BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18544, 3 May 1922, Page 8

BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL

The monthly meeting of the Bruce County Council was held yesterday, all the members being present with the exception of Cr Blair. " FINANCE. The report of the Finance Committee showed receiots totalling £219 17s 4cl. The expenditure totalled £795 7s scl. —Adopted. INSPECTOR’S REPORT. The Inspector submitted the following report; “The weather during the month has been of such a nature that very little has been done in the way of permanent works, such as formation and metalling, and the surfacemen have been employed in general snr f ace work and repairs. Maintenance metal has been put down on the road between Fairfax and Biackbridge. A start has been made with, the repair metalling on the Benhar Hill road under vote from the Mines Department ,but the portion of road where the grade has been reduced is not in a fit state to take metal at present. Notice boards have been erected in 'Manuka ' gorge warning- travellers that the hridgesare unsafe for traffic exceeding three tons weight, so that this road is now closed for heavy traffic. The temporary road through Mr Nelson’s paddock is in a very bad state at present and considerable expense will be incurred if the road is to be pul in a. condition to carry ordinary traffic during the winter. Motorists arc still trying to get through in spire of the warning notice boards, which have been erected by the council for their benefit.” Cr Clark said he noticed that reference was made to Nelson’s road. That road' had only been formed for _ the convenience of the public while the. bridge was in progress It was a pity that the council had ever taken it at nil. There was another way round, only 10 minutes longer. Cr Russell favoured closing the road altogether. It was only through Mr Nelson’s good nature, he said, that the road was there at all. The road should be closed or notices put up, that users would use it at their own risk. Cr Scott .said that while he admitted that the road had been used by traffic it was not intended for still the residents in the locality were entitled to some consideration. Cr Driver said the whole thing could be put in a nut shell. The public wore put to inconvenience during the time the new bridge was being erected. When the bridge was completed the road would not be required. Why, then, should the council spend a lot of money on it? ( The report was adopted. RUSSIAN RELIEF. A deputation from a meeting held in Milton waited on the council to seek its sympathy in regard to a movement for doing something to assist in affording relief to Russia. The spokesmen were—Messrs Colin M. Gilray and J. P. Every. Cr Clark said that from what he could see they had a very unfriendly power in Russia. Russia, had apparently joined in league with Germany. There was no doubt that the case of the Russian sufferers was pitiful, but he asked if help should be given if they were only to have an eneihy against them? Or Scott pointed out that the principal sufferers were children Whoever might .be responsible for the present position in Russia the children were not. He thought that councillors should view the appeal sympathetically. It was decided that it be left to the members of the various ridings to take such action as they deemed desirable. HOSPITAL LEVY The secretary, _ South Otago Hospital Board, wrote advising that the amount the board proposed to raise by way of levy on the contributory local bodies for the current years was £5974. As this was £3602 10s Hd less than' what was levied last year the board trusted it would give satisfaction. Cr Clark said that owing to the satisfactory nature of separation the board had been able to reduce the levy by nearly onehalf. Councillors expressed regret that a- full statement had not yet been received Irom the board, and the letter was received. CORRESPONDENCE. D. A. Lawrence, Wangaloa, asked that something be done on the hill leading to his property, the road being steep and requiring grading. He offered to supply horses for the work.—lt was decided that if Mr Lawrence provided the horses the council would do work up to an expenditure of £lO. J. Read and J. Nelson sought permission to erect a hut on the banks of the Tokomairiro River at the bend above the crooked bridge.—Granted during the pleasure of the council. H. H. Cook (H. H. Cook and Co., Christchurch) wrote in regard to the road at Coombe Hay. He said the whole of it required shingling and that the work should be commenced at once. He would be pleased to go over the road with the county authorities.—The letter, which provoked laughter, was received. The secretary, lokomairiro River Board, wrote saying. that he had been instructed to ask the council to notify owners of land adjoining the river below Mr J. Oockerill’s to remove the willows growing on the river and upon its banks. It was considered that the willows referred to were in a measure impeding the flow of the river.—The letter was received, the board to be notified that it had jurisdiction in the matter and warned of the danger of obstructions in case of flood. The matter of the rohds in the Hillend district and the allocation • of the loan moneys was the subject of a letter from J. S. vchite, who warned the council against accepting any representations from certain meetings that had been held, as these meetings did not, he averred, represent the wishes of the ratepayers generally. He characterised the meetings as secret meetings and the methods as “hole and 'corner methods.”—ln the absence of Cr Blair, member for the riding, it was decided to hold the whole question over for a month. OVERDRAFT. Cr Clark moved that the council raise a loan to pay off the antecedent liability of the overdraft, under the new Finance Act. He pointed out that antecedent liabilities must be paid off within seven years,' and the best way of doing it would be by a loan, as they would then have the payment spread over 36 years instead of having to meet it in a lump sum. The Joan would of course, be under the Advances to Local Bodies. The motion was carried. RATES. Cr Clark gave notice of motion for next meeting that the following rates be struck: — Balmoral No. 1 and 2, Clarendon, Crichton, denied!, Kaitangata;, Inch Clutha, and Matau, lid; Mount Stuart, Toko, and Waihola, lid; Hospital and Charitable Aid rale, id. He said thd substantial reduction in the Hospital and Charitable Aid rate was a complete answer to the opponents of separation, a remark that caused Cr Scott to say: “Bettetf late than, never, anyway.” WANGALOA MINES. In connection with the dispute between the council and the Wangaloa coal mine owners, file clerk read a draft agreement reached at a conference on Tuesday morning. This provides that the KaitangataWangaloa road be divided into two sections, A section being that portion from the Kaitangata borough boundary to the top of the saddle, and B section the portion from the top of the saddle to hjorrison’s mine. The sum of £7O is agreed upon as a fair compromise for A section', the council to find ono-quarter of file amount and the mine owners the balance in proportions to be arranged among themselves, a royalty of 3d per ton to be paid for carting over the road. With regard ip B section the sum of £3O is agreed upon as part compensation of the damage done to the road. Messrs Morrison and Gage are to pay 6d per ton royalty, making a royalty of 9d over the road as a whole. Mr Middleton is to pay Is per ton whatever road he uses, subject to an extra 3d per ton if he comes over the saddle. The clerk added that the agreement would be subject to review at the end of 12 months. It was decided to approve the draft. GENERAL. It was left to the clerk to make his own arrangements in regard to printing' anu advertising. The appointment of Mr H. Adams as ranger for the county was confirmed. The ranger appointed at the previous monthly meeting did not, accept the position, anil Mr Adams’s appointment had been decided upon in committee. Jt was resolved to invite lenders for teams to work the grader and scoop on the county roads, tenderers to supply a plough themselves. At the conclusion of the business the chairman mentioned that the mttiting was the last one of his term as chairman. When he accepted the position he had said he expected to receive the support of councillors, and he had not been disappointed. The year had been a quiet one. There had been no floods or other causes to necessitate great expense. It was true that they had a heavy overdraft, but they had had that for years, and he felt that on the decision reached at the meeting they had taken ffio right, step to extinguish it. Ho expressed great appreciation of the manner in which he had always been treated by councillors, thanked, the effigs staff and inspector

for the help and support they wore ever ready to give.—Cr Driver voiced the goodwill of the councillors to the retiring chairman. who, he said, had always showed the greatest impartiality and had more than ful (Hied the wannest hopes.—Cr Russell/ spoke in a similar strain.