WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 315, 26 November 1910, Page 2

WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

STATUTORY MEETING. Tho statutory meeting of the above Council was held in the Council Chambers, Te Kuiti, on Wednesday last at 12 o'clock. Present —Crs Scholes, O'Dwyer, Johnston, Gregg, Were, Hoffman and Smyth. The clerk occupied the chair and called for nominations for the chairman for the future year. Cr Hoffman proposed that Cr Scholes be appointed chairman. Cr Smyth seconded the motion, and in doing so stated that he thought that appreciation should be recorded of the manner in which the chairman had conducted the business of the Council during the past year. His rulings had always been sound and good, and the meetings had been conspicuous by the absence of friction of any kind. —Carried unanimously. Cr Scholes thanked the Council for electing him chairman for a further term and stated that fie always do his best while occupying the chair in the interests of the Council. Cr Scholes then took the chair. ORDINARY MEETING. Same Councillors were present as at the statutory meeting. Crs Johnston and O'Dwyer moved that the raising of the Honikiwi loan be confirmed. —Carried. Moved by Crs Johnston and Gregg that the raising of the Mataparu loan be confirmed. —Carried. Moved by Crs O'Dwyer and Johnston that the special rate levied to cover interest and other charges in connection with the Honikiwi loan be confirmed.—Carried.

Moved by Crs Johnston and Gregg that the special rate levied to cover interest and other charges on the Mataparu loan be confirmed. —Carried.

A petition was received from the business people of Pio Pio asking the Council's permission to close their places of business on Saturday afternoons in lieu of Thursday the statutory naif-holiday now observed. —Resolved on the motion of Crs O'Dwyer and Smyth that the request be granted by the Council. Notification was received from the Resident Road Engineer that the available amounts and the work proposed under the Public Works appropriatons 1910-11, were as follows: — Totoro, £ for £, £237, metaliling where most required; Pungarehu, £ for £, £SO ditto.; Pungarehu, £3OB, extension of dray road; Paro, £59, extension of dray road towards Paraheka road; Potaka, £ for £, £250 metalling; Parakoko, £IOO, bridle track, formation and culverts; Ngapaenga, £B7, completion dray road and formation; Ngapaenga £ for £, £SOO, metalling; Mokauiti, £175, extension and widening Mokau river bridge, Kahuvvera road, £550, dray bridge; Mairoa, £ for £, £SOO, metalling Maire bridle track; MiroahuiaoMangaotaki, extension of dray road.

The Assistant Under-Secretary reported re the roads in the Kakepuku block. —As the same is outside the County the Council took no action. Quarry Reserve. —The Commissioner of Crown Lands informed the Council that the matter was under consideration and that Mr Jordan, Crown Lands Ranger, would report thereon. —lt was reported that the ranger's favourable report had now been forwarded to the department.

The Department of Lands wrote re road through Rangitoto Tuhua 68d, asking for further information from the Council in connection with the matter. >

Mr R. C. Jordan, surveyor, wrote re the Ahoroa road. —Resolved that the matter be left in the hands of the chairman and Cr Boddie to deal with.

Mr Williamson, Honikiwi, asked the Council, on behalf of the ratepayers interested to authorise the engineer to lay out the road and prepare plans and specifications for metalling the main road to Honikiwi. —On the motion of Crs Johnston and Hoffman, it was resolved that the engineer be authorised to prepare plans and specifications for the Honikiwi and Hanga-tiki-Mataparu special rating areas. Mr Williamson also wrote re the metal reserves on the Hauturu-Otoro-hanga road, and asked the Council to take these pieces of land without delay in order that the expenditure of loan monies might be proceeded with. —Resolved on the motion of Crs Gregg and Johnston that steps be taken to take the metal reserves on the Waipa river at the bridge on the Otorohanga road, also the other quarry reserves on the Hauturu road referred to by Mr Williamson. Mr Frank Forster, Otorohanga, wrote re a culvert in the Otorohanga township between blocks 17 and 23. — Letter received.

Mr J. R. Daly wrote re expenditure of "thirds" in the Mangautaki. —Letter received. The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce asked the Council to send representatives to the conference to be held in Hamilton on December 7th to consider tlu proposals concerning a water-way connecting the Waikato river with the Manukau and Auckland harbours. —Letter received.

