CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12934, 29 March 1904, Page 5

CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the above body was held in the. County Chambers on Friday. Present—Mr IV. Hay (chairman), Crs J. F. Ayson, J. it. Mitchell, W. Nicol, A. C. Saunders, D. A. M'Lachlan, J. Clarke, J. Ciirmniug, and R. (Jrainger. Tho Secretary of the Executive Committee, of the New Zealand Counties' Association wrote, that a. conference of delegates representing affiliated local authorities would be held in Wellington during the iirst 14 days of tho forthcoming session uf Parliament, and requesting, the council if it had any business to bring up to forward him details before :)lst May.-Cr Hay said he considered that the council should ask that the (iovernuifiit give au increased subsidy; this would he more satisfactory than having to ask for voles for every iif-m of repairs. Thu Provincial Council used to s;ive a eiiusidy of pound lor pound, and nt one time gsvc £2. The Oovernment had a laige surplus, but where did they get it from? Tho farmers were the backbone of tlie country, and if councils were allowed pound lor pound subsidy it would bo one of the. most popular acts ever placed 011 Ihe Statute iiook.—Crs Ayaou iiud A'icol ,i!so spoko in favour of increased Eiib-sidy.-Kventually the .matter wa3 held over till next meeting. The i'ayniastcr-jjenera! notified that £21 had been remitted to tlin ciinlit of the council, being amount payable on Waiweru bridge (pound for pound) £75 Hi, lesi previous payments £Si 15s.—tteceived. The Treajiuy Department forwarded the sum of fa 3d goldlields revenue.—Received. Dr Mason, chief health officer, wrote that » hospital for the reception and treatment of j persons suffering from infectious diseases is necessary for the City of flunetliu and surrounding districts, and he directed that the 25 local authorities mentioned, -of which, tho C.utha County w«« one, should contribute to Iho cost of ihe election and maintenance of such a- hospital.—l'.eceived. The Secretaiy of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards aslted for a remittance on basis of last year's payments until such time as the levy for the present year was made up: Hospital Board, £31 lis od; Charitable A:,u Hoard, £31 103 Id.-Heccived. i'ho Manager of the Coniumcial Union Assurance Company wrote under date March 4, tliul Thomas Fleming was only entitled to recover from tho council at the rate of half wages. Tile company could not acknowledge his demand for the doctor's expenses. He therefore asked the council to advise Fleming to this ell'ect, and renew, without prejudice, the offer already mado of £B 11s in full payment of tho claim. If Fleming declined, tho luattov must go bel'oro tho Arbitration Court for settlement.—Messrs Keid and il;icassey, solicitors, Uimedin, wroto under dute March 24 that Fleming had consented to accept the £32 lls offered,—Received. < ilr A. G. itiller, solicitor, Tapanui, wrote on behalf of Mr 1". J{. Johnston, Poinalialia, who had purchased certain flax rights over reserve from the council, that W. A. Wallace, ltaniller, oi Pomaliaka, is at present, catting flax on ill , ; reserve. His client was informed by Wallace that ilr J. K. -Mackenzie, of PomaImka, had told him. (Wallace) to cut the (lax. Hu (Mr itiller) would be glad to hear from tlio council as to what ateps they were prepared to take to protect his client in the matter.—Cr Grainger considered thr.t the council had arranged with Mr Johnston to cut the flit.v, and it was for him to look after his own interests.—lt was decided that Crs Grainger and dimming see to the matter and report at next meeting. ilr Fimltaysoii, Locliindorb, wrote that tlie surfaceman sent , to repair the roads had only with him a pick and shovel, and was undecided what to do till the engineer would come up to advise him. He (the writer) had assisted tho HiriaceiMii wilh two days of a dray and horses. Tho engineer did not come up, and. the surfaceman' had gone, doing only a little towards improving ihe road. If fie had had a road grader ho would have been able to do a great deal more. 'Ihe writer concluded by hoping the council would see its way to allow him to spend his rates on the road in future, when he v.ouid guurcnteo to keep it in much better repair than it was at prescnt.