CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19980, 23 December 1926, Page 2

CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting was held at Balclutha on Tuesday, when there were present Crs D. K. Jack (chairman), R MTndoe, A. T. Harris, W. A. Thomson, Thomas Maginness, J. It Wilson, Joseph Mosley, George Hay, W. J. M’Kenzie, and James Gumming. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The Engineer reported on the state of the road for the period ending December 21. —The report was adopted. RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE. The receipts for the month amounted to £1315 10s 4d and the expenditure ti £1792 16s 4d. Cr Mosley, in moving the adoption at the Finance Committees’ report, said that owing to the quarter’s levy to the South Otago Hospital Board now due it would be necessary to approach the bank for a larger overdraft until the rates came in. Agreed to. Cr Hay moved that, in connection, with an account for £SO 3s from the Otanomomo River Board, that the board in future bo asked to furnish details of its proposed expenditure.—Agreed to. TENDERS. The following tenders for contracts wore dealt with: No. 870. —Gravelling 66 chains Wai-pahi-Pomahaka Downs road. E. O’Fee, £346 10s, or 8s 9d a yard; G. L. Brown, 8s yard (accepted); A. W. Robinson, 9s 6d yard. No. .880.—Gravelling 30 chains Poma-haka-Clinton road: G. L. Brown, 7s 6d yard; A. W. Robinson, 6s yard (accepted! ; E. O’Fee, 7s 6d yard. No. 891.—Gravelling 40 chains . Waikoikoi road: Sim and Sim, 8s 9d yard Left to engineer and member for riding. No. 892. —50 chains formation. Me., Reid’s Hill: Sim and Sim, 5s 8d yard; Allan Walker and Taylor, 6s 9d yard.— Left to engineer and member for riding. Dunn’s road. Extension of Contract. — G. L. Brown, 4s per cubic yard (accepted). No. 877. —Paisleys road: J. Buttar, 6s 6d (accepted). The Under-secretary of Public Works, Wellington, advised that the department had approved of the expenditure of 'the following votes: —Cooper’s Creek road, £4OB (£3 for £1) ; Paisley’s road (£ for f), £155 12s 6d. —Received. John J, Woods, clerk Tuapeka County Council, wrote that his council had approved of plans and estimates for Pomaliaka River bridge at Kelso, as submitted by Clutha County Council.—Received. G. D. Shand, inspector of weeds and rabbits (Tapanui), wrote in reply to the council’s letter disclaiming liability tor the clearing of broom on the banks of the Pomahaka River, Glenkenich district, that broom in places was spread to che edge of the road within the chain council admitted responsibility for and asking that clearing be done before seeding took place. The inspector also drew attention to the increase of rabbits on this land, and asked that steps be taken to reduce the pest.—Cr M'Kenzie said he had put a man on to clear the weeds, but he did not understand that rabbits could be kept down on a chain wide road. Received. S. R. Craig, inspector of stock at Owaka. wrote drawing attention to the gorse and broom growing on the bank of the Owaka and Puerua streams and pointing out that council was making the work ho had to carry out harder than it ought to be, as the council was responsible tor declaring gorse and broom to be weeds, but would not clear them itself. —Tjie/inspector to bo informed of the council’s desire to co-operate. M. R. Findlay, inspector o! stock at Balclutha, forwarded a notice to council to clear gorse and broom from certain land between the centre of road-line at Pomahaka River. —Cr Harris said a private owner had to clear from the centre of the road.—The Engineer: Then why not the Government, with Crown land between the road and the river bank?—Cr Mosley said the point was one that was still in dispute. —Received. F. H. Denton, town clerk, Greymouth, forwarded an appeal in connection with the Dobson coalmine disaster relief fund.— To lie on the table to enable members to subscribe. The Health Inspectoi at Balclutha, forwarded a report on cases of infectious disease (hydatids) at Waiwera South, and ascribed the origin of the disease to drinking impure water from streams. Received. Joseph Meek, Owaka, wrote offering to repair the bridge over the Purakanui stream for the sum of £2o.—Offer accepted H. Wright. Clifton, wrote applying for nrrmission to erect a telephone line along the main Clifton settlement road to hi» gate.—Granted. G. T. Kelly applied for permission to shift the existing culvert on the road into the property recently acquired by him at Rosebank, Balclutha: also for permission to 'level off the road and to build a small concrete wall near the boundary.—PerrmV -ion granted, subject to engineer’s approval A. H. Atkinson, liquidator, Balclutha Gasworks, wrote offering the late gasworks’ ?ite a building for the sum of £loo.—Received. A. Baglay, Houipapa, wrote drawing attention to cows and a bull wandering on the road. The latter animal made the road unsafe for passers-by.—Decided to notify the ranger to take drastic steps in the case of bulls found wandering. Robert Montgomery and D. Leslie wrote asking the council to quarry metal for the road, and they would cart and spread it Offer accepted. D, J. Buchanan._ forest ranker at Tapanui, wrote requesting permission to erect a private telephone line to connect the ranger’s station at Conical Hills with the Pukerau plantation.—Granted. John M‘Dona!d. Houipara, and five other ratepayers of the village settlement of Houipapa, petitioned the council in regard to securing a better outlet from their properties.—Engineer lo inspect and report. E. S. Pannett and three other settlers at Ciydevale wrote requesting that something be done to Cart Hill road, Ciydevale riding, which was in a very dangerous state. —Road to be graded and work done, as soon as the grader was available. D. T. Fleming, secretary, Clutha River Board, wrote notifying the council that it was necessary for council to appoint a member of the board during the month of January for the ensuing three years. —Held over to January meeting. D. Neil, Pahakopa, wrote drawing attention to the bad state of the abandoned tramway on the Back Creek road, which was liable to cause an accident.