GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 8 May 1936, Page 3

GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Grey County Council was held last evening, there being present: Crs J. Ryall, 11. G. Carter, A. Donnellan. A. Robinsou, A. McDonnell, W. T. Qgilvie, and G. Blair, the Engineer (Mr J. Higgins’), and the Clerk (Mr M. Keating). In the absence of the Chairman (Cr J. W. Hannan), from whom an apology was received, Cr Ryall was appointed acting-chairman. An apology for absence was also received from Cr. J. Mulcare.

An application was received from the Golden Sands Ltd., for permission to sluice, part of a road reserve included in the company’s area, at Barrytown, Mr J. M. Dennehy waited upon the meeting with regard to the application. He said that the company desired to work portion of the road reserve running through their claim. The greater part of the reserve had been worked in the past, at different times, and only a small portion remained. It would be it great inconvenience to the company if they were not allowed to work the portion referred to in the application. The company paid over £7O a year to the Council, £2O in rates, and £5O in rents. He understood that there was an objection to the granting of the application by Bourkes and White, but he wished to say that Bourke had worked part of the same reserve himself, some time ago, and both had part of it fenced. After the reserve was worked it would be much easier to construct a road, and it would be a better job. It would not inconvenience anybody to work it as at the present time it was only bush and swamp. The Company proposed to fill' in the road reserve, as they had been required to do in the case of a previous portion. The acting-Chairman: Is it a road reserve not likely to be used? The Engineer: Not in the immediate future. Cr. Donnellan: Have the company not worked a portion of the reserve in the past? The Engineer: Yes. on the condition that it was filled up. it was worked, but it has not been filled up.

A letter was received from Mr N. R. White, entering a strong protest against the road reserve .being, interfered with, or used for mining purposes. The acting-Chairman: lie does not state the grounds for his objection? The Clerk: No. Cr Ogilvie said that if the Engineer had no objection he did not see why the application could not be granted. The Engineer suggested that the Council should obtain a bond from the company, as a guarantee that the road would be restored, ye thought that if that was forthcoming, permission could bo granted. The acting-Chairman said that he thought the only objection that White could have was the destruction of his fences. He asked what amount of bond the Engineer would suggest. in reply to the Engineer Mr Dennehy said the company proposed to work about a chain or a chain and a-half, from 12 to 16 feet deep. In working they would level off a hill, which would facilitate road-making. The Engineer: Uhder those circumstances I should say that £25 would be enough. The acting-Chairman (to Mr Den-

•nehy): Would you be satisfied with that? Mr Dennehy: Yes. but we expect only to fill up what we have worked, not what others have done previously. It would be no trouble to fill up our portion. On the motion of the acting-Chair-man, seconded by Cr Carter, it was decided that/the company’s application be granted, on conditions to be 1 imposed by the Engineer. Accounts amounting to £2954/11/1 were passed for payment. The State Department forwarded a schedule showing tpat fifths, and tenths accrued for the quarter ended March 31, 1936, amounted to £369/6/5.

GRANT FOR BRIDGE. Mr J. O’Brien, M.P., forwarded a letter from the Minister of Public Woiks. advising that he was prepared to grant £350, on a basis of £2 for £l, for Waterfall Creek Bridge, between Greenstone and Mitchells, on the Lake Brunner-Inchbonnie Road. Cr. Robinson said that it was an urgent work, and he thought that it would be wise for the Council to accept the Minister's offer, and pay its share. He moved that the Council find its proportion for the work. The motion was seconded by Cr. Blair and carried. The Acting-Chairman said that the amount would appear on the estimates, and accordingly the work would not be done immediately. Mr J. -O’Brien, M.P., advised that a further sum of £2OO, on a £2 for ‘£l basis would be made available jt'or Matai road, provided that the Council was prepared to find its share. The Engineer said that the Council had already expended £6O on {he road, and he suggested that the Council should confine itself to an application for a 2 to 1 grant on that amount.

On the motion of Crs Donnellan and Carter, the Engineer’s suggestion was adopted. The Secretary of the Local Government Loans Board advised that sanction had been given for the Council to take a poll for the raising of a loan of £11,500 for tar-sealing.

The acting-Chairman: We cannot do anything in the meantime, until we see what is going to be done with our highways. The letter was received. The Commissioner of Transport forwarded a copy of a Gazette notice, classifying the Grey-Westport road as a Class 3 road (61 tons) instead of a Class 4 (41 tons) as formerly. The acting-Chairman: How will we get on for our coal carting revenup?

