WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1762, 15 August 1884, Page 2

WAIRARAPA EAST COUNTY COUNCIL.

) ♦—.—. i The ordinary monthly meeting of the ' above Council was held at the County | offices yesterday afternoon, Present—f Crs McGregor (Chairman), Meredith, , Ohamberluin, Belliss;and Mackay. i The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. j AN ENGINEERING DIFFICULTY. I Mr Connal, the Government Engin- | eer, waited upon the Council with respect to the deviations on the main . line of road to which the County ' Engineer had raised.objections.' I The Chairman stated that the Council, he felt sure, did not desire to , place any obstacles in the way of the i Government, but merely wished to discharge their duty to the public, ■ The Clerk read the report of Mr King on the deviations, and the reply of Mr Connal to the objections raised offering to improve the grades, but declining to'make all the alterations ; required by Mr sing, on the ground that they would entail too heavy a cost on the department, The Chairman regretted the matter had not been settled at an earlier stags before the railway contract was let. The local body had a right under the Act to have been consulted in the first instance. He was anxious as far as possible to meet the wishes of the Government, ( Mr Connal exhibited a plan of the diversion's proposed by the department. Mr Kjng said he considered that the diversions could be effected without injuring the road and a skilful engineer could even take opportunities to effect improvements. These opportunities had not been taken. ' Mr Gounafmid that if the I Kopuaranga road was not benefitted 'i

by the diversions4he Mauriceyille road would be much improved. (i ' The Chairman: explained that the': Mauriceville road was not'iinder the jurisdiction ofthe county. Mr Connal said he desired to meet the Oounoil in an amicable spirit. The Chairman said it had been a great mistake on the part of the Government to have hacked their road , about whon the law was quite clear as to the right of a local body to be consulted. Mr Connal stated that for the future he would consult the local body; with respect 'to deviations. The working of the Act in this matter was new to them, and in the present instance consultation with the local body had been overlooked. ' The Chairman said he should not like to hazard an opinion on a question which wasstrictly a professional one i -The two engineers were not likely to /agree,.and as the Act provided that in the event of, a conflicting opinion occurring a case should be submitted to two justices of the Peace, and that their decision should, be final. He would recommend that they should 1 resort to this course, not with the object of placing obstacles in the way ' of railway construction, but to conserve their own road, 1 Or Meredith asked what length of 1 line was involved in the diversions. : "' The Chairman replied about, three 'miles of it, ':':.; .- ■' \ , Or Meredith pointed out that, when the rails were laid the railway -would '< relieve the road of much of its traffic. Was it worth while to obstruot the department under these circumstances? [ Their .Engineer had done his diity in f calling attention to the fault in the deviations, but he thought they might look at the question in a liberal light. 1 Or Mackay agreed with Or Meredith 1 provided that care was taken to avoid sharp curves and protect dangerous places. Cr Bellis thought when they had a I good road it was a mistake to have i interfered with it in any way. Cr Chamberlain moved that the > Council accept Mr Connal's offer to modify the specifications, Cr Mackay seconded the motion. The Chairman regretted the resolu- • tion, as in a measure it reflected on • their own officer. He thought the provision made by law for independent persons to decide a dispute of this character, Cr Meredith said he was sorry to . think that the Chairman considered a reflection had been cast on their Engineer ; he would support the motion. The motion was then put and carried, THE MAUNGAPAKEHA. Or Mackay drew attention to the metal being used by Burgess in his contract on the Maungapakeha road. The contractor should be distinctly informed that such metal would not bo passed. The Engineer stated that none of the work was passed yet. The Overseer would see the Council was protected. Cr Meredith knew that on parts of J the road bad metal was used and good metal was covered over it, and the wheeled traffic cut right through, Cr Mackay thought it wrong that advances should have been made onihe | work, and trusted that the Council would grant no more, as there Was no indication of any improvement having been made since the first notification to the contractor. treasurer's report. The Treasurer's report was read as follows: i; The Chairman Wairarapa East County. . _ Sir,—l have the honor to report for the information of the Council, that the several accounts at the Bank of New Zealand stood at the close of business yesterday as fol» i lows:— £. S, D, General Fund account, credit balance as per pa9s b00k,.. 1008 16 9 Imprest account, oredit ... 