HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 4 September 1915, Page 7

HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING

The Hawera County Council met this morning. Present: Crs J. B. Murdoch (chairman), C. C. Tarrant, C. Hawken, J. Dunlop, T. A. Winks, and R. J. Linn. COMPLAINT ABOUT A DRAIN. Messrs Grant and Campbell, acting under instructions from Mesdames Cowper and Campbell, wrote drawing the attention of the Council to the presence of an open drain along the frontage of the Tawhiti property for a distance of several chains, and sug-. gesting that as it was of no value as' a water-course, and as the owners desired to subdivide the land, that steps be taken to have the drain permanently closed. The Chairman said he thought some of the drainage came from the borough. The drain was really of no use to the County Council. The Foreman said he did not know whether the drainage came from the borough or not. It was decided to leave the matter in the hands of the foreman to deal with, and if necessary to confer with the borough foreman. UNDESIRABLE WATER-COURSE. A letter was received from Mr J. Kerrisk directing the attention of the ! Council to a water-course running! through his property on the Meremere \ road. There was an ugly ditch through ! a part that he had lately stumped, and which he wished to cultivate, and ! he would be glad if the Council could alter the locality of the course to a point where it would be as effective and much more convenient. The Foreman stated that the drain could be easily removed at little cost. The foreman was empowered to have the water-course removed. DEVIATION OF MOUNTAIN ROAD. Mr J. Turton, secretary of the Normanby Dairy Co., wrote,' on behalf of the directors, in support of a petition which is being lodged for a deviation of the Mountain road so as to avoid a very sharp corner near the factory. Numerous accidents in the past had occurred at this corner, and the directors would be thankful if the Council" could see its way to act as the petitioners suggest. The Chairman": I think it would be a good idea if we asked the Dairy Co. to contribute towards the cost of the deviation. The work would, lie thought, cost over £10Q, A petition was also received from thirty ratepayers asking the Council to deviate the corner, because it was an absolute danger to traffic. Councillors agreed that it was a dangerous corner, and it was resolved, on the motion of CV Tarrant and the Chairman, that the foreman should bring down a report for next meeting as to the probable cost of carrying out a deviation. BOUNDARY ROADS. The clerk to the Hawern Borough Council wrote r.s follows: "I am in re-c-pipt of your let tor of 18th inst. for-v-^rling ohomios for £427 5s lOd and .£122 -Is 2d. The Borough Council cannot pry-opt them en the conditions stated in your letter. You have already fuil knowledge of the claim of

I the Borough Council. I suggest' that your Council pays the amount to the* Borough Council on terms' that, it' is without prejudice to the rights of the Borough Council to claim payment of any other sums alleged or claimed by ' jit tojbe due, and without prejudice tOj other ' claims of the Borough Council; and equally that the payment, is without prejudice to the rights of your Council. In short, tho payment and acceptance will be without prejudice to the rights of both bodies. I return the cheques and await your early reThe Chairman said he had thought over this matter, and would suggest that the Council make a payment to the Borough Council of the amounts mentioned in the Town Clerk's letter, without prejudice to any ' right the Borough Council claim to have in respect to a further sum due, for which the Gotxnty Council, as already stated, deny any liability. He moved in this direction. Cr Winks seconded the resolution, which was carried. WIRIHANA ROAD. Mr G. V. Pearce, M.P., enclosed a letter from the Minister for Public Works (Hon. W. JTraser) with reference to the Wirihana road deviation, and stating that ho had given instructions to the Under-Secretary to issue a further -authority for £30, on account of this work. THE LOTTERIES ACT. ■ A letter was received from the Taumarunui Patriotic Carnival Committee, requesting that the Government be asked not to enforce the Gaming and Lotteries Act during the present crisis, so long as the proceeds from art unions are for patriotic purposes only. The chairman said he could not agree with the proposal. This carnival business was going to the extremes, and he would move that the letter be received. This was seconded by Cr Tarrant, and carried. - PATRIOTIC FUI^DS. The Minister of Internal Affairs wrote asking the County Council for particulars of any patriotic funds under its control, as legislation dealing generally with the subject of funds for* relief and other purposes connected with the war was being considered by the Government. The chairman said there were no funds under the control of the County Council. KAPOXGA POUND SITE. Messrs McVeagh, Morrison and Stewart wrote in connection with a proposal to have a clause introduced in "The Reserves and Other .Lands Disposal Bill" this year, effecting the vesting of a site in the Kaponga Town Board for a public pound, and asking if the Council were agreeable to the proposal. The chairman said the County Council had agreed to the proposal some time ago, provided there was no cost to it.

The clerk replied that he had informed Messrs McVeagh, Morrison and Stewart to this effect. LOCAL COMMITTEES OF AGRICULTURE.

The secretary of the New Zealand Council of Agriculture forwarded a resolution passed at the recent conference with reference to a proposal that local agricultural committees be appointed by county councils throughout the. Dominion, and that the Government be asked to make use of the services of these committees in experimental and other instructional and development works. The chairman pointed out that this work was being carried out by the education authorities, so far as th.s district was concerned, and it was resolved that no action be taken. FOREMAN' SREPORT. Mr Muggeridge reported as follows: Glover Road.—l have had the wheel tracks on the upper end of this road filled up, and it is now in good order. I am now metalling about twenty-five chains, from the Waihi stream towards the Ketemarae road, as this portion was getting very thin, there not being more than two or three inches of metal. Ohawe Road.—The wheel tracks on this road were getting low, so I have had them filled up. It took about 80 yards of crushed metal to do the 80 chains. Main South Road.—This road has been scarified and fresh metal put where required, from the "top of the Waihi Hill to the county reserve, and it is now in- good order for tarring i am now scarifying the road on the other side of the Waingongoro river towards the toll gate. There are about thirty chains in this length that wiU require re-facing with four inches of metal. Austin Road.— There are about thirty chains of this road about which you received the petition last meeting, and nothing can be done to it except metalling. This would cost £12 per chain. Ohangai Road.—There are about thirty chains of this road which becomes muddy in wet weather; also there is a hill of five chains which, if metalled, would get over a good deal of the diffieutly. It would cost £50 to metal this short piece, there being no metal nearer than at the Waingongoro. Manawapou Hill.—-Owing to the Tongahoe bridge not being finished, as the bridge carpenter met with an accident and has not yet returned to work, I have not been able to do the scarifying of this hill. The timber is on the ground for the surfaceman's cottage at Meremere, and the work of erection will be proceeded with as soon as possible.. i Manawapou Road —I propose to start metalling this road from the Waingon- ; goro pit. The metal could be delivered |ou the road for 8s 6d per yard, and if ! the sides are filled up instead of regrading a great saving in cost can be made. I have had the grader on the load and the grass along the side of the metal has been taken up. Tfris has made a great improvement and will only be about fifteen chains that will require breaking up. Abattoir Road —This road 'will require re-facing with ten yards of metal to the chain, and would cost about the same as for the Manawapou. As this road is mostly used by the borough, I think it is a fair thing to ask them to contribute towards the upkeep of it. The report was adopted, with the exctption of the clause relating to the Austin road, and it was resolved to ask the Borough Council if it would contribute towards the cost of metalling the Abattoir road.