HOBSON COUNTY COUNCIL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9890, 5 August 1895, Page 3

HOBSON COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Hobson County Council was held in the Council Chambers on July 10, at eleven a.in. Present: —Messrs. A. E. Harding (chairman), T. Bassett, Jones, and Slade.

Charitable Joseph Lyons, of Dargaville, wrote that he was quite unable to pay the amount due for his daughter's medical treatment in the hospital, £98 16s, but would do his bent to reduce the amount when able. This was in reply to the Council's request to do something. The reply was considered unsatisfactory, as Lyons frequented expensive entertainments. Decided, ' That, unless Lyons makes some definite offer by next meeting to pay something weekly or monthly, action will bo taken against him in the Stipendiary Magistrate's Court." The clerk reported that A. Lyons, of Kopuru, had paid £3 towards his charitable aid account. >

Mrs. Winters' Road.—Mrs. Winters wrote, that the boards laid by the Council to her house were not ot much use, as they were too narrow. The engineer said he had done the utmost with the money the Council had voted. He had got the timber very cheap, on account of sympathy for Mrs. Winters. The councillors inspected the road after the dinner adjournment, and decided that Mrs. Winters be informed that if the boards are of no use they will be taken up and put down where they will be better appreciated. The Council at its last meeting voted £4 to lay planks to Mrs. Winters' door.

Proposed Road—Darraville to KaiKOHE. —G. Mueller asked to have a rough sketch of the proposed road marked out on a litho. map. Decided, " That the engineer make a flying survey of the proposed road when the weather is suitable."

Gates on Mopiit Road.— Tronnsen wrete that the gates on the old road had been opened as requested. He had also repaired the old bridge to the flaxmill, and made it passable.

Correspondence.—Russel Bates sent an abusive letter. Decided, "That, the letter having been read, the chairman be authorised to destroy it, and auy other letters, which, after having been read, he was of opinion were of no public importance." P. Moloughney asked for an extension of time on Watson's drain contract, as the rain had stopped him. Left in the hands of the engineer. A. Barron forwarded an authority for the Council to acquire a road through native land at Opanaki. J. Simpkin objected to pay 8s 6d, rates on a leasehold, as the clerk had made a mistake. The clerk explained Mr. Simpkin's error. G. Mueller wrote re want of building sites near Kopuru. Referred the Council to Mr. Garland, of the Education Department. R. McCarroll wrote re throwing up his contract on the Tangitiroria Road, and asked for the favourable consideration of the Council. Decided to cancel McCarroll's contract, and that his deposit ot £3 be forfeited. The engineer had called for fresh tenders, aud the chairman, Mr. Spiers, and the engineer were appointed to deal with them. A. Sneyd offered to do certain extra work on the Opanaki Road for £1 extra, making £7 in aH. Agreed to. P. Zimmerman wrote re petition for Government aid ou the Mauugakaramea Road. E. F. Warren, of the Public Trust Office, wrote asking for information relative to O'Hagan and Morris. The county solicitor wrote re packet license for the s.s. Ethel. It had again been taken out at Helensville, although the steamer was trading on the Wairoa. R. M. Clark offered to cart timber for a culvert at Tokatoka, near Dreaden's, for 4s per hundred.

Charitable Aid.— The Auckland Hospital forwarded account for the medical treatment of Hottinguist of £19. A. E. Hart reported in the hospital for treatment of hair-lip from 4th May; cost, £7 Bs.

County Councils' Association.— the meeting at Wellington on 30ch July, a long discussion ensued. It was cansidered that it would be greatly to the advantage of the Council to be represented there, as there were so many matters the Council wanted seeing to ; such as the rating on kauri timber, by which the Council are losing £70 a year now ; the great question of charitable aid, which is becoming such a serious drain on counties; grants for road works in the county, and local government generally. It was decided that the Council send a representative, it being understood that expenses ouly would be paid. The chairman was urged to go, but declined, as he could not spare the time. All the councillors in succession declined to go for the same reason. Finally, the chairman was appointed to go, but declined to give a positive answer. Failing a councillor, it was considered that some suitable outsider conversant with county matters might be induced bo go.

