MANGONUI COUNTY

Northern Advocate, 23 October 1936, Page 5

MANGONUI COUNTY

MEETING OF COUNCIL REMOVAL OF WILLOWS DISCUSSION LONG LIST OF GENERAL ITEMS. A meeting of the Mangonui County Council was held on -Wednesday. Present: Councillors W. Vickers (chairman), W. J. Steed, R. Wrathall, C. J. E. Barriball, H. H. Thompson, J. N. Berghan, L. J. Matthews, and F. Holder. Tenders. Two tenders were received for formation work on Awanui-Waihoe Road. One was fo'r £395, by Nicholas Covich, and the other was by G. Burnett for £351 2/-. No decision was reached, as the tenders have to be referred to the, Public Works Department. For Smith’s Road, at Herekino, Dysart and Lunjevich tendered £3ll 9/6, and J. Curreen, £3Ol 15/-. The matter was left in the’ hands of the engineer, who is to refer the tenders to the Public Works Department. For Fisher’s Bridge, only one tender was received, and this was from White Bros, for £795 18/5, a price well above the estimate, and it was decided to invite fresh tenders.

Tenders were received for advertising and that of the “Northern Advocate” was accepted. i

Willow Menace.

Mr J. W. Dawson waited on the council with regard to the willow the Mangatoitoi Creek. The settlers were aware, he said, of the damage being done and we*e sure that greater damage would be done in the future. It was too much for the settlers to remove the willows, and he suggested that the council should advance something, and should also apply for a Government grant, which' had been made in similar circumstances in other districts. For a distance of between 40 and So chains at least onethird of the land where the willows were worst was on the road. The remainder of the willow-infested v area was owned by the ratepayers. As far as the payment of rates was concerned, no settlers, could show such a clean sheet as those on Mangatoitoi Road. Unemployment funds had been expended on wrrrks of far less importance in the cpunty than the work he was asking for. The settlers were prepared to turn out and give some assistance, but could not find plant. A second request by Mr Dawson was that the grader be put on Mangatoitoi Road, and some holes filled in with metal.

Cr. Thompson thought they should be able to get some assistance from the Government for . the removal of willows, which were causing the road to deteriorate every day. Mr Dawson said he thought £2OO would go a long way in providing a remedy. Mr Torrie said one of the problems was to get ah outlet for the creek. They could clear the willows, but that would not improve the get-away for the water. He agreed that the creek should be cleared, but the council could not .find the money. Cr. Wrathali; “We have been imposing regulations and ihaking threats in the past with regard to the clearing of willows.” In Oruru every settler was forced to remove willows. Now the Mangatoitoi settlers wanted them cleared by the Government or the council. If they complied with the request, they would be establishing a precedent. When Government grants had been made for the removal of willows, it was because Public Works men were in some way concerned. The council should not make fish of one and flesh of another Cr.' Thompson said the willows were only removed in parts from the Oruru River.

Cr. Berghan: “We should get a report from the engineer.”

A letter was received from the district engineer, Whangarei, in reference to the willows in the Fairburn stream, and stated that there were about eight chains which had not yet been cleared. He pointed out that the local authority had full powers under the Public Works Act and the Land Drainage Act to deal with the matter.

Cr. Holder said the council should do all it could to assist the Mangatoitoi settlers to obtain a grant and it should deal with the willows on the road on its own responsibility. He mbved that they apply for a grant from the unemployment funds. Cr. Matthews seconded. Cr. Wrathall: “The council should apply the same principle to the whole county.” Cr. Holder said he was prepared to have, the motion amended so as to meet Cr. Wrathall’s views.

The clerk; “If we are asking for a grant we should name a definite sum.” Cr. Wrathall moved that the engineer be asked to report on the willows at the next meeting. Cr. Thompson: “We will.only get from the department a similar reply to what we have already had if we ask for a grant.” The motion was carried.

Mr Dawson, referring to any suggestion that the clearing of the willows would benefit land, said there was no farm along Mangatoitoi Road which had more than an acre of flat land.

Engineer’s Report. The engineer reported that since last meeting he had concentrated on the preparation of proposals for the expenditure of Government grants. Surveys and engineering plans for one mile of Waihoe Road, 85 chains of Fryer’s Road, arid 80 chains of Smith’s road had been completed and the proposals forwarded to the P.W.D. for approval. In connection with Smith’s road the deviation surveyed in 1932 had not been legalised, and was not a suitable location for the read when it junctioned with the main highway, and the engineering survey had been put on the new line, which would obviate the necessity for a severance through the property of Mr A. B. Murray, only 28 perches of which would have to be taken for the road. It was pointed out by the engineer, with regard to the taking of metal from private property, that the P.W.D. was averse to paying royalties and the council was advised to exercise its powers under the Public Works Act, 1928. Dance Floor Safety. The engineer reported that following complaints by the police, he had made an inspection of the top floor of > Harris Hall at Mangonui and was of the opinion that the floor was not safe

for the purposes of a public hall. The owner had been warned against using it for public functions, pending further investigations. Cr. Wrathaß said it looked as if commercial interests had interfered with regard to the hall. A Public Works ball was to be held the next Friday nigM, and the report as a result of the complaint by the police was a nice thing to spring on them two days before the event. There was no intention, however, of using the top floor on the Friday evening. The Public Works employees were very much upset at the back-door endeavour to interfere with the holding of the ball.

