TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Issue 13090, 24 October 1908, Page 11

TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting was held in the County Chambers yesterday afternoon, and attended by Crs J; Miller (chainnan), Gib-' son, Blair, Freeman, . Elliot, Dooherty, ,M. Stevenson, and W. Blackie. .. —Correspondence.— The Hon. W. -Half-Jones wrote stating that a report was being obtained re, Hiudon bridge, and a reply would be forwarded, in a few days.r-Received. • The Roslyn Borough Council wrote declining to accede to Taieri Council’s proposal re the upkeep of the road between the borough boundary and cattleyards.— l TJdnsid! eratiort deferred. The Department of Hoads, in reply to Council’s letter, wrote notifying that £IOO was still available for authorisation, to -the Council for Duncan. Settlement roads, and that the issue of authority for that amount was receiving attention.—Received. The Dunedin. Saleyards Company wrote re establishment by the county of a public pound on the company’s property at Burnside.—Consideration deferred for one month. , ' 4 ■' Several .other letters were also, dealt with. —•Finance.— ’Hie Finance Gommitteo reported that the debit balance in the bank .was £1,967 4s lOd. The ■ Committee recommended that £24 7s 9d be forwarded to the-Charitable Aid Board, and -that the offer to the -Taieri Drainage Board for formation-of combined road ond river embankment be .-withdrawn and left to the! new Council.—Accounts amounting to £1,026 7s 7d were recommended for payment.—Adopted. —Ranger’s Report.— The Ra-nger reported -that he had made periodical visits- to the; Kaikorai Stream, and found it in a fairly good condition. He interviewed the manager of Burnside Lime and Cement Works he altering the stream’p course. Owing to the flood waters washing away a good part of the bank, they and Cement Works altering the stream’s This had the effect of leaving a great, hole of water with no outlet for it, and which had become stagnant, and a very offensive I sraeli arisilg from it. This matter had since been attended to. He visited a house in Green Island Bosh where a- patient had died of tuberculosis,: and found that' the house had been thoroughly disinfected. He visited road at Abbotsford re tins and rubbish , being deposited there. He recommended that a notice be placed at the place prohibiting such nuisances. He found roads fairly clear of stray stock. Twenty-nine head were found wandering—total fees and fines, £3. —Adopted. —Engineer's Report.— Mr B. B. Couston, county engineer, reported on •various works completed and in liand. The. Wasting of the water tables at Sutton Hill, and four chains of prctectiveguapd fence would be erected while work- i men were in the locality. It had been ar- ! ranged to spend £25 in reducing the grade : of the road at Coleman’s Hill during tho | month. Good progress was being made on flood-damage repair works, several of which ■had been completed. The principal contracts will bo order for next meeting. As • regards a number of gates across roads in ' the county where the Council’s requirements had been disregarded, he recommended that occupiers of holdings be warned that these would be removed unless gates of approved construction were substituted.—Adopted. —General.— An Order-in-Couneil was received gazetting the plant known as African box thorn (Lycuim norridum) to he a noxious weed. —The Break-up.— The Chairman said that as this was the final meeting of the Council he could not retire from his duties without thanking sincerely all the members and officers of the Council for the willing assistance given him. They had worked with him in the heartiest manner and with the best good-will. He would leave the Council with regret. The associations had 'been very pleasant. One question that should obtain the close attention of the incoming Council should be the Charitable Aid rate, which had increased out of all proportion last year. An effort to have the counties’ contributions reduced should be made, Hq hoped that the new Council would work as well together as the old.—(Applause.) Brief speeches, followed by Crs Stevenson, Blair, and Docherty, who each made reference to the thorough manner in which Mr Miller had performed the duties of chairman, expressed regret that he had decided hot to seek re-election, and hoped that he would come hack to the Council.