COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 154, 15 June 1932, Page 5

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION

THE PATANGATA COUNCIL. ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. (Special Representative. ) The annual general meeting of the Patangata County Council was held at Waipukurau yesterday, the chairman, Mr Chas Pattison presiding over Cis J. D. Ormond junr., H. W. Parsons, W. T. Kittow E, 0.. Nation, A. McGaffin, B. T. Wilder, C. R. Edgecombe, A. W. S Longley, R. H. White. The engineer, Mr J. C. McLauchlan, and the clerk, Mr J. W. Elliott, were also in attendance, J. 13. Boese, Otane, applied for a further lease of the surfaceman’s paddock, at Kairakau, offering in lieu of rent to put a barbed wire fence round the paddock.—Left to the engineer and riding member. William Marsh, Porangahau, wrote asking for a reduction in the rent of the surfaceman’s cottage, on the grounds that he had to bear heavy costs of delivery of food etc, —As the writer was receiving 1/- per day more than the other roadmen in the district, on account of his cottage not being quite up to standard, no reduction was made.

Writing in connection with the opening of a road through his property, to Wallingford, Mr T. E. Whelch 'stated that he was now agreeabte and would sign any necessary papers in connection with same. Messrs Tyer Bros, Hatuma, expressed their willingness to allow the formation of the road through their property.—The matter was held over till next month. The Waipawa County Council wrote drawing the council’s attention to a telegraph pole on the main Napier road and the turn-off to Otane, which the writers considered dangerous. The Telegraph engineer had been advised of the position but had replied that he could not shift the pole, but would paint it white. —Received. The Hawke’s Bay County Council requested the council to forward the names of the delegates to the conference at Napier on June 20, uho anv remits that the council desire-! . before the conference.—The i-I-Cr. R. H. White and the engirei, , appointed delegates to the conferciuo.

The Minister of Agriculture wrote urging the council’s co-operation in the campaign against noxious weeds, stating that the department had arranged with the Unemployment Board that all fanners making application for labour for the purpose of destroying noxious weeds be granted relief workers free of cost. —Received. Relief workers’ Insurance. The Otahuhu Borough Council forwarded a remit to the effect that a combined effort should be made by local bodies to induce the Unemployment Board to alter the existing system under which each local body has to obtain insurance cover for all men employed by it under the No. 5 Scheme against claims under the present workers ’ Compensation Acts. Writing in connection with the widening of the Te Uri road, the Public Works Department advised that the unemployed camps to be started in the Porangahau district were for the purpose of clearing scrub on farms. —Received. LOWER WAGE RATE. The department also advised that on account of the limitation of funds available for Public Works purposes, the Government had found it necessary to adopt a lower rate of wages to men employed on Public Works, in order that as many men as possible might continue to receive employment. The lower rate of pay was already in force, and the Government had decided that as from July 1, 1932, the subsidies granted to local authorities as far as .public works were concerned should be based on work executed at the Government’s rate of pay. The Unemployment Board wrote stating that the placing of relief workers on farms under the modification of the rules of scheme No. 5, was not being carried out in the spirit of the instructions embodied in that circular. The letter referred to cases where unemployed labour was supplied to farmers having sufficient means to enable them to contribute a portion, if not all, of the wages paid to the men who were drafted to work on their propertiesThe writer asked that the council investigate the position, and in a case where a farmer was able to supplement the wages from his own pocket, he should be requested to do so.—Received. CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT. The chairman. Mr C. Pattison, presented his annual report as follows:— “In presenting my report for the year ended March 31, 1932, I have to congratulate both councillors and ratepayers on the very satisfactory financial position of the county. The past year has been a difficult one for both ratepayers and councillors, and the former are to be complimented on the way in which they have met the position in the prompt payment of rates, over 87 per cent having been collected, as compared with 72 per cent for the year 1930—1931 The 12$ per cent rebate granted by the Government was no doubt a big inducemnet for ratepayers to make every effort to meet the rates. The various riding accounts are in a good position with the exception of the Porangahau riding, which has gone back bv just over £lOO for the year, mainly due to unexpected repair work on several bridges.

“The principal works for the year have been carried out in the southern ridings, new metalling out of Government grant and petrol tax moneys being put down on the Wallingford Bush and Stoddart’s roads, where over four miles of new metalling has now been completed. The completion of the formation of the access road to Messrs Hunter and Croker by the erection of the bridge at the Blackhead end will be a useful road to these settlers. The road surfaces in the Eparaima riding have been maintained to a good standard.

“The Porangahau riding has been heavily taxed by expensive repairs to several bridges near Wimbledon four truss bridges having been overhauled, and two other stringer spans, and this riding is likely to be faced with further heavy bridge repairs.

“Thanks to a grant from the petrol tax moneys the Wangaehu metal was continued to Mr White’s homestead site, just a mile of new metalling being completed. This is a boom to settlers after years of clay roads. Several timber culverts of large size have been renewed in concrete, and it is now proposed to replace Siteman’s road bridge with a concrete pipe 60 inches in diameter, 48 feet in length. About 5000 cubic yards of rock has been quarried by contract in these two ridings and this is now being crushed and delivered by the council lorries. “Work in the northern end of the county has been principally in the nature of maintenance, though in the Pourerere riding some 2000 yards of rock has been quarried and broken ready for the crusher. This work was also done by contract at a low rate. The Patangata riding has in hand the provision of a water supply for the Otane township, the bulk of this work being carried out by means of an unemployed gang of workers. “Work in the Oero riding has on account of finance been purely of maintenance nature, but this year it is proposed to quarry and crush some SGOO cubic yards at the Waipuna quarry for various roads. Maintenance work only was done in the Tamumu and Pourerere districts during the year, but a heavy programme of work is due for this year.

“The system of carrying out quarrying work by contract lias proved most successful and a great saving in cost has been made, the crushing and delivery by the Leyland lorries proving a good combination. The final payments have been made on the plant purchased under the hire purchase system, and the operating accounts show a profitof £BBl though the plant was not working at full capacity. “In conclusion I wish to thank councillors for their assistance in the work of the council, and to express appreciation to the ’Staff for its excellent service during a strenuous year.”