COUNTY COUNCILS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19862, 25 February 1930, Page 4

COUNTY COUNCILS.

WAIREWA. The usual monthly meeting of the Wairewa County Council was held in the Council Chambers, little River, when there were present: Crs. W. F- Parkinson (chairman), I'. Coop, D. Richards, and D. Foley. The chairman said that since last meeting a very old and esteemed resident in the person of Mrs Jones had died. He moved that a letter of sympathy be sent from the Council to relatives. This was agreed to. The county engineer (Mr W. It. Leeder) reported as follows; Repairs to Vercoo's road have been completed. A new pipe culvert has been put in near the slip, where repairs have been effected. Small slips have been removed off Port Levy road and the culverts nnd water channels put in good working order. The shingle on the lower end of this road has been trimmed in with the grader. Surfacing repairs on McKay's road have been done. Flood damage repair work has received attention on Keenan'g road. The top end of this rond is urgently in need of maintenance metal, and it would he advisable to have this work executed before the winter months come on. Okute Valley road has been cleaned up with the grader. Flynn's ford has been put in fair working order. A number of odd jubs at Puaha are in abeyance until after the grass-seed harvest. Men will then be available to clean up this small list. On Kaituna Valley road an old pipe culvert has been removed. An old timber culvert, has also been reconstructed. General surfacing work and grading has. been executed where urgently required. Maintenance metal repairs have been carried out on the Teddington-Hotukarara main highway. Quarrying and knapping metal for maintenance repair work in this locality is under way. General surfacing work has been carried out on the main highway from Motukarara to Price's Valley. This section of road is in fair working order. The construction of the new concrete bridge on the main road at Price's Valley Is progressing satisfactorily, and a good temporary bridge and approach have been provided for the public. It is satisfactory to note that a good clay foundation has been obtained for the new concrete abutments. "Weather permitting, this work will be pushed on as expeditiously as possible. The crushing plant has been removed from Gap road to Peraki Valley. "The weather conditions during the past month have been very unfavourable for metalling clay roads, and the output for that period has been greatly reduced. The stonecrusher has been overhauled. All the bearings have been renewed and are now in good working order. Crushing was resumed on February Ist, when a trial run of the new bearings was made, and two or three loads of metal were run out. During the past week the contractor has been carting and spreading metal on Norman Wright's road. About 300 cubic yards have been run out on this section, or an average of 50 cubic yards per day. Two or three days will complete this contract. Four men and a team are engaged on the new metalled roads in the "Gap" district, trimming up, binding, and boxing the metal. Pipes for the extra culverts that are authorised will be s°nt forward as soon as possible, so that the whole job can be completed while the men are in the locality. Quarrying metal on Barwick's and Feather's roads is progressing satisfactorily; about 150 cubic yards have been stacked in the dump up to date. A number of small slips have been cleaned off Gap road, Reynold's Valley, and along the top of Bossu roa<l. There is a small substance at a point on Te Oka rond with a lTge rock embedded There is sufficient roadway open for the traffic, and the obstruction will he removed in the course of a few days." Mr C. Home has failed to complete his progress with his quarrying contract on Bossu road, and the engineer recommended that his contract be determined and a fresh contract let for this work as soon as possible. With regard to the Council's hut on Lone Bay road, this place is at present occupied by a man who is not employed by the Council. Ho has been living in the hut for some months rent free, and the engineer thought a small rent might reasonably be charged. This was agreed to.

He reported further that in last year's estimates provision had been made for scarifying approximately four or five mile« of the main road submitted for consideration. Mr J. Hayward, the original contractor, had withdrawn from his contract to construct the bridge on the main road at Price's Valley. He had arranged for the bridge to be constructed.

In reply to Cr. P. Coop, the engineer gnid they had found the foundations quite satisfactory. The chairman said the engineer had rung him up about the matter, and he had agreed that the work be gone on with, the price not to exceed the estimate.—Approved. In reply to Cr. Richards, the engineer said he would prepare estimates for renewing two culverts on Okute Valley road.

The engineer renorted that provision had been made for scarifying on the main road rt Birdling's Flat on this year's estimates. It was decided that this work lie held ov.r until the end of the financial year. The chairman said he had arranged for some met"! to be crushed on Mr Wright's road at Kinloch while the crusher was there. The Public Works Engineer hnd approved, and the work had been done. The report was adopted. Cr. Foley drew attention to some stones cropping out at the font of the Hill road and an open culvert on Harman's track, and >t was left to the engineer to attend to th» mntter. and to havo the main road graded. The Finance report was then read and adopted. After discussion, it was decided that the 10 per cent, penalty be imposed on rates unpaid after March 15th. Tho ranger's report was read and received. Cr. Richards reported regarding the water supply at the doctor's residence reserves. Mr Stanbtiry was willing to lease the water right to the Council for a term of years. Nothing definite has yet been done. It was resolved to leave it in Cr. Richards's hands. The engineer reported that he had been unable to take his holiday as there was so much work on hand, and he would like to take this later on. This was agreed to. It was decided to write to the Power Board and ask that the poles on Okute Valley road be removed. Mr Geo. Armstrong, Mayor of Akaron, wrote asking the Council if it would assist in entertaining the British farmers who were visiting the district in March. Consideration was deferred.

Mr Leeder reported having interviewed some of the landowners -with frontages on the river regarding cloaring them. They were willing to co-operate with the Council, and he had arranged for clearing one section of the river of willows for Mr Feather.

He thought the others would fall into line. The chairman and members said it was imperative thnt the river should be cleared before the* winter. AMURI. At the last meeting of the Amuri County Council those present were: Cr. M. Bethell (chairman), Crs. H. R. Davidson, J. J. Duncan, R. Mercer, K. Pettigrew, G. O. Rutherford, W. Hanmer Atkinson, R. L. Jameson, and J. J. Gallagher. The Engineer was authorised to erect stopbanks at the northern ends of the Pahnu and Hurunui river bridges. On the motion of Cr. Gallagher it was resolved to have an extra pipe added to the pipeway at the junction of the Mt. Palm and Forrester's roads. The manager of the Rogerson Tun wrote stating that the fords on the Rogerson track required attention. The Engineer reported having had the work carried out. Mr C. Deans wrote asking that the Council have the approaches to McE'onald's bridge fenced with sheep netting. The Engineer was instructed to have the work carried out on the same lines as those on the Mason bridge approaches. Mr Leslie Macfarlane applied for a grant of £4O towards work on the Cheviot track. The matter was referred to the Pahau Riding. members to inspect and report. The Forest Ranger, Hanmer, applied for and was granted permission to extend a transmission line along the Jollie's Pass road.

The Public Works Department wrote advising that a number of alterations were being made to the Mandamus river bridges plans. The Under-Secretary to the Public Works Department wrote forwarding extracts from the New Zealand Gazette fixing the day for the election of the Hurunui Electric Powtr Board. The manager of St. Helens wrote advising that he had not been paid the kea sub sidy on the last number of heads sent in. The clerk reported that the year during which the Council had decided to pay the subsidy had run out. The Engineer reported that the Clarence river was encroaching on the St. James's road, and would require attention. The matter was left in the hands of the Hanmer Riding members to go into, with power to act. Accounts amounting to £l9lß Is were passed for payment.