COUNTY COUNCILS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 268, 12 October 1932, Page 12

COUNTY COUNCILS

MANAWATU COUNTY. MONTHLY MEETING. The Manawatu County Council met at Sanson, yesterday, for the usaul monthly meeting, there being present Crs. J. F. McKelvie, W. Pearce, N. Morcom, J. H. Perrett and D. W. Reid.

In the absenoe of the chairman (Cr. W. E. Barber) through illness, Cr. Perrett was elected to the chair. An apology for absence was received from Cr. J. H. Boyce. CORRESPONDENCE.

From the Public Works Department setting out particulars of the benefit to be gained through taking traffic tallies.—Left in the hands of the engineer to take traffic tallies at Bauson at dates considered most suitable.

From the , Unemployment Board stating that as from October 1, it had decided to take over the workers’ compensation insurance for relief workers. —Received.

From the Kairanga County Council asking the council to consider the Question of having the Dog Registraion Act amended to give power to local bodies to charge a maximum fee of £2, the class of dogs, to which the fee should apply to be left to the discretion of the councils. —The actingchairman thought £2 was too high a fee for sporting dogs. Cr. Reid considered that sheep and cattle dogs did as much worrying to sheep as sporting and other dogs. Pointing out that the class of dog to be licensed at £2 was left to the discretion of the council concerned, the chairman moved that the Kairanga County Council be supported in its move, the motion being carried, Crs. Morcom and Reid dissenting. From tire Oroua Drainage Board advising that it had decided to take over and maintain the drain along the Kaimatarau Road.—Received.

From the Rongotea Town Board stating that it had agreed that authority be given to the council to issue building permits for the town district of Rongotea.—The council agreed that the authority given was quite in order and accepted tire duty of issuing permits for buildings. ENGINEER’S REPORT.

Mr H. V. Bond, county engineer, submitted the following report on toe months work in the county:

Rulings. —bandon: A surrace water dram lias been cut on Gust's Line. General drain cleaning and maintenance have been continued. Grading has been carried out on Taylor s, Eraser’s, Ohakea, Richardson s, bpeecly’s, Fagan’s, Frecklington s, Whitman’s, Gust's, Cemetery, Ngaio and Jtial-combe-Mt. Biggs roads. Mt. Stewart : Kowhai Road is being closed up to 19 feet wide by banking. This road is at present 28 feet wide in places, and a considerable amount of grading and maintenance will be saved uy closing the road to a reasonable width. Drains and water-tables have been cleaned out on Lee’s Line from Feiiding-Awahuri Road to Mr Mair’s gate. Kowhai, and Mt. Biggs-Mt. iatewart roads have been graded. Waitolii: A water-table lias been cut on Taipo Road by Mr Sexton's property. A small bridge on Banks-Waitohi Road has been repaired. The following roads have been graded: Penny’s, 'laipo, Taipo-Awahufi, Hammond’s, Rowe’s and Banks-Waitohi. Rongotea : Surface metal has been spread on Kaimatarau Road, and general maintenance has been continued throughout. Leen’s, Kaimatarau, Sanson's, Green, River, Banks, Mill and Milner’d Roads have been graded. Carnarvon : Ocean Beach Road at Tangimoana lias been trimmed up. Lake, Koputaru, Soldiers’, ltiverbank and Rosina Roads have been graded. Kawa Kawa: Surface metal has been spread on Cooper’s and Milner’s Ruuds. Drains have been cleaned on Raupo and Puawai Roads. The following have been graded: Ivellow’s, Cooper’s, Milner’s and Taikorea Roads. Awaliou : .Stopbanks on Bowe’s Road have been repaired. Shoulders have been built up and sand-blows repaired on Sanatorium Road. Nos. 1,2 and 6 Lines. Poplar and Sanatorium Roads have been graded. Main Drain Road: The usual grading and patching have been continued. General: Protection works have been fenced in at tire crushing plant. Urgent repairs have been undertaken at the Himatangi cottage. The usual maintenance work has been carried out on the tram track. The motor jigger which lias just been put into commission for the use of the track gang will be very beneficial. Main Highways.—Stop-banks have been repaired at Moutoa by the settlers and unemployed to protect the Shannon Road and private property. A turning place has been made at the gates of the Rongotea cemetery on the Rongotea-Longburn Road. The usual grading has been carried out to the 54 miles of metalled highways, and surface metal has been spread where necessary. The repairs to the Whirokino bridge are now complete.— Adopted.

RATE COLLECTOR’S REPORT. The following report was submitted by the county rate collector, Mr A. Anderson: —“The total sum collected up to date is £4847 7s Bd. This compares favourably with the receipts up to this date last year. Following is a statement of rates for the current year: General struck, £13,196 10s lOd; collected £3447 3s lid; rebates, 12$ per cent., £3Ol ITs lid, 3 per cent., £ll4 14s 3d; outstanding, £9273 ,4s Bd. Hospital, struck, £2409 19s Cd; collected, £672 3s 8d; outstanding, £1737 15s lOd. Specials, struck, £1370 7s 2d, collected, £272 4s 6d, outstanding £IO9B 2s Bd. Arrears for three years at" March 31, 1932, £2276 9s sd, collected £422 13s 4d, outstanding, £1853 16s la.—Adopted. RATE ROLL. The following alteration to the county rate roll was authorised:—Mrs G. C. F. Waller, to Jefferies Bros.; sec. 387 a, No. 5 and 387 b, Carnarvon.

TRAMWAY REPORT. Mr A. K. Drew, tramway manager, reported as under on the -Sanson tramway returns for the month: ■ The chief items of traffic were: Grain 6i tons, minerals and manure 119$ tons, general merchandise 15 tons, cheese and eggs 163 crates, cream 25 cans, metal 3 'trucks, posts' 5 trucks, timber 2000 super ft., cement 2 tons, hay 2 trucks. During the past month the volume of traffic reached a very low ebb. The total earnings were only £4O 0s lid, eight trips to Himatangi being run. The expenses amounted to £125 4s 10d, as follows: Wages, running staff, £3B 17s> 6d* do., linesmen, £4O 15s 4d ; do. workshop (repairs, etc.), £9 19s; truck and sheet hire, £l2 13s; coal, firewood, oil, stores, • etc., £lB ; material, £5; total, £125 4s lOd. The reduced railway service on the Foxton Line has been a contributing factor to this position. The motor jigger for use on the line, which has been in hand for a considerable time, has' been completed and put into work. The total cost in labour £7 8s 6d, material £5, amounting to £l2 8s 6d.—Adopted.

K AIR ANG ACCOUNT Y. ADDITIONAL BUS INESS. The monthly meeting of the Kairanga County Counoil was continued

yesterday afternoon, Cr Collis being m the chair. ' The decision as to which of three schemes for work in the Hamilton’s Line area would be proceeded with was left in the hands of the members for the riding, subject to a favourable reply being forthcoming from the Public Works Department. The New Zealand Counties’ Association wrote suggesting that a danger signat should be placed a.t each end of a section over which a grader is operating.—The letter was received, Or Anderson pointing out that under the motor regulations it was the duty of the motorist to keep a look-out for traffic which was likely to be on the r °The Unemployment Board advised that it had decided to take over the liability hitherto carried by local bodies in respect of insurance of relief workers hut it did not intend to take over the' insurance liability where scheme o men “over the fence” were employed by farmers. —Received. .* The Awapuni ranger reported having impounded 104 head of stock since the last meeting, while the Fitzherbert ranger reported having impounded 82 head.