BRUCE COUNTY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20867, 6 November 1929, Page 7

BRUCE COUNTY.

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL,

The monthly meeting of the Bruce County Council was held at Milton yesterday, there being present Mr D. Gardyne (chairman), Cre D. M’Gregor, A. Renton, W. Bell, J. Lockhart, W. J. Sheat, T. Johnston, V. Wilson, M. M. Driver, and J. Clark. A motion of sympathy was passed with the relatives of the late Mr W. D. Tweedie, for some years a surfaceman to the county. INSPECTOR’S REPORT. The monthly report of the county inspector (Mr J. H. Bateman) was as follows: —Balmoral No. 1 Riding: A start had been made on the grading and metalling contract on Hyelop to Cairn road. Balmoral No/ 2 Riding: The unmetalled portion of Smith’s track had been brushed up with the grader. Good progress was being made with metalling contracts in this riding. Crichton Riding: The Lovell’s Flat-Kaitangata road had been graded during the month, and the worst places in the road had been repaired with gravel. Matau Riding: Maintenance gravel had been spread on the Stirling Hill road. Kaitangata Riding: The Kaitangata-Wangaloa Coast road (between Picnic Gully and Fall Creek) and the Kaitangata-Wangaloa road over the hill bad both been brushed up with the grader. Waihola Riding: Good progress was being made with the earthwork contract on Waihola-Taieri Mouth road. Clarendon Riding: The gravelling contract on Clarendon-Circle Hill road had been completed. Mount Stuart Riding; The Table Hill and Adams Flat roads had been brushed up with the grader, and surface work done on various roads! Toko, Riding: The gravelling contract on -fcort Hill road, metalling contract on Allisons road, and the maintenance metal contract on the Moneymore roads had all been completed during the month A 12inch concrete pipe culvert had been placed on the School road, Moneymore. to replace an old stone culvert. A nine-inch °“ g lc , hm °ad road, Helensbrook, had been lifted, cleaned of willow roots and relaid, a ' Main Highways.—Dunedin to Invercargill: Graders had been working for 33 d * y ®° n V 1 1!? !? a J n hi and 599 yards b , eel ? spread during Octo™l.Md > £> l fe a?d.Ttl, Tbl ‘i"*. 1 ” S* kw w w» Kai^n f . ! .fn d TU- hroU^ Balclut ha to Haitangata. This mam highway had been graded, and nine yards of gravel snread pns- D Th the "I 00415 - St<my <£T eek toPHillend. The water tables had been ploughed and scooped out for about a mile on upper end of this main highway Clarksrfo t 0 This highway had done § raded , a , nd water tabling had been done during the month. Twenty-one men bid oT 197 d oyed, d ai ? d had S °' tob "- The

CORRESPONDENCE A communication was received f mm Armi ß dc“ e Diy n observing "n* which H ooard was unable to atrwpp +* request that the board giveTll for £1 subsidy on main highwavs — n„ a fh= motion of Cr Clark, ivho a . 13 for £1 subsidy would not be suffi cient to Provide sufficient funds for the upkeep of the road, it was decided to communicate with the Minister of Public Works in the matter. UDUG The Balclutha-Tuapeka Mouth Road P° ard Vrepresentative on the No 17 otstrict Highways Council wrote advising that the Public Works Department was prepared to recommend the Main Highways Board to transfer an amount of £2OO free money to the Bruce County for the purpose of raising the section of the Bal-dutha-Tuapeka Mouth road on Barnego Ilat con The cost ol this w ork was £9O, and the balance was to be spent in maintenance gravelling.—The county clerk said that he had written accepting the offer, and this course was approved " . The secretary of the New Zealand Counties Association forwarded a communication with regard to the proposal to publish a universal set of by-laws, and asked if the council would co-operate with the association in the matter.—Tt was stated that ,the council already had a set of bylaws in conjunction with II other counties. and it was therefore decided not to fall in with the suggestion.

The secretary of the Otago Expansion League forwarded a proposal from the Marlborough Expansion League with regard to the provision of alternative stock routes on main highways, it being considered that such a scheme would be of considerable advantage to travelling stock and the general public. If the council approved of ,the suggestion it was asked to co-operate with the Marlborough League in the matter.—Received. Alexander H. Scott, Dunedin, wrote protesting against the imposition of Electric Power Board rates on his property, as the nearest pole was a mile from hi«

place. He made a request for information regarding the charge for connecting up his house and pumping plant.—Cr Driver stated that the writer could get full particular* from the Power Board. The town clerk, Balclutha, wrote stating that the _ Balclutba Borough. Council was considering a scheme of raising the low-lying part of Yarmouth street by laying an 18-inch pipe across and depositing all borough refuse there. It was considered that by this means the street wpuld be raised to a suitable level without further cost, and the council was asked if it would agree to pay half the c 0 j ?* tk® pipes.—Left to Cr Benton audtbe inspector to attend to. The secretary of the Bruce Railway and Coal Company wrote with reference to the grading pf the road adjacent to the company’s line. The company was Prepared to keep the road graded on each side of the line at the railway crossing.— The company’s offer was accepted, the work to be done to the satisfaction of the inspector. A. Rennie (Milton) wrote drawing attention to the danger to traffic caused by the plantation of large trees at the intersection of the Balclutha and Lawrence highways. Several serious accidents had been narrowly averted at this place.— It was decided to instruct the inspector to investigate the matter. The officer in charge of the Public Works Department wrote stating that the department would be starting work on the Milton-Taieri Mouth road, north of Aka tore, and thus the work would not relieve the. council of any responsibility for the maintenance of this section. Similar communications were received with regard to the work on Stony Creek deviation and work near Akatore Creek.—Received.

In reply to a letter from the county clerk, the Public Works Department ad" vised that on new formation work it was intended to put on two coats of gravel at monthly intervals, and the council was required to keep the rest of the road in order.—Received. On the motion of Cr Sheat, it was decided to ask the Public Works Department to put on four inches of metal before gravelling. .The secretary of the South Otago Hospital Board wrote stating that the board at its last meeting had passed the special resolution —“ That the monthly instalments of levy shall be payable by the local authorities on the last day of each month.” In accordance with the Act, 14 days’ grace were allowed, and thereafter interest at the rate of 6 per cent, on the overdue amount must be added to the amount of levy payable.—Received. The Tajeri Mouth Amenities Society wrote asking if the council would widen the road from Mr R. Sinclair’s house to the store, and also if all the money set aside for road improvement at Brugh’e Corner was expended.—Cr Bell stated that they had no money left for the work, and he moved that the society be advised to that effect.

Cr Wilson drew attention to the state of the Balclutha-Tuapeka Mouth road, and said that if the road was not re-graded soon the ultimate cost of putting the road in good order would be very considerable.—lt was decided that the inspector be instructed to investigate the matter. i

The total receipt's for the month of October amounted to £lB2 18s 7d. and the expenditure to £1934 6s. The ranger reported that during the month 49 cattle. 11 sheep, and six horses had been impounded.