Refund Wanted.—Decided, "That the clerk write to Hottinguist and Hart, asking them to refund some of the coat of their treatment in the hospital." Engineer's Report.—The engineer's report was read as follows:—"To the chairman : Sir,l have the honour to submit to you tho following report :—As instructed by resolutions of last meeting, I have visited and inspected the Kohekohe and Dargaville and Flaxmill Roads. Kohekohe Road : With regard to the Kohekohe Road, I understood that I was required to submit an estimate for the formation of the most necessary portions of the road, and with that object I went over the road in company with Mr. Slade. The portion that most requires tormation is from peg 13, opposite Turiwhiri, to peg 52, five chains south of Mr. Harding's northern boundary line, a distance of 46 chains. Another portion, almost as necessary, is from peg 30 to peg 45, a distance of 26 chains from the bush across the saddle, about the centre of the Maungatawhiri Block. The two portions of the road referred to are steep sidelines, aud if no more of the road can be formed at present, tho 72 chains mentioned should he undertaken. The cost of the work,including culverts, and the sideling cutting, six feet into the solid, I estimate at £125. Dargaville-Flaxmill Road: The Dar-gaville-Flaxmill Road, from Johnson's cutting to the traffic bridge, has swamps extending for 20 chains of the road, and a waterway that in flocdtime requires an opeuiug of 120 feet. The swamp portion of the road might be made good for traffic at a cost of £50 or £60. To put a permanent structure over the waterway would cost £120, if made of mini-mum-sized timber, or £150 if constructed as an ordinary traffic bridge. If it is an impossibility to undertake the permanent works mentioned, then the waterway might be spanned by a cheap construction in the shape of a dish channel, made of kahikatea logs fastened down with posts, to prevent them from floating away in floodtime, and decked with slabs six feet long. This could be done for £25, or kauri might be put in in place of kahikatea at a small additional cost. Tho great objection to such a structure is that in floodtime there would be from two to six feet of water over the deck, and it might sometimes be necessary to swim ; but, as the other portions of the road near the traffic bridge would be under water at the same time, it would be a case of swim whether the waterway were bridged or dish-channelled. Watson's Ou&let: The work of excavating Watson's Outlet cannot be finished owing to the heavy fall of rain causing a continuous flood in the Kopuru Creek; and I would recommend that the contraotor be instructed to cut the dam away, so that the drain will take the floodwater, and suspend the completion of the work until the spring. Tatarariki Road : The contractor for the Tatarariki Road drain has not been able to make a start yet, as the swamp has been in continual flood ever since the contract was let. Dargaville-Tangiti-roria Road : Finding that Mr. McCarroll, the contractor for the formation of the Dargaville - Tangitiroria Road, near the block, hod not commenced work, I wired him to know when he would make a start; and, in reply, received a letter informing me that he had thrown up the contract, as he had not completed his Tokatoka work. 1, therefore, advertised for fresh tenders, returnable on Wednesday next, at noon. Opanaki: I have visited Opanaki, and put in grade pegs for a sideling formation on the Bluff Road, and found that less that 14 chains would not carry the formation on to country fit to be left unformed. Surfacemen : The surfacemen have completed the cleaning of the Mangawhare and Dargaville Bridges, cleaning Bradley's landing roaddrain, repairs to Seymour's Road, repairs to Aratapu-Wost Coast Road, and put in a culvert on the Kopurn-Redhill Road.— (Signed) Horace Hammond, County Engineer."

Kohekohe Road.—Decided, "That the engineer prepare plans, specifications, etc., of the works proposed, and call -for tenders, returnable to the October meeting." Surfacemkn. —Decided to send them to repair the Ohria bridge, afterwards to the Okahu culver* at Dreadou's, then to clean up the watertables and culverts along the county roads, and remove a log across tho road at Ma nail's.

Accounts Gonfirmbd.— H. Hammond, £19 3s 4d ; F. Lowrie, £2 Is 8d; post office, £3; F. Filby, £2 6s 8d; J. C. Anderson, £8; J. Davidson, £12; C. Codey, £5 6s 6d : total, £51 8s 2d. Accounts Passed.—C. Codey, £4 4s; A. Underwood, £1 19s; F. McCowan, £5 3s; S. W. Mansfield, £3 13s 6d; Pocklington and Clark, £11; J. Seymour, £17 10s 6U Charitable Aid.Little Sisters of the Poor (maintenance of McNamara), £6 10s; A. Matteraon (rent of the Old Men's Refuge at Redhill), £119s ; Auckland Hospital, £19. Ridings' Balances—July 11, 1895.—: Aratapu, £722 12s 2d ; Koparu, £286 15s 3d ; Okahu, £458 14s lid; Tatararifci Drainage Board, £119 13a 7d ; Handbaid, £97 lis 5d ; overdraft, £753 19s 2d. Cr. : Dargaville, £704 13s 3d ; Wairoa, £226 14s 2d. Tho Council rose at 4.10 p.m.— Corrcspojnden.t