SPRINGS COUNTY

Ellesmere Guardian, Volume LV, Issue 37, 11 May 1934, Page 6

SPRINGS COUNTY

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL.^

There were present at the month-j ly meeting of the . Springs County | Council yesterday: Crs. J. S. Simpson! (chairman), P. V. Bailey, J. H. Wil-j liams, J. W. Kime and J. Woods. Leave of absence was granted to Cr. | C. H. Watson. The clerk-overseer i (.Mr E. L, Neale) was also in atten- j dance. The financial statement showed that the receipts for the month were £115 5s Id. Riding balances were: Springston, credit £'861 14s 6d; Greenpark, credit £355 Is 2d. The net credit balance was £1196 8_ Id Accounts amounting to £275 4s lOd were passed for payment. The health inspector reported haying paid two visits to the county, and that conditions were satisfactory. Mr G. Neill (Greenpark) applied to have Neill's road repaired. This was referred *to the overseer to deal with. From the Ellesmere County Council a letter was read asking if the. Springs Council would assist with the cost of constructing a concrete crossing at Coe's Ford. Members were apprehensive of the effect on the- lower roads in the county if the crossing at the ford were improved, as it would divert a good deal of traffic on to roads which were not built to carry heavy traffic. It was decided to reply that the council was prepared to view the request favourably provided the Springs Council's application to have the road from Stoddard's corner, Lincoln, Hudson's road via Carter's, No. 2 bridge and Pannett's road to the ford declared a secondary highway. The chairman was deputed to make application tp the Highways Board for these roads. „ Further discussion took place regarding the proposed scheme of contribution by local bodies to the St. John Ambulance Association's free ambulance service, and the opinion was expressed that it was impracticable and would impose a greater burden on the country local bodies as against the metropolitan area; Notice of motion was given to rescind the previous resolution agreeing to guarantee the transport charges of those from the county unable to pay. ' It was decided to reply to the Ambulance Association that the council did not favour the proposed scheme. The council decided to make a grant of £10 to the funds of the association. In the letter from the North Canterbury > executive of the Farmers' Union setting out its efforts to obtain a reduction in the charges for bulk supply of electricity to rural power boards in Canterbury, It was mentioned that in England and Canada the State subsidised the rural supply to the extent of 50 per cent, of the interest and capital, but New Zealand preferred to handicap the country for the benefit of the city. Cr. Kime remarked that in this district they were very fortunate in not having to pay a rate. '.■ The chairman said that a difficulty which rural boards had to meet was the construction of ilong lengths of line with few consumers, which greatly increased the cost. 1 The council. decided to support the i union's efforts to obtain a reduction. The chairman and Cr. Kime were deputed to inspect reserve 216, Lincoln, for the purpose of deciding upon its suitability for planting in trees. Indication disks for heavy motor ; vehicles for the coming license year will be: First quarter, emerald; second, yellow ochre; third, cobalt blue; fourth, scarlet. Application is to be made for the Highways Board's magnetic truck to ibe used over the main highways in j the county. | Tenders, at the undermentioned j figures per chain, for cleaning district drains were accepted as follows:— j Powell's, 92 chains, V. and R. Kimber, 1/2; Day's road, 155 chains, HarI ris Bros, arid Manson, 1/6; Goodrick's, V. and R. Kimber, 1/3; Quale's, 50 chains, J. Fraser, 1/-; Lake Road, 65 chains, A. Kimber and B. Pitcairn, _/3; Leeston road, Ellesmere, 39 chains, C. Tully, 2/-; Leeston road, Springston, 95 chains, J. G. Milne, 2/6; Marshall's, 91 chains, A. W. Wilson, 1/6; Chamberlain's, 56 chains, W. R. Kane, 2/5; Swamp Road, 56 chains, A. W. Wilson, 1/6; Carter's, 83 chains, Harris Bros, and Manson, 2/-; Andrew's, 80 chains, Harris Bros, and Manson, 2/6: Murray's, 40 chains, W. Bennett, 1/9It was left to Cr. Williams and the clerk to arrange for the supply of shingle and to arrange for the hire of a screen for roads in the Ellesmere part of the county. Arrangements were also made for shingling on other roads in the district. The balance-sheet for the year 1932-33 was received from the Audit Department without a tag and was adopted. The chairman and Cr. Williams re-

ported on the conference between interested local bodies and the Highways Board on the proposal to permanently pave the Main South Road from Rolleston to Rakaia, and that a satisfactory arrangement had been reached. Cr. Kime congratulated the delegates on behalf of the council for the excellent bargain they had made. A complaint frora Mr Murphy, Lincoln, regarding water and drainage' was discussed, and it was decided that it was not a matter for the council, but one _or the Paparua Council, which had change of the waterraces.

OVERSEER'S REPORT. Mr Neale, in the course of his report, stated:^— Since the last meeting the council's men have been cleaning the L.l and 2 river. The L.2 portion is now finished and about one week's work is required to complete the L.l. An average of six men each week have been on relief works, widening drains and screening shingle. The power grader has been working twenty-two days—fourteen days on highways and eight days on other roads in both; ridings. The council's teams have been working twenty-one days carting shingle on to roads around Coe's Ford and Ellesmere. Mr E. L. Page, with his motor-1 lorry, carted shingle from Coe's Ford and the dump on reserve 2654 as follows: Twenty-five ,cubic yards on to Chamberlain's Road; 5 cubic yards on to'Gould's Road close to Chamberlain's Road; 25 cubic yards onto the continuance of Greenpark Road from Hatchard's to S. Bennett's, also 5 cubic yards of clay from the Lincoln pit; 50 cubic yards on to the unmetalled portion of Hudson's rßoad on the lake between Brown's and Osborne's; 5 cubic yards on to the bare parts of Hudson's Road between Bearman's corner and Jarvis's Road; 5 cubic yards on to Embankment Road; and 5 cubic yards on to Carter's Road. Fifty-four feet of 12in. concrete pipes have been put in across Chamberlain's Road alongside the present pipes from Thorpe's outlet. Owing to the recent spell of wet weather, the erection of the fence on H. Dulieu's corner has been delayed. Roads at Ellesmere requiring shingle are as follows: Chamberlain's Road, 150 chains; Swamp Road, from Chamberlain's Road to the Ellesmere School, 60 chains; Marshall's Road, from the Ellesmere School on Swamp Road past O'Shaughnessy's to Swamp Road, 200 chains \ Brookside Road, from Boyle's ford to the old I Selwyn Road, 85 chains; Half Chain [Road, 40 chains; parts of Norwood Road require patching; Bethell's Road, from bluegum plantation to Burnham, 150 chains. Roads in other parts of the district requiring attention are: Hudson's Road, from Stoddard's to the railway, a distance of 150 chains; Hudson's Road, from Carter's Road to Bearman's corner, 147 chains; Tramway Road, from Blandville to Day's Road, 155 chains; Sergeant's Road, from S. Keast's to Goodrick's Road, 35 chains; also parts of the Selwyn Huts secondary highway; Ridge Road, from Matthew's corner to canal bridge, 180 chains; Carter's Road, from Lake Flat Road to Hudson's Road, 230 chains.