COUNTY COUNCILS

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20648, 10 September 1932, Page 20

COUNTY COUNCILS

HEATHCOTE. The Heathcot# County Council met last night, Or. C. Flavell presiding. Other* present were Crs. W. Scarff, F. W. Freeman, W. Kerr, J. F. Soott, A. G. Williams, and E. Bowse. The inspector's report stated that at Cashmere good progress was being made with the erection ot the stone walling on Dyer's Pass road, which was now done to.Mr Hall's frontage. At the Cashmere reserve the levelling and grading o£ the ground at the Barrington street end was being done, and the sowing of grass seed would be done immediately. An inspection of a number of. sewer sumps had been made, and about half of the owners had failed to comply with notice to have faults rectified. At Hillsborough trees had been planted along the river from the Cashmere boundary to Tennyson street, and from Aynsley Hill to the railway bridge. Screenings had been put back on the full length of Hills road, Opawa road, Aynsley terrace, Ramahana road, and Aotea terrace. Two meters that were buried when stone walls were built had been located. One of these would have to be repaired. At Ht. Pleasant, work on the Bridle Path bad been continued, and half the distance from the bridge to Ferrymeade had been widened, coated with scoria, and rolled. At Maffey's road another section had been metalled and rolled. At the lower end of Morten settlement road the rough metal had been loosened up and the road shaped and rolled. A turning place had been formed. Transformer Damaged. Mr J. R. Templin reported on the transformer at the corner of Breeze's and Wainoni roads. This transformer burned out and was sent to the Public Works Department at Addington for repair. It was 'there for a considerable time as, after it was repaired, it gave further trouble under test. In the meantime the suppliers were being served from the Cuff's road transformer. The foreman was delayed in putting back the transformer as someone had stolen the tackle which he used for hoisting it. The sub-station building at Heathcote Valley was in need of repair, and it was recommended that this work be done as soon as convenient. A pole carrying a 11,000 volt line to the pumping station at Barrington street was decayed and was being replaced with a new pole at once. Biding Balances. The riding balances as at September Ist were as follows: Avon £305, Bromley £l5O, Hillsborough £326, Valley £l4O, Cashmere £1665, Mt. Pleasant £l2. Accounts Questioned. The Aranui Burgesses' Association wrote asking why a difference of £299 was shown in payments for street lighting in the Avon and Bromley accounts, and £275 shown in the receipts for the Avon-Bromley electrical revenue and maintenance account. The association objected strongly to the proposed expenditure of £2OO out of £425 allocated as road maintenance being spent on Canal Reserve. As the road was very seldom used by residents and ratepayers of Bromley, the association suggested that the council should arrange a Commission to allocate the coßt between the public bodies concerned. The county clerk reported that the differance was caused by the cost of boundary lamps in Kerr's road and Canal Reserve, paid to the Municipal Electricity Department.

RANGIORA. The Rangiora County Council met yesterday. Present: Messrs \V. Stalker (chairman), G. K. Crysell, 11. Tallott, J. M. Young. M C. Ormandy, and A. Mcintosh. The issue of 16 drivers' licenses was reported by the traffic inspector, who also stated that a number of heavy traffic licenses had been renewed. A check-up on licenses was mode on August 14th, when 40 drivers were without them. In due course 38 of these were produced. Prosecutions were authorised for five breaches of the regulations reported by the inspector. The foreman reported that shingling and patching had been continued in several parts of tho county. An average of 50 men per week had been employed on relief work in the Rangiora riding and 10 in the Cust riding. Practically all had been engaged on draining, which had been completed. Authority was sought for the regrading of the sides and the removing of tho big stones from the North road ar.d Woodend road as relief work. The reports were adopted. Keceipts for the month were shown at £529 4s JOd, and the payments at £834 17s 7d, leaving a debit balance of £3094 10s. Aooonnts totalling £OBB 8s 8d were passed for payment. Mr T. Mcintosh wrote asking the council to install floodgates in Dockey Creek at Fernside, between the gravel pit reserve and his property. It was agreed to carry out the work provided Mr Mcintosh would meet half tho cost. A request from Mr J. 0. Banfield for a reduction in the rent of the council's reserve on Bell's road An application from Mr A. A. Holland for permission to run his motor-bus at a speed of 30 miles per hour on the county roads was refused.

