COUNTY COUNCILS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19665, 8 July 1929, Page 3

COUNTY COUNCILS.

OXFORD. Tc« meo: fcly tn»c:.ns o: the Oxiorj Co'.;:)!" Council was b«:d o- Tuesday, s'd v =s »'■■ tended by Os. A. Meyers .. chairman t ". I'. Henderson, E. Skurr. If. Fear, H. G. Cr-.:,'. L. Watson, and I\ Visber. It was decided to erect a thee? r-rids» over the Main Kne water-ra-_e on riocktord road. The Council decided to jran* th» 08. srd I. League's request to p act an avenua cf trees on Park street. Mr Kawke Eta'.ed that Mrs F. ileyer, Mri J. Badse, and Mrs K. Inuood, and "ilr C. Tkomis had promiied to pay for the cost of tv. o trees and protection thereof, and Messrs L. Watson, D. liawke. i\ Debenham, W. Thompson, and ei. Gie.v. and Dr. Burnett had promised to pay fcr the cost of one tree and protection thereof. It was decided to itraigb;en the approach to Mounsey'a bridge. The rain report at Messrs Croy Bros, was 5.53 in. It was decided to concrete the ford at Grant's, on McJarrow's road. The chairman, Ct. Feary, and the Clerk were appointed to inspect the flumes on the Jlam tyro water-race. Cr. Piiher reponed that the ereek protection -work on McUleliand'i property required immediate attention. The Clerk v. a* instructed to inspect the work, and hare the damage repaired. Cr. Skurr and the Clerk were appointed to inspect the scour in the creek at K. D. Henderson's, and hove the necessary work put in hand. On the chairman's suggestion it n'ii decided to call a public meeting in the To-m Hall on Tuesday night, June 9th, to form a committee to collect tor the Earthquake. Keliei Fund. The Council contributed i'-5. A petition sigred by G2 ratepayers pro; testing: against the Council raisins a loan of i'4ooo was received, the petitioners maintaining: that a suitable hall could be built for £3OOO. Cr. Watson moved that an application be made to the Loans Board for authority to take a poll of ratepayers for the loan of £'4ooo for the erection of the Town Hall. He regretted that a protest had been made against the amount, in view of the fact that the resolution of a public meeting instructed the Counril to proceed with a loan for X4»00. H° thoneht the petitioner" were under a misapprehension, as the difference in rates on .£IOOO against i'3ooo would amount to 1-G-ith of a penny in the pound, or Is id on i'l'JOO. The present hall was private'y-owned, and the tiTie Ml opportune for the erecting of a publiclyowned Town Hall. Cr. R. F. Henderson seconded the motion, and endorsed what had been said by Cr. 'Watson. He thought the Council had no option in visw of the public resolution to make application for the full amount. The motion was ra'ricd unanimously, and the chairman and Cr?. Henderson and Watson were appointed to draw up reasons supporting the motion. Mrs Reynolds's application to extend the building ou the Ashley Go-ge Domain was left in the hands of the chairman and the Clerk, with power to grant the necessary permit. It was decided to erect a protection fence on Ashley Gorge road at Woody Gully creek. On Cr. Feary's suggestion it was decided to straighten the Eyre river at Tibbott's. A letter was received from Mr T. Cooper asking the Council to repair Wright's road. The Clerk was instructed to inspect, the road and report at the nest Council meein;;. It was decided to make and lovy at the nest meeting of the Council a general rate of 23-48ths of a penny in the £, improverate of l-48th of a, Id in the £, improvement loan rate of l-24th of a, Id in the £', workers' dwelling loan rate of l-48th of a 3d in the £l, a hospital rate of 5-lflths of a Id in the £, Eyre water rate of 5d per ncre, Cooper's Creek rate of 3d in the £ on improvements and 6d per acre, and Gamroan's Creek rate of IJd in the £ on improvements and 6d per acre.

EYRE. The monlh'y meeting of the Eyre County Council was attended by Messrs H. -t,. Evans (in the chair), H. A. Bennett, J. Cowens, R. O. Dixon, J. Yv. Frizzell, and F. L. Parnham. It was decided to inspect Poynlz road between the South Ey:e read and the Waimakariri and to patch the road where urgently necessary until such time as the Government grant was received, and also to impress on the Forestry Department that justice required that the Department should largely subsidise the upkeep of this and other rpads to the forestry area now that the Council was receiving no rates from the area taken hv the Department. "The Council agreed to tho Water Supply Board's ranger's occupation of a plantation at Mandsvillo with a portable hut Information was received that Mr J. E. Horrell had been appointed as the representative of the Horrelrille Cricket Club on the West Eyfefcon Eecreation Ground Management Committee.

