MURCHISON NEWS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 28 March 1938, Page 5

MURCHISON NEWS

COUNTY AFFAIRS MEETING OF COUNCIL lFrom Our Own Correspondent] Mr T. O. Morel presided at the monthly meeting of the Murchison County Council, others present being! ! Messrs J. Downie, J. Rait, H. W. Brooks, 1 j F. H. Newman and E. M. Brown. Accounts passed for payment were: j General account, £757 6s Od; hydro j account. £6O 7s: diesel account, £179 j Os 9d. | COUNTY CLERK'S REPORT : The bank balance as at the Ist March, 1938 was £2432 15s Bd. plus outstanding cheques of £l2 6s 3d, a total of I £2445 Is lid. Receipts and payments ! for the month of February were res- ! pectively £BSB 16s 8d and £396 13s Bd. The Clerk said it had been reported ; that the Council raised the rates for the 1 5 current year so that some of the arrears j 1 could be written off. He submitted a j return showing the arrears of rates col- ' lectcd this year:—l929-30. £3 15s 9d; j 1930-31, £l4 4s 2d; 1931-32, £4O Os 4d; ! 1932-33. £37 Is 9d; 1933-34, £4B 13s 3d; i 1934-35. £7B Is 2d; 1935-36, £l3O 0s j 9d; 1936-37. £383 13s 4d; total, £735 ! 10s 6d. In addition to the above | amounts actually collected the Clerk ' had orders on the Dairy Company for ; £ll2 18s 5d for rates protected by legal proceedings. The Council was also protected by the Magistrate's Court order for £316 11s 3d, so it would be | seen that the has done its utmost to collect all arrears of rates. Since the above report was made out, ■ the sum £1904 19s Od had been banked the actual bank balance to-day being £990 Is 2d. The Clerk had collected the sum of £26 10s in petrol pump j licenses, all the pumps on the road line | jor footpath having been licensed. ELECTRICAL ENGINEER The Electrical Engineer reported:— ■ The power plant continues to function | ! smoothly, with entire freedom from ; electrical or mechanical defect, consequently a continuous supply has been i maintained throughout the area. The total number of units generated was ; 26.600 and the highest recorded demand i was 54 k.w. The continued dry spell i has seriously reduced the stream flow j of the Six Mile Creek, to such an ex- j i tent that the whole flow is being util- j iscd for plant operations. Should the j position not be shortly relieved by rain j , a very awkward situation may arise, j 1 Consumers continue to add electrical j | equipment to the system, there being! at present a decided interest in electri- ? cal cooking. One 6 k.w. electric range together with a domestic hot water supply has been installed for a con- j sumer and a similar equipment'is now ; on order for another consumer. I am i of opinion that the acquisition of the j . stand-by plant is proving helpful in this ; | respect by assuring consumers of a con- i I tinuity of supply for cooking purposes— j ! a vital necessity before a cooking load ; | can be built up. I Recent connections to the supply j mains were given in detail. OVERSEER'S REPORT The overseers reported that Mr F. j M. Brooks, the contractor for the Glen- j gary road work had completed the j contract. Regarding Blackwater road ! J. R. Robinson and Sons, the contractors for this work were progressing favourably. D. W. Thompson, the contractor for Rappanannoek road had made a very good start. The grader j was still on the Murchison-Reefton | main highway. The road from Inangahua county to the foot of the saddle ) had been completed. A 32 foot culvert