4940 0 Special Fund account... ... 699 8 4Giving a total credit of £2202 5 1 The Receipts since the date of the last meeting have been as f ollowb ; , £. S. D. Imprest Progress Payments under Roads and Bridges Act 3494 0 0 1 Balance Rent due from Sheep Department, etc 3 11 0 Masterton Road Board-Office [ rent, proportion expenses, firewood, and vote for Alfredton Board ... ,„ 60 16 5 Rates 0 4 4 Cheques returned or unclaimed 6 13 0 £3565 4 9 Accounts amounting to £7ll 2s lid are presented for your approval and payment. These have been certified to as correct by the proper officers of the Council. F. G, Moore, County Treasurer, Mastarton, 14th August, 1884. CORRESPONDENCE, Correspojddence was read from James' Falconer, calling attention to the dangerous state of parts of the Wan gaehu road through landslips, and . reporting .that recently a horse had been bogged there and was only able just to crawl out and die, The Chairman stated the road was made by the County and the Government had allowsd a certain sum for , removal of slips, It was now a district : road. ' The. engineer reported the road to be ; in a boggy canuition in consequence of i large slips, and that only a very small sum was available for repairs, ■ ( From James Henderson, re width of | wheel tires, ( From F. Taylor, re Tinui pound. | From District Engineer, informing ; the Council that instructions had been given the contractor to repair the road at the first deviation on the Kopua- ] rangi contract. , From R, W. I. Carver, re removing his house at the Manuwatu Feny. From Colonial Treasurer, advising remittance under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, From District Engineer Connal, stating he would confer with that meeting of the Council. \ From J, C. Andrew, re the Whare- « ama Ferry, suggesting arrangements ' should be made with Mr Meredith or i the natives to place the ferry on the t reserve south of the river where it c used formerly to be, so that the land r principally benefited should bear its a fair burden of the trouble. \ ■ Froih .Mr''Ridgeway, 'Wangaehu, |'r demanding payment of the sum of £ls,) e

the value of a horse bogged and killed through the negligence of the Council in not keeping the Wangaehu road in proper order, and threatening legal proceedings in default of immediate settlement. From Public Works, Department stating that the published notices of th eresults of the polls taken on the Roads and Bridges Construction Loans be sent to the Department, Wellington. From Clerk of Castlepoint Road Board notifying that traffic was stopped on the Manawa-Tiraumea road in consequence of a small bridge being washed away at a place known as Bounce's jump. ; From William Jessop of Mauriceville, and James Maeara with reference to the state of the road on certain portions of the Forty-Mile Bush road, The Clerk stated copies ofthe letters had been forwarded to the Government with a request that they might receive attention, From 0. E, 0. Hood, notifying the failure to nominate two members for the Upper Taueru District. From Messrs Tatham, Nitz, Bennett, and others, asking the Council to delay 'in the matter'of dissolving ttie'Mssterton Road Board and reforming it, as they wished to obtain a separate Board for a part .of the Whareama district. FronvO. Edwards asking permission to erect a fence oil the Main line of road through his property, » From ;R. S. Hawkins objecting to the petition of Messrs Dagg, McHenzie and others for separation. from Upper Taueru District to join the Masterton district. From Mr Cuff, asking permission to erect gates on the line of road through his property. From; C. Clifford, apply for refund of his deposit on contract, j£3o. The Chairman said the object of a deposit cheque being demanded with each tender for contracts was that the Council might be protected, and it was a guarantee the work would be proceeded with, but when the work had been got fairly under weigh the security for the due performance of the contract was increased and consequently the necessity for retaining the amount of the deposit on the contract ceased, but it had become a custom to retain the deposit until the whole work was done, which he considered was a great hardship on the contractor. But in the present case it was agreed that a third party be authorised to receive this deposit cheque and the money would have to be paid in accordance with the agreement. ' On the motion of Cr Mackay it was resolved to refer the applicant to the terms of the agreement. It was resolved—That Mr Carver be allowed to keep his house on its present site for.a. further period of three months, Mr Chapman having expressed his willingness to the same, Re the application of Mr .Cuff to be allowed to erect gates on his section, the Chairman stated there was no provision in the Act by which the Council could grant permission to any person to erect, gates. across roads, although the Council was not prepared to raise objections provided proper gates and fastenings were erected, and the gateway metalled. Cr Meredith said that the Act should be amended that way as he knew of nothing that created a greater feeling against the-extension of County roads than this same defect in the Act. Or Mackay moved that legal opinion should be taken upon the position of the Council on this question, as a number of settlers were most anxious concerning it.