WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

King Country Chronicle, Volume VII, Issue 535, 22 January 1913, Page 5

WAITOMO COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Waitomo County Council was held at Te Kuiti on Mondav evening. There ; Were present —■ Crs Scholes (chairman), Johnston, Gregg, Were, Berry, Smyth, O'Dwyer, and Hoffman.

Pungarehu Road. —A telegram was received from the Public Works De partment, stating there was no provision on the Supplementary Estimates for the road. —-.Received. Ministerial Visit. The secretary of the Te Kuiti Chamber of Commerce wrote, asking the co-operation of the council in invitnig the Minister for Native Affairs to visit the district.— Resolved that the council co-operate with the Borough Council and Chamber of Commerce in the matter Mangaiti Road. John Palmer wrote requesting the council to repair the road.—Referred to the engineer. Pungarehu Road. —J. Cole wrote, requesting that thirds on his section should ,be expended along his frontage or between there and Mairoa until the thirds were required to meet interest on loan. —Left to engineer. Auckland Exhibition. —■ The secre-

tary wrote concerning the placing of a district exhibit in the exhibition and requesting the council to co-oper-ate wffch other districf local bodies. —■ Received.

Okupata-Pekanui Road.—The clerk

to the Kawhia County Council wrote stating be had been informed the Public Works Department had handed the balance of the vote for the road

(£347) to the Waitomo Council for expenditure, and requesting to know when the counqil intended proceeding with the work. A E. Randrup wrote requesting the council to have the work done as soon as possible.— The clerk said there was no information to hand as to the grant being handed to the council. Honikiwi Roads. H. M. Quin wrote, complaining of the quality of the metal being put on the Otoro-hanga-Honkiwi-Oamaru road by the contractor, and suggesting the advisability of metalling a further portion of the road. —The engineer said be was satisfied with the class of metal being used by th 6 contractor. The work had to be passed by both himself and the Government engineer. Concerning the extra portion of the road the clerk was instructed to reply when full information had been obtained.

Rates on Native Land. Messrs Broadfoot, Finlay and Phillips, Otorohanga, wrote objecting to the lessee of Rangitoto-Tuhua 32 82, being held liable for arrears of rates. Re ceived. Half holiday.—A peittion was received from a number of Otorohanga business people, requesting that Saturday be gazetted the half-holiday for the town as heretofore. Resolved that?as Saturday was the existing half-hoilday the application be approved. Mairoa Road;—A letter was received from Messrs W. E. Johnston and G. J. Bevege, requesting that repairs be effected to the Mairoa road between Pio Pio and the four-mile peg. On the motion ut Crs O'Dwyer and Smyth it was decided that work be done on this part of the road to enable settlerß to get their cream to the factory.—The matter of repairs was left in the hands of the engineer Honikiwi Telephone. The Postal Department wrote stating there was a deficiency on the year's working of the telephone of £6 19s, and requested payment of half that amount in terms of the council's guarantee. —The chairman moved that the council pay the amount. Cr Hoffman seconded. —Speaking to the motion Cr Johnston said he objected to the council paying for telephones when private lines got no concessions. Cr Gregg also opponed the motion on similar grounds. Also the settlers had undertaken to make good any deficiency. The motion on being put was carried. Cr Johnston proposed and Cr Gregg seconded that the clerk collect the amount of the defiicency from the settlers who had guaranteed. Cr O'Dwyer Ba 'd 83 settlera had guaranteed they should be called upon to meet the liability. It would be establishing a bad precedent to allow the matter to lapse.—The chairman said he would vote aganist the motion on principle. He thought the coucnil should assist settlers in this respect aa far as possible. The motion was carried. Kio Kio Level Crossing.—The district engineer for ralways wrote stating be was prepared to recommend the granting of the crossing at the cost of the council. The coat on railway land would be about £125, and the council would have to acquire about half an acra of land in order to connect the two roads.—The clerk was instructed to communicate with the secretary of the Kio Kio branch of the Farmers' Union stating that the total cost would be about £2OO, and asking if the settlers would be prepared to find half the amount. Arapae Road. , On the motion of Crs Were and O'Dwyer it was resolved that the engineer be empowered to get the remainder of the road metalled to the junction of the Mairoa road. Dog Tax. — The dog tax for the ensuing year was fitfed for 2s 6d for cattle and sheep dogs also for terriers ÜBed for the destruction of rabbits, and 5s for all other dogs.

