OHINEMURI COUNTY.

Ohinemuri Gazette, Volume XXIII, Issue 2975, 2 August 1912, Page 3

OHINEMURI COUNTY.

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL

THE WORK OF THE MONTH

Mr H. M. Corbett (chairman) presided at the ordinary monthly meeting ot the Ohinemun County Council yesterday afternoon, the other members present being Messrs Guthrie, Lloyd, Laughlin, Marrinan, Me Walters, Strange and Treanor. The minutes of the previous meeting 1 were read and confirmed, and the outward correspondence was read and approved. engineer's report. The report of the engineer (Mr C Bray) was read as follows :— " Drain at Kaimanawa, letters from Mr Littlejohn and Mr Gubb. — I have inspected the drain and have to report that the water in the drain is level with the surrounding land. As provision was made for this work under the loan*, 1 would suggest that tenders be invited for the drain along the roid. A portion of the dram runs through Mr Littlejohn's property, and he (Mr Littlejohn) has agreed to do the work on his land.

" Main Road, Karangahake Township.—This road is showing signs of wear, and I would recommend that 250 cubic yards of metal be obtained ior repairs. "Jubilee Road Grant, ,£ioo. —I would suggest that application be made to have this grant expended either by co-opera-tive or day labour. The work is chiefly repairs. " I have arranged to meet Messrs Mac Williams and McGrath next Tuesday re complaint on Old Tauranga Road and will report next meeting." • On Mr Laughlin's motion in was decided that the enginter's recommendation regarding the Kaimanawa drain be adopted.

It was decided, on Mr Corbetl's

motion, to adopt the engineer's recommendation about metal for Karangahake.

Mr Marnnan moved, and it was carried, that the grant for the Jubilee Road be expended as suggested by the engineer. TENDERS. Tenders were opened as follows :— Contract No. 210—For forming and ditching 5 ] 2 chains Neth-erton-Kerepeehi Road. H..Paul (accepted) 30 00 G. Muir ... 35 8 o C. H. Potter ... 38 o o Piako Contracting Company- 48 9 o Contract No. 211 — For repairs ' and improvements to the School Road, Karangahake. Brenan and Co., 14yds extra metal (accepted) ... 100 o o J.McGrath, 13yds extra metal 100 o o W. Neil, 13 yds extra metal 100 o q M. Burke, 1 ryds extra metal 100 o o P. Sheehan, syds extra metal 100 o o Contract No. 212—For the supply and delivery of .£SO worth of metal on Scotchman's Gully Road, Karangahake. I. Lowery, 107 yds (accepted) 50 o o Brenan and Co., 101 yds ... 50 o o Contract No. 213—For repairs aud improvements to road from Main Road to Butler's Road, Karaugahake. F. Thomas, 300 yds extra metal (accepted) ... 200 o o VV. Neil, 280 yds extra metal 200 o o F. M. Donnelly, 275 yds extra metal " 200 o o P. Sheehan, 264 yds extra metal aoo o o Brenan and Co., 260 yds extra metal 200 o o PAEROA-I'OKENO RAILWAY. The Prime Minister (Hon W. F. Massey) sent word that the Council's application regarding the starting of this railway will be considered. AWAITI KLOCK. The Under becretary of the Lands Department reported that the opening ol the Awaiti Block—like all other lands on the Hauraki Plains—would be carried out when recommended by the engineer in charge ot the Hauraki Plains.drainage works. Mr Laughlin urged that a further contract be let lor the road to this block and the engineer said this would be done if the grant was available. REFUND GOLD DUTY. The Chairman moved that the treasury be asked if it was intended to introduce a Bill this session so that the excess of gold duty deducted irom the Council for the river works could be refunded. c Tins was seconded by Mr Strange and was carried. AFFORESTATION. The Department of Agriculture asked the Council if it would support a request for an amending Act to be passed

to exempt from rating plantations so as to encourage afforestation. The letter was simply " received." OLD COUNTY OFFICES. For the purchase of the old County the following offer was received :—D. J. Donnelly, £\.y $s. The offer-was accepted. TE AROHA LOWER ROAD. The County solicitor (Mr T. A. Moresby) forwarded a copy of the Native Land Court Judge's assessment ot compensation to be paid lor land taken for this road. The total amount of compensation was A letter was received from Porntt and Mueller, stating that the portion of the compensation assessed to Joe Dickson should be paid to W. McCormick, as McCormick had purchased the land. Claims on the money were also received from other people. It was decided to hold the portion assessed to Dickson (^44 ?s . 6d) for a month. PROSPECTING AID. S. A. Shaw asked for asistance in prospecting on the Waikino-Watomoko c'aim at Owharoa, and the application was forwarded to the Minister for Mines. CADMAN ROAD DRAIN. E. Bromwich and others requested that the Cadman Road drain be cleaned out at an early date. The engineer, in reply to a question, said the land should be drained into the Ohinemuri and not into the Waihou River as at present.

