WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20832, 26 September 1929, Page 14

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING. monthly meeting of the Waikouaiti County Council was held yesterday, there being present Crs Laley (chairman). Briscoe, Box, Preston, Gilmore, and M'Callum. INSPECTOR'S REPORT. The following is the monthly report bv the inspector (Mr T. Lang):— Ilawksbury Riding.—Fifty yards of \Vaikouaiti River gravel have been spread on the borough boundary road, and 40 yards on Mill road. Ten yards have also been put on Tbornburn and Flag Swamp roads. The road has been Widened and gravelled at the sharp corner ir ® i unc tion of Mount Watkins and Mill roads, and the old road has been reformed. A considerable quantity of Sravel had to be carted into the ford at Orbeil s, as the bottom was very soft, and was scoured out fairly deep. The new metal on the upper end of Stony 1 eak road has been raked in and watertables cleaned out. Tree planting is being done on the road reserves'between Mount Durden and Flag Swamp. ’An attempt was made to grade Mill road and Nankivell’s road with the power grader, but there are too many soft places, caused principally by leaking water pipes. —Adopted, the Borough Council to be written to calling its attention to a leaking water_ pipe on Mill road, and asking that the joints be repaired. Merton Riding*—The subsidence on the road near Garden Bush has been filled in, and the road surfaced where necessary as far as the top of the bill in Rollins's run. A subsidence near Kiatoa, on Biueher road, has also been filled up; 129 yards of metal from the crusher have been spread on Brightling’s road, and the deviation on Pryde's road is now being metalled. This road requires about 50 yards of maintenance metal, and a tew chains regraded where the road has moved. Two hundred and forty yards of grave] have been spread on M'Grathb and Gilchrist's roads, the water-tables cut out by the power grader, and; 30 chains of the clay road above Gilchrist’s graded. —Report approved, and metal procured for Pryde’s road.

Blueskin Riding.—About 250 yards ol the metal which was crushed last summer for the Hayward’s Point road has been carted out and spread on the road, and is now being blinded. Slips have been cleared from Lower Harbour road, and metal broken in some of the worst potholes. Water-tables have been cleaned out on several roads at Waitati. Both of the roads to Double Hill are badly cut up through the extra heatfy traffic, especially on the unmetalled portions of the roads.—Report approved, the worst portions of the Double Hill roads to be surfaced, and water-tables cleaned out as soon as possible. North-East Valley Riding.—A commencement will probably be made in a day or two in clearing the remainder of the slips from the upper end of Hall road and putting in a 20tt 9in culvert. The metalling of this road and Reservoir road will also be proceeded with, as well as the gravelling of the footpath on Station road—Report approved. Main Highways.—Dunedin-Christohurch road: Two hundred and sixty-four yards of metal from the crusher have been put on the road on Merton Flat during the month, and blinded with 247 yards of gravel; 92 yards of gravel have also been spread on the boundary road at the north end of Waikouaiti, and the road has been graded twice during the month. The Waikouaiti River bridge has been repaired again. The re-decking of this bridge will probably be commenced immediately, also the placing of the running planks on Pleasant River bridge. Evansdale to Merton (via Seacliff) road; The road between Morton station and Karitane is now being metalled, after bvsing scarified and graded. Crushing will be commenced at Puketeraki as soon as the contractor has enough stone to keep the crushr going regularly. It will be advisiblo to get about 150 tong of metal by rail for the road between Seacliff and Omimi, as all the metal to be crushed at Puketeraki will be reomred north of Seacliff. Dunedin-Wai-tati (via Leith Valley) road: The washout on the lower end of this road is being filled in and the road should be open for traffic within a week or two. Water-tables have been cleaned out on /the upper portion of this road, the slips further cleared, and the broken road above Burns’ Creek bridge metalled. The pipe? for the two broken culverts are on the ground, and will be put in immediately—Report approved and metal to bo procured by rail for Highway No. 2. CORRESPONDENCE.

. S. Clark wrote intimating bis intention to appeal against notice being served on him to take down and remove a dwelling house and outhouse erected on section 23, block 11, North Harbour and Blueskin District, on tire grounds that they were unfit for use or occupation!—Mr Olark waited upon the council, and was informed that the council was acting under the instructions of the Health Department, and had no power in the matter. The chairman remarked that if Mr Clark saw the health inspector the council was quite agreeable to fall in with anything he suggested. ,-The Highways Board’s representative, tl- District Highways Council, wrote stating the conditions the board was prepared to accept in connection with the reconstruction, and provision of, a bituminous surface of .seven miles and ahalf of the Dunedin-Christchurch Main Highway beyond Waitati, and for the maintenance ol 29 miles of the highway between Waitati and Palmerston.—The council agreed to the conditions which were for the council to contribute £525 annually tor a period of 15 years towards the reconstruction and provision of the bituminous surface on the Dunedin-Christ-church Main Highway beyond Waitati, continue the maintenance of the 20 miles of the highway between Waitati and Palmerston, and spend as its share £BOO per annum.

The Lower Harbour Progressive League wrote asking that repairs to the Lower .Harbour road bo carried out in the near future.—To be informed that the league had had more than its fair share of the expenditure for a number of years. Mr A. T. White wrote asking that repairs to a road leading to his property at Waitati be carried out. —Matter to be attended to as soon as possible. Mr A. Harvie wrote asking that repairs loathe Nenthorn-Middlemarch road be carried out as soon as possible.— Authority to be applied for to carry out the -work.

Mrs A. Stevenson wrote calling attention to the state of the road to Double Hill. —Road to be attended to as soon as possible. i

The town clerk, Dunedin, wrote as to a conference of representatives of local authorities, comprising numbers 16 and 17, main highways districts, which was to be held in Dunedin on September 27 to consider matters connected with the heavy traffic license fees.—The chairman and Cr Preston to attend the conference. The Sawyers’ Bay Progress League wrote complaining of the drainage coming from Mr Poulter’s property being allowed to flow along the water table of the road. —Referred to the public health officer. The Sawyers’ Bay Progress League wrote asking that the electric light poles at Sawyers’ Bay be shifted to enable a footpath to be formed along Station road —The city electrical engineer to be requested to shift the obstructions Mr J. T. Hefferuan wrote asking that the road to his run at Nenthorn be repaired.—The work to be attended to. A. E. Ansell, M.P wrote enclosing a cutting from the Dominion newspaper regarding the matter of highways. From a county point of view the most serious portion ot the statement by the Prime Minister was that there was more than ample funds in the revenue account of the "ways Board to meet the requirements. I Ins the writer took strong objection to' as be considered that with the increasb)'uso of the highways by motorists the counties were entitled to increased' subsidies. That position did not appear to be realised by the Prime Minister.—Received.

Messrs J. E. Bodkin and J. Macdonald wrote requesting the council to have the road leading to their runs at Merton and Evansdale improved. They were quite willing to give some assistance and would like the work done before the shearing season —The matter was left in the hands of the inspector to see what arrangements could be come to with Messrs Bodkin and Macdonald. GENERAL. Accounts amounting to £1134 7s 2d were passed for payment. The tender of Mr E. K. Gallagher for the cartage of 600 cubic yards of -rav'd from the Shag River to the main f’highway, at £123, was accepted.