TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 22893, 26 February 1938, Page 22

TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING Cr J. Gow presided at the monthly meeting of the T.aieri County Council held yesterday, CORRESPONDENCE. The Brighton Ratepayers’ Association complained of gorse on the streets there. —Referred to the member for the riding. The Secretary, Otago Education Board, asked permission to lay a Sin pipe in the ■ Main road from March Creek to the new baths at Strath Taieri School.—Permission _ granted, provided the work is carried cut to the council’s satisfaction. REPORTS. The Finance Committee reported as follows:—Expenditure for the month was £8,299 13s lOd, and receipts were £2,248 13s 7d. The bank balance (dr.) was £4,437 9s 4d. The report was adopted. ■Mr John Garrett (inspector of works) reported for the month as follows : East Taieri Riding. The following roads have been surfaced and graded: Cemetery, Riverside, Owhiro-Gladfield, Centre, and Riccarton. North Taieri Riding.—The deviation at Boyd’s Hill on the North TaieriTaioma road is in progress. The fol- 1 lowing roads have been graded:—Gibson’s to Muir’s, Gordon, Silverstream Valley, and North Taieri School roads. Kaikorai Riding. The following roads have been surfaced: —Golf Links, Sim’s, Green Island Bush, and Sidey’s. Sidey’s and Kaikorai Valley roads have been graded. Otokia Riding—Pipe crossings have been put in at Brighton for Mrs Cairns and D. Boatwood, applicants supplying the pipes. Ragwort has been cleared from tne Brighton gravel pit. Under Government grant, the contractor for delivery of gravel on the Oto-kia-Kuri Bush and Tukatau roads has made fair progress with the work. Outram Riding.—Grading and surface work has been carried out on the Allanton to Berwick road, also the Granton, Cray’s Beehive, Huntly, and Outram to Hindon roads. The deck of the bridge at Johnston’s, on Bruce road, has been repaired. Maungatua Riding. - The following’ roads have been surfaced and graded:—Henley to Berwick, B. Drain, Rivcrbank, Timm’s, and Kofoed’s at Berwick. A two-foot pipe culvert has been put in at the Woodside School. Deep Stream Riding.—Under Government grant, the contractor for delivery of gravel on the road from Lee Stream to Boyd’s will finish his contract by tbe end of next week. During the month tenders were called for delivery of 2,222yds of gravel on the Outram to Hindon ,road, on the section from Mount Hyde to the old school, and that of O. Branssell was accepted. Strath Taieri Riding. Under Government grant, the contractor for delivery of 3,069yds of gravel on the Mount Stoker road has made good progress with this contract. The grader has been at work on the Dry Ridge and Gladbrook Settlement roads. —Main Highways.— No. 2.—Grading and surface work has been carried out from West Taieri Church to Sutton. Repairs have been effected to the deck of the Deep Stream bridge. No. 3.—Maintenance gravel (490yds) has been run out on the Duke’s road section and the road graded. No. 4.—Grading and surface work has been carried out. No. s.—Graded and surfaced, and parking signs put up at Brighton. Nos. 6 and 7.—Graded and surfaced. No. B.—The battens from the centre of the Allanton bridge have been removed, and spaces made up with plant mix. The structure of the bridge is receiving a coat of tar. The road was graded throughout. The report was adopted.

The traffic, building, and sanitary inspector (Mr John Williamson) reported that he had issued 16 drivers’-

licenses and four heavy traffic licenses. Parking signs had been erected at Brighton. Three building permits, of an estimated value of £832, were issued and £2 2s fees collected. Slaughter houses and piggeries were inspected 'and found to he in a satisfactory condition. Eight cattle had been found wandering, > , The report was adopted. GENERAL. The council passed the necessary resolution accepting two small pieces of land in Brighton, allotments 3 and 4 on plan 5,074, which had been dedicated to the council for road, widening by Mr James E. Morgan.

MAIN HIGHWAY ALLOCATION. The council decided to accept the allocation of £1,425 as its contribution to the cost of the Dunedin-Duke’s road main highway, although this amount was practically double that to which the council originally agreed. Councillors remarked that there was some opposition to the new road, but they adopted the attitude that the improvements were bound to be made in time and the council could hardly expect a better offer than the present one.

The Main Highways Board representative (Mr P. Keller) forwarded a letter to the meeting, stating that the estimated cost of the work was £30,000. Unskilled labour was estimated at 2,800 man weeks, on which the Labour Department had offered a subsidy of 45s per man week, aggregating £6,300. The Main Highways Board would contribute £IB,OOO -and the local authorities £5,700, the council’s portion being £1,425. - It was slated that the council was spending £6OO per annum on the maintenance of the present road, so that the amount asked would_ be practically paid off in two years, with the advantage that the council would then have a first-class new road at the cost of its future maintenance.