HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 7 August 1926, Page 9

HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL

AIONTHLY AIEETING

The monthly meeting of the Hawera County Council was held to-day, when there were present : Messrs J. ,B. Murdoch (eliainnan), T. A. Winks, A. G. Larcom, G. Williams. A. E. Washer, J. Rothery, and T. Walsh. OVERSEER’S REPORT

The county overseer, Air. A. Aluggeridge, reported for the month as follows :

A start has been made scarifying the Sheet Road and is being proceeded with as the weather will permit. The hill on the Normanby-Okaiawa, Road by the Wnihi Creek has been widened with pit metal and there is a good track for horses now, the same class of work is being done on the hill on this side of Okaiawa. One side of the. hill on the Austin Rond by Air. Alinhinnick’s property has been metalled and the other side will be proceeded with as soon as the weather is suitable. These hills had become impassable since the regrading and the work was undertaken under instruction of the riding members. There is a considerable amount of flood damage in the back country. On the Ala kino Hill there were four and a half chains of newly-laid metal washed away and the road blocked in places with slips. The culvert that caused the- metal to be washed away will have to be made larger. Tliis will necessitate taking the old culvert out and putting in a six-foot concrete culvert. This is the second time- during a short period that considerable damage has been done in this same place. The estimated cost to repair the- damage and a new culvert is £250. On the Moron Road there was £IBO worth of damage clone by slips and a, big washout. This will require- a 6x6 culvert to take the flood water and make the filling safe after it is replaced. The timber for this has been ordered from Wellington and as soon as it arrives this work will be- put in hand. The Tongahoe valley lias a number of bad slips and a tunnel just over the river bridge will have to be opened up to allow the flood water and drift wood to get away. A part of the present tunnel caved in some- time ago and this was bridged over, but the drift wood packed in underneath it and lifted it up about two feet above the road. It is proposed to cut through the solid papa and put a small bridge 12 foot -span in the" place of the tunnel, -so as the drift wood and the flood waters can get away. The cost of clearing slips and putting in bridge is estimated to cost £175. I interviewed the resident engineer of the Public Works Department on the matter of getting a grant and he said that he would try and arrange for a £1 for £'l subsidy. Ohangai Road. —The portion from the Tunituru Road to the top of the- Tawhiti hill has been .scarified and the stones broken, formed up and rolled.

HIGHWAY REGULATIONS

The district engineer of the Public Works Department advised that the Alinister had instructed that a return should lie forwarded by wire every Saturday morning showing, under various headings, the number of men employed by the department, and also those employed by local bodies on main highways and ordinary roads under Government grants and • subsidies. As the latter return could only be received from local body’ officers, it was requested that particulars should be computed on Fridays, when one of his staff would telephone for the information. The clerk stated that he had not been in a position to supply accurate particulars weekly for statistical purposes. It would be possible to supply figures monthly. Councillors considered the request absurd, and mentioned that the volume of regulations being imposed involved a great deal of clerical work, and if requests similar to the present were made, it would be necessary’ to make additions to the staff.

The chairman then moved drawing the attention' of the Prime Minister to the fact that regulations under the Highways Board were now' becoming burdensome to local bodies.

The resolution was carried unanimously. The question of procuring a new car for the county overseer was left in the hands of the chairman and Cr. Winks, with, power to act.

The chairman stated that the Hawera Hospital Board had requested permission to erect gate posts on the north side of the corner on Hunter Street, in order to provide a curved entrance to the board’s property.—The clerk was instructed to inform the board that the council could not grant permission. The number seven Highways Council representative, Mr T. M. Ball, advised that at the last meeting of the board a resolution was passed deprecating the decision of the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association in refusing to contribute towards the elimination of railway level crossings. The resolution expressed the board’s desire to remove, as far as possible, the level crossings, but this could only be done by co-operation beturnon the board, the local bodies and the Railway Department. It was felt the action of the Taranaki local bodies was in grent contrast to the action of other local bodies. In a covering letter, Mr Ball staed that it had been fairly closely ascertained that the subway would amount to £4OOO. This included 13 chains of IS feet width biturnous surfacing, costing £520. The proximity of the crossing to the Hawera Borough boundary made it feasible for the county- and borough to unite in providing a subsidy. The Main Highways Board would have no objection to either of the local bodies extending any - payment they might decide to make over a period of .years, and in such case no interest would be charged m outstanding instalments. The letter was referred to the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association. BILLS AFFECTING LOCAL BODIES.

Dealing with the Local Body .Loans Board Bill, the chairman said that in some respects the scheme would eliminate trouble experienced in the past. It would prevent the expenditure of advertising and holding a poll in the event of the Minister of Finance later refus ing to grant the loan. Otherwise he saw no need for the board, the establishment of which showed no trust in local bodies. There' wars no doubt that loans had been taken which would prove a drain on the country until fully paid off. Still, the present restrictions should bo satisfactory for, in addition to applying to the Minister to grant the loan, the local body' was required to submit plans of the proposed work. Cr. AVinks did not approve of the proposal.

Members agreed that the system of franchise was in need of amendment. There had been 1 many eases where townspoplo’s votes on loan proposals had trgblcd county votes, while the county probably. provided seveneighths of the valuation.

It was decided that the council disapprove of the Bill in its present form, and suggested that the franchise system should be amended to avoid differential voting. The Town Planning Bill also came up for discussion, the clerk reporting that as a result of a conference with the town cleric, he had forwarded a joint telegram to the Hon. O, J. Hawken and Mr 11. G. Dickie, M.P., protesting against the measure. Councillors agreed that local bodies should be provided with copies of Bills affecting them, prior to the introduction of the measure .into Parliament, in order that sufficient time could be given for the bodies to consider the questions involved and register their attitudes. A resolution to this effect was carried, it being decided to for ward a copy to the Prime Minister. THE BATING BASIS. Prior to the consideration of the estimates, the chairman announced that although the valuation was not yet complete, onlv eight objections were yet to be dealt, with. The Valuer-General was emphatic that the new valuation should be used in this year’s rating. The estimates were carefully consul erod in detail, after which it was decided to levy rates as follows: —Hawera. riding,' lgd in the - £1 capital value, to produce £9200; Ararata, lsd, to produce £4600; and Mokoia, 2Jd, to produce £9050. For the purpose of confirming these levies, it was decided to hold a special meeting of the council on August 2S, at 11.30 a.m. . GENERAL. The ranger, Mr G. H. Blackwell, reported that there were still some owners who were making no attempt to clear their frontages of gorse and overgrowing boxthorn. These obstructions in places required immediate attention. As a result of the council’s warning, a great improvement had been noticed regarding straying stock from the Manaia town district. Cows in the Normanby town- district were in the habit of wandering well over the boundary in the daytime. A renewal of the slaughter-house held by T. H. Walker and Sons was granted. The clerk of the Eltham County. Council forwarded an agreement completed by his council regarding the ■ maintenance of the Skeet Boad.—lt was decided to affix the council’s common seal to the agreement. A letter was received from the Hawera Town Clerk setting out in detail the financial arrangements between the county and borough regarding the merging of Nolantown into the borough. —lt was decided to agree to the arrangement, it being considered highly satisfactory that the final agreement should have been reached without any trouble. , ,