GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2607, 13 January 1894, Page 3

GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Geraldine County Council was held on Thursday, Present Messrs Balfour (chairman), Mackay, White, Quinn, Talbot and Howell. engineers’ report. The Engineers reported as folows : “ Opihi Bridge repairs.—This work was practically completed on 31st December, a few items of tarring, etc., only remaining to fully finish it. At the expiration of the current month the reserve kept in hand to comply with the Contractor’s Lien Act will be payable to the contractors. This amounts to £SOO, The balance payable over and above this snm will be kept in hand until the expiration of the maintenance term of two months. We ask the Council’s opinion concerning the maintenance of the existing ford across the Opihi riverbed. It is just at present a great convenience, but after the next heavy flood it will require a considerable expenditure for repairs and reinstatement. Tengawai protective fence. The contractor is at work repairing the sunken banks and banking through the breached portion. {Drawing piles Temuka riverbed.—The contractor for this work is proceeding with it satisfactorily.” THE RIVERS. Mr Howell said he had seen the work being done by the contractor for repairing the breach in the Tengawai bank, and he considered it unsatisfactory. He was simply piling up sugar to he washed away by the first flood. There should be a good facing of heavy shingle put on top and face, but there was no sign of it being put on.—Mr Murchant said the contract required 3ft of heavy shingle on top and face. —Mr Howell said the contractor told him he had to make up the bank with stuff got within three chains, and it was nearly all sand that he was getting. Mr Talbot congratulated the council on the successful restoration of the Opihi bridge, which had been thrown open for traffic that morning. The work had been very well carried ont, in spite of several drawbacks in the almost chronic flood in the river, the regrettable transfer of the contract through the death of the original contractor, and the omission to note the requirements of the Workmen’s Lien Act. He spoke of the importance of this bridge, there being forty or fifty times as much traffic over it as at any river crossing in the county. He mentioned as an interesting circumstance in connection with the work the fact that the repairs had been largely carried out with timber derived from the old Oxford-Temuka railway bridge. This was erected many years ago, when the colony was suffering from a railway mania. A railway line was laid out along the foot of the hills, and the bridge was erected at a cost of several thousand pounds. [Mr Howell i £10,000.] No more was done, and no doubt the first loss was the best. The bridge had stood many years as a monument of former folly, and now it had been raade useful to some extent by the utilisation of the material by the council.

The engineer was authorised to make any arrangements necessary for the completion of the Tengawai bank, if the present contractor does not carry out the extra work requited. No expense to bo incurred in maintaining the Opihi ford. Mr J. Cook waited on the council to ask for ten or a dozen iron piles to extend the protective fence erected by the Levels Road Board on the Tengawai some time ago. Part of the river now runs rounds the lower end of the fence, cutting away a soft bank, overflowing in floods the adjoining land, and flowing down the Point creek, A short extension of the fence would cut off that danger, and if the Council would supply the piles he would drive them and put on the wire. He was not personally concerned so much as other people, but these were struggling settlers who could not afford to pay for the iron. He was now putting down a fence to divert a stream that was threatening his house, and could do the driving.

The Concil discussed the application at some length. Mr Marchant said the protection of the river banks was a serious matter, and it would be a wise policy to encourage settlers, and to assist them also, in protecting the banks.

Mr Talbot said the Council ought to have power to compel people to combine for the protection of their properties. It would not do to allow the river to overflow valuable properties, simply because the owners would not combine to protect them. He admitted that there was a considerable danger at the place referred to by Mr Cook, and Mr Cook showed considerable self-sacrifice, and the value of the piles asked for was a mere bagateTe, but seeing that all the rivers were here and there thr. atening to do damage to property, the application must be refused. Mr Mackay thought they should give the piles; they need not make it a precedent.

Mr Howell could nut vole for it, would rather pay for them out > f his uivu pocket. Tiro persons whose properly would bo protoctcd below should subscribe the cost, but they would not ih> it. Mr Quinn remind >1 the Council that Mr Filzgcr.du app i i • pin-.-; protect a very bad place on the Opihi, ami olio red to pay half the cost, au J ha was refused. They must not nuke flesh of one and fowl of another.

It was reolvcd on -ho motion of Messrs Talbot and Quinn :—“ That the Council regret being under the necessity of refusing to accede to Mr Cook's application for a-si-itanco in pioie’c'iug Ida and oilier property from river encio-ichiiicut, on the ground that by go doing a precedent would be established for id'. other similar applications.” A resolution was received from the Wahnato Cfunty Council, requesting this Council to UvJse .'tens tv insure the safety of

the travelling public on the Pareora iver crossing of the Mam South Road. They suggested having a man at each side during floods to guide people over, and suggested that the Councils engineer confer with their overseer with a a view of erecting diverting fences to direct the river into a reasonable-sized channel, so that it may at some future time be bridged at a reasonable expense.—The chairman stated that there was some talk of the Minister of Lands coming to see the river in the interests of the new settlers on the south side, but the Council had no information about it.—lt was resolved on the motion of Messrs Talbot and Howell that the engineer be authorised to arrange a meeting with the overseer of the Waimate Council as suggested, and report.

SMALL BIRDS. A letter from the clerk to the Peel Forest Road Board stated that the boys there said there were no birds left, and they could get very few eggs or heads where last year the birds were thick. It was decided to order direct from London, 800ozs of sti/chnine for the next season’s bird poisoning. The chairman stated that last season GOOozs were used, costing 3s lOd per oz. miscellaneous. Mr O. G. Tripp wrote again requesting that the tax on rabbit dogs be reduced, as 10s a head is too high for a man who keeps one or more packs of 20 to 80. In Mackenzie County the tax is only 2s 6d after the first two at 10s, It was deeded that the tax having been fixed it cannot be altered this year. The clerk, Mr Stubbs, asked for and was granted a fortnight’s leave of absence. [The remainder of this report will appear in our next.]