-rP.eccived. John Piillar, Pounawen, forwarded his rates amounting to £i 4s 10d He said he had been paying rates lor 15 yertra, and had no road to Jus, Jiiwl. He could not see his way to pay more rales , till the council did something in the matter.—Cr Hay moved, nnd C. Nicol seconded—" That ilr Ptillar be recommended to apply to the Waste Lands Board for that body to make a road. The council had no money to make a : bush road 40 chains in length." Jliss Kinder, teacher nt tho Ecomonna School, Willsher Bay, wrote- that during tlie recent severe weather the bridge across tlie Kororo Creek had been washed away. Eleven children attending the school had been using the bridge, and had now no way of crossing.— Cr Hay said this matter would be attended to as soon as possible. The council was at present attending to the main roads. Daniel Weir, Owakn, Valley, wroto that the culvert opposite section i 9, block I". Catlins, was blocked and Iho water running over (he road.—Cr Situnders intimated tliat tlio surfaceman was attending to (lie matter. 11. Jones, Frcstiin Hill, Owaka, forwarded an account for work done, through a culvert on tho roiid having given way.—Cr liny said lie had inspected the road, which waj tirst made by the Provincial Council, but altenvaids widened by the County Council, and the contractor had made the culvert from black pine branches, which had now subsided.—Letter received. Dr Robertson notified two cases of scarlet fever at Waikoikoi— ltecoived. ' W. Patersoii. Pueraa, asked that repair* be dono to the, Mound bridge, as the earth was falling away at both ends. The planking on the bridge over the Little Puerua was quite rotten, and there was also a dangerous hole in a culvert near Head's, Purekireld—Cr Hay taid ho had instructed Mr James Sliiela to attend to.these, matters. A. M'Onie, Waicpa. naked that the gate on the road on Mr H. Robertson's section leading to applicant's properly be removed.—lt was agreed that Cr Nicol mako inquiries, and have the gate removed if he considered it necessary. Margaret Lees, Owaka, asked that the- ford F.ercss Owaka River be repaired, as it was damaged by the recent flood.—lt was decided that the engineer should attend to the matter. Wilfrid .Smith asked the- council to spend land fund .noney available from section 24, block I, Woodlands Survey District, on reducing grades on cuttings on Wyber's rood.—Left in the hands of the engineer lo spend whatever money available. William Sutherland, William Griffith, T. Telford, and J. P. Shaw requested the use of the grader and a man to form road and make flood bank down the river bank where required to Jlr Griffithe's, also' services of engineer to lay tlie work otf.—On the motion of"Cr Hay tile request was grunted, the Chairman stating that the work would not take mors thau a fortnight.—Crs Clarke and Saundern each said they had applied for the grain about two years ago, but had net got it yet as it w:is always somewhere about South ilolynens.—The Engineer said the grader was in very bad repair, and one councillor said that tho last tirrre he saw it it was tied together with Dm: and fencing vire. John Campbell, Cannibal Bay, drew attention to the damage done to a road near his property by the recent floods—Already attended to. T. Telford, Otanomomo, stated that last spring the council agreed to grade the. whole of the road from Port ilolynetix to Balclutbs, and 011 tho strength of that he did considerable portion of the work voluntarily. He asked the. council to grade the road from- the swamp at Fiiiegnnrf to Balclutha.—Cr i\ T icol said that his riding had no funds available in tho meantime, mid it was agreed that the matter bo attended to as soon as the riding is in funds. i Jos. Abernethy, Pomahaka- Downs, wrole that he had been expecting the road along the rivet bank to the upper ford to be put in repair. 'Hie ford at present was in excellent order, but the track was dangerous. He also drew the council's attention to come bad ruts from thu eclioolliouse to Clydevnle gate, and from his place to Alex. Gray's.