GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 November 1944, Page 2

GREY COUNTY COUNCIL

HIGHWAYS ESTIMATES

The Grey County Council, at its meeting, yesterday, received advice that the Main Highways Board had approved the annual highways .estimates for the current year as follow, the basis being £3 for £1: Coast road, maintenance, £3,930. NgahereHaupiri No. 603, maintenance, £9UU, Nelson Creek, sealing, £270. Ku-mara-Haupiri, No. 624, maintenance, £9OO. Ngahere-Blackball, maintenance, £375. Flood damage, Coast Road, maintenance, £450. KumaraiHaupiri Junction, maintenance, £IBU. ! Cr. R. Clark presided, also present being Crs. J. Ryall, M.L.C., A. Mc- • Donnell, J. Ryan, J. Mulcare. F. Donjo van, T. G. Jamieson, and W. Fisher and the Engineer (Mr. Higgins). Accounts amounting to £2,24 were passed for payment. Mr. O’Brien advised Cabinet s approval of a subsidy of £750 on a £ i tor £ basis in respect of floods in I February and March last. However in view of the Council’s financial 'position, assistance could not be given j in connection with repair of damage (which occurred in September, 1943, I and for repairs to the Orangipuku ißiver bridge. , | The Marine Department iorwaided copies of the Order-in-Council vpstI ing the management of the Lake Brunner launch skidways in tne 'Council. • , I The Counties’ Association requested the Council’s views on any matters it considered important on the order paper for the proposed meeting of representatives of West Coast Counties in connection -with the local body investigation. Mr. W. H. Mclntyre, M.L.C., wrote regretting that as Parliament was in session he was unable to convene a meeting of West Coast Councils at present.—The Chairman, Cr. J. W. Hannan, Clerk and Engineer were appointed to discuss the position and report to the next meeting. Mr. W. Scholefield, Blackball, ap- ' plied for a license to hawk perishable goods by horse vehicle. —Decidi ed to reply that the Council has no power to issue any license of the kind. Mr. J. R. Sheedy sought permission to rent part of the Council’s section at Ahaura for an extension to his poultryrun. —Mr. Higgins recommended that the section be not leased, this being adopted. Mr. R. Ford, Hokitika, requested permission to erect a small building on a road reserve on the MitchellsHaupiri Junction Road. —No objection offered. ‘ Mr. N. Peat, Moana, on behalf of Messrs Reynolds and Allen, requested approaches to their sections, on which they intend to build houses. Bridges were required over the dram before the entrances. Mr. A. L. Haste, Rotomanu, asked that the Council renew the culvert over the side drain in front of his property. Mr. Higgins stated that the Highways Board had ruled that the provision and maintenance of private entrances were the responsibility of the occupiers. He sought an instruction — to grant or refuse all requests. The Engineer was instructed to accede to all such requests. Mr. W. T. Jacobs, Secretary of the Rotomanu Branch of the Farmers’ Union, requested that concrete pipes be placed in two bad dips in the Rotomanu district.

Mr. Higgins said no provision was made on the estimates for such work, which would cost £l32 —£120 for one and £l2 for the other. The request was deferred till the finances warrant reconsideration.

The Greymouth Branch, Canterbury Automobile Association, made representations for a traffic bridge across the Crooked River at Te Kinga. Ambulance cases had to be carried for half a mile. Mr. Higgins said a bridge would probably cost £5OOO, while the road was a blind one. He was instructed to state the facts to the Automobile Association.

Following a request from, the Inchbonnie Branch of the Farmers’ Union, for a culvert near the Inchbonnie aerodrome, Mr. Higgins reported that the cost would be £lOO, but there was no provision on the estimates. It was decided to approach the Government for a subsidy for this work and the culverts at Rotomanu. It was also decided to approach the Rivers Control Council for a £3 to £1 subsidy to handle erosion at Fagan’s Creek to protect Mr. D. Dennehy’s land. The Secretary of the Westland Provincial Patriotic Council drew attention to the fact that in the County only £614 of the £2,140 objective for patriotic funds had been raised.* If the same time and organisation expended by other local bodies were given, the result should be better.—The letter, was received, Or. Jamieson stating that the Mayor of Greymouth (Mr. F. A. Kitchingham) intended to discuss with the Victory Loan Committees the desirability of functioning for patriotic purposes. In the afternoon members of the Council visited Karoro and, after inspecting the site, adopted a recommendation by Mr. Higgins that part of the road on the sea front between Warburton Street and Churchill Street be closed for the purposes of a recreation reserve, but that no part of the road be closed for any other Durpose. It was also decided that Warburton Street be opened up to the beach, largely by clearing the road reserve.