Waitaki County Council

North Otago Times, 1 December 1910, Page 1

Waitaki County Council

—-f—- ---. ANNUAL MEETING.

The adjourned annual statutory meeting of the County Council for the election of a Chairman was held yesterday, There were present: Messrs Nicolson, Borrie, • Wylie", Dovey, olds, Newlands; and Livingsone. In the absence of the Chairman, Mr Borrie was voted to the chair.

The minutes of the last annual meeting having been confirmod the Clerk (Mr Martin) took the chair, and called for nominations for the position of chairman.

Mr Wylie: Can you nominate a man in his absence ?-.

Mr Nicolson; Yes; if you have his consent.

The acting-chairman said he knew nothing of consent. Mr Wylie said he had pleasure ■ in proposing the retiring chairman, Mr D, Sutherland. Mr Dovey seconded the motion.

Mr Newlands proposed Mr D, Borrie.

This was seconded by Mr Nicolson.

Mr Livingstone said he would have liked to 'have .seen Mr Sutherland present to hear what he had to say. ,He held that the oTice should be a rolling one. It was not right that one man should hold the position for 25 or 30 yeans, Both l the membars nominated would make good chairmen, and there were ..others who would make as good a chairman as either of them.

Mr Wylie said he agreed' to a large extent with what had been said by Mr Livingstone, but the- matter should be threshed out and discussed at a full meeting. He explained that Mr Sutherland was unaible to be present, as he was at present busy shearing.

■Mr Newlands said -he had very great respect for Mr Sutherland, who had tan a very! good chairman; .but .it was not'riglht that any mam' sholild be constantly pitchforked into the position, perhaps against his own inclination, He would not go the length-of saying that the position should be a rolling one, but where a man who was capable aspired to the position 'he should have an opportunity of' filling it, It did not follow that nil who aspired to the Position would be able to fill it, On the question being put the voting was equal—Messrs Nicolson, Newlands, and Livingstone voting for Mr Borrie, and Messrs Wylie, Dovey and Oats for Mr Sutherland.

Mr Borrie refrained from voting. In accordance with the Act, it was decided to settle the question by lot, and the name of Mr Sutherland was drawn.

j That gentleman was thereupon d e : clared elected.

THE ORDINARY MEETING

The monthly meeting was held afterwards, the same inomtas facing present. Mr Borrie was voted to the chair.

' Accounts were passed for payment las follows: General account, £l3Si? •7s 9d; Papakaio water-race account £l2 12s—total,, £1349 19s 9d. I The usual declaration under the Gold Duties Act showed that the amount of gold produced in. the Waitaki County lor September was 930z and for October lOSoz.

j A slaughtering license was granted to James Craig, junr., Hampden, Mr Thos, Stringer, Duntroon, wrote asking that, as the piece of road connecting the 'branch road , from Waiklaura was through the Otekaike Settlement, and now fenced, the gates on the road .through the settlement he removed within a reasonable time. ! It was decided to notify Mr Phillips that'the gates must be removed within a month.' | The Public Works Department wrote that the District Engineer, in 1'or- • warding plans submitted by the ( Council fofl the erection of a 'bridge' over the Parson Creek, Rugged RidI ges, had stated that he understood j the Oouncil was under the impression that a further grant of £ for £ on the balance over and above the grant of £250 had 'bail promised for the bridge, There was no record of any' such .promise having been made. It would, therefore, be necessary for the Council , to. find the difference between the amount provided by, the Departj ment and the • cost of the "bridge.— Received. ' : ■ • • •'

The Under-Secretary . for Lands wrote that attention had been drawn by the Surveyor-General to the con-! tinued interference with snd, in some cases, ■ destruction of standard! survey marks. While recognising that it* was a difficult matter at times to prevent injury to or disturbance of these mflrks, the writer reminded the Council that interference was. illegal, and that it ; had bMu-.decided to enforce the nrovi-! I sions of the law, and the Council ,woiild.b - e held responsible for . the' I cost of replacing; a l ' standard markd | distur)iE'd 0 r damage'd.—Received, !