On Mr Lloyd's motion, it was decided to reply that, the Council did not see its way clear to do the work. EASTPORT ROAD. The secretary of the Eastport Road Progress Committee asked that the road be improved so as to enable settlers to get their mitk to the factory. They also suggested that the road would be improved by a coating of gravel.

Mr Strange moved that a surfaceman be put on to fill up the holes on the road, and that the" engineer report on the application for gravel. This was seconded by Mr Treanor and was carried. MACKAYTOWN DOMAIN. The Mackaytown Domain Board made application for a grant of .£25 to enabie it to carry out certain works mentioning that the Board has recently spent .£BB 10s in improvements. Mr Marnnan said the Domain Board was in financial difficulties, and he strongly supported the application for a grant. He moved that the Council make the grant asked lor. Mr Lloyd said the Board had some misunderstanding over a Government

grant,

The motion was seconded by Mr McWatters and was earned.

TE AROHA TECIIN'ICAL SCHOOL.

A letter was received from the Te Aroha School Committee, stating that steps were being taken to provide a manual training school at Te Aroha,

and asking the Council to appoint a representative to a committee to take

the preliminary steps,

The Chairman said a meeting was to be held to take steps to raise funds towards the school, and the Council would be called upon to contribute towards the school.

Mr McWatters said it was a pity they did not have a technical school erected

in Paeroa some years ago when the matter was discussed.

Mr Strange was appointed to represent the Council on the committee to be

formed,

RO\U AT PLKJ

Messrs Brunskiil and Hunt applied for the land given by them for a road to the Nelherton Bridge to be returned, as it would not no»v be 'required for the road to the bridge.

Mr Laughlin said the land was given ior a road, but the bridge site had been altered. Others who had given land for the road were Mrs Nicholls, J. MeKee, W. J. Hall, and J, Handley, and he asked that the land be now returned

to these people also

The Chairman said he thought they should hold on to al! the roads in the County as they did not know when they would be required.

Consideration of the matter was de-

ferred until next meeting,

FINANCE COMMITTEE'S REPORT,

The report of the finance committee showed the overdralt to be ,£10,098 18s 4d ; total indebtedness, .£10,460 12s Sd; receipts last month amounted to ,£1621 19s 2d ; contract liabilities totalled ,£5677 165 id, of which ,£474 16s was included in the accounts for payment; and the accounts for payment were ,£l6lß 3s 3d, of which ,£451 16s would be recoverable from Government,

The Paeroa Water Supply Account showed a credit balance of .£704 2s 4I ; receipts last month were ,£B9 2d ; and the contract liabilities outstanding were £796, ot which ,£6O was passed tor payment.

The credit balance to the Ohinemun

Cemetery Account was .£1 15s 6d ; receipts last month were us ; and an account for ys 6d was passed for payment.

OTHER MATTERS,

Mr H. Poland, M. P. wrote thanking

the Council for submitting his name as a member of the Paeroa Domain Board.

The Maoriland Goldmining Company agreed to accept the subsidy towards the cost of work on its claim as laid down by the Council, and thanked the Council for its assistance.

J. Martin asked the Council to write off half a year's rates on a Hauraki pastoral lease as he only held the lease lor six months out of the twelve. It was decided that half the year's rates be

written off.

The engineer was instructed 10 report on the cost of extending the water mam along Bridget .Street at Mackaytown.

The Valuation Department wrote stating that new valuation rolls for Paeroa, Karangahake, and Waitekauri will be available in a few days.

It was decided to ask the Valuation Department to make a revaluation of the County as soon as possible.

The Paeroa Chamber of Commerce recommended that the lamp at the Puke Road railway crossing be moved nearer to the railway line. The matter was left to the engineer to attend to.

H. Hill asked for some improvement to be made to Let Street, Paeroa, and for the water to be laid on to a residence there. These matters were referred to the engineer and the Paeroa Water Supply Committee.