OROUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9507, 6 May 1911, Page 7

OROUA COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING TO-DAY.

The ordinary meeting.of the Oroua County Council was held to-day. PreThos. Rowling, Hugh Burrell, H. Red-sent-Crs. W. G. Pcarco (chairman), mayne,. J. Morrison, W. Reid, and J. H. Vincent. CORRESPONDENCE.

tetters were placed before the meeting from the following:— Mr M. Cohen, thanking Councillor its referenco with regard to his services on the Wellington Harbour Board. Mr H.' Wilton, refusing to pay rent for use of closed road at Bunnythorpc. Palmcrston Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, re levy for purchase of site for Old People's Homo, and asking for cheque of £229 15s Id, being first instalment on hospital maintenance and charitable aid. _ BUSINESS DONE.

In the dog-tar collector's report, it was stated 882.doga had been registered, the total fees amounting to £144 2s 9d. The Clerk reported that this was £4O better for the Council than last year's return. In reply to a letter .from Messrs Ongley and Kelly, for Mr E. G. Knight, asking for facilities for entering the property from-tho road, which had been impaired through the Council lowering I the road level, the Chairman said the Engineer was attending to tho matter. It was decided to instruct tho County Solicitor to tab proceedings against all owners of the unregistered .dogs. On the motion, of Crs. Reid and Burrell, it was decided that all the telephone posts on Makino road, opposite'Mrßeid's property, be removed back' from the centre of the road. Tho Chairman and Cr. Rowling wore authorised to affix the ■ County seal to the transfer of land to Mrs Pcmberton. Mr A. Harding, and with him Mr L A. Loughnan, solicitor, waited on the Council with regard to the cost of the formation of roads through the "Siberia" estate. Mr Loughnan explained that Mr Harding, of course, was willing to bear the whole cost of the roads intersscting tho estate, but he thought the Council should share with him the cost of forming the main arterial road. To pay for tho intersecting roads, he proposed to raise a special loan with special rate on the property.. Tho trouble was that the property was partly in the Oroua and partly in tho Kairanga Conn, ty. Mr Harding wished to strike a rate over tho whole property, and, if possible, the Oroua Council to carry out and pass the work, taking the loan .noney for that purpose, Tho Council discussed the .proposal, and the general \ iow was that Mr Harding's offer was a fair one. No decision was arrived at, however. MBNZIES FORD BRIDGE. The Chairman presented an'estimate of the cost of the proposed bridge over the Oroua river at Menzies Ford, as follows:—Cost of bridge, £2600; forming, gravelling, and fencing approaches, £100; survey and transfer of lands, £3O; groynes and willow planting, £150; supervision, £150; total, £3030. To meet this the estimated sums wero: Government subsidy, £1000; Eoilding Borough Council, £500; settlers, £250; Oroua County Council, £755; Pohangina County Council, £525. • ENGINEER'S REPORT. Mr Roy L. Harding,_ County Engineer, presented the following report: Maiigaono- Riding—Tho work of regrading Knight's Hill has been almost completed, and. tho contractor is now gravelling this hill. The telegraph poles on Makino road are standing about four feet out'from the watertable, and as the railway line comes round a sharp bend just above this portion of the road, I consider that they aro very dangerous to vehicular traffic, aJid should bo shifted to the other side, of the watertable. Rangitawa Riding.—Tho only work done in this riding during the month has been the gravelling of Tokorangi road. A largo culvert near the Rangitawa stream on this road is quite unsafe, and requires replacing. It could bo replaced with a very much smaller culvert than at present. Raurimu Riding—All the gravelling contracts in this riding have been completed. A traction engine broke the stringers of an old 30ft bridge on the Tokorangi road, but rather than patch up the old bridge I would recommend that it be replaced by a 20ft span, and by the straightening of the creek slightly a waterway equal to, if not better, than the present ono could bo obtained. Makino Riding—The contract for gravelling Makino road has been completed, and the Kimbolton road contract is well in hand. A 3£t by 2ffc culvert on Kimbolton road, and a 15in pipe culvert on Kimbolton road have fallen in, and will require replacing. The road roller has been at work on the Kimbolton road during the month, and I consider it has done very good work, especially during, the wet weather. Taonui Riding.—All the gravelling contracts in this riding have been completed with the exception of the two contracts on Taonui road. The road machine is at present at Bunnythorpo filling in the ruts on the Bunnythorpc and BunnythorpeAshhurst roads. Hiwinui Riding.-No work has been done in this riding during the month, but the contractor is now preparing to gravel Grove road. Otangaki Riding.-The work of .gravelling Pohangina. road is well in hand, and should be completed early next week. Tho screwing up of the Gorge Bridge is proceeding, and three spans have been adjusted, but a great deal of time was lost during the month owing to the wet and windv weather. Attached is an estimate for forming footpaths and dummer road at Ashhursfc.