—Jtercivcd. Thomas Chapman, Pomahaka, wrote" that, by arrangement wilh the engineer, he had unproved the ford over the Pomaahaka Itivcr for £;!. The ford was now in good orcle:, and if it was damaged by floods during the coming winter he would lix it up at his own expense. Nothing had yet been dono to the road on the river bank. Something was required to be done, and he would undertake the work if the council allowed him ti towards the cost, If the council did not put the road in order, he hoped they would make Mr Clements remove the fences from it. At present he had \virc3 across the road ut a number of places, and every time he (Chapman) went to Clinton ho had to cairy a, hammer and a cold chisel to cut the wires.—Received. K. Clement, Popotunoa, wrote that he h?.d finished the road at tho ford alongside section I, except- putting in of one culvert. Thos. Cliopnian, Dolaraine Farm, asked to bo allowed to pnt a small punt on tho Pomahaka River for the purpose of crossing sheep. He also desired to put a big post on both banks nnd a wire rope across the river. He also asked that Mr Clements take the wires off the road line that ho placed across it.—Mr Chapman attended, and introduced 11 map of the locality.—After a little discussion, it was decided that Cr Clarke and the engineer visit the place, and havo full power lo act. Tho Engineer (Mr J. Walker Johnston) reported /or the month ending 2otli March as follows:—"Tho principal item of interest during the month was the flood. The following is a list of the damage done and estimated cost of repairs .--Main road, Chnslnndx, slip, £09; Main road, Cliaslamls, smiM slips, £10; Greenfield road. Wuipahi Settlement, culvert, £13; -Main Waikawa road, Chaslaiida. series .if slips, £20; Mokoretu road, Taliakopn Valley, slip 3, £5; llokoreta roacl, Tahakopa Valley, three culverts, £10; Tahakupa Hiver Flat road, blqek XV, Biiini, slips and culvert wash-out, £51); Table Hill road. b!oi-k Vr. Woodlands, slips snd small wash-outs, JKU; Upper Catlins road, block V, Woodlands, waah-out culvert, £20; Catlins River Valley rosd; from llmiipapa to liutamii, general damage- to road, .C 10; Long l'oint road, Woodlands, slips, £10; Hiuelliue road, Woodlands, banks washed away, £15; O'Connell'e road, Catlins, three culverts and bridges, £10; Hunt's road, Catlins, general

damages, £10; roads unlisted, Catlins,. Wood< lands, Tautuku, and Riinu survey general damages, £100; Murray's bridge, Oiaaru Stream, Gleiiomaru, washed "away, £30; Willie's bridge, same locality, washed away, £30; Abernethy'a bridge, samo locolityj washed away, SO; Bqjg's bridge, samo locality, 'bridge and. approaches washed away, £70; Main Puerua, road, bridge collapsed, £5; Main! Puerua Toa,d, slip, £5; Kororo Creek road, (Jleiiomaru, bridge away at mouth, £30; same road, retaining wall and formation washed away, £35;' Thomas's road, Warepa, .retaining wall ami formation washed away, £10; same read, bridge washed away, £20; Main Puertia road, Gknomsru, bridge washed out. £10; samo road, Wawpa, bridge formatiou, £5; Little Pucrui load, 'Waiepsi, formation and installing washed away, £30; Main road to Owaka, Glcnomani,' encroachment on'road by river, £20; samo road, general damage to fonnution, etc., £10; Murrayvillo emverta, washed out, fio; gcner.il damage to rends South Molyneux, Gleuomaru, end Cluiha districts, £100 j Ji'Kay's road, Cluthe, slips, £d; A. Hackle's road, Clutha, £20; ClydevaieVumvera roa<l, Poniahaka-, culvert wasJi-out, £10;-!otal, £360.-The above list was forwarded to tho Minister of Public Works with, a request for relief, and, i copy was aJso sent to the Premier.—The work of restoring traffic was got on with aj quickly as possible, and the UMiii roods, with the exception of tho Government Main road to Chaslands, mado right almost immediately, On tho less important roads tho work hu» necessarily boon slow lor waul of men and timber, a temporary bridge has been made for Bogg's twine mill; Aberncthy's bridge has been built; tie, timber haa coiuo to haiul for tho bridge at Roscoe's -Oiitting, Puerui',; .arrangements have been made .for re-building formation, Kororo Creek; Johnston's bridge has been repaired, and several small works pushed on. Tho Tuapeka County engineer and Myself inspected the bridged on the Pomalinlia. TJie bridge at) Poinahaka railway requires entirely re-decking