It was resolved on the suggestion of ratepayers to inform the Railway Department . that certain "compulsory atop" e;gns wore, in the opinion of ratepayers, more of a danger to motorists than wa3 the risk of being hit by a train, and to ask that tho signs be removed to a less dangerous position. It was decided to accept the offer of ths State Fire Insurance Department of a loan of £I2OO at 5i per cent, for the construction of footpaths and channelling at th 6 Kaikaimii Settelment, near Kaiapoi. Information was received that the Oxford County Council would, aud that the Rangiora .County Council would not, support tho Council in its endeavour to get a further subsidy from the Government towards the works being carried out under the EyreCust river protection loan proposals. There was coneiderablo discussion by councillors in regard to this attitude on the part of tho Rangiora County Council, and instructions were given to the clerk to write again and endeavour to get the Rangiora County Council to agree to support the application. On an application from the Rotorua-Taupo Railway League, it was decided to support the League in its attempt to get the Taupo railway construction recommenced. In regard to the erection of railway stop signs, it was decided to protest to the Minister for Transport against the expense and little advantage to be gained by the erection of the great number of signs required in the Eyre county, and the little risk run by the public where only eight trains per week passed the crossings. The application of several ratepayers for increased drainage facilities was left for the engineer to roport upon. It was decided to strike a rate of |d in the pound in the AVest Eyreton ridinsr, and of gd of a pennv in the pound in the Eyre ridintr. and to allow a discount of 5 per cent, off all rates paid within one month of the date of notice. Much comment was made by the members of the Eyre riding on the fact that the We3t Eyreton Riding could work on a lower rite than the Eyre Riding as ratepayers of the former riding used the roads of the latter riding much more than viceversa, and it was suggested that a fairer way would be to make all roads county roads and to maintain them out of the general fund. It wu decided to employ two motor trucks owned privately, in addition to the Council's truck tor phingling instead of calling tenders. ]

The tender of E. D. Ward was accepted for cleaning Barker's drain and that of G. White for White's road dram, and comment was made that during the last four months no tenders had been received for any draincleaning except from these two men, though the work had been fully advertised locally. A petition having been received from all the property owners in the Two Chain road between the Five roads junction and the South Eyre road, requesting the Council to reduce the width to one chain, it was decided to sell the closed portions at £5 per acre with the condition that the fencing of the ncy line be done within tiro year 3. . , Alter a long discussion on the advisability or otherwise of purchasing birds' eggs and heads, and of a report that there had been a great falling off in the taking of poisoned wheat by ratepayers since the purchase of bead and eggs had been abandoned, it was decided to deliver poisoned wheat to wheatgrowers in the hope that by having it delivered to them they might spread it. Messr3 Peachey and Larsen attended as a deputation regarding the urgency of the immediate prosecution of the work of widening and controlling Collier's Creek, wmch

of Francis Clark, the price to be £-1 6a 9d per point. This work will be commenced in a -week's time. Owing to shipping delay the Springs-Ellesmere Power Board have beeii unable to proceed with the construction of the line to Halkett. However, the supply of poles is now to hand, and the work will be put in hand straight away. The past week has been responsive for some very hard frosts, the heaviest falling on the night of the 4th For the first time this winter household water taps were frozen. The days are bright and sunny. GREENDALE. In order to raise funds to cover t ' share of the cost of installing J " water service in the schoolhouse. Greendale School Committee " r S*°Jj av a concert which took place on 1 " u " w _ evening. The hall was filled to listen to a varied ?«*£**££ presented bv Mr Willy am* s t-oncer Partv. of Chmtchurch. The concert *as followed bv a danre to music provided !w Mr Willvams's dance f T ™ eSr tra. Mr F. H. Xecdhani was 31 <-•

had lately, aa al«o many time* in previous years, caused aerioui flooding from Early's road at West Eyreton right down to Ohoka. Members of the deputation were urged by councillors to get a petition promptly signed by the sufferers agreeing to a slight rise in the. Eyre-Cust loan rate, and handed in to the Waimakariri River Trust, which w*s at the moment endeavouring to get an additional subsidy from the Government, a portion of which could he devoted to this work. The engineer reported that roads throushout the county were being kept in fair order fcv constant use of the grader, that the Chevrolet track was doing good service on the roads though requiring at times to have tracks formed for it in the n'ver-b?ds, but advising that ii another truck was purchased—and economical working reouired — i* should be of the "go anywhere" type where at least six now unsife to tai's tha nrrwnt truck into, could be worked with advantage and economy.