Projected Loan. —On the motion of Cr Smyth the clerk was instructed to make preparation for the raising of a loan to metal portion of the Kie Kie, Paraheka, and Kumara roads. Paro Road Drain. D. Finnigan wrote suggesting that the drain be extended a further five or six chains in order to prevent flooding, and to preserve the road. : Arthur Smith wrote regarding necessary repairs on the same road.—Cr Smyth said the road in question urgently required attention, and he trusted the engineer would havesume work done as soon as possible. The engineer was, instructed accrajingly.

Otorohanga - Kiikihi Road. —Cr Gregg said there was a bad place on the road near Mr Wallace's and suggested some work should be done on it.—Left to engineer. Access to Sections.—The matte: of giving access to Messrs Bailey and Feasor on the Waitomo road was left ton the councillor for the riding and the engineer. ENGINEER'S REPORT.

Owing to the unsettled Weather and holidays intervening a great deal of work has not been done since your last meeting. However, I beg to report briefly on the works in hand as follows: — Potaka Road.—Fresh specifications have been prepared and tenders called for the metalling of this road. Totoro Road.—Messrs Hickson and West have now about a dozen men employed on their metalling contract on this road, and have all arrangements ready to start carting immediately.

Te Kuiti-Mokau Road. The contract let to Mr McGrath for metalling a portion of this road, near the 17-mile peg, is now nearly com*

pletbd. Pugarehu Road.—Mr Rothery has now completed about 70 chains of metalling on this road. As the pit from which the metal has been taken seems to be deteriorating in quality, I have instructed the contractor to open up another pit where better metal seems to be obtainable. I have just completed an engineering survey of the unformed gap, a distance of 62 chains in the dray road formation on this road. Will prepare plans as soon as I can, and call tenders for the work. Two old bridges on this road have practically collapsed and become impassable for wheel traffic. I have therefore arranged to erect as soon as possib'e, tempurary rough bridges at each place, so that wheel traffic may not be hung up. Mairoa Road.—A start has just been made with the metalling of this road east of the Mairoa township. Good metal is being obtained, and about 10 chains of metalling has been completed. Mr Summerfield has also made a start with the putting in of the pipe culverts on this road. Arapae Road. —Mr Inness has now completed about three and a-half miles of metalling on this road, and has sufficient metal quarried to complete the remainder of his first contract. Mr S. Ormsby, who also has a metalling contract on this road, intends making a start immediately. I have prepared plans of two bridges to be erected on this road and partly finished another. Tenders for the erection of these bridges will be called as soon as possible. Mr Rothery is now Ditching camp and preparing to start on this formation contract on this road. Te Kuiti -Te Kumi Road. The metalling of this road, the specifications of which was outlined in my last report, is now within eight or ten days of completion, and I believe tho work will prove to be effective. Parakpko Road. —The bridle track contract on thiH road has been com pleted and is now awaiting inspection by the Public Works Department.

Hangatiki - Waitomo Road. —Since your last meeting Messrs Tarry and Cartwright made a start with their metalling contract on this road. Good metal is being supplied and about twenty chains of road have been metalled. I have had the grader trimming up and reforming the road along this contract and a distance of twn miles waM completed. Mr Lawson has commenced quarrying in connection with his contract on this road. Caves Road.—Mr Powell has just made a fresh start since shifting his crushing plant, ana should now proceed much faster with his work. A distance of about one mile twentyseven chains, has been completed on this'contract.

Honikiwi Roads. —Mr Cameron and Mr Rothery have each completed the metalling contacts on the various roads in the Honikiwi loan area. These are now awaiting inspection by the Public Works Department.

Waipa Bridge.—Only one tender was received for the erection of this bridge, which was forwarded to the Under-Secretary Public Works Department, Wellington. Waiteti Road.—ln connction with the proposed metalling of this road I have erected a bridge over the stream, on the road leading to the quarry. General. —In reference to Mr Cowem's complaint aoout having his road access cut off by fences erceted across the road. I find such is the case and have written Mr Cotter instructing him to remove them, or provide suit*

able gates immediately.—The clerk and myself, since your last meeting, have scheduled the thirds accrued in this county during the last eighteen months on their respective roads. These will be forwarded to the Lands Department as soon as possible, with proposals for expenditure of same for approval.—E. R. GOULD, County Engineer. The report was adopted.