Mr John Skinner, ; Hampden, wrote that he had just escaped „ serious accident at the, approach -on the roM to his place, where the road was only seven to eig'ht feet wide, and contained steep gullies at each side of the approach.; He applied to have

the roafl made wider to render it safe 1 foi traffic. The ibatter was referred to tbo Engineer and rnomber for the riding to report at the next meeting. - Miss M'Donald applied ' for permist sion to say a private trajmway. across the-roads at Totara, and submitted plans.

It. was resolved to deal with the sublet at the meeting to be held oh 'Wednesday, 21st December. Mr B. Seth-Smith wrote, per . Mr 0. Bond, that at a meeting ,it had bem>'decidea: to:' recommend Messrs O; Bond J. R, M'Cullooh, Alex. Nicol Tlios. Paterson,. and Yeo T. Shand for appointment : as a Ngapara Cemetery Trust. , : -/:'-'iv->o-It was decided- to forward the

names subtaitted to the Minister for Internal Affairs to be gazetted as trustees. , ■ ... Mr- H. Molloy wrote drawing attention to the bad state of the road leading tcf Bushy Beach, whioh was impassable in wet weather,: about 15 chains "being particularly, Had. There was a . soft rock ftuarry within five or six chains of the road, «'and the owner had no objection to supplying the necessary material to put the road in repair. The' matter'was referred to the. Engineer for report., ' ■ Intimation was received from the Public Works Department that the

following votes'" were on the : Esti-

mates, and that the money would 'be entrusted to the Council for expenditure : Razorback Road to Shag Valley, £IOO ; Port Moeraki road, £100';'; Mount Stalker road, £IOO • Mount Fortune road (access), £100; Blackcap road, £100; Hi,lgirove to Port; Moeraki, £IOO j /Herbert to I Nicholas, £100; Sailor's. Cutting, I. (Omarama 1 ), £l5O j . Ot&maibapaio bridge, £SOO ;• Ohaii Lake road, £500;. I Fem Gully road deviation, £300,' | The Coundil was a/3ked to state whe•tlier they would accept , the grant under the conditions S et ou t. - in the 'hands of the Engineer to make out the necessary application, and to thank the members for Oamaru and Waitaki for their services in securing the placing of the. grants on the Estimates.

It was resolved to hold the next meeting on the 21st December, Th' 3 dofl registration fee .was fixed aij the same figure as last year, viz., 23 6d, and it was decided to call f o r applications for the positions of collectors.

The Clerk was instructed to ob : tain a prica for collars in Dunedin, It was decided to determine the contract. No.. 1170, held; Jjy J. D, Gouldire;, the chairman explaining that he had disappeared, and that his song were willing to carry on the work, ttbui could not receive the money unless the contract were' determined, .

| The Department of Lands, Dunedin, forwarded the following statement of "thirds" and 'fourths" up to 29th October. Thirds—Awamoko, £1 Is 4d.; Kurow, £4 6s 8d ; total, £5 Bs. ' Fourths—ldaburn, etc., *£3 Is 2d; Black-stone, -etc., £6 lis sd; Turnagain, etc.,' £5 3s 9d ; Maerewhenuft' £1 10s 8d; total, £l6 7s. It was-.decided to recommend that Idaburn, Blackstone, and Turnagain amounts be transferred to the MaHiototo County Council for expenditure, as they could not be* spent t 0 advantage on the Waitaki side of the range.

An application was received for the transfer of a slaughtering license for Kurow from A.. H, M'Kinnon to W. G. Blacklock.—Agreed to, •

-■Messrs- Gr'alianr - Brothers, Hampden, forwarded a further account for £3O for work .done on the road at Government Hill Estate, £lO whereof tliey had received from the Council. They said that the statement cf account was as arranged with Mr Banks an d Mr Wylie.On the motion of Mr Wylie it was decided to reply that the Council had done the larger part of the work on the north side of the river, a nd th a t the Council! were of opinion that Messrs Graham Brothers had already been well paid for the work they had performed,

An application from the N.Z. and A. Land Company f or the Council's decision in respect to. the road at Totara township,' the District Land Registrar declining to issue a title to a purchaser of some sections , till satisfied that the Council's requirements had been complied with.