The secretary of the Kio Kio branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union asked the Council for their assistance in their efforts to metal roads at Kio Kio, some estimates had been supplied by the engineer and other estimates were asked for. —Resolved on the motion of Crs Grgg and Hoffman that the engineer be instructed to give the estimates asked for. Mr P. O'Donnell, Kawa, wrote calling attention to the danger existing of the Kawa West road embankment being washed away, and asked the County engineer to report on the matter. —In connection with this Cr Johnston moved and Cr Gregg seconded that the Kawa Drainage Board be notified that they will be held responsible for any damage done to the Kawa bridge by their drains.

Mr Cowern wrote informing the Council that he intended to subdivide his property at Te Kuiti and asked what steps it was necessary for him to take to satisfy the Councii in regard to the matter of reading.—Resolved that the matter be left in the hands of the chairman and Cr Boddie to attend to. Resolved that Mr W. Ross be informed that he must remove the fence from what is known as.Blackett's road at Kio Kio.

Tenders. —Raumauku road, Contract No. 47.- —Resolved that Mr McColl's tender of £37 3s 4d be accepted. Proposed by Crs O'Dwyer and Were that this Council urge upon the Government the necessity of placing on the Supplementary Estimates a sum of money sufficient to complete the remaining portion of the Paekaka-Wai-rere road, about one mile and aquarter in extent. The said road not being completed is a very great hardship on those settlers living in that locality as they have no access to their sections, and there are about twelve children of school age who cannot attend unless the said road is completed.—Carried. Moved by Crs O'Dwyer and Smyth that the Clerk be instructed to write to the Ohura County Council calling upon them to expend the "thirds" available on sections fronting the Parakeka road in the Ohura County as the road above mentioned is dangerous for traffic and all monies available for it by this County have been spent on it and it is necessary that the work should be done at once. —Carried. Moved by Crs Smyth and O'Dwyer that the engineer be instructed to secure a metal reserve on native property near Ratima's whare at the Mokauiti stream, Ohura road, Aria. —Carried.

Moved by Crs Hoffman and Smyth, that this Council move.H a vote of thanks to Mr Jennings, M.P., for his efforts on behalf of the Waitomo County Council and for securing satisfactory votes on the Estimates. — Carried.

Moved by Crs Hoffman and Smyth that the sum of £4OO be placed on the Supplementary Estimates for building two bridges on the Hanga-tiki-Otoroahnga road. —Carried. Moved by Crs Smyth and O'Dwyer that the Council justly appreciates the kind and efficient manner in which the chairman has conducted and presided over the affairs of this County during the past year.—Carried. Treasurer's Report.—County fund account, cr. £lll2 16s Id; receipts during past month, £432 19s Sd; Te Kuiti township loan, cr. £l9B 17s 9d; Mangaorino road loan, cr. £33 2s 8d; Waitomo County interest account, cr. £4l 9s; accou'its amounting to £1066 2s 8d were passed for payment. Engineer's Report. —Since the last meeting of the Council contracts on the following roads have been completed:—Waitomo, Pungarehu, Arapae, Paro, Wairere, Hunt's, Ouruwhero and Kohua, and the Tapuae roads will all be finished in a few days. I have had maintenance men on the Otorohanga-Kihikihi, Waitomo, Tapuae, Mairoa, Ouruwhero, Kio Kio, Hauturu and Otorohanga-Pirongia roads filling in ruts and cleaning out water-tables. The grant for repairing the Hangatiki-Waitomo road is nearly exhausted. With the small amount available it was only possible to get the worst places repaired. A small contract was let on Hunt's road to enable some of the settlers, who have been living on their sections for the last fifteen years, to get wheeled conveyances on to their sections. In many places the grades are 1 in 6 so that even now it is impossible for them to get in or out with a fair load. I would suggest that the Government be asked to complete the survey of this road to the Mai-roahuiao-Mangaotaki road, a distance, of about half a mile, and put a sum on the Supplementary Estimates for completing the formation. The extension is through native land, and if the survey was rnado at once there would be no compensation to pay. This will be a very important matter in the future. I have inspected Blackett's road and I find that io is fenced across in two places and as there are no gates, he cannot get to his section without trespassing.

Moved by Crs O'Dwyer and Smyth that this Council urge upon the Government the necessity of having the very important road known as Hunt's road, completed, and that a sum of money be placed on the Suplementary Estimates to complete same, the said road being in the Paemako riding.— Carried,