CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 6384, 29 July 1882, Page 2

CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

This Council met yesterday." There were present: Crs Dallas (chairman), Somerville, Dalgleish, Hay, Anderson, and Clarke. CORBESPONIfENCE. Mr Brydone wrote stating that as he had important business at Timaru he would be unable to be present at the Council meeting.— Received. A memo, from Wellington showed that a payment of £10 19s 9d had been remitted to the county on account of land disposed of on the deferred-payment system in the Waipahi district and Kelso township. Mr James Rutherford, M.H.R., acknowledged the receipt of the Council's resolutions regarding the.county subsidies, and works in connection with the extension of settlement. He assured the Council that should an opportunity offer—and he thought it likely would when the question of dealing with matters affecting local bodies came up—he would endeavour to have the Council's wishes carried out. —The letter was received. The Clerk to the Bruce County Council forwarded an account for £39 38 sd, being half the cost all the works executed by the Bruce Council in regard to the Kaitangata punt.—lt was decided to pay the account. The Colonial Secretary, per Mr G. S. Cooper, Under - secretary, wrote asking the Council to explain more clearly how they proposed to get the grain statistics from threshing-mill owners, especially from persons who have private threshing-machines.—As it was understood there would be no difficulty, the letter was simply received. A communication from the Waikoikoi School Committee drew attention to the necessity of putting a footbridge across the Waikoikoi Stream. —It was explained that the matter had been attended to. Mr Alexander Brown made application for a new road-line through Mr Logan's property at Waipahi.—The Engineer, reporting on the matter, stated that a good road could be formed at a cost of about £300.—1t was decided to ascertain if Mr Logan would offer any objections to the proposed line. Messrs M. Paterson and Alexander Nelson reported that, according to instructions, they had examined the piers of the old Balclutha traffic bridge. The piles, they found, had a good hold of the bed of the river, and it would be rather expensive to have them drawn out. They therefore recommended that, they be removed by dynamite, with a charge of from one to two cartridges for each pile. They could by this plan be removed from the level of the bed of the river without in any way endangering the new bridge, at a cost of about £40. From the soundings taken, it appeared that since the wire ropes were let down in the river the bed must have silted up considerably. The cost of recovering them would greatly exceed their value.—The matter was referred to the Chairman, with power to act. Mr J,, Smyth Homing, on behalf of the Board of Conservators of the Clutha Riverdistrict, invited the members of the Council to the trial trip of the new river steamer Matau to Port Chalmers on the Ist August.— Received. Mr James Roger wrote to inform the Council that the Owake shed-keeper had demanded 24 per cent, from him for shipping his grain, anct he would like to know what the shed-keeper's duties really were. Ho might mention that this shed-keeper was also the agent for the steamer, and that last week she was allowed to leave the jetty with three tons of butter and 300 bags of grain, -without an article of the cargo being signed for. The whole affair he characterised as a gross imposition, and ha hoped the Council would show a little more vitality in the managememeut of the jetty affairs for the future.—The Chairman explained that he had instructed the clerk to reply to tho letter stating that the shed-keeper had no power from the Council to act as agent of the steamer. He had also instructed that a list of the fees should he posted up in. the shed. waipahi. Mr J. K. Cameron waited on the Council and urged the necessity of giving the settlers a road to the Waipahi Station. He proposed that the road should be deviated through the railway reserve. This would sßorten the distance to three miles, and would obviate the necessity of bridging the Waipahi Iliver.—On the motion of Cr Anim;bso : v it was resolved— " That the rates and subsidies accruing for the next two years from tho properties of Messrs Cameron and D. Clarke bs expended on tha road proposed," THE OWAKE ROAD The Chairman intimated that ho had interviewed the Board of Conservators regarding this road.' It had been explained to him that the Board was in favour of forming the road, but being out of funds it was not likely that anything would be done previous to the sale of the land. KATE. A rate of Is in the pound was struck as proposed at last meeting, tho rate to be payable at tho County offices on the Ist September. REPORT. Tho Engineer reported that Messrs Allison and Chalmers' contract on the Owake road was tho only one carried on during the winter. It was likely to be finished within a week. Owing to the unusually early period at which the.wet weather set in, the olay roads on which there was any traffic were in a very bad condition. The bridge aver tho Waiwera Stream on tbo Maiu South road, the one over tho Puerua Stream, the small bridge on Waitepoka Creek, and Hogg's bridge on tho Port Molynoux road required to be rebuilt. He would suggest that the piers of the Waiwera and Puerua bridges should bo built of stone, The late flood in tho Clutha River reached within seven inches of the height of the flood of '78 at tho Matau bridge. Sou.nd.ings had been taken round the pieva of this bridge since tho flood, a,nd it was found that there had been no scour in, the bed of the river. Thore had been little or no vibration of the bridge as during the 78 flood. This was, no doubt, owing to tho stones which were put round the draw-

bridge piers in 1879, and tho screwing up of the bolts and raising of the diagonal wires last year. Still tho second drawbridge pier from the mainland seemed to havo sot slightly down stream. It would be advisable to strengthen this pier by putting in a few additional piles. It was decided to request the engineer to roport at next meeting regarding the comparative cost of timber and atono piers and of iron and timber girders on tho proposed bridges over the Waiwera and Puerua Streams, and that the recommendation regarding the Matau bridgo be referred to tho Chairman for confereuco with tho Bruco County Council. GENERAL. On the motion of Mr Anderson, it was resolved—" That, unless tho *mal subsidies are paid this year, the Council should urge on the (.Government the necessity of their making provision in their new Local Government Bill fur some means whereby local bodies would be enabled to take advantage of tho financial assistance offered in the bill, to the extent of their year's rates, for works entered into during the prcsont financial year." After somo discusssion, and a few remarks from the Rev. Mr Bannerman, Cr Somervillo decided to withdraw his notice of motion regarding the expenditure of £120 on tho Pum-ua Manse road. Cr Dalgleish's motion, re calling for tenders for the formation of the rpad from tiie terminus of Allison and Chahnere contract to the confluence of the Puoma Stream, was carried. Leave of absence was granted to Captain Mackenzie until the end of tho present session of Parliament. An increase of salary to tho county clerk to the amount of £25 was agreed upon.