TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22755, 16 December 1935, Page 17

TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Tuapeka County Council was held on Friday at Lawrence. The chairman (Cr W. Cameron) presided, and there were also present Crs George, Hall, Bennetts, Rcvie, M'Lcnnan, and Cotton. CORRESPONDENCE. The district engineer of the Public Works Department, Mr T. M. Ball, advised that the members of the Main Highways Board, who were making a tour of the South Island, would arrive in Lawrence on February 3, when they would be pleased to meet local body members and discuss with them any matters of which they might desire consideration.—lt was decided to hold the next meeting of , the council on February 3, when members would be able to meet the members of the Highways Board. The Agricultural Department advised that the Government had decided to grant a subsidy of 2s Gd per beak on kcas from December I.—Received. A circular was received from the chairman of the Main Highways Board advising that the board was prepared to assume the responsibility for traffic inspection throughout the rural highways and reading system without cost to the County Councils. —It was decided to reply that the council found the present system satisfactory and did not desire a change. The secretary of the New Zealand Society of Civil Engineers advised that the annual meeting and conference would be held in Wellington from February 17 to 22, 1030. —The engineer was granted leave of absence to attend the conference. The district engineer, Public Works Department, Mr T. M. Ball, advised that the following supplementary vote had been provided: Commonage Creek bridge (£1 for £1), £l2s.—Received. Mr J. T. Peak, Beaumont, applied for permission to erect a gate (or gates) across the road from opposite the railway station to the Cemetery road. — Request to be advertised. Mr W. J. Manuel, a fruitgrower, of Coal Creek, wrote asking the council to bring pressure to bear on a neighbour, Mr L. M'Knight, to remove obstructions from a watercourse running .through his property. —It was decided that Cr Bennetts and the engineer should inspect the watercourse. The Waitane Sawmilling and Afforestation, Ltd., wrote seeking permission to erect a cattle stop for motor traffic on the Paradise Valley road.—lt was