WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 17369, 3 June 1920, Page 10

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL

The Waikouaiti County Council met on Monday. Mr H. . Caldwell {Waitapeka) was appointed surfaceman for the North-east Valley Biding. Four applications were received for the position. The Inspector reported that 156 tons of metal had been spread and blinded on Macaulay'e, Buddy's, and the Hawkebury Bush Toads. Owing to the scarcity of trucks no metal had arrived-for the last fostnight. hut the contractor had commenced «irnng for the Pleasant Valley section of the road. About 50yds of gravel had been carted and spread. In Merton Riding 241 yds of Totten rock had been carted out and spread on the Main road. He hod not been able to get the metal for the Seacliff-Omimi road owing to the shortage of trucks, and it would now require an extra two trucks of metal. Loose metal had: been raked off the road from Port Chalmers to the Main road, metal broken to fill potholes, and scrub cut at sharp bends of the road. The metal for the Quarry road was nearly all broken, and half °bf it had been spread. Loose metal on Hayward's Point road was being Taked together and blinded. .Some of the piles in the Orokonui bridge were decayed, and the bridge would have to be renewed very soon. A new timber bridge would probably cost about £550, and suitable timber could hardly be procured.—The report was adopted, and the inspector

authorised to obtain th« additional metal for the Seacliff-Omimi road. The Government engineer is to be asked to inspect the bridge. The Under-secretary for Public Works requested the council to supply the districtoffice at an early date with particulars of grants for road or bridge construction that they desired to have placed on the Estimates.—The council decided to apply for the following grants:—Bridge over Waitati, on Bay View road, Orokonui, £600; Reservoir road, Sawyers Bay, £SO; Sea-cliff-Puketeraki road, £200; Kiatoi-Three O'clock (Toomey's) road, £200; (£ for £) ■ Kawarika road, £IOO (£ for £). A letter was received from the secretary of the Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board notifying the council that thev would be required to pay £1,527 5s 8d towards the financial levy for the current year.—ln this connection circulars were received from the Tuapeka. County Council and Bruce Borough Council, proposing that the Government should be urged to make the cost of maintaining such institutions a charge on the Consolidated Fund. —The council decided to co-operate with other local bodies in bringing 'pressure to bear on the Government to secure the desired end, having already passed resolutions on their own account. Dr Williams, representing the holiday settlement at Kawarika, waited on the council and asked that something should be done to put the road in order. It was noP only impassable, but actually dangerous. There were still about 40 "chains' of clay surface. He mentioned that the

I settlers, who had called for tenders for I the work themselves, had found that it | would cost from £3OO to £450, and it was i quite impossible, therefore, for them to tackle it. They would like to know what it would he necessary for them to subscribe if the council were willing to assist them to repair the road. —The Chairman said the council had given the road a great deal of thought, and had assisted the residents on more than one occasion. He supposed these tenders would have caused them to realise how expensive it was now to form a road. The council had had another bombshell dropped in their midst by the inspector, who had just told them that the Orokonui bridge would have to be rebuilt. He said that the settlers had gone there with their eyes open. The settlement had not assisted the council very much. Warrington had been far more generous. He was afraid the only way was for them to help themselves. The council simply had not the money. Mr Orbell pointed out that whereas the council had received only about £l7 in rates from the Kawarika settlers in the last- two yeaTs, they had expended £l9 in surfacemen's wages alone.—Dr Williams suggested that the Kawarika settlers would be quite willing to have their rates doubled or trebled if by that means the Toad mighi bo put in order ; but the county clerk replied that the law would not allow it.— The matter was further considered after the visitor had withdrawn, and it was decided to aiiiilv to the Government for a £ for £ subsidy up to £ICO for the work, the settlers to subscribe the remainder.