With a view to providing useful work for the unemployed, the Town Clerk of Rangiora wrote forwarding a suggestion from the Bor•ough C-ouncil that a road be opened along the northern houndary of the borough. This would prove advantageous to both borough and county property-owners, but as it would not be possiblo fro take the road through borough properties, it would be necessary to confer with the county owners with a view to acquiring the necessary land. The County Council viewed the proposal favourably, and agreed to so into the matter at a later date. Mr T. J, Morgan wrote protesting against the council's proposal to cut down (he plantation on the western boundary of his property as the trees were nocesssry as a shelter belt. It was agreed to leave the trees nearest .the road Bnd to consider the question of replanting next season. In response to a request from the Southbrook Fire Brigade for a grant to the brigade s funds, the sum of £1 lg was voted. • * fr . F - wrote on behalf of the District Highways Council, advising that the Main Highways Board was prepared to Bub- • sa ' ar y travelling expenses of a traffic inspector under the Rangiora group scheme, comprising the counties of Rangiora 7*2: A ? h,e y- and K °wal, and the borough of Rangiora. 6

„ " ,^ a " ® greed during the summer montns the council should meet at 9 30 a m A deputation from the North- Canterbury Power Board waited on the council and asked that suggestions regarding street lighting be submitted to the Board. SPRINGS. The monthly meeting of the Springs County Council, held at Springston, was attended by Crs. J. 8. Simpson (chairman), P. V. Bailey, J. W. Kime, J. H. Williams, and J. Woods. The council expressed its sympathy with the clerk and overseer, Mr E. L Nesla in the death of his father, who had been clork and overseer to the old Road Board and the council for nearly forty years A financial statement submitted by" the clerk gave the ridinq credit balances *370 12s 7d (Springston), and £293 6s 6d (Greenpark). An estimate of the receipts and expenditure for the coming half-year reCe , lpta . M £im expenditure 44077 7s 4d, leaving an estimated credit

balance of £327 12a Bd, which members. considered would be very satisfactory. The chairman, Cr. Bailey, and the clerk were asked to attend a conference of local body representatives to be held in. Christchurch on September 28th, to consider matters relating to a new award for local body employees. The chairman and clerk were appointed tc oonfer with representatives of the Ellasmere County Council in regard to the fencing of a reserve at Chamberlain's ford, Selwyn river.

A report on the road maintenance, drawcleaning, and other work done during the month was submitted by the overseer. Witli the chairman he had inspected the riverbank at Selwyn Huts, when it was decided to have a jetty in front of the store shifted back at least 7J feet, and poles in a mooring place opposite but No. 20 removed. The number of unemployed men was increasing. Last year 2547 cubic yards of shingle had been carted at a cost of £932. For the first six months of this year the quantity carted was 2028 yards, and the cost £548. The average cost was 5s a yard for this year as against 7s 6d last year.

A circular was received from the New Zealand Counties' Association regarding the agitation for the continuance of the I_2s per cent, rebate on county rates. The source of the previous year's rebate has been exhausted as the result of the diversion of-a considerable sum from the main highways funds, the balance being scarcely sufficient to carry out maintenance. The chairman remarked that the taxpayers had to pay. the 12J per cent, tax before getting the money back by way of rebate in rate;.

MALVERN. At the monthly meeting of the ' Malvern County Council all members were present, Cr. Adams presiding. It was resolved to write to th® chief postmaster, Christchurch, asking that the Lake Coleridge bus pick up mail on Friday afternoons. Complaints were received with reference to pigs and ducks being allowed to pollute the water-races. As the water from the races is ÜBed for domestic purposes as well as for animals, it was resolved .to bring the by-laws on this subject into operation ,if the nuisance continued. It was reported that a consignment of 2000 pinus insignia trees,had been received from the State Forest Service and planted in Woodhouse's reserve and the reserve on Plgsaddle road. The engineer reported that crushing operations- had been suspended and the crusher staff put- on to water-race cleaning, and that the power graders _ had been continuously employed on main highways and other roads needing attention. The council's truck had patched the "West Coast road, Highfield, Telegraph, and Bealey roads, and Pearson's tipping truck had been employed around Greendale. The "Sheffield and Homebush ridings were being attended to by the two-horse teams.