LEVELS COUNTY COUNCIL.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 1 April 1926, Page 8

LEVELS COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Levels County Council was held yesterday. •Present —Messrs T. B. Garrick (chairman), R. G. Cleland, D. Grant, T. M. Brosnahan, and G. D. Sclbic. An apology for absence was received from Mr'C.' E. Kerr, owing to indisposition. CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT. The chairman said that the cash received during the month amounted to £191.7 6s, made up as follows : —Ratos £648 3s lid, main highways £519 19s sd, heavy, traffic fees £523 9s 4d, dog registration fees £6O 17s 6d, drivers’ license fees’ £52, interest on overdue rates’ £49 8s 9d, interest on fixed deposit £6 10s Id, sundries £34' 15s, refund tar cylinders £22. The credit 1-a'unce on March 30 stood at £899 6s ."■d : the accounts to be passed that day amounted to £940 17s 3d, leaving a de'Ot- balance of £4l 10s 7d. Mr Garrick added that there would he a fairly good credit balance at the cud of the Council’s financial year. This was owing chiefly to the fact that instead of getting a £1 for £1 subsidy Iron: the Main Highways Board, as they had expected, the Board paid them a subsidy of £2 for £l. In addition to this the Council had received £523 from heavy traffic fees, and with this sum allocated to them as their share, they should he quite satisfied. Those who were collecting and allocating these fees had not an easy task, but they were doing the work in a way which was quite satisfactory, the fees being equitably allocated. CORRESPONDENCE. Mr AA T . J. Black; Sutherlands, wrote asking for repairs to five or six chains of the road leading off Tycho road to Casswell’s hill.—AVork to be done at once.

The Highways Board wrote inquiring whether the Council were taking any steps to improve the grade and alignment of Brooklands pill, Paroora. The engineer explained the position, and said that- -there is £3OO 'in hand towards the cost of the work. It was decided that the ' engineer should prepare plans for rc-grading and straightening the hill at once. The chairman of the. Peel Eorcst Scenic Reserve wrote inviting the Council to giro a contribution towards the cost of preserving for all time a particularly fine area of native bush at Mount Peel. On the motion of Messrs Sclbie and Grant, it was decided to give £2O. The South Canterbury Motor-Cycle Club asked permission to hold a hillclimbing contest on Ivelland's Hill, Roscwill, on Saturday, April 10. — Agreed to, no petrol tins to bo left on the road.

The South Canterbury Hospital Board advised that at their last meeting it had been decided that when ablebodied persons make application for relief from the Board, they should bo required to do some work of a public nature to the value of any relief given. The Council was invited to co-operate with tho Board in finding work, where necessary. The Council expressed approval of this action by the Board. The Seadown School Committee applied for 18ft of 6in pipe for a. stormwater drain; for leave to remove soil from the side of tho road in order to level the school ground ; and that the sharp corner of the new school site ho rounded off. Tt was decided that the pipes asked for bo granted, and the other requests were referred to the engineer. The New Zealand Counties’ Association advised that the annual conference would be held in AA'cUington on July 20, and asked the Council to appoint a de’egate.—The chairman was appointed. TENDERS. For crushed metai on Smith’s Hill, Saltwater Creek, only one tender was received, and this was considered too high.

! For metal on the Main Claremont Road, two tenders were received —A. Vincent £1409 os; M. Mulcahy £1332 (accepted). ENGINEER’S REPORT, i The engineer (Mr T. Black) reported in detail on work done throughout the 1 county during the month. i : GENERAL. I On the suggestion of Mr Selbie, the engineer was instructed to put in some ' protective works at Cross’s, Upper ! Pareora.j It was decided that steps be taken ; to form the road to its full width I (taking in the land recently bought ! there by the Council) at the bend near I the foot of the hill on the Timaru side I of the show grounds; and that the ' water race crossing at Levels pit should j be attended to.