SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Mataura Ensign, Issue 1146, 10 February 1903, Page 2

SOUTHLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

Monday, Febbuaby 9. The ordinary meeting of the Council held at Inveroargill was attended by Connoiltors Green (chairman), Robertson, Fleming, Ronald, Stuart, McOallum, Raymond, Hamilton, and McQueen. In acoordanoe with the Engineer's report, it was resolved that the grading of unfinished road at seotion 24, block XI, Hokonui, as asked for by W. Foubester and 12 other ratepayers, be carried out when the grader is in the district.

W. Baty, Wyndham, offered £2 10s towards cost of forming about 16 chains of Collins road, provided the Council undertook the work and gravelled two chains of the steepest pinch.—Held over till next meeting. Wm. Bruoe's (Otama) complaint as to the road at the corner of section 4, block VI, Cbatton (Mrs Mee's) was again held over. The Inspector recommended that the manager of the Mokoreta dairy factory be given notice to keep the pjace in better order (vide Wm Muir's complaint as to a nuisance arising from the keeping of pigs), and to cease polluting the stream running through Mr Muir's property.—Adopted; a copy of report to be sent.

The Secretary of the Redan-Mokoreta Road Improvement Committee forwarded a copy of the following resolution: That the vote of £IOO be spent in metalling the road (20 chain?) between the two portions of the road, at present being metalled by Mr W. Muir, and in continuing the metalling up towards Mr Taylor's.—Application declined for want of funds.

J. D. Shepherd, Seaward Downs, wrote stating that £2O D.P. thirds had accrued from his section and was in the hands of the Land Board. He would like to see the amount accumulate and he would intimate where he wished it spent.—Held over until the Oteramika Road Board accounts are settled.

Mrs M. Manson, Eyre Creek, Lumsden, asked for a crossing over the railway on the public road at the north side of her seotion. Engineer to report. John Graham's (Mataura Island) offer of £2O towards the cost of constructing a bridge across the Mataura back water to his property was accepted.

Albert Hall, Wendonside, drew attention to the cutting in the Waiparu settlement, and asked that it be improved.—Surfacemen to attend to matter.

H. Richardson, Gore, asked (or permission to clean out the ditch on the south side of Charlton Creek road from section 12 downwards.—Lett in in the hands oi the chairman.

The Under-Secretary for Mines intimated that the Minister had approved of the expenditure of the vote of £l5O on GarstonNevis road by day labor.— Reoeived.

Hal), Stout and Lillicrap, solicitors, wrote intimating that the Magistrate had given his decision in the Lumsden nuisance case as follows: —That the work as proposed by the Council be carried out, the expenses to be borne as follows: The drain to be constructed by the Council at its own expense, but the cost of filling the lagoon to be borne by the School Commissioners, Crosbie's estate and Holmes' estate in the following manner—i.e. to be divided into equal shares and the two former to bear two and a half shares each, and the last named (Holmes' estate) one share, each of ttie above named defendants to pay the Council £2 2s costs.—Reoeived.

Mr W. Fraser, M.H.R., telegraphed that formal authority to expend £2OO for Waimea bridge at Mandeville would be forwarded. Meanwhile the Minister said the work might be commenced.—Received, Mr Fraser to be thanked.

The resignation of R. Bailone as ranger in the Chatton district was accepted. The Council resolved to take over the street through sub-division of lot 15, plan 70, part section 313, Hokonui distriot, as requested by R. Irving, jun.

The under-secretary Public Works Department stated that the district engineer at Dunedin had been instructed to r< port on the complaint of Mr A. Murdoch, Riversdalo, regarding the danger to the site of the railway and traffics bridge over the Mataura river on the Riversdale-Switzers line. Mrs H. Burns, Riversdale, asked that the ditch at the bottom of her section be cleaned out, as every time rain occurred it flooded over the road and into her property. She also requested that some metal be spread on the worst parts of the road and agreed to do the carting.—Left in the hands of the member for the riding.

Thos. McCartney, Longridge Village, stated that there were three culverts on the road between sections Oil and 612, Hokonui, the ditches leading up to which required cleaning out, and two of the culverts were blocked.— Referred to the surfacemen of Oreti and Hokonui.

The Town Clerk of Borough of Gore forwarded the following accounts against the County Council Repairs to traffic bridge, £lO2 lGs lid ; small bridge and culverts in Broughton street, £9; cleaning Broughton street drain, £7 15s—total, £lltl lis lid.— Held ovor for further particulars. Alex. Townley, Mataura, complained that a culvert on the Mataura -Busby Park road was blocked, causing water to Hood his property. He asked that the culvert be repaired.—The engineer reported that the level of the bottom of the culvert was flush with the original level of the swamp and could not be interfered with.—Copy of report to be sent. It was resolved that the Minister of Lands be requested to forward the authority for expending votes £IOO Gorge-Seaward Downs road, and £2OO Morton Mains railway stationGorge road.

It was resolved that Inspector Hamlyn be instructed to rigidly enforce the by-law relating to the width of tyreß.—ln moving this resolution Councillor Raymond stated that enormous damage had been done to the County roads by heavy traffic (such as flax waggons) in the winter time, and he predicted that unless the by-laws dealing with such eases were enforced, damage to the extent of fully £SOOO would occur before next year. The Chairman was instructed to sign agreements for the expenditure of the following Government votes : McFettridge's road, Oreti (formation and metalling) £IOO ; Waimea bridge, Mandeville (construction) £2OO.

The Chief Engineer of roads forw.irded copies of proclamation for taking land for a road, and closing a road through block I, Waikaka Survey district.—Received. Alex. McLachlan, secretary Otama School Committee, asked for a culvert at the school gate.—Surfaceman to attend to matter. John Johnston, Anise Hill, Mataura, offered to make the culverts required (the Council supplying pipes) for £s.—Engineer to attend to the matter.

Jas. Holland and eight other ratepayers asked the Council to make the road on the Otakarama Hills (known as Aitken and O'Neill's road) passable, by lowering some of the cuttings.—Engineer to report. Petor Millane complained of the state of the road leading from East Gore to hi 3 proproperty on the Otakarama Hills past the properties of Messrs Mclntyro and Walker.— Held over till next meeting.

It was resolved that the School Commissioners of Otago be asked for a subsidy of £SO as a supplement to the Government vote of £IOO for Otama Valley road. The following were appointed collectors of dog tax in the various ridingsWaihopai, A. McKenzie, 'Jd per dog; Awarua, J. Adamson, 9d; Wallace to<vn, John Crawford, M; Winton, R. Sands, (id; Mataum, P. Ahoarne, ad; Hokonui, W. H. Wood, Is; Oreti, A. Martin, 9d; Toi Toi, J. L. McFarlane, 8d; Waikaia, John Milne, 9d. The Chairman gave notice to move at next meeting that ragwort be included in the schedule of noxious weeds. Councillor Raymond gave notice to move at next meeting : That this Council is of opinion that the results of the attempts to destroy small birds are not commensurate with the amounts expended yearly, and there fore the Council will discontinue further expenditure. Accounts amounting to £3IBB 10s 3d were passed for payment, and the Council adjourned to the second Friday in March.