The matter had already been before | the Council 'and referred to the Engineer for report. The Engineer reported • that the formation of the road was ■ not necesjsary at present, When carried out it would cost. £6, The company'should 'either do tha work or hand the money to the Council to do it.

'lt was resolved to reply that on £6 being deposited with the Council the plan would be certified, 'Mi- B. Brennah, Ardgowan, wrote drawing attention to .the great in-

convenience he.was put to in regard to the roadline leading to Bis place. He was short of water, and the road leading to;the creek close by was not fenced, Aa Mr Gilchrist's, land adjoining the road was in wheat the writer had great difficulty when driving cattle to the creek to keep (hem off the crop. Mr Gilchrist was ready to fence, but did not' faiow the correct boundary, and the writer asked that the Engineer should peg off the roadline,

The matter was left to the Engineer to deal with.

■ Ths Engineer's report was read and t'ealt with as follows.:

1. I found it necessary to lay new planking, on the Wharakuri 6' ridge the old planking which haa. been on bridge for eighteen years was too much' decayed to carry this season's heavy traffic, All the other timber in the bridge is perfectly sound,Approved.

"2—As to Mr M'Kay's complaint that £ls voted by the Oouncil for forming -a] road across the Otekaike river lo his house tad not been spent lj would point out that thei Council offered him a grant of this amount but' did not propose to do the work."—Held over until next meeting.

"3—With reference to Mr Wesley's application for permission to , put a gate on roaid leading to the P&pakaio portion of the Waitaki Islands it is not clear where the gate is wanted as the advertisement is evidently wrong. I think it is on the road' between sections 54a and 56a, If this is so and the 'gate I 'is placed near, the river r do not thWk- it would ihconvenishcei. anyone."-^Mr. Wesley to be informed that he has probably made a mistako in' locating'the road.

"4—l .would recommend that the gravelling " om the .Devil's Bridge Road fce extended from the end of the contract' now in progress to the Oamsru Creek road, a length of 27 chains. This would link up the gra-: vellinpj on the two roads."--Ap-' proved. ■ "s—With reference to' Mr Puttlck's letter as to the road leading from Chelmer street 'extension southward

to tfche railway .brosringj •-£) •-part

of the road is only 1Z feet wide The . grade leading :.up toi.the'crossing:.',, is very, steep, 'an; average, ofl .-in 8 / for about six .chains, ai»d| slightly steeper : for a short distance.. I : would - re- . commend that the narrow piece be' widened and the road 'raised a'.little ■ at the bottom of tlies teen girade. It would >• be difficult to ease the grade •leading' to the crossing, pt a light coat' of metal to prevent slipfing would improve it greatly/ Until this road is formed through to the main south :road the traffic over it. will be v«ry .light;"— To. be held over until next meeting,, "6—The footbridge ■at the Big Hill Creek on the. Waiareka 'Valley road Is; quite .'beyond .repair as all the timber .is-.'" much', decayed, plankiing and' stringers being gome. Piles might: ;last some time," but aa the bridge is probably over 40 years old it would be advisable to use them. This bridge is very rarely used as the''crossing.".Js nearly always dry,."-Held over,

MV footbridge) acro'ss the Waiareka)... stream on the WestonIncholme road is also done, It to 0 is probably- 40 , years old.. Much of the timber in it it sound,' but it is not worth; repairing, "-The work to be put in hand.-

'■'S I did not think it advisable 1 to invite tenders fo'r ahy contracts at this meeting; as-the contractors have so much work on hand. Contracts fori form'atfon , on Bltack Cap roald and on Peaks Road deviation'will foe ready for next., meeting,"-Agreed to.

,Qi' .the motion of Mr Livingstone it was decided]to sLve the engineer and| the member' for the riding power to arrange with the contractor for providing shingle on tliej Teaneraki Settlement road for an extension" of the shingling,' ' ,

Oil: the mlotio® iof Mr Newlands, | seconded by Mr Wylie, it was resolved to continue paying the present rate, Is 6d per 100 for birds' heads and eggs, It'was decided to c'allfor tenders fcjr metalling on Dick's road, Port Moeraki.