—Carried. Re Mr Edwards' application for per. mission to erect a gate on the road, and asking the Council to pay for fencing both sides of a loop line taken through his property about five chains, it was resolved that the question be referred to the Engineer to examine and report upon at the next meeting of the Council. A long discussion took place upon the petition from certain ratepayers in the Wangaehu district praying to be separated from the Upper Taueru district and joined on to Masterton. MiHawkins' objection was simultaneously discussed, and it was pointed out that Mr Hawkins was in error in supposing these properties would cease to contribute to the Upper Taueru road. They would pay to the Wangaehu as a district road, and to the Upper Taueru road as a County road. It was stated that Mr Hawkins possibly thought the County was suspended (laughter.) Cr Mackay said the petition was from two-thirds of those who wished to secede from the Upper Taueru, but the Act said two-thirds of the ratepayers ofthe district they wished to join must also sign the petition,' The Act was looked up, and it was found that Clause 7 ofthe Road Boards Act Amendment Act, 1883, bore out what Cr Mackay had said, and it was resolved that the petitioners be referred to that Clause of the Act. Re "Bounce's Jump," the Engineer was instructed to examine and report upon the same, It was resolved that the Council cannot recognise Mr. Rigdway's claim for the loss of his horse. The question of' the Whareama Ferry was referred to the Ferries Committee. It was resolved ,-to inform the settlers of Whareama who had applied to the Council to delay the dissolution of the Masterton Road Boaid, that the Council had no power in the matter. They had simply to comply with the Act and dissolve the Board. In accordance with the published notice, the Masterton Road Board was duly dissolved engineer's report. ■ The Enginneer's report was then read. Sir.—l have the honor to report on the Public Works of the County : Opaki to Manawatu Boad.—On this road the maintenance men, assisted by several extra hand? have been engaged throughout the month in attending to surface lepairs, cleaning eat drains, and erecting a bridge at Hawera, .The traffic on this road during the month has been very heavy, and the damage done on several long stretches where the load is metalled with stone or gravel of an inferior quality is considerable, and at places where, the contractor for the Eopuaranga seotion of railway is making road diversions; and using the road for extraordinary traffic such as carting earth

for embankments, &0,, it is rendered unsafe for public travel. Masterton to Waimata road,—On this road the maintenance men been employed during the month iu attending to the drainage af the road, in putting in new and repairing old culverts, cutting outlet drains, protecting the river bank near the \ site of the Mungapakeha bridge with fascines and in planting willows, do, Mr Burgess, the contractor for the Mungapakeha , metalling contract has been instructed to 'proceed with the preparation of metal for his contraot, and the repair and adjustment ot the road bed to receive tho Bame. Te Ore Ore to Bideford road,—The bridge over the Taueru river and the approaches 1o the same (Reese and Dawson's contract) are now almost completed, and the works ! throughout are well executed, I strongly i recommend that this bridge, as well.as the new bridge over the Mungapakeha, and that over the Whareama at Manawa, be painted with a primary coat and stopped at an early 1 date, and that next Autumn they receive each two additional coats, of paint. The tension rods of the bridges will also require adjustment about that time. During the 1 month a 30ft span truss bridge included in ' contract No. 1, Te Ore Ore to Bideford road, i has been built. The whole of the timber for the 35ft span bridge !b not yet provided, and no further earthwork has been done. 1 Several of the carriers on the Opaki to ' Manawatn and Masterton to Waimataroads are still using waggons with narrow tired Although I have been informed ' from time to time of their taking heavy loads on those waggons, I have not yet met i any of them loaded with goods the weight of ■ which could be easily ascertained by , measurement. For example, totara timber varies in weight from 35 to GO pounds per cubic foot, and it taken at 60 pounds the i leads would generally exceed the limits ' specified, but if taken at 35 pounds (the minimum weight of totara) in many cases this limit would not be exceeded. 1 Surveys.