WAIMATE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10518, 28 July 1910, Page 2

WAIMATE COUNTY COUNCIL.

(From Our Own Correspondent.) The monthly meeting of the above was held yesterday at 10 a.m. Present : Messrs R. H. Rhodes (chairman), G. Lyall, A. Walker, J. Bitchener, H. Elworthv, H. Dohrmann, F. White, T. Hart, and T. Milne. The Chairman's monthly statement was as follows: —The agenda paper calls for no special coriiment. The late flood has evoked several applications for road works, biit fortunately the County has escaped any serious damage. As shown •by the monthly labor sheet, it has been responsible for the expenditure of £143 so far, and there are still some small pavments to be made on this account. The bank account shows an overdraft of £4803, and the accounts coming before von for payment to-day total £llßl, this including ithe second quarterly instalment of the hospital and charitable aid levy on our County. As the public pound we are establishing at Waimate is to be finished in a day or two, I instructed the Clerk to call for applications for the position of pound-keeper, and'these will be for your consideration to-day. The usual Government audit of the. accounts of the County was completed last week, the audit being brought right up to date. The Council has been asked to confer with the Waimate Agricultural and Pastoral Association as to arranging for lectures by Mr Brown, the newly-appointed agricultural expert, and it will be necessary for the Council to appoint one of its "members to make arrangements. "With the 'other members of the Council, in welcoming Mr White back among us again, we trust a complete restoration to health.

The Engineer's report was received, and the following refers to the central and southern portions of the County: — Deep Creek Hiding—Contract No. 718, reserve 144, roads (metalling), •thirds account: Tenders for this work will bo laid before you to-day. Your Committee's report regarding recommendations for acquiring a gravel reserve at Hannaton will also be read to you at a later stage of the meeting.— Committee's report adopted. All fords damaged by the late floods have been attended to and put in good working order again. The inspection of Studholme Junction Hotel drain discloses the application to be identical with that made some years ago, when the Council declined to take action, as the nuisance complained of is on private property.—No action taken. Mrs E. J. Price's application received attention early in the month, and guard fencing was" put over the outlet of a deep culvert on Molloj's Road (Sinclair's frontage). The Council's teams, which are working at present in this riding, are engaged on maintenance works, and have a considerable schedule of this nature to attend to for a month or six weeks to come. A length of 12 chains of footpath was reformed and gravelled on Timaru North Road at a cost to the Council of the metalling only, the materials being removed and the surface formed at the cost of the Roman Catholic Presbytery, who accepted the spoil for filling' in the church grounds. Waihao Riding.—The following metalling contracts have been finished since last sitting: Contract No. 708, Elephant Hilt Road, and Contract No. 704. Waihaorunga Top Road. Contracts Nos. 714 a, Reddiif back road, and 7J;"5a, Takitu road, Government grant, both for metalling, have been in abeyance since the beginning of the month, owing to the weather and the state of tii? roads. A reply as directed was sent to the Commissioner of, Crown Lauds intimating that the Council was not prepared to undertake protective, w.orks on Berwick's section, No. 2, frontuig the Waihao River, on the terms otferetl by the Government. The fencing of an embankment and terrace on Flynn's Waihao River frontage is now being performed, and will be finished bv the end of the week. On Shearer's 'Hill Road the weather has prevented metalling at Forbes' entrance being done, and extra labor was engaged to" remove slips on the new cuttings, brought down during the late heavy rains.

Hakataramca Riding. Materials have been obtained for repairing the pound cottage, and the work will be (lone during the ensuing month. There was no appreciable damage done in this riding during the late bad weather, and the roads generally are in lair order for this time of year. General. —Contract No. 716 a, constructing public pound, is well advanced towards completion, and will be ready for use early next week. Under directions of the Chairman, and in response to an urgent message from Wellington, 1 forwarded remits formerly approved by this Council for suggested amendments to the I'ublie Works Act, notice having been given that the Bill might lie discussed by Parliament at an earlv date.—Chairman's action approved. Copies of the road maintenance items for the current year were distributed to members early in the month. The case of breach of the Council's traction engine by-law, reported last month, came before the Court, and a conviction wa.s obtained and nominal penalty imposed. The Engineer was authorised .to take legal proceedings against J. Cross and Honora O'Leary under Section 147 of the Public AYorks Act. —Correspondence.— The AA'aimate Borough Council notified _tbe Council to clear a reserve, leased from the Borough, of gorse and broom. —The matter had been attended to. A. E. Rattray wrote suggesting that the Council should make Gretna Green available as a sports ground.—After discussion it was decided to take steps to have the ground fenced and let for cropping in order to get the land cleaned and levelled. E. A. Hurst wrote accepting Council's otter re works in Parkes Road. — Received. From Department of Public Works re road deviation at Mr Forbes 1 .—Re-

ceived. New Zealand Counties Association forwarded Mr Martin's legal opinion, No. 60. —Received. The South Canterbury Branch of the New Zealand Farmers' Union asked the Council to alter its heavy traffic by-law so that a total load of 15 tons could be carried on three trailers. —Resolved to hold the matter over till next meeting. Notification of two cases of scarlet fever was received.

The Waimate Borough Council were granted permission to lay a water main to the boundary of Knottingly Park and to affix pipe to footbridge over the creek, the work to he done to the approval of the Engineer. C. M'Lachlan asked for repairs to Parker's Bush Road. —Engineer to report. A complaint from W. Quinn, jun., regarding slips at Makikihi railway fence was' referred to the Railway Department.

J. L. Hamilton asked that the crossing between his place and Mr Bell's be lowered and other work in the locality done. —The request was referred to tlie Chairman, Mr Lyall, and the Engineer to report. S. Green asked that some work be done to the footpath opposite his propert\ r in Parsonage Paddock. —Mr Walker supported the application. Mr Bitchener strongly objected to providing footpaths in the suburbs of Waimate. If ratepayers wanted such luxuries let them go into the borough. Mr Walker stated that the work would cost less than £5. The applicant was a large ratepayer and was entitled to have the work done. The request was refused, only one vote being recorded in its favor.

J. Northcote was granted permission to take a few loads of shingle from the reserve on the Main South Road. T. Hawkins asked the Council to shingle Cardiff street. —Engineer to report. M. Brohan asked the Council to give pipes for drain at Hannaton. —Granted. A complaint was made as to the manner in which the St. Andrews ranger was neglecting his work, and it was decided to give him notice that unless better attention w-as given to his work his services would be dispensed with. It was also decided to notify rangers to take legal proceedings in cases of repeated offences.

A petition was received from several motor-car owners asking the Council to erect a bridge over the creek on the Gorge Road for the use of cars and light traffic. —Engineer to report' at next meeting. Formal resolutions striking rates' as decided upon at previous meeting were passed. . ... '-, It was decided to open the public pound on August 6th, formal notification to be given in terms of the; Act;

Two applicants for the position of pound-keeper were received, and J. Ruvenhall was appointed at a salary of £IU per year. Mr White was appointed to act with the representative of the A. and P. Association in arranging lectures by the South Canterbury agricultural expert. . The following tenders were received: Contract No. 717, Nimrod Road, forming and metalling—Opie and Turner £26 8s 3d (accepted), R. White £42. Contract No. 718, reserve 144 road, forming and metalling—J. Walker £l4 18a lOd ((accepted), R. White £l6 10s 6d, A. Cochrane £l6 lis od. Accounts amounting to £llßl 6s lid were passed for payment.