WAIKOUAITI COUNTY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10376, 3 June 1895, Page 3

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY

COUNCIL. \ . ■»- — ■ . The ordinary meeting of this county council was held in tha Council Chambers, Hawksbury, on Friday last, at which were present—the Chairman (Mr J. W. Bolt), and Crs A. Graham, J. Green, A. S. Orbell, J. Porteous, and W. Sourer. PETITIONS. A petition from. Mr D. C. Sharpe and 48 ratepayers in the Lower Harbour and;Blueskin district was read drawing attention to the impassable condition of the Lower Harbour road, and requesting that immediate step, be taken to enable the large number of residents who depended solely upon it to uso it as a means of locomotion, lidless something was done to the road (it Was fenced, owing to the liability of accidents) traffic during the approaching winter would be stopped. Metal necessary to repair the road was obtainable on th» adjoining beach.- Referred to the chairman and Cr Green, .to report at next meeting Mr George Henry and fiv« other ratepayers in the Upper Waitati petitioned the council in reference to the Deviation, of the Pigeon Flat road, which had been standiog over for some yei»rs. 'Ihe ruad being metalled as far as the saddle, was likely to lead to a good deal more traffic over the Pigeon Flat road, and the advantage of the deviation would be apparerit to the settlers.—Referred to the inspector for a report. •. ■ "•'■■- . ' ; INSPECTOR'S REPORTS; ! ■-•Ihe Inspector reported as under:—That the , Muori Hill Borough Council bud-formed four chains and metalled three chains, and built a culvert on the boundary road to the saddle referred to in the letter from the Borough Council on the Waitati-Wakari road; arid the work had been carried out in a satisfactory manner, and was a great improvement to the road.—.Received. The heavy waggon traffic over the Waikouaiti bridge was doing very considerable damage to the planking, a number of r.he planks having been broken during'the months arid he recommended that the weight 'of wuggons crossing the bridee should be limited, as there was rio doubt that if continued hiuehlongerthewhole framework would be knocked sa'pieces: The bridge might stand for years with the ordinary traffic of the uistrict, but could riot sustain the weight; of eight-horse six. and eight-toil wuggons. Permission was asked to obtain a supply,or planking.for carrying out the necessary repairs.—Received,and the council decided to notify; that waggons crossing the bridge would do so atjtheir own risk. With respect to the road leading to the Purakauui school, the road had been fully surfaced, and the water tables cleaned out, and for a clay road was in 'very' grio'd '.condition.- Considerable improvement,'however, coiild be uiade by having a slight pinch reduced, and a coat of metal put on about b'fc wide in the- centred which woula meet the requirements of the petitiuners' application at last meeting, and would enable the children to get to school with Borne comfort.—Received, and the inspector instructed to have the work carried out; ■■■-•-... The toad at Double Hill, referred to in Mr J-.,J. Baker's letterat last meeting, was in very good repair.the road having lately been surfaced and the.,w<iter tables cleaned out. Ihe road, however, was rather steep in some parts owing to the hilly nature of the country, bill was now in a better state of repair than ie had been for some time.— Received. v .•."..■.■ - •'.- ';-",: '.'".. '" ■ " '"'■• '■..'■' FINANCE;' . ;i:'' ' -'■' ■ ■'■'■ Accounts for.the month amounting to £309 323 5d were passedfor payment..,..:' .' V ...'-. ' ' ■ .':■"■-::■■; 'COkritAcis; "■'•"••■■■'■■■"■■■■':■■■'"."'.■■■ Tenders, were.opened arid the lawest..accopteii for the^following works :—Contract 569, formation ;ahd culvert oh Birinn's Point rbaSr Merton—A. M'iCehzie, £2.9 ;: J/M'Lay; £29 Si; J. Campbell, £29 10s; T. Hourston, £35 17s Hd ; T. H. Hammond, £39.'; (3. Hoad; £39 17s 6'd;. W. Ward, £42. Contract 570, supply of metal on Seacliff road—J. Allan, £21 13s. 4d;! UV H. -HaDiuiona.^Sa; D. Reid, £23 10s 10d ;A; M'Kenzie,'£2s. • • ... ..':..-■. tiEPUTATIONS. ( Mr K. B. Ferguson: waited on the council in reference to the formation of. k road from the -Wakari-Waitati road to Gellibrarid's pre-emptive i-ightj seclion-30, block 111, Waikouaiti district, which he had recently purchased. , In considering the application Mr Ferguson pointed out that it was not tfie present revenue derived from the land, but its increasa. consequent bii.the improvements which hs contemplated effecting and the increased value of the land, for r^tins purposes. There wasia choice betxyeen two roads, which he left to the selection "of the council.