at (i cost of, pay, £60. I recommend that tiiia work bo done by day labour. The repairs to tho other two bridges oonld be done by surfacemen. We arrived.at an amicable arraugemoit lor each county to pay its share of the cost. Contracts have been progressing satisfactorily, and progress or Jinn! payments have teen made in connection with Cleghorn's ioad, tilenkemch, fencing; AUuriri road, maintenance metal; Station wad, Kaiiiiku, formation and metalling; Whiteleu, rojid, To Houka, metalling; Walker's road, melilliug; Ahuiiri Lean, metalling; Ciilherwood's road, Catlins, formation; Kaibiku Station road, maintenance metal; Wuitepeku School road, Maintenance metal; Quarterman's road, continuation metalling; and Clinton-Owaka road, near Chalmers's, metalling. I ask authority to cancel orntract No. 72, Waipahi-Arthurlort road, and re-let it during the month if necessary." On the motion uf Or dimming, tho report was adopted. Tho Clerk reported tho receipts for the month ending March 22 as follows:—Dox'tas, i!GS 103; deposits, £0 9s Gd; refunds, roads and works, £10 Its 6,-1; transfer slaughtering license, 10s; irent, .£10; goldfields, 6s 3d; Ciydcvale and Soutli Molynenx ferries, £4112 a Sd; Government vote 'Waiweru. bridge, £41; rates, £050 19s lOcl;—total, £31G 2s Od. The items of expenditure were: Land fund, £100 <ia Sd; Ahuriri loan, £30; Ponwliaka. loan, £16; general, £66S 13s 43; -total, £874 18s. JIOTIOXS. Moved by Cr Grainier, seconded by Cr Ciimming—" That lenders be called for carting 301) yards maintenance gravel on Kelso-Wai-kaka road."—Carried, ; Moved by Cr Grainger, seconded by Cr Cummin"—" T*nat tenders be called for ibuilding a foot "bridge over the river at Kcbo."— Carrjed. Moved by Cr Grainger, seconded by Cr Cumming"—That tlie clerk write to Mrs Hansen, Kelso, asking that nil moneys collected for erection of bridge at Kelso be paid into the. council beforo next meeting."—Carriea. Tenders wcro received and dealt with as follows:—No. US, eight chains 7uefalling, Ahuriri Plat road—VV. 11. M'Lctra, £5 10s per chain (accepted); Jnmes Tosnlcy, .-Ell; John ThoniEon, £58; F, Jl'Keown, £18. No. 118,12 chains metalling, Main Owuka road—W. M. Jl'Leaa, £,i 103 per chain; John Thomson, £72; James Town'.ey, £GG (accepted). No. 119, six chains . metalling each on Kororo Creek and Foster's roacl, Ahuriri Flat-John Thomson, £03 (accepted). Jfo. 120, four chains metalling, Horan's road. Qivaka— Jrmes M'Lay, £22 (fresh tenders to bo called for next meeting). ICo/121,10 chains metalling, Ifain South rocd, Clinton—Palmer and Porter, £38 15s;. P. M'Hoiie, £28 Ills (accepted). ICo. 122, six chains rr.etallin" and formation, Hanning's ioad, Owaka-James M'Lay, £30 (accepted). Nil. 123, ditching, Ahuriri Flat road-F. M'Keown,. £1 7s 6d per chain. Tender not accepted. The Chairman considered that it would be more advisable to clean out tho old creek, and on his motion the engineer was instructed to have ■ the- work done. The question of paying a share towards the cost of lighting Balclutha traffic bridge, ns requested by the. Balclulha. Borough Council, was again brought up, and on the motion of Ci Bay, seconded by Cr Nicol, it was dcciaVd that tho County'' Council could not pay any share. , Cr Hay considered that the Borough Council • should bo granted the uso of the county meeting icom during the time that the Town Halt was being erected.—Granted. Cr Graingev sniil that t":)o recent, floods had destroyed one of the fords in Gienkcnich, Hiding, and tha pctson on whose property the ford was had closed the toad, although ii had been used as « rommon" highway for.over Iα years.—lt was decided that the engineer take the- advice of the borough solicitor whother the road could now be closed, and report at next meeting. Mr Ayson drew attention to the state of the bridge at AVfliwrn. township, f.s there was a bad hole°in it, Borne el the decking was too short, while £01110 person had token nway the handrails.—The Engineer saicl that ho had given permission to the owner of a. traction engine to remove the rails in order that a house couia be taken over the bridge, which also required new deckint.-On till! motion of Cr Saunders, seconded by Cr Clarke, it was decided that Jfe M'Lachlan build a new bridge.