POHANGINA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Feilding Star, Volume I, Issue 12, 14 July 1906, Page 3

POHANGINA COUNTY COUNCIL.

[By Telegraph.) (From our Special Reporter.) Pohangina, Saturday. The regular meeting of the abovt was held to-day. .Present — Councillor* Philpotts (chairman), Hammond Osborne, Howie, Oliver, Jackson, Brown. COBBESPONDBNCB. A petition was received from severa residents of Apiti directing attention to the bad state of the Apiti-Norse-wood Road opposite Mr Wilson's residence. * A petition was received from several ratepayers at Umutoi directing attention to the bad state of the road running to Umutoi Sawmill. A petition was received from the ratepayers of the Mangapikopiko Riding and the Umutoi and Coal Ridings requesting the Council, at the earliest opportunity to call a meeting of ratepayers to obtain their permission to borrow sufficient money to meet a quarter of the cost (estimated at £550) of the proposed bridge to be erected over the- Oroua River at the Main South Road crossing to connect Apiti with Rangiwahia. The following letters were received : From R. A. Dick, Apiti, asking for 'lease of reserve adjoining his property. — Offer accepted. From R. F. Rounthwaite, Engineer, stating that it would be necessary to provide a sum of £275 for payment of the bridge contractors, Messrs Burke & Murphy. From the Clerk of the Kiwitea County, enclosing report re proposed bridge at London's ford. Treasurer's Report. Amounts received for the mouth of June were as follows: — General rates £45 lls 8(1, special £16 Is sd, 10 per cant additional £1 6s 2d, contractors' deposits £7 10s, rent of reserves £2 2s 6d, publicans' licenses £45 ; total, £117 lls 9d. The riding accounts balances are as follows :— Dr, Awahou £520 Is lid, Coal Creek £428 7s 9d,' Mangaone £48 9s 9d, Mangapikopiko* £570 17s sd, Pohangina £495 12s Od, Tamaki £614 5a Id, Umutoi £1303 6s Id. Cr. Hypothecated thirds £1209 0s 9d, land fund £59 0s sd. Total accounts to be passed for payment £1039 5s Bd. About 80 applications were received for the position of Clerk. The estimated expenditure for tho ridings is as follows: — Awahou £972 17s 7d, Coal Creek £1196 19 9d, Mangaone £1293 lls 9d, Mangapikopiko £1418 0s 9(1, Pohangina £1049 12s 4d, Tamaki £913 2s 7d, Umutoi £1813 4s Id. Engineer's Report. The Engineer reported as follows : — Mangaone Riding — The crossing at the creamery on the Ashhurst-Pohan-gina Road has been attended to. The worst holes in the Valley Road have been filled in. The Ashhurst, Pohangina, and Valley Roads require the worst holes to be filled in. Pohangina Riding — The township drains have been attended to. Awahou Riding — A large culvert has been replaced on the No. 2 Line, and a large slip has been removed off the top of the road over the bridge site. It will be necessary to provide a sum of not less than £200 to maintain the top and bottom roads on the Pohangina bridge site for the next twelve months. I would recommend that £25 be expended at once in protecting the top road where the large slip has occurred. Re expenditure of thirds it will be necessary to alter the proposals. Tamaki Riding — The worst places on the Main Road between Digger's Creek and Holt's Hill have been filled in with metal, and a culvert has been put in. Opawe Road is in a dangerous condition. £10 should be spent to bridge the creek in the Forest Reserve. Owing to the wagon traffic the Main Road is getting into a state of disrepair, and the wagons are very much overloaded; . Umutoi Riding — The metalling, contracts have been completed on the Mount Richards. I would recommend ! that £50 be spent in metalling the worst places on the Makiekie Road, also £25 for tho Makoura Hill. There aro several dangerous holes between the Makoura Road South and Utuwai. Coal Creek Riding— Tho metalling contract on London's Road is*progressing satisfactorily. Several bad .places in Denton's Road have been attended to. Mangapikopiko Riding — Owing to the bad weather it has been impossible to do any metalling in or around Apiti. Again I beg to draw attention to two dangerous places in the Norsewood Road. Clerk's Repot. Tho Clerk (Mr J. Wheeler), in the course of a lengthy report, referred to what he considered was very harsh treatment ou the part of tho Council, and. directed that for certain alleged offences a number of the members should be called upon to resign their seats. Briefly the charges are as follows :-— (1) Applying County funds for purposes which the Act expressly forbids. (2) Bringing charges against himself (Mr Wheeler), the truth of which a certain Councillor does not attempt to ascertain, and which were rejected by the Council in toto, yet notwithstanding which a motion was passed for his dismissal. The crime of endeavoring to introduce some measure of political rectitude into the administration of the affairs of the Council can only be met by a curt dismissal. Chairman's Resignation. The Chairman tendered his resignation, stating that if Councillors were not satisfied with the way in which he conducted the Council affairs, the best thing he could do was to resign. They were appointing and they could also elect a new chairman. All the Councillors stated that they were well satisfied with the way the Chairman had transacted the business, and hoped they would all pull together. The resignation was not accepted. Pohanuixa Bridge. The Bridge Engineer reported that the Pohangina bridge would be finished within 10 days. The contractors had a difficulty »n getting labour* and had been delayed owing tb not getting building timber. Tho work wouW all be finished in two weeks. The Council decided that, under tho circumstanoes, they were willing to treat the contractor in a generous spirit, and would not enforce the penalties. London's Bridge. In regard to the proposal for the erection of a bridge' at London's ford, which has already been before the Council and the Kiwitea County Council, Cr. Hammond reported that he had laid the matter before Mr Short, of the Roads- Department, who had sent a practical engineer to inspect the site and report, That had been done, and he thought that the bridge proposed by the Pohangina Council would be satisfactory, although it would be easy to make it higher. The Chairman considered that the appointment of a Commission would be an expensive and cumbrous method of dealing with, the matter, and perhaps the two Councils could settle the contributions themselves. Mr Rounthewaite, Engineer, said the matter was one between only two counties, theft would riot be mucb|ex'pense attaching to the Commission. The idea of the Kiwitoa Council about the bridge was out of all reason as there was little danger of the proposed bridgo boing washed away. It was eventually decided to agree to tho appointment of a Commission. Tho Council then adjourned for