—The matter was referred^to the inspector for a report showing the length of each road, its grade, and the relative cost of each. ;Mr Allan Holmes .intervievYed the council with respect to a road leading from the Hon. Mr Holmes property recently sold in the Mount Cargill district.—After consideration discussion, a Resolution was carried on the motion of Cr Green "Authorising the deviation of road as shown oh pencil map. ' . . .CpHItESPOKDENCE. • . ;. !'■'"" 1 Mr Joseph Bootten, Pnrakahui, wrote drawing attehtidu to thb i-osftl 'betvvefen sectibna 85 and Btf, block VI,; North Harbour and Bluedkiu district, a good portion of : which hadbeen made on private property, and expressing a desire to have the matter settled:— Mr'Bootteh to be iuformed'that the road had been in existence over 2U years, and was a public road liy dedication or otherwise. ' Mr A. M'lhtyre, Mouht Cirgill, wrote applying for permission . -to erect two gates on roaaltne between sections 13, 14, i 5, block VII, North Harbour arid Bliieskin diatriot.'-.— Permission granted, subject to .pleasure of council and provisions of "Public VVorks Act 189 i." The Land arid Survey deparcriierit, Dunedihi iritiiriiited. that the sum of £a 54s Id, being thirds and-foitrths of land reveiiue for the period from January 28 ib April 27, 1895, hadbeen remitted to the credit of the council at the Bank of New Zealand.—Received. , , ;' Mr D. ii.Ai Astbury, chairman of a committee apppijiiedata public, meeting 6f^ ratepayers; held at Siratfbfd'j 'forvvardlid' resolutions passed Ss' follows:—" That the settlers in che Stratford county are cpnfiHent ihat : ,this tiirie has now arrived for an ait justmerit in the Valuation Act by exeriiptirig all imprdvements, so that the tinimproved value of land bear the taxation, in order that everyone, either owner or occupier, shall have to pay their own fair share of the' same"-rßeceived. ■ '. ' .. ' , ' '" A■• circular was iread; arid ' receivedt from the League for the .Proinptiou and J3«velopment of Gold Mining at; Hokitikii, its object being to indicate lucalities arid-riieans by the gold mining population of tba coloiiy can be increased. A circiilar.ffbhi. ths. Cfoloiiial Sbcrefery's Office, WelHugtpri, was received, ihtirkating that a voucher for £815s had been approved for payment to the council's account at the Bank of New Zealand, being half the difference between the cost of the licensing electionsifi 1891 and 1894., ... Mr H. : N... Mills, Nentiiorn, wrote applying to, Jhavfe the rent:'of a mining iease at Wenthbrh, airiountirig to £30,' remitted; as he had not occupied the giround siilce the lease was applied for.—The council considered the application was '■ oiie for the Government to amsi'der, and that MiMills be informed accordingly. ..._.'.. ... : '■ ■ The Town Clerk, Hawlcsbury, wrote intimating that the borough council had accepted the council's offer ?:e cemetery road, and ; that tenders would be invited accordingly.^-Received. The Secretary of the Charitable Aid Board, Dunedin, -forwarded list of persons in the county in receipt of outdoor relief.—The return was approved, with some slight alteration. ;■■ -Mr J. L. Gillies, secretary to the Otigo Harbour Board, wrote asking the coiiucil to reconsider the valuation of the,board's endowment over which Mr J. Mileney had a grazing right.—The letter waa referred to the chairman and Cr Green to iuterview the chairman of. the Harbour Board to ■discuss this and .other matters of interest in that locality.. . . : '-'■'■-. :..'..' ; Mr W.- Wallace wrote applying for a road through section 31, block HI, North Harbour and -Brueakiu district.—Referred to the inspector for a report. ' c; Mir John DqugUs, Mount Royal, wrote applying to have the improvements oh Stenhouse's road completed, aiid called attention to the fact thijt there was a sum of about £600 standing to his credit in the books of the council, the expenditure of which he was entitled to.—The ibspector was instructed to wait upon Mr Douglas to ascertain from him the work required to be carried out on the i*id in question. . , Messrs Duncan and MacGregor, solicitors, Bunedin, asking the council to foregp the »ent due on the Eureka Gold Mining Company, Nenthorn.— The clerk was instriicted to reply that the matter was one for the Government to consider, and that the council were of opinion that they had no power to entertain the request. BLUESKIN AND PORT CHALMERS ROAD. On the motion of Cr Green, seconded by Cr Graham, thei inspector was instructed to pi-'epare plan aud specificatipns for the expenditure of the balance of the vote for the Dunedin road from Blueskin and Port Chalmers, and tenders to be called for the same. ; : ■'■,'..' The cotiricil then adjourned.