VINCENT COUNTY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21148, 4 October 1930, Page 24

VINCENT COUNTY.

MONTHLY COUNCIL MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Vincent County Council was held at the Council Chambers, Clyde, on Monday. There were present: Crs J. Ritchie (chairman), D. TJrquhart, J. F. Partridge, W, D. Naylor, S. A. Stevens, R. E. Ft Butcher, A, C. Secular, and C. Weaver. SPECIAL MEETING. At a special meeting of the council a general rate of 6|d in the £ (including the hospital and charitable aid rate) for the year 1930-31 was confirmed A special rate of 3-16 d in the £ in the Hawea special rating area for the year 1930-31 was passed. The council was authorised to pay interest and sinking fund charges on the bridges loan account out of the general fund. The water supply by-law. No. 3, 1930, and the Vincent County Council (Clyde town) by-law, No. 2, 1930, were passed. It was resolved further that the common seal of the council should be affixed to these, and that they should come into force on November 1The balance sheet and statement by the county treasurer for the year ended March 31, 1930, having been received from the Audit Department certified as correct, were ordered to be sighed by the chairman and published and distributed in' the usual manner. The chairman mentioned that_ exception had been taken by thd Audit Department to a certain case where a refund of half rates had been made on unoccupied buildings.—The council decided to obtain an opinion from the solicitor of the Counties’ Association upon this matter. , ORDINIRY MEETING. CORRESPONDENCE. A letter was received from the Balclutha Borough Council inviting members to the borough’s diamond jubilee celebrations on October 25.—The chairman was delegated to attend as the representative of the council. A letter expressing appreciation for sympathy was received from the family of Sir Joseph Ward. Messrs W. K. Anderson, Tarras, and A. V. Brent, Alexandra, were granted permission to lay pipes across the road for irrigation purposes during the pleasure of the council. The engineer of. the Public Works Department, Alexandra, applied for permission to construct 10 chains of small race along the Letts Gully road reserve.— Granted. The mining registrar advised that the license for the extended alluvial claim to the Alexandra Deep Lead Gold Mining Company had been struck off the register,, and asked the council to have the rent treated as irrecoverable. —This was agreed to.' ' . The Blackmail’s Water Board advised that Mr A. Westhead had "been recommended for appointment to the board in place of Mr Hinton, and requested that the council should have the alteration, gazetted according to law.—This was agreed to. The chief postmaster, ' Dunedin, intimated that it was proposed to extend the Oturehua-Moa Creek rural delivery along Gorge or Noone’s road, but he was unable to recommend this until the road was repaired.—lt was decided to advise the postmaster ■ that a Government grant was available and would be expended as soon as possible. Mr J. Preston, Waikouaiti, advised that a meeting representative of local bodies in main highways districts No. 16 and 17 would be i held in Dunedin on September 30 to consider the appointment of group traffic inspectors and the alteration of the basis of the apportionment of heavy traffic license fees.—The chairman was appointed to represent the council. Mr J. T. Weatherall, Lindis crossing, forwarded an application for a special alluvial claim near Lower Lindis bridge. The council decided to lodge an objection reserving five chains on each side of the centre fine of the bridge and all that portion upstream on the south side between the old and new bridges. The chief surveyor, Dunedin, advised, with reference to Mrs A. C. Iverson’s application for the formation of a road to section 156, block X, Leaning Rock S.D., that there was no such road, but only a strip of 50 links wide giving the section legal frontage on Fraser River road,—Received. The commissioner of Crown lands, Dunedin, stated that funds might be expended on the road as proposed through run 262 E as an access road to run 570. —The engineer was directed to visit the locality during October. The same, writer asked whether the council required -lor road purposes section 22, block VII, Lower Hawea 5.D.,as the road originally laid out had not, been used, and a road passing through the section had evidently been formed years ago.—The engineer reported-that he had replied to this, suggesting that the road formed some 28 years ago should, be legalised and the old surveyed road closed. While doing so, certain rearrangements of the road could be made for the' mutual benefit of the settlers concerned and . the -council.—This action was approved. The board’s, representative on the No. 16 District Highways Council forwarded ■a copy of the Main Highways Estimate for the year 1930-31, which was tabled for information. A letter was received from the same writer advising that a subsidy would be paid on the wages of a clerk of works for the erection of black bridge, Lindis River, provided he were retained specially for the job and not supervised by county employees in the ordinary course of his duties. . The Minister of Lands intimated that, m reference to the representations made by the council on behalf of Mr A. L. Mead for an improved access to run 338 A; it was found that owing to the comparatively small rental payable, his department would not be justified in taking any action toward the provision of a free 8 He felt" it was doubtful whether public money could be spent on internal roadmg of the run, but was referring the matter tq the Public Works Department for consideration.—Received. Tho district engineer of the Public Works Department stated that as the proposed work on the Little Valley road was of a maintenance nature it was not the policy of the Government to subsidise the cost of such work, even though relief workers might be employed. In any-case, the authority which was issued for the restoration of flood damage on this road whs a charge against the Consoli-dated-Fund, and in view of the limited vote tips year it would not be possible to provide anything further. -Under these circumstances the department could not recommend anything in addition to the subsidy of £ for f already held.—The council endorsed the action of the en-gineer-clerk in making a fresh application . to the authorities for further consideration. The same writer advised that the balance of authority for £74 14s to be expended on repairs to tracks around Hawea Lake has been re-instated and asked that the claim for expenditure already incurred should be forwarded immediately.—lt was decided to comply with the request. The Minister qf Mines intimated that the council’s decision which had been- communicated to, him in respect to the Kawarau Gold Mining Amalgamation Bill would be borne in mind when the Bill was being considered. On the same subject Mr W. A. Bodkin, MJ?., also wrote promising to assist the passage of the Bill through Parliament. —Received. Mr W. A. Bodkin, M.P., wrote upon the following matters: —(1) That he would endeavour to obtain more favourable consideration of the council’s application for relief work on Little Valley road. —Received. (2) Enclosing a letter from the Minister of Public -Works stating that as funds were available for work on the Highburn track. Hunter Valley, but a vote of £SO free for a road between the jetty and Mr Taylor’i homestead, Lake Hawea, had been included for consideration by Parliament.—lt wad decided that a proposal for expenditure be submitted by the road inspector for next meeting. (3) That he had pressed the council’s claims for the declaration , of additional highways, but regretted that he had had no success, the only pieces of new road taken over by the Highways Board being IIJ miles in the South Island and 12 miles in the .North Island. —Received. (4) Forwarding a letter from the Acting Minister of Finance , with reference to subsidising local body rates, and stating that the Government had agreed to set up an inquiry next year to investigate-the whole question of roaming costs. —Received. (5) Enclosing a letter from the Minister of Public Works dealing with the council’s application for the placing of relief workers on the Ophir-Poolburn road, via Block’s

