PENINSULA COUNTY

Evening Star, Issue 22577, 19 February 1937, Page 13

PENINSULA COUNTY

COUNCIL'S MONTHLY MEETING The Peninsula County Council held its monthly meeting yesterday at Portobollo. Present were the chairman (Cr H. Macandrew) and Crs J. Cross, W. D. Stewart, J. T. Irvine, T. S. Edmonds, J. J. Nyhox, J. Hellyer, J. W. Harbrow, and D. J. S. Robertson. MACANDREW BAY DRAINAGE. The problem at Macandrew Bay of sewerage disposal, which has exercised the attention of the council and the ratepayers of the district for a considerable period, was the subject of a letter from the medical officer of health (Dr T. M'Kibbin) in reply to a communication from the council asking for any suggestions for an improvement of the present system. The medical officer said that he regarded the closely-popu-lated area from and including Marion street to Cosy Dell as a special one, and ho suggested that for that area the council consider taking steps under a section of the Counties Act to obtain the power of a borough council, and that the ratepayers concerned be invited to petition the council to have this area declared a separate one for rating purposes in respect of special sanitary and other works installed. A policy of reasonably encouraging the installation of septic tanks on private promises might be adopted. Following discussion, it was held that the Harbour Board should be approached to ascertain its policy regarding the use of the harbour for the dis-; posal of drainage, and the chairman, Cr Hellyer, and the engineer were deputed to meet the Harbour Board and the medical officer to discuss the position. CORRESPONDENCE. A request that gorse and broom be removed from the road leading to his property at Macandrew Bay was made by Mr M. Oliver.—The application was declined. Permission to place a telephone box on the power pole at the corner of a store at Macandrew Bay was asked for by the Peninsula Motor Service Company Ltd. The electrical department had granted its sanction to make use of the pole.—Permission was granted. Provided that labour under the No. 5 scheme was voluntarily available, the Employment Bureau gave its approval for the employment of two men to tend approximately 9,000 shrubs which have been planted on the road 1 reserve between Dunedin and Portobello. The bureau wrote that it considered that the wages for the men in question should be subsidised to some extent. — The meeting held that owing to the state of, the council’s finances a subsidy, for the work was out of the ques-. tio'n, and this aspect of the men’s employment was referred to the Peninsula Motor Bus Service. A suggestion that a light be installed adjacent to a culvert where a creek crossed Howard street at Macandrew Bay was made by Mr G. E. Turner in view of the proposal to erect extra street lamps in the district.—ln reply to a question by Cr Hellyer, the clerk (Mr R. Seaton) said that no representations about the light in Howard street had been received from the Ratepayers’ Association. —The Chairman dissented with Cr Hellyer’s opinion that a light was necessary, and pointed out that the culvert was quite wide enough and did not require illumination.—Further consideration of the application was deferred until the council’s next meeting.

Owing to it ' being too narrow to allow the passage of his motor vehicle, Mr S. W. Raffills asked the council to widen the track leading to his property at Macandrew Bay.—On Cr Cr Hellyer’s motion the request was declined. A copy of a plan of the proposed boatshed and slipway to be erected near Broad Bay by Mr A. Walmsley was submitted by the Harbour Board for the council’s approval.—The application was approved unanimously. The treasurer of the “ Where Next?” art union forwarded a cheque for £lB, part profit of the art union, to be used for the general relief of distress at Portobello.—Received. Advice was received that the Main Highways Board would be in Dunedin on March 15 in the course of a tour of the South Island, and that any particular matters the council desired to discuss would be given consideration. —Received. A list of requests that had been made by the North-east Harbour Ratepayers’ Association to the council was received from the former body, which pointed out that nothing of a tangible nature had been carried out in the case of each application.—The Chairman explained that the inactivity of the council about the requests had been necessitated because of a lack of funds. He said that the association had referred to the drainage problem at jlacandrew Bay, but until a conference had been arranged with the Harbour Board and the health authorities no decision could bo reached.—The letter was accordingly received. FINANCES. The financial statement set out the following riding balances: —Debit: Otago Heads, £79 18s 8d; Tomahawk, £2l 10s; North-east Harbour, £32 6s 2d; Broad Bay, £97 2s 7d; Portobello, £194 10s Id. Credit: Sandymount, £52 2s 6d; Highcliff, £93 18s 6d. Accounts amounting to £539 6s 6d were passed for payment. Amounts due to the council totalled £I,BOO. — The statement was received. GENERAL. The County Clerk reported that four building permits had been issued during January.—Received. The county ranger (Mr E. Campbell) reported that he had found eight head of cattle wandering on county roads during January, In response to a request from the Now Zealand Counties’ Association for the council’s opinion on the proposed Local Bodies’ Amalgamation Bill, a discussion was held on this question.— Members expressed the opinion that it was open- to doubt whether any advantage would accrue from the amalgamation of the county with any neighbouring body, as the isolation of its territory would mean a considerable increase in costs if the work was to be supervised from outside.—lt was decided to notify the association that the council did not approve of the scheme as applied to its position. A request was also received from the Counties’ Association asking what the council would consider a fair allowance for travelling time under the new awards.—The matter was discussed, and the council decided to recommend a payment of 4d per mile, an amendment favouring 6d per mile being defeated. ENGINEER’S REPORT. Work carried out in the county during January was the subject of the following report from the county engineer (Mr S. G. Paterson) : “ Owing to the rearrangement of the outside staff, due to the work mi Pero’s Point and f’’- v commencement of the widening of tho Portobello to Cape

Saunders road, the regular work in the ridings has been interrupted, but will be resumed during the current period,” he reported. The widening and straightening of the highway at Perots Point had been completed, and the sand batters sodded. Application had been made to the Highways Board for a subsidy on the work. The subsidence of the road at the Portobello School had been filled to road level with the surplus sand from Pero’s Point. The hole on the Macandrew Bay to Highcliff road has been built up on the low' side with a small stone wall and partly filled ■with spoil from the slip on the same road. Maintenance work had been done on a short curve in Marion street, Macandrew Bay. Water tables had been cleaned on the Tomahawk Main road. Work had been commenced on the grant subsidy job of widening and walling the Portobello to Cape Saunders road. Approximately four chains of wall were built and the roadway filled to level. The quarry supplying walling stoua had given out and another quarry was being tried. The new crusher had been installed at Burns’s quarry and was commencing work. The grader had been employed on the highways and on the Riddell’s to Hooper’s Inlet road during the first half of the month. During the past fortnight the grader had been on hire to the Dunedin City Council under a temporary arrangement. The road round Papanui Inlet was badly potholed and was in urgent need of repair. The report was ndouto'l and it was resolved to a’:torn! iniui :di; t" y la iho Papanui read.