us in the shape of forcing the chains that bind the tight purse of the Minister of Public Works .... I may mention that no formation has been done on this road since the Reform Government have taken office.” Sympathy with the settlers in this district was offered by the councillors, and the opinion was expressed that the Government should do something to improve the state of the Government road communication in the backblocks. On the motion of Cr. Jones the following resolution was carried: ‘'‘That the attention of the Minister of Public Works be drawn for special help when making grants for back block roads to the Rerekino, Mangaonga and Okau extension roads, and that a copy of the resolution be sent to Mr. Jennings, M.P. UNEXPENDED BALANCES. Mr. W. T. Jennings, M.P., forwarded a letter from the Prime Minister with reference to the council’s proposal to transfer the unexpended balance of the old bridge loan of £3995 to another ac--count. The proposal could not be given effect to without special legislation, which, in the opinion of the departments concerned, would establish a dangerous precedent. It was considered that the important principle established by the Local Bodies Loans Act should not. be departed from and that unexpended balances should be repaid to original loan account. It was surprising, the letter continued, to find that sums of £5OO and £lOOO had been lying idle in the Bank of New Zealand for periods of 7 and 9 years respectively. Apparently authority to borrow this money should not have been sought. If the council had returned the amounts to rhe department in repayment of the loan a saving of interest and sinking fund for the periods mentioned on the unused balance of the loan would have been affected to the amount of approximately £624. Mr. Jennings was accorded a vote of thanks for the part he had taken in the matter. GENERAL. The Waimea County Council forwarded a circular asking for support to the following resolution: That in justice to Wid feyre taxpayurd .of the 4

Dominion, the tyre tax should be equitably.allocated between all counties and road boards (where the Counties Act is not in force), and made available during the current year for the maintenance, repair and control of all the main roads used for motor traffic. —The communication was received. The Minister of Public Works wrote in reply to representations from the council, with fegard to the completion of the Tongaporutu-Mangaroa Road, that the road was regarded as an important route, and he was agreeable to work being put in hand at relief rates of pay. An authority for £lOOO had accordingly been issued to the resident engineer. The Public Works Department wrote, with reference to the Uruti-Tangitu tunnel, that the hardwcod timber necessary for the lining of the tunnel was to hand, and it was proposed to proceed with the work, the monetary authority having been issued by the resident engineer. The Taieri County Council asked support to the following resolution: That this council expresses its strong dissatisfaction with the Incidence of taxation in regard to the maintenance of hospitals, the present system of a levy over a hospital district on the rateable value is inequitable, which, along with the ever-increasing amount year by year for such maintenance unduly taxes the holders of rural properties, and resolves that the Government be urged to make the cost of these institutions a charge on the Consolidated Fund.—No action was taken. Gn the motion of Cr. Mounsey, the council gave its support to the following resolution passed at a meeting of the Matau Ratepayers’ and Settlers’ Association: That the Matau Ratepayers’ and Settlers’ Association ask the Clifton County Council to support an application to the Government, through their member, to widen the Matau South Road (Matau-Kiore) from the Mangopapa Bridge to the Matau South Bridge. J. B. Smith and H. Jury waited on the council asking that a deviation on t he Stockman Road be made to improve the grading of the road. ' The petitioners were prepared to do the earthwork required on the deviation, if the council would have the land laid off and dedicated. It was also asked that the council supply the material for fencing the deviation, the petitioners to supply the labor. —On the motion of Cr. Foreman, it was decided to grant £3O towards the work, the petitioners to do the earthwork and fence the deviation to the 'satisfaction of the council, the matter to he left in the •hands of Cr. Foreman. On the motion of the chairman, it was decided to inform the residerit engineer that the council was agreeable to contribute £lOO towards the cost of. the work on the Okau Road, as requested by the engineer. The work will open up a shell-rock pit, from which metal will be available for the main road. A resolution was passed prohibiting heavy traffic on the following roads from date till the end of September: Junction Road, from Purangi to Confiscation Line, Main North Road; Matau-Kiore Road, from Kiore railway station to Matau township: Ngatimaru Road. It was decided to retain the services of Mr. C. F. Dowsett as superrising engineer for the Mangameaho Bridge contract on the terms, submitted.