COUNTY COUNCIL.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3751, 5 January 1881, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL.

The usual monthly meeting of the Council was heldvtbis afternoon. Present —A. Brodie (Chairman), with Crs Porter^ Greenville, Carpenter, Deeble, Thorburn and Coutts.

A precis of the outward going corres* pondence, and the minutes of the last meeting were read. y

The County Clerk wrote to the Chairman of the Katikati Highway Board, \| stating that that Board . could only bd j annexed to the Thames County by the' > consent of both the Councils of Thames • and Tauranga, in accordance with section 30 of the " Counties Act," ■ 1876. If this were done, and the consent of the rate* payers of the Katikati Highway District obtained, the district could be declared merged into the Thames County under section 37 of the same Act.

A letter was sent in connection with the above to the Tauranga Council, asking its views on the matter.

ENGINEER'S SEPOBT. To the Board of Works, f Thames County Council. ~> ' Gentlemen, —I have the honor to repoijfr »s follows on the undermentioned roads ia ihe County:—: ?

Hastings Riding.—Hastings and Mercury Bay Road : The-, contractor, for cutting and forming the lower portion of this road has done about phe->t"hird of the work included in his contract;, 'ihe other roads in the Hastings Riding have be"en maintained and repaired during the .month. Waiotahi Riding.—On the Waiotahi -road several improvements have been made^jby cutting away sharp -bends, and a considerable amount of labour has been expended* in maintenance and repair, as the traffic during the month has been very heavy. The Moa|ia« fcairi and other roads of this riding have bjSen also attended to during the month. Kauaeranga Riding.—On the Karaka road 13J chains have been shingled during the month in tbe vicinity of Perry's tailing plant. The Hape Greek road, the Te Papa GtuAly road, and the other roads of this riding have been f epaired'during the month. ,' Parawai Siding: Repairs and improve* ments have been effected on the roads 4 and footpaths in this Riding during the month! Totara Riding: <ln accordance with a rusolufcion of the Council, men have bc^n potion to improve the track between Pariri and Tairua. On the Ohinemuri main road small repairs have been effected during the month, and several new culverts and plank oroasiags have been constructed, and placed in position. The two contracts for fcscining and draining portions of this road have been completed during the month. Ohinemuri Riding.—Te Aroha Road: On the Te Aroha Road the whole of tho eiily contracts are nearly completed, and about sixty chains of dra;i has been cut on'the contract from; draining the large swamp between Paeroa and Rotokohu. Hid qid outfall drain from this swamp since fcne ro|id drams have been partially cut has beJn fouild to be too small to carry the large body;'of watar now flowing from the swamp, and steps should at once betaken to have it enlarged. The enlargement of this outfall would not come within the contract for road drains^ I believe that the- proprietors of the Und through which the drains pass would pay one half the cost of enlargement. On .the Eatikati road repairs and improvements have been effected during the month, and the-bridges across the Waitekauri and Ohinemuri streams are now available for traffic. An expenditure of about #35 would be necessary t > effect the necessary cuttings and fillings required for fixing the »>wn timber bridges and culverts contracted for" on' the Waihe Plains, which would fully;complete the Katikati road for.dray traffic to the County boundary.—AtEX. Axtkbn, County Engineer. 7 ."y ■;

A number of other reports were read, but the late hour of sitting prevents us giving thejm in detail in this issue. '■