GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 April 1932, Page 8

GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Gi’ey County Council was continued at the County Chambers yesterday afternoon, Present: Councillors J. Ryall (chairman), A. Donnellan, J. W. Hannan, H. G. Carter, W. Ogilvie, J. Mulcare, AMcDonald, A. Robinson and G. Blair. The application of Mr W. Clayton for the lease of ferry reserve, Block VI., section 1, Ahaura Survey District, held over from last meeting, was reviewed. An objection was received from Mr S. Burrows', who waited upon the meeting. He said that the ferry reserve was in flood time, the only safe harbour for his stock, and if it was leased to Mr Clayton, objector, whose land adjoined the ferry reserve would be deprived of this harbour. In the event of his desiring to bring stock across the Ahaura River, objector said that the reserve was the only place where they could be landed. He did not wish, himself, to leafee. the ferry, but asked that it be leased to no one else.

The Engineer, reporting on the reserve, said that it had been vested in the Council as a ferry reserve in 1883, when gold miners used it for ferry purposes. With the decay of goldmining, the ferry had fallen into disuse- The land had for many years ben used by the late Air Crysell. The Council had power to lease the reserve for 21 years, the lease to be renewable at the end of the period, or to grant a temporary license for its use, terminable within 12 months. The Chairman asked whether it would suit objector if the land were put up at auction. Cr Mulcare considered that such an action would not be fair- Unless there were good reasons why another man should get it, it should be given to the owner of the adjoining property.

Cr Donnellan said that if a lease was granted, it should be on the condition that the ferry should be used if requiredCr Robinson thought that the case would be met by leaving matters exactly as they were at present. Mr Clayton’s aplication was refused.

Reporting on the Blackball-Brunner track by the Croesus mine, which he recently inspected, Mi* Higgins said that on the whole the track was in fair order. The present suspension bridge on the track swayed alarmingly, and the timber for a new one was being squared by unemployment relief workers, but so far as the actual building was concerned it would be necessary to raise sufiicient money. —lt was decided that the Mines Department be applied to for a subsidy for the bridge. Mr Albert Sloss, was appointed temporary Traffic Inspector for the combined local bodies, of which the County Council is the controlling body.

DRAINAGE OF SWAMP. 19 Cr Mulcare said that he would like to bring before the Council as a possible work on which unemployed labour might be Utilised, the draining of a swamp area between Kamaka and Ngahere. Farmers had made application for men to do the work, apd had failed to get any men at all. Mr Higgins said that before the scheme could be put into effect, the permisison of the land owners must first be. obtained. The work would first of all have to be laid out, and when a start was made, it would have to be made at the lower end of the swamp, for if it was made from the top end the water might be concentrated on to someone’s private land. Cr Mulcare said that if the scheme I was carried out it would benefit the whole district, the County Council and the Railways Department. The land was first-class, and only needed draining. This it was proposed to do simply by diverting, by means of a channel, the water from two blind creeks into another creek. Cr Robinson said that an agreement would first have to be made with the land owners. In any case, he knew of any amount of land which required draining just as much as the portion of which Cr Mulcare was talking. Cr Mulcare said that the carrying out of the work on such a large scale as that reported on by the Engineer was not proposed. All that was wanted was that a few men, unemployed, should be given the work by farmers, whose land the area affected. The land had been inspected by the Local Government Fields Instructor, who strongly recommended that it be proceeded with. There were 250 unemployed in Blackball, only about three miles away, and surely some of them could be given employment. Cr Ogilvie said that so far as the

Local Unemployment Committee was concerned, the problem they were laced ’with was the making of their funds to spread out. Mr Higgins said that the Council would have to take no responsibility in the matter, simply handing the men over to the farmers to supply the work. Cr Ogilvie: A lot of the men didn’t want work, and won’t take it if it is given to them.

Cr Mulcare: What! It’s a pity you’re not in the same condition, with wife and kids starving. A Voice: How did they get in that condition? Cr Mulcare: That doesn’t matter. Cr Ogilvie: It matters quite a lotCr Carter said that it seemed as if the authorities considered highway work preferable to farm work. The Chairman said that he knew of a specific case of two unemployed men in the County who had refused farm work, and were now employed on loading work.

Cr Robinson said that so far as the drain work at present under discussion was concerned, he would not put men of his own to work there without gum boots.

The Chairman said that he thought the provision of gum boots would be one of the things the employer would have to supply.

Cr Blair moved that where men have refused to accept farm work, they be not granted work on the roads. The motion lapsed. Cr Mulcare: Well, I’m easy about it. Let the whole matter drop. ,9 r T 1 ? ai<l that Inen had already iefused to do the work a ,V““ l “ are i We "- ' vith ali reOgl . lvle - 1 ot men Blackball to the swamp, at their own expense, to carry out the work No action was taken. nri Ct ' H lu \ referre d to another work Minch Blackball men could be Placed, the diversion of a road through*

Armstrong’s or Nyberg’s property at Ngahere. Mr Higgins said that the question of compensation for land taken arose. Cr Mulcare said that a new route had been devised, cutting out that question. The matter was referred to the Engineer. It. was decided to rescind a previous motion on the books, regretting the Council s inability to make a donation to the West Coast Competitions’ Society, and it was decided to grant the Society £l/1/-. ,