COUNTY AFFAIRS.

Grey River Argus, 27 April 1929, Page 8

COUNTY AFFAIRS.

ORDINARY MEETING. - The ordinary meeting of the Grey County Council was held yesterday afternoon, it being the last meeting prior to the election of the new Conn-, cil. Councillors present were:—A. Robinson (Chairman), D. Baybutt, J, Ryall, J. W. Hannan, A. Donnellan, H. G. Carter, D. Kidd, G. Blair and W. T. Ogilvie. T. Kendrick applied for permission to use road reserve, along his own section in Greymouth ‘ S.D.—Referred to the Engineer to report to next meeting. x A. T. Wallis applied for permission to erect a motor garage adjacent to Thompson’s road iat Camp Creek.— Permission granted. In accordance with an order of demolition of the. Union Hotel, Ahaura, made by resolution of the Board of Health last June. Dr T. F. Telford, Medical Officer of Health, regretted that owing to an oversight in that office the resolution of the Board had not been put into effect. He asked therefore that the Council issue a requisition requiring the owner to reremove the building within thirteen weeks. —Letter received, and action deferred until next meeting, to allow the new Council to deal with it. Mr Arthur Dunn offered to clear, for the sum of £l5, the road from Ahaura Plains to the Ahaura River, which had been completely blocked after a bush fire, as he desired t 0 get timber to his sluicing dam.—Left in hands of Engineer to report upon. S. McNamara asked permission to erect a bowser on the roadside, on the sawmill Company’s premises at Ruru. —The Council diesided to ask Mr McNamara to confer with the Engineer.

The Blackball Medical Association asked that the Council provide a street light opposite the doctor’s residence in Clifford Street. -Blackball.*—The Clerk reported the matter had received attention.

The United Sawmills, Ltd, confirmed the offet made by Mr P. Ryder, on behalf of the company t for limber on road reserve at Honouu.—Recommendation of Committee received and ad* opted. James William Kitchener, Pitt Street, Runanga, wrote asking the Council for information regarding a plot of land, which he desired to lease, with a view to erecting a dwelling thereon. —Letter received, and re ferred to Eng-ueer, to report to next meeting.

Mr F. E. Roud, a soldier settler, on the south side of Punakaiki River, wrote re damage to his property caused by river erosion, and which was endangering the road. He asked that a bank be built, at a vast approximately £5O. The Crown Lands Commissioner wrote in regard to the mattqr, and suggested that the Council might contribute towards the cost of protection work. The Engineer described tlie locality and th e difficulty in building a bank which would not be washed away. Cr Ryall moved that the Public Works and Lands Department be approached t 0 find a proportion of the cost, the Council to find an equal proportion towards preventing erosion, the occupier of the 'land to do the work. This was carried. LEWIS PASS ROAD.

Mr W. B. Auld, Inangahua County Clerk, forwarded a copy of a letter hift County had sent to the Minister of Public Works, relative to the matter of road communication between the West Coast and Canterbury, via Lewis Pass. Cr Carter remarked that he felt shy about th e Pa c s. There were roads hero that required urgent attention. For the past 20 to 30 years they had been speaking of the Kopara, but nothing had been accomplished. It was their duty to get down and look after their own settlement. • . j The Chairman stated that he was of the same opinion as Cr Carter, tTut he could not see any harm in assisting to get it. They must, of course, look after their own “back door” first. C r Carter: I wouldn’t like it to go our that we were enthusiastic about it, when there are so many other matters requiring attention in our own area. Cr Ryall agreed with Cr Carter. If the Council supported the Pass, it would mean that the Kopara and other necessary work would suffer. The money allocated could be better spent in their own county. “I was about to move that the letter be received, and no action be taken.”

The Chairmans It will not interfere with us. Cr Ryall: It will, in the allocation of money. Cr Carter: Our duty is to our own county. The Department will tell us we were in favour of this, and load us with the allocation. The Chairman: We arc not giving anything away that we can use for ourselves. It was resolved .that the letter be received. . TREASURER’S STATEMENT. Th following financial statement Jfas presented by the Treasurer (Mr M. Keating) :— 1 beg to report that the receipts and expenditure for the year ending 31sl March constitute a new record for the Council. The receipts for the period •j*der review totalled £43.434, the pincipal items being: —Goldfields revenue £7544 13s 46, halves £l6BB, State Forests £1199, rates £7540. main and secondary highways £9901, Government grants: Bridges and roads £6292, coal und timber levies £920, Motor Vehicles Act £2311. The expenditure for .the year is also the heaviest on record, amounting to £41,115, the year’s iwork showing a credit o f £2319. The financial position of Ihe Council, therefore, shows a very gratifying improvement; a debit balance of £l2OO in 1928 being converted into a very satisfactory credit balance. With royalties and subsidies due by Treasury and Main Highways Board, the Council will be able to show a credit balance of over £2OOO. In addition, three new lorries were out of revenue during th a

year, the additions to plant qpiou?\ting to £B5O, whilst the Council h’as not had occasion to raise the loan for £llOO for the construction of the. Moonlight Creek Bridge which was sanctioned during the year by a special poll. The public debt of the Cdu’ncil as at 31st March is as follows:—1907, Taramakau Bridge loan, amount £2022. balance £400; 1920, Cobden Bridge loan £3OO, balance £1920; 1923, ante cedent liability £11,500, balance £7773; 1923, telephone loan £750. 1 balance £375; 1925. Workers* D. loan £1350. balance £lll4—total amount £18,622total balance £11,382. It will be seen from the above that during the past six years the sum of £864 per year has been paid off the loan accounts. The construction of the Moonlight Creek and Crooked River Bridges, and he completion of the Greymouth-Inch bbnnie Road are among the more not able achievements of the present Coun cil, whilst the improvements to the Greymouth-Westport road will be of especial benefit when this important highway is finally opened to through traffic.

The Council now possess a thoroughly up to date roadmaking plant, which includes an Austin road roller, stone crushing plant, combined tractor and grader, Brockway 3| ton truck, five Ford motor trucks, one Chevrolet truck, two road graders, and the necessary travelling whares. The plant has all been purchased out of revenue. RECEIPTS FOR THE YEAR. Thb receipts for the year ending March JJsL were as . follows (last year’s figures oeing shown „ih parentheses) Goldfields revenue £7544 13s 4d (£6752),' halves send thirds £l6BB 'ss 8d (£1281), State Forests £1199 18s 5d (£1385). fees and fines £73 0s lid (£l4), subsidy on rates £5OO (£125). Government grants on foads and bridges £6292 7s 7d, main and secondary highways subsidy £9901 Is 96, rates £7540 Ils 4d <£7494), Motor Vehicles Act £2m- 17s 7d (£1987), publicans’ licenses £414 8s (£4H>), licen ‘ ses £l7 'io ß Cd 1 (£11)," deposits £2OO, coal and timber .oyaHies £920 15s Id, sale material £B4B 5s 5d (£527), refunds coVnp'ehsation, Barrytown telephone, etc £195 ss, hire machinery £3487 15s 3d (£2916)— total £43.434 0s sd.