BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14000, 5 September 1907, Page 11

BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL.

' Tho ordinary monthly meeting of tho Bruco County Council wag held at tho Council ■ Chamfers, Milton oil Tuesday; prc-sent-Crs; J. Mos'.ey (chairman), J. It. Begg, J. Adam, J; Bryco, J. Crane, H. XI. Driver, J. Tough, J, D. Brown, and W. Noble. ]■ UNOINEWI's r.F.PORT. '.The Engineer reported as follows:— • Roads.—Tho roads continuo in good order : for traffic, tlio only parts damaged being : around Stirling and Inoholutha, owing to the . earting of largo quantities of turnips to the railway station. Some maintenance is required to" keep tho roads from being cut up too deeply by tho extra, traffic. _ Works.—The wot& of formation of road leading to Waipori, out of Government vote, has mado good progress, Midi will soon bo ; complctod. Nothing lias been dono in regard to tho chilling of a portion of Mrs Pattersoil's fenco on road down tho eido ot tbo Waipori Hivcr. Tho School Commissioners liavo agreed to rocommond tho tenant to allow tho fence to be shifted as required by tbo council, but tho tenant cannot ns. yot teo her way to allow the fcnco to bo shifted from its present position, where it has been sinco sho tcok tho lease 'of tho land. V'ilh roforenco to the Tcquest of iratepaycrs in the Clarendon Drainage District' to have Graham's Creek cleared out, the work of widening and banking the crock was carried out by a loan ; somo years ago. • The work consisted of the cutting of F.omo sharp bonds in the crock and using tho material to raise a bank on : tho northorn sido of tlio orcok to keep it from : overflowing the adjacent low-lying lands. Tho work now required is to cut off somo of tho tfharp comers and clear out portions of tlio crcek whern tho bank lias been undorminod and baa fallen into tlio bed of tho creek, so as to givo tho crcek an incrcsßed waterway in times of flood. The bed of tho creek is very unequal, in width, And it is tho narrow portions that' it is proposed to widon to nearly uniform width. Tho of the work will vary from 153 to 20s per o'nain to cut, down the banks to' the water level, arid throw tho earth back ■ sonic feet from tho sides of Iho creck. Tho total distance to be widened is CO chains, moro or less. Tho work of repairing tho bri(lgc3 on iho Manuka. Croek road aro now completed, and tho high thorn hedgo on side of toad nw Mount Stuart Railway Station lias broil cut down to koop it from overshading the road. Nothing has boon dono to tho bridge over- tho Wnsbpool Creek sinco last mooting. Tho contractor 'has taken away his tools, and has evidently abandoned tho work. The work of widening tho auxiliary drain, Inchclutha, is, ma-king fair progress. Somo maintenance, stone has beon kid down on tho rOid leading to Clydovalo punt, lmt' lt is notyet broken to the specified size, A culvert on the Taieri Beach road, near Waihola, waa reyiaircd and lonetoud, aa, iho earlhwks wr« being undermined. and parried away. "With reference to tlio request of Williamson and Taylor, Waihola, to lkvo a, ditcli cleaned out and a culvert supplied in Waihola. township, I, oxamined the portion, complained of, and tho works wantod aio for the solo benefit of tho owners of tho sections, and aro not of tho slightest benefit to tho county road. A little water during rain runs down the ditch, and it is to koop it from flowing over tlia sections tlmt tho works "aro required. Tho ditch bus been in tbo satno condition R3 at present for a largo number of yoars. _ 'It was resolved that itho matter of widening, and banking Graham's Crook bo loft in tho hands of. the member for-the riding (Or, Driver), a,nd tho engineer to confer with the ratepayers Interested, and to suggest to tnem that, they contribute 10 per cent, on the amount of Government loan granted; also that tho Treasury bo requested to grant 10 per cont. additional to tlio loan already granted.—Tho import was then adopted as read. HEPORTS, Tho Financo Committee recommended that accounts amounting to £339 19s lOd bo passed fo: payment.—Approved. , Tbo Works Committco recommended that tlio balance : of Government voles of £30 for Akatoro and Fortification, and £25 for block I,- Table Hill, bo expended, and that the engineer draw out plana of the work and call for tenders, subject to the approval of the committee; also that 15 trucks of metal do prooured for roads in Southbridgc, tho settlers having agreed to cart the same over tie roads.—Approved. CORRESPONDENCE, James Allen, M.H.R., wroto enclosing a communication from tlio Minister 'of Lands intimating that tho doportmeat had resolved to tako tho road from Greonfioldi to Balolutbn over the present bridge instead'of building a now bridge lower down tho river. Agreements with owners' of land tlrrough which tho now roadi passes, tbo writer stated, wo well ill hand—Tho Oh airman said somo misrepresentations had beon made in id the attitude of Cr Begg in this matter. In justice to that councillor it waa right to fay that the; attitude he had all along takon ill regard to tlio road was that if tho Govemmen undertook' to do it and to erect an additional bridgo well and good, but it was quite another matter, if tho ratepayers were called upon .to construot tbo work. Ho (the chairman) understood that had it not been for tho interference of a mcmbsr of Parliament thero would liavo been no difficulty in tho matter.