Hill, stating that two deviations to reduce the maximum grade would be required at an approximate cost of £3400, and that he was of the opinion that it would be inadvisable to attempt making a commencement until such time as funds were in sight to coyer the cost of the whole scheme. The department further considered that sufficient works had already been opened up to cope with the unemployed. situation for the time being.’ The road in question had been noted, and would receive attention if further provision for the unemployed had to be made at a later date.—Received. The county solicitor (Mr W. A. Harlow) forwarded a statement of the arrears of rates collected to date, amounting to £2ll 5s 4d. —Received. The same writer forwarded an opinion with reference to the position relating to the control of the Ophir water supply, and after discussion the council decided to call a public meeting in Ophir with the object of reorganising a committee of control, n The Dunedin City Corporation forwarded a schedule of the apportionment of .heavy traffic license fees Tor the six months 'ended May 31, showing an allocation of £221 11s 4d to the Vincent County. —Received. SETTLERS’ PETITION. The petition of Charles Noone and others concerning repairs required in the Gorge road. Poolburn, was considered by the. council.—lt was decided to advise the petitioners that a Government grant for the repairs was now available, and work would be taken up as soon as possible. REPORTS. Matters arising out of the road inspector’s report were dealt with as follows; The engineer was instructed to prepare an estimate of the cost of removing the old Lower Lindis bridge and re-oreeting it across the Lindis River, giving access to Goodyer and Hyde runs. .It was . decided that, the Clyde-Alex-andra road should be graded as soon as possible, and that proposals should be submitted for the expenditure of the Government grant for the Earnscleugb road to Blackman’s. The ranger’s report stated that four horses had been impounded during the past month. FINANCE. The financial statement showed the following:—Bank balances to September 29: County Fund account, cr, £BB6 j bridge loan account, £1756. - . Crs Ritchie and Weaver were authorised to sign the .rate book for the year 1930-31. The sum of £BO was voted for the purchase of birds’ eggs for the 1930 season at the rate of £lO per riding. Accounts amounting to £997 7s 8d in the County Fund account and £221 10s 6d in the bridge-loan account were passed for payment. The offer of Mr R. E. Bennetts, jun.. Miller’s Flat, to purchase the council’s Graham truck for the sum of £3O 5s was accepted. The tender of Mr J. Scott, Albert Town, for labour in fencing the approach roads to the Hawea River bridge at the rate of 2s 2d per chain was accepted.