The Engineer: We will lose it. The Returned Soldiers’ Association wrote drawing the attention of the Council to the sale pf the Anzac stamps, and requesting that a supply be purchased. It was decided that £4 worth of the stamps be used’on the Council’s correspondence. The Treasury Department advised that the Council’s contribution pf £4OO towards the construction of the Greymouth aerodrome had been approved. The Nemona Gold Dredging Company wrote requesting the Council to repair the road between the Marsden township and the New River Bridge, leading to the company’s dredge. Cr Ogilvie said that Hie company had done a fair amount of work on portion of the road themselves, and lie moved that the matter be left to the Engineer, with power to act.

The motion was carried. Mr F. ,T. Duggan, Pitt Street, Runanga, wrote complaining against the blockage of drains from his property. The Engineer said that the Public Works Department had been carrying out road-widening at that particular place, and he did not know whether they had interfered with the drains or not. if they had, it was a Public Works job, and had nothing to do with the County. It was decided to refer Mr Duggan to the Public Works Department.

ROAD REPAIR. A petition was received from Messrs Simpson, Passmore, Nichols and others, drawing the attention of the Council to the fact that Greenstone and Harris roads, leading to the Teremakau Settlement were in a bad state, and urgently in need of repair. Cr Robinson said that the Engineer had recently visited the locality, and probably he could tell something about the roads. The Engineer said that the roads were in a fairly bad state, due to the Council giving permission to sawmillers, in August last, to take 7 ton loads on the roads. He did not know the conditions, as he was not present when permission was given, but he did not think that such loads should have ever been allowed on such little roads. * In reply to Cr Donnellan, the Engineer said that it was Steel and Reedy who were carting on the road, not Wallis. Cr Robinson: When Wallis was using; the road he had to repair it. The Engineer: He gave us £lOO on one occasion. Cr Robinson spiel he thought Steel and Reedy should be asked to assist in putting the road back into repair. The Engineer said that the Council got no revenue from the timber that they were cutting, as it was on fi eehold land.

The acting-Chairman: They have another mill at Payne’s Gully that we get revenue from, and we do not have to spend it on the road. The Engineer: We have to keep it in repair. When the Council issues such a permit they should have some conditions governing it, not make just a bald statement. Cr Robinson suggested that a subcommittee from the Council should meet Steel and Reedy. ‘The acting-Chairman said that when the permit had been granted he thought the Council had taken into consideration that it was said that there was a boat waiting for timber, and that it could not be loaded. The Clerk said that last year the Council received £290 in revenue from the Payne’s Gully mill, but nothing from the Teremakau mill.

Ci- Cartel - said that it had been a matter of principle with the Council that a bond should be entered into to keep the road in repair, when permission was given for overloading.

The Engineer said that when (he permission was given, the lorries had been weighed up and summonses had been issued for overloading. The. Council had had the summonses withdrawn. and the costs had to be paid by the Council. The Councillors should know under what conditions permission was granted, as lie presumed they were all present at the meeting, while he was not. The acting-Chairman: They are not the only summonses that have been withdrawn.

The Engineer agreed that summonses had been withdrawn on other

occasions, but the Council had not had to pfiy the costs. Cr Robinson moved that the Council meet Messrs Steel and Reedy, following the annual meeting of the Council, on May 27, and see whether they could come to some terms for the upkeep of the road. The motion was carried, and the Clerk was instructed to notify the signatories of the petition to that effect. A complaint was received from Mr H. Gresham, of Christchurch, that C. Roper, one of the County lorry drivers, had acted as “a road hog” on the Coastal road, near Punakaiki, in that he failed to give way, after a warning. The lorry driver’s explanation of the incident was also received. It was decided that the lorry driver’s explanation be adopted, the Engineer remarking that in his opinipn, in view of the locality where JMr Gresham wished to pass it was he who was doing the “road-hogging.” Cr Carter said that he had had a complaint from Mr W. Thomas, of Kotuku, regarding erosion at .the rear of his residence, and he would like the Council to instruct the Engineer to make an inspection.

It was decided that the Engineer should investigate the complaint. TREASURER’S STATEMENT. The Treasurer (Mr M. Keating) reported that the receipts for the period April 1 to May 6, 1936, amounted to £2904/0/1, made up as follow--Rates £283/16/7; Vehicle Licenses £7l/19/6; Sundry Licenses £5;. Sales 17/6: Refunds Compensation '£l4l/13/2; Government Grants £96 14/6; Halves and Thirds £466/13/4; No. 5 Scheme £539/11/8; Gold Scheme £1266/17/4; Sundry £.30 16/6. ' '