Cr. Thompson said that with Mr Torrie he had examined the top floor of the hall and though the timber of the foundations was apparently sound the building was a very old one, and with a large crowd upstairs there was a possibility of a collapse with calamitous results. The chairman: “We have a report that there is a certain amount; of risk in using the upstairs portion, and the council could not afford to take any risk at all, but, with an assurance that the top floor would not be used, no objection need be made to the ball.

Cr Wrathall: “I can give that assurance in ; writing, as chairman of the committee running the Junction,”

Compensation Claim,

Mr Sulenta waited on the council in support of- a claim for £4OO for land taken for a road through Sulenta Bros.’ property at Waipapakauri. He was accompanied by Mr G. Dragicevich, who was also seeking compensation for land taken for reading purposes. They .wanted the road fenced at a cost of 25/- per chain. Cr Wrathall said the land ha* been held for a number of years and no attempt had been made to fence it. This only occurred to the owners as desirable after a road had been put through. The council had agreed to pay Sulenta Bros. £25 some time ago, but that did not bind them to meet the present claim of £4OO. The value of the land was the cost of the fencing. He suggested that an assessment of the damage should be made under*the Public Works Act. There was no possibility of getting the price of £4OO down by negotiations to something reasonable. He did not think the long fence asked for was necessary to the development of the area. ■ . •

Mr Dragicevich: “Our idea is not to get money from the council but to be able to develop our property in which a good 'deal has already been spent.”

Mr Sulenta: “In asking for a fence costing 25/- per chain, we are only asking for something the council agreed to some time ago as would be shown by the minute book.” Cr Steed asked Mr Sulenta if he would accept £IOO and the wiping off of rates.

Mr Sulenta: “No.” The chairman: “The amount asked is £4OO, and it may pay the council to take the whole area over at valuation for afforestation purposes. Mr Sulenta: “We are not asking anything for the land used for the road.” Cr Logan: The length through the Sulenta Bros/ property is *IBO chains, and through Dragicevich’s property 151 chains, but the two were before the council as one, as the land had not been subdivided yet. The Chairman: “When we suggested 25/- per chain, it was only going to mean about £3O to the council.” He would move that they proceed to take the land under the Public Works Act. Cr Wrathali seconded.

Mr Dragicevich asked that the motion be not put till he and Mr Sulenta had conferred.. This was agreed to, and after a few moments they returned and Mr Dragicevich reduced his demand from £ 184 17/4 to £ 150. The offer was not accepted and the motion was carried.

Genera! Items,

Advice was received that the council had been gazetted a Kairaaunau Domain Board. Cr Steed was appointed chairman.

The Minister of Public Works wrote stating that the cost of improving the Herekino Gorge road was estimated at £2,100, and the question of making a grant would be considered when the estimates for next year are being dealt with.

The District Engineer wrote requesting the council to attend to a bridge giving access to Crown lands in the Kaikino Swamp. On the motion Of Cr Steed, it was decided to apply for a special grant of £SO for the renewal of the bridge. With regard to willows growing in the Fairburn stream Cr Barriball said the only way was to take proceedings against the three or four settlers who had failed to do anything.

It was decided to have nqtices served according to the requirements of the Act calling upon settlers to destroy willows in the stream where it flowed through their properties, the notices to be sent to both Fairburn. and Maungatoitoi settlers.

The question of having a drain running through the Ahipara school grounds filled in was left in the hands of the riding member and engineer! A resolution was passed recommending the Public x Works Department to grant the Kaitaia Dairy Company permission to carry electric wires across the road at Awanui, with the purpose of lighting the residences of the staff. A letter was received requesting that the road to Sweetwater be put in order and the matter was left in the hands of the riding member and engineer.

Referring to the old wharf at Mangonui Cr Wrathall said there was going to be a difficulty in dealing with this season’s work. The clerk said he could not say when the next meeting of the Tenders Board would be held. The tenders for the new wharf, according to a telegram, had been forwarded to the Minister. Cr Wrathall said he was not satisfied with the way tenders had been dealt with.

The clerk replied that of 1.399 ratepayers, 364 had signed the petition in favour of an electric power district. This gave the necessary percentage with 14 to spare. The poorest support came from Awanui where only 18 had signed. Thd Chairman; “From a statement by Mr Semple, which indicated that the Government might take over the whole electric supply for the Dominion it would be good policy for the council to mark time.” On the motion of Cr Steed a resolution was passed that the council invoke the powers of the Public Works Act with regard to shingle or metal taken from private property for reading purposes.

It was decided, on the motion of Cr Matthews, seconded by Cr Wrath-

an to reinstate the commissions paid the solicitors on the collection of rates in 1931. Cr Thompson said that a sum of £SOO had been placed on the Estimates for Kitchen’s bridge. This was not sufficient and his riding was not in a position to contribute anything. A previous Government had placed £BOO on the Estimates for the same bridge. On the motion of Cr Thompson it was decided to write to the Minister requesting him to review the position with a view to increasing the grant' to £BOO.

Referring to a grant of £2OO for Te Rore Road Cr. Thompson suggested that the amount be spent in linking up the formation.

Cr Wrathall, referring to the grant of £1,200 for Kohumaru Road said the work had apparently been finished. Twenty odd men had been sent to widen the road and he had a letter from a settler who was satisfied that nothing like £1,200 had been spent on the road. He had seen the road himself and was satisfied that the work done did not represent half the amount of that sum.

On the motion of Cr Wrathall it was decided to write to the local Public Works engineer asking for information, and how much of the money, if any, remained unexpended.