—Left to Cr Wilson and the engineer. J. T. Waller, solicitor. Balclutha, wrote, giving Mr R. Campbell’s proposal in connection with the Finegand road as follows; “The county to have that portion of the road within Mi Campbell’s fence declared a closed road (this is the land next O’Hara’sr, Mr Campbell to purchase this road when closed at £4O an acre; the countv to purchase so much of Mr Camp bell’s land as is outside his fence at the same price per acre; the county to pay the same price for the piece taken by proclama tion. The extent of Mr Campbell’s land outside his fence to he ascertained from the plan already deposited by the county’s surveyor.”—The Engineer said the proposal was not altogether satisfactory, as Mr Campbell wished the council to pay for land that had been in use as a public road for the last 50 years.—Cr Thomson said the council should not recode from its present position, and he would move that the engineer .shift the fences to get Iho road in order. The council was willing to pay for the portion of road taken under the Public Works Act. An exchange could he effected with the piece of land lhat. the council did not want.—Motion carried. Cr Maginness moved that the chairman. 'Cr Thomson, and the engineer meet Mr Campbell and hi? solicitor with a view to fixing the price of land taken or effecting an exchange. Agreed to, RANGER ’8 REPORT. 11. C. Chittock, ranger, reported having found 32 cattle, nine horses and 15 sheep wandering on countv roads during the month. MAIN v HIGHWAYS. In accordance with notice previously given the chairman moved that the motion of Juno 24, 1925, that the upkeep of main highways be a charge on the ridings concerned be rescinded and in future the county’s share of the cost of reconstructing and maintaining the main highways within the county be a charge on the county general fund. The mover said that it would make for the well-being of the countv if his motion wore carried. Cr Wilson seconded the motion. Cr Wilson said that after reading the report? of the position In other of the Dominion he considered that the time had eorno when the Government should take over the main arterial roads. The Highways Board was but in its infancy and was merelv fen’in" it? wav. but the Government could maintain the roads through the hoard. The sneaker trae-ul the development of the roads from the bullock tracks of the early days to the present

metalled highways, but the latter were not suitable to carry the heavy motor traffic of to-day. The motors were daily taking traffic from the railways, and the roads should be made tit to carry this additional traffic. He considered the proposed motor road from Waikodaiti to Milton to be an attempt to see if the counties would stand further . taxation. He considered there should be a petrol tax, as in the United Stales, and then every motor vehicle owner would pay a share of making the roads fit to carry the traffic.. The roads for through traffic needed to be reconstructed, but it was unfair to ask the farmer to “carry the baby.” The Government would have to do it. No county could even keep up the roads out of county funds, let alone out of riding funds. If the counties attempted it. that would mean letting in the thin edge of the wedge, and accordingly he was opposed to the motion. Cr Mosley concurred that the motion meant throwing the onus on to the counties. Carried to its logical conclusion that would mean that there would be no money for the district roads. It would take all the county funds and more for the main Highways, 'ln Victoria the shire councils were free from contributing to the main roads, which were kept up by the motor associations, subsidised by Government funds He considered that the main roads in this country should be under Highways Boards, and not under county councils at all. There should be two boards —one for the North Island and one for the South. Cr Gumming considered that the upkeep of main highways through ridings was not so difficult now that they got a subsidy of 30s for £l. Formerly it took all the riding rates to upkeep portions of the main highway, and he for one was thankful tor the present arrangement with the Highways Board, and would support the motion Cr Harris opposed the motion, and Cr M'Kenzie supported it on the ground that the majority of motorists using the main roads were not farmers. Cr Moginness opposed the motion, and said the subsidy of 30s for £1 was sufficient to keep the roads up to requirements, but if the motion were carried his riding would be penalised heavily. The 200 owneis of cars in Owaka who seldom saw the main roads would be paying for them. Cr MTndoe considered that the position would never be right until the Government took over the main arterial roads. Cr Wilson said it was high time that the various farmers’ organisations checked the doings of the Main Highways Board, which was accumulating funds to such an extent that the board was now lending out money. The Chairman, in reply, said they were all astray when they suggested that this was ‘the thin end of the wedge.” that was all nonsense. If the motion were carried the county would still spend the same amount on the main highways through the county, and would have exactly the same amount of rate money available for toe side roads. On a vote only two voted for the motion, which was accordingly lost. Cr Wilson then moved that the time had arrived when the Government, through the Main Highways Board, should take over all the main arterial roads, —Seconded by Cr Moslev and carried. GENERAL. Notice of motion was given to adhere to Wednesday as the statutory half-holiday in the county. —Cr Maginness said in Owaka the storekeepers had gone behind the council’s back and adopted Saturday as the half-holiday. Cr Wilson moved that a press copy of the council’s interview with the Minister of Lands on the subject of the assessment of standing timber be sent to the Westland County Council.—Agreed to. The next meeting was fixed for Tuesday, January 25. It was decided to grant the office staff the usual vacation, from Christmas eve till January 13, and the permanent surfacemen two days holiday at Christmas and the same nt New Year. In closing the Chairman thanked members for the courtesy extended to him during the year, and wished them the compliments of the season. Subsequently ho entertained members of the press and staff nt afternoon tea.