Tlio Clliof Engineer lot Eoads wrote, in reply to a request that £200 bo placet!) on tho -Efltimsteo for repairing the bridgo over the Tokomairiro River on tlio oouth aide of Milton, thcl iho. nm-iter would icceivo carcful considor'ation when tlio Estimates for the current year were being oompilcd.—Tho member lor tlio dis'Tiot (Mr James Allen) also wrote on tho Eamo snbjeot, stating that ho would interview tlio Minister, and would put iho council's request beiorc liiiu.—Rccoived. . 'Hie County Clerk reported that iie had convened a mooting ot the allotment-holders in the Glonoio Ccmotc-Tv, and thai tho meeting had appointed tho following; to act ji3 trustees* J ewra T. W Hitchon, 11. E Mitchell, IV. IT. Miller, T. Pottigrew, W. Pnskcll, W, J. Sinclair, and J, A. Tu! locli.—Approved. ' 'Messrs Holmes nnd White, solicitors, wroto enclosing an account. showing n balance due tu D. 11. Cooper in connection with tho Hiahpool bridgo contract. Tlio account snowed iv baianco duo of jB7D 103, tho &iimincluding nn ordor for £20 12s Gd in favour of M Guffog aiul Co. for carting. In connection with tlio account tlio solicitors submitted- tho : following offer;— The council, to do anything accessary to completo tho work, and to relcaso tho contractors of all liability under tho contract; tho council to pay M'Gutfog and Co. tlio sum of £20 12a Cd, and to pav Mr Cooper tho sum of £30—this to moan that Mr Cooper released tlio council Irom a claim for about £'20. Tho writers stated that if this offer was ' not accepted at tho next meeting of tho council, they would have no option but to institute proceedings ,to recover the (nil unioniit of tho claim. J -Cr Noblo said that tho daim was a reflection on tho Couuty Engineer, who had beoif engineer to tho county for 30 years. Tho accuracy of his plana was questioned, and (bo position witli the council wns this- Veto thev to uphold the!: tngineer ot the contractor : l Ho held that they should support tho engineer, or. if they did not do so they pliould dispone with his ficrvicos.—Tlio Chairman said Mr M'Curdie, n.Government engineer, had stated that the Bruco County engineer's plans, r.s a whole, woro tho best of any plans sent in from any of tho county engineers. Tho county engineer dallied that tho contract was broken by any net of tho council.—Cr Begg briefly reviewed tho j;osition in regard to tlio bridge, and stated _ that tho contractor had been shifted off private ■ property through which the approach to-tho bridge went. The contractor, ho understood, had also been delayed in proceeding with tho work for tlireo weeks by non-arrival of somo neccssnry material on tho ground. The contractor camo to tho council in regard to the mailers referred to, and also in rcgiird to tho plans, and tv committco from the council was appointed to visit the locality, but tlio committco had never gone there. Mr Miller, tho landowner referred to, had distinctly informed him (Cr Begg) that ho lmd shifted tho contractor off his land. The contractor had been stuck up several times ill tho carrying out of tho v.-ork, through what he alleged was no fault of his own. 110 lmd also beon prohibited from taking earth for filling-in purpose!) from n position whero ho had been informec- tho material could bo obtained. Thero v.'C--' also other matters in ■which the agreement ' dween the council and tho contractor had Lewi broken.—Cr Noble: Tho contractor should liavo carried out iho work according to tho plans and specifications, and tho council could then settlo tho other matters—The Engineer said the contractor was not kept back in his work owing to delay ill tho 'delivery of timber or by any other set of. Iho council.—Cr Begg: If tho council has mado a inislako it should admit it, and savo litigation.—Tlio Chairman: Tlio contractor should have carried out his contract, and if at its conclusion ho found ho had made a loss, and mentioned tho matter to the council, he would he met in a fair spirit. The vrork had not been carried out according to the speciiica'.ionc— thct was the position the- council took nn.'—Cr Tough moved that the council finish tho work, and the contractor bo handed the biilui-.ee.—This motion was not seconded, and i! was resolved to adhere to the former resolution tlmt tho enut-ractor bo called on to liuuli the. work; the letter from the solicitors _oi) tho subject being , minuted as "rccaiven."

The Secretary ,of lb© Dunodin Hospital wroto asking tho council 10 forward any information regarding the circumstances of a resident in the county who stated that ho Ties unablo to pay £2 lis 6d for maintenance of his son in tho institution.—lt was resolved to reply that tho case was ono in which tho Hospital Board should bear the expense. J. Bonnett, Lovell's Flat, wrote drawing tho council's attention to dangerous, obstructions on the road at Wangaloa. Tho obstructions oomplained of wore a gat-o and fenco across the road, and the writer asked tho council fp hnve theso removed eo thjt. accidents might bo avoided.—W. Fraser waited upon the council personally in regard to the coiuplaint,. and stated that tho road was scarcely ever used for traffic.—The.Chairman said iho council timo and again had been callcd upon to settle differences between ratepayers in regard to such matters as tho one oomplained of, and lie wished it to be understood that as a public body the council did not oxist for that purpose.—The letter was received.

Messrs Downie Stewart and Payne, solicitors wrote stating that they had forwarded to iho trustees of the Clarendon cemetery tho sum of £11 13s 3d from tho estate of the lato G. M'Neil—Received. • D. Keid, solicitor, wrote enclosing an agreement from the Taieri County Council- agreeing to pay one-third of the cost of-construction of tho Berwick- bridge.—Tho clerk staled-that. the cost of tho bridge was £850, of which thero was £450 Government grant.—lt was resolved that- tho Chairman sign-the agreement on behalf of tlio cquncil. and on tho motion of Cr Noble, seconded by'-Cr Tottgh. it was rosolved to request the solicitor to send in his account up to date. CMEBUI. On the motion of Cr Begg it was resolved to apply to tlio Government for a grant, of £'290"f0r tbo Gtoenlield' settlement road rising up to ' tho upper Crookburn bridge. The mover urged in support of the motion, tlict private persons, before having roads takan over by public bodies, were compelled to put them 111 proper condition, and tho road I'n question was not in tv fit state to take over, and would vcoet the sum named to put'it in decent condition.