MANIOTOTO COUNTY COUNCIL.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 27, Issue 1376, 14 March 1896, Page 3

MANIOTOTO COUNTY COUNCIL.

The following is the engineer's report to the Maniototo County Council for the months of January an-1 February. 1806 : I have the honour to Teport that plam and speciiicntions have been prepared and tenders called for contract 533 —7S chains of r..ad formation on Eun 20fiA. near Naseby—part of Government grant of £3OO to open up this block. Hamilton "Bridge.—Mr Fowler, contractor, writes under date 7th February, that the balance of the iron for the bridge is now at his foundry, and that the work is now proceeding as fast as possible. He asks for a progress payment. Progress payments should be subject' to conditions approved by the council.

Road' "Works.—The following contracts have been completed to date : Contract 519 :—7O chains of formation and gravel on main road, near Rough Ridge.— "This work has been very satisfactorily completed by Mr Thmlow. at a cost of £\U 10s 9d. contract price, in the face of unforeseen difficulties. Mr Tliurlow is now energetically working at his gravelling contracts near Kyeburn. . c-i.it. Contract 526 : Gravelling on StrathTaieri road, below Newtown-This work has also been faithfu'ly completed by Messrs Pieadergast and Trotter. Contracts 524 and 525 :—Gravelling by Mr Cain—These contracts are awaiting a final inspection. Contract 518 :—P. M'Clnskey, IoW yards of gravel -The quantity is nearly all on the road, and awaits spreading. Contract 517: J. Coyle, 115 chains of formation, near Naseby—The work is being steadily and carefully carried on, and will be completed in eight or ten days. -Contract 522 :—IOO chains of formation between Patearoa schoolhouse and W. Hall's farm—This contract was let on the 6th of November, 1895. to Mr Andrew Kearney, and has not yet been proceeded with. The time allowed for completion was eight weeks, (jnless the work is immediately and vigorously gone on with the new work will not carry the traffic in the winter, and unless the filling (and this road is all filling, being lowlying) gets summer traffic over ir> it is inadvisable to gravel the same. It will, perhaps, be as well to leave the formation alone until after the winter, in the meantime cut ditches and drain the road only.

Surfacing Gangs.—The surfacing gangs have during the past two months been working with their full complement of men. and doing good work, effecting improvements beyond ordinary surfacing. Manuherikia Ford, St. Bathans : The river since the spring has taken to the old channel on the St. Bathans side, where the ford will be deep and rough. I have instructed Price's gang to wing off with the aid of crates, &c. the weight of the water back into its previous channnel. They will commence operations in about a week. Allan Bridge.—As previously reported this bridge requires to be repaired. The necessary wire rope and anchorage is on the ground, and Mr Wilkinson, of St. Bathans, will, assisted by Price's gang who are working close to the bridge, effect the repairs. St. Bathans.—l would recommend that about 10 chains of the main road below All Nations' Point be widened, the road being narrow at this part, and dangerous owing to its proximity to the sludge channel. My attention was directed to the advisability of putting up a protective fence on the n?w road leading to St. Bathans at the large culvert.

Ida Valley. -A portion of the main road, opposite the new school in Ida Valley, for about 13 to 15 chains is very soft; about two chains will require scrub and gravel, the remainder a good coating of gravel. The road in use previous to the school being built ran through what is now the school ground. Hyde.—As previously reported a portion of the road for about 10 chains between Hyde and Newtown opposite Mr M'Au'ey's house, Coal Creek, urgently requires to be gravelled. The work is too much for the surfacing gang to undertake, about 400 yards of gravel will be required, including 20 or 30 yards at the turn into the railway station. I spoke 1o Mr Prendergast, who has just completed his gravel contract below Newt >wn. and he has, I understand offered to undertake the work with coarse gravel from the Hyde tailings. Appropriations, " the Lands Improvement Account." —At the last council meeting, under a misapprehension, I reported that beyond a sum for Hamilton Bridge there was nothing on the estimates to meet our road makingrequirements. On closer examination there appears under the heading, '• Government loans to local bodies account." the various items totalling up £2758. Undertakings for a portion of this amount have, 1 believe, been forwarded to this council.

Valuation. —With reference to the valuation of small grazing runs the legal opinion obtained in Dunedin was to the effect that, this tenure of land was to be valued in accordance with clause 3 of the Rating Act, 1894, the same as pastoral lands held under lease —that is, on the basis of the rental capitalised at 6 per cent., all improvements being exempt. This will reduce the capital value for county rating at the present rentals by about £IO,OOO, and as in some cases the rentals have lately been reduced, the capital value will be reduced by about £12,000. and reduced revenue of the county will be £37105. The annual rental of many of the pastoral runs within the county has also been considerably reduced. From information now before me I roughly estimated the decrease from thi \ cause in the Capital value at about £12,000, this will further reduce the revenue from rates by £37 10s. This means a total reduction of revenue from the above causes of £75. but the additional area in occupation since the last valuation was made will probably be an increase of £25, thus bringing down the total loss to £SO for this year. It seems to me, as county valuer, that the exemption of improvements on small grazing runs is one-sided, as against valuiotc all improvements on an adjoining freehold or perpetual lease or lease in nerpetuity land, and that the Bating Act, of 1894, requires to be amended in this respect. The valuation for the year 1896-7 has been completed and notices sent to occupiers or owners. The total amount will probably be as above stated, about £SO less than last year.