COUNTY COUNCILS.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18901, 17 January 1927, Page 9

COUNTY COUNCILS.

LEVELS. At the monthly meeting of the Levels County Council there were present: Messrs T. B. Garrick (chairman), R. G. Cleland, G. D. Selbie," D. Grant, C. E. Kerr, and T. M. Broßnahan. *> The chairman stated that the debit balance at the bank in December was £7558 lis. TJnpresented cheques and drawings for the month totalled £9ll 2s 2d. The receipts for the month were: Rates £697 Is 9d, balance of Tycho school road grant £7, licenses £ls, rents £l4 Is 4d, unpresented cheques £ll, totalling £744 3s Id, and making the debit balance £7725 10s Id. The accounts for payment totalled £1519 19s 3d. leaving a total debit balance of £9245 9s 4d. The chairman had attended a meeting ,'of local body representatives with regard to the visit of the Duke and Duchess of York to Timaru. It was decided that the local bodies contribute £3 each towards the cost of an address, on which the Levels County would be allotted space for six photographs of parts of the country.

The Main Highways Board notified . that tar or bitumen sealing done since December 2nd would be subsidised 30s for £.

Mr Kerr considered that the Council should do an extra 50 chains of tar sealing in addition to the 40 chains already agreed upon. The total cost would be £760, of which the Highways Board would contribute £450, Levels County £250, and Waimate County £SO. The road was in excellent order for tar sealing, and this would lighten the maintenance considerably.

The chairman considered that this would be too much in the nature of an experiment, but Mr Kerr pointed out that the piece of road at Saltwater Creek was of similar formation, and had been an unqualified success with tar sealing.

The Engineer considered that the piece of road in question would stand tar sealing very ■well, and suggested that they obtain the opinion of Mr -Langbein. of the Highways Board, before they decided on the work. On a motion put to the meeting, the Council decided to do the extra tar sealing subject to a favourable report from Mr Langbein. The Main Highways Board returned the plans and specifications of the deviation on the Brooklands Hill, asking for more mforma tion They were a little dubious whether the proposed width of 33ft of formation was necessary. This width had never been subsidised before. The guard fences on tnis width did not seem necessary. The Engineer, had replied that ,as the remaindor of the roads in the county were 33ft that width was considered necessary as the road was through a block cutting. Mr Kerr pointed out that as that part of the road was near the freezing works large numbers of sheep would be met on the bill, and the width was imperative. The Government had decided to subsidise to the extent of £350 if the Council granted £4OO and the settlers found the balance ol the cost of a bridge giving access to Messrs Britling and Kerr's property at Cave. It was decided to reappoint Mr Gliddon. of Pleasant Point, as registrar of dogs and collector of the dog tax, the fees to be as follows: Dogs kept solely for the management of stock 2s 6d, all others 10s.