of 24 inch pipes had been put in at the Mataki near the Mammoth Hotel, and : general patching work had been carried out on the Mataki Glenroy, and Della Bosca's road. The men had been i employed for two days on the Long- ; ford Coal Pit road attending to the : ditches etc., and one day on the Flat ; Creek road to O’Brien’s. Proposals had ; been submitted to the district engineer ; for Le Patiti Valley Road (access to jMcAuliffe). A small contract had j been let to J. Badcock to open out the j ditches and culvbrts on Valley Creek 1 road, Matiri. No reply had been received from Mr Drawbridge in connection" with the access to his property at Glenroy. OTHER MATTERS It was decided that the report as submitted by the special committee in connection with the erection of the power house for the Diesel standby plant be adopted. Tenders are to be ; called for alternative buildings, concrete and corrugated iron. The power | house is to be erected at the right hanc corner of the section near the whit< gate. The chairman’s action in authorising the grader to go to the Shenandoal road was approved. Mr K. J. Holyoake, M.P.. advisee that the Minister had approved of the erection of the footbridge to Kelling’s and Pointon’s. The Minister of Tourist and Pub' licity, advised that a lease had beer granted of the Maruia Springs Hostel but if the conditions were not carriec out, consideration would be given tc taking the place over. The District Engineer, approved o: the acceptance oLJ. R. Robinson’s ten der of £430 for the Black water road He also asked permission to remove th( planks on the Gowan Bridge and ad vised that he would keep the road ir order while the carting was being done an d recommended a grant of £ 3 for £: to re-deck the bridge. The District Engineer, suggested tha the Matiri River East Bank should b< attended to, first with the £3 for £! grant before the Valley Creek Roac portion. The Commissioner of Transport for warded a copy of the N.Z. Gazetti declaring the road through the town ship to come under the 30 mile per houi speed limit. He also advised that i was not proposed to alter the system o; issuing drivers’ licenses this year. The Mines Department asked th< Council to reconsider the matter o: remitting the rent of the Mt. Cann Min ing Co., Ltd. It was resolved that th< request be granted. The State Advances Corporation notified that the Council’s applicatior for a loan of £2500 for the erection o: two houses had been granted. The Nelson Hospital Board, invitee the Council to be represented at a conference to discuss the building requirements. The chairman and Councilloi Newman were appointed to represenl the Council at the conference. The Automobile Association intimated that the Association was going tc urge the reconstruction. of the Shenandoah road as the main route to the Lewis Pass. The Murchison Progress League asked the Council to expedite the forming of the footpath in Fairfax street, from Waller street, and also to set aside an area for the parking of cars. It was resolved that the overseer submit a report. Mr C. F. Dymock wrote in reference to the road to his property from Sullivans bridge. It was resolved that the road be attended to. Mr J. T. Baigent, requested an increase in the maintenance contract of Baigent’s road, on ‘account of the increased cost of labour. It was decided that an increase of £7 10s per annum be granted, as from Ist April. 1938. The Howard Miners' Association asked for the improvement of the road from the Howard Bridge to the Post Office. The matter was referred to the overseer. It was decided that the Statutebarred rates for 1932-33. 1933-34. 1934-35 be written off. Councillor Brown asked that the overseer report on the parking of cars at the Methodist Church. Councillor Downie requested that the overseer also report on the parking of cars outside the Oddfellows’ Hall. The drainage scheme for the township was left in the hands of Councillor Downie and the Count., Clerk. The* are to interview the Inspector of Health. Councillor Newman asked for some metal to be placed on the road near the old school site on the Nuggetty Road. Planks were required for the bridge on Owen Road.

! Councillor Rait requested some assistance in cleaning up the Memorial Square*. This was referred to the over- ! seers to co-operate with Mr McGregor. The chairman asked for the Tutaki Bridge decking to be attended to, also for some metal for the potholes on ! the road to J. E. Sagar’s. The grader is to go to the Matiri road from the Buller Tiver to Warnes. Tutaki road potholes are to be filled j in, and Grassy road to McCaa's is to be attended to. It was decided that a master diesel galion road grader be purchased from the International Harvester Co., Ltd., at a price of £I7OO. plus the old grader, payment to be spread over three yearly instalments on Ist April of each year free of interest. The above purchase is subject to a satisfactory trial. Assistant Overseer.—lt was decided that J. Anderson be appointed Assistant Overseer under the conditions as drawn up, at the rate of £260 per annum, and subject to a three months’ trial.