—The survey and subdivision of i the Tiuui Cemetery has been executed and ■ a plan of the same prepared, The survey of ! a, road from Tinui to Alfredton, via Caatle Hill, is being proceeded with. ■ Estimates of the cost of maintaining the ) County roads for twelve months,—Masterton i to Manawatu road, 49 miles £1500; Masterton to Waimata road, 42 miles, £1800; Te I Ore Ore to Bideford road, 17 miles, £260; Eketahana to Tinui road, 23 miles, £250; Masterton to Waingawa road and half the i Waingawa bridge, 1 mile, £lO. Total; ! Miles, 132; cost, £3BIO. The traffic has largely increased on all these roads during the past twelve months, ' and there is every leason to expect a still - greater increase of traffic during the next J twelvemonths. Ihave&„ j, John Kino, County Engineer. Cr Meredith asked the Engineer if 3 lie did not think the planting of the t willows in the Maungapakeha river ) would bring about a recurrence of the c complaints made at Whareama. i Mr King said it was very possible, t but he had acted on the instructions t of the Council. The Maungapakeha 3 was a much wider river than the l Whareama. 3 The Engineer'was authorised to have a coat of paint put on the ' bridges where it was needed. 3 The Chairman referring to the maintenance of the Forty-Mile 1 Bush Road said this County road t was 49 miles in length, and was 3 estimated to cost £ISOO to keep in 1 repair the next year. He thought application should be made to Govern- ' merit through their members to get a > sum put on the estimates for this • road. ' Cr Mackay said there were other 1 lines of road in the sanio fix,/ In his 1 district they had been heavily taxed 3 without reaping any equivalent. 1 Tne chairman said the Forty-Mile • Bush road had been made through lands where was no .rateable property. & In such cases .GoVeuiimeiit, acknow--3 ledged a liability. It would be best to f appoint a committee tpjeport upoa the ' Forty-Mile Bush "road and'other works • with a view .to ge,t;,trw lands; opened 1 up and settled, ' Cr Mackay moved that it be referred • to the. Public Works Committee to ■ report upon. It was a great hardship that many had bought Urown Lands ■ in their district and had no roads to get > to them, although they were taxed. ■ They should get a sum placed on the 1 estimates to open up these roads. > Cr Meredith thought it premature in 1 the present unsettled state of the ' Government to apply, ' The chairman pointed out that the report would take some time to get 1 ready and would have 'to be brought ' before the Council, by which time ! the Government would be settled. It was resolved that the question be ', referred to the Public Works Committee to report upon at next meeting. ' Cr Meredith moved—"That in '> future an order paper, be laid on the table at each meeting of the Council, and after five o'clock no member shall add any business to the paper to bring before the Council at that sitting," His 1 object in moving this was to prevent 1 important measures being brought on and dealt with late in the meetings, 1 when it was found the meeting had ' dwindled down to a bare quorum. 1 Cr Chamberlain seconded. He said 1 any councillor could before 5 o'clock place his business on the order paper and would do so if it was of importance. The Chairman said his only objection was that he did not think they could adopt a resolution of this sort as they could not refuse a motion when a quorum was present. Cr Meredith, by permission, withdrew his motion, and gave notice that he would move the same at the next meeting of the Council that councillors might discuss it meanwhile. Re alteratibn""of the" boundaries of ridings it' was resolved—That the clerk take the 'necessary steps to have a special order to be passed at next meeting for altering the boundaries of ridings so as to make them co-terminous with road districts, The following tenders were opened for the Makakahi road:—.Halber? & Larsen, £463; H. Stevens, £493105; G. Hanibrook, £520; A. McLeod, £s49lßs6djP.C.Madsen,£s79;C. Matthews, £l2lO. It was decided to accept the tender of Halberg and Larsen conditionally, that the work and tender could be cut down to meet the sum available. Cr Mackay drew attention to the limited accommodation of roadman's whare on the Masterton-Waimata road, wd it was resolved that the engineer be authorised to expend a sum not exceeding £ls in making additions thereto, . : It was .resolved that Manning's application be granted for leasing the Lower Taneru pound for three years,, providing he enclosed the reserve with a wooden fence at his own expense, ••> : PAYMENTS. . , The following accounts s were passed for payment:—Forty" Mile Bush road

maintenance,.£9B 18s 4d; MastertonWaimata do, £77; Eketabnna-Tinui' do, £9 9s; Te Ore Ore-Bideford do, £lO 17s; Waingawa to Camp do, £8 15s 6d; clearing slips Wangaehu road, £l6 12s 6d; Makakahi survey, £6 6s; J. King, £4l 13s 7d; F. & Moore, £2l 10s 7d; W. 80wry,. ? .£15; D. McLachlan, £l4 16s; G. F. Daniel], £lO 18s; W. George, £9 9s; M. McKenzie, £l4 10s; Payton k Co,, £6 65.; Smith. & Hogg,;£4 8s" 6d ;J. J. Freeth, ss; C. McKenzie, £l3 ss; H ; Kautu, £10; Keester & Harding, 'Jfr 6d;Shute & Jones, £3 4s'sd; nTuA. Campbell, £55 14s 3d; P. C;.Modsen, 'W £ls; Reese & Dawson, £l95"10s; H. Burgess, £25; M. McKenzie, £l3 7s; . Tinsley k McLennan, £23; total, £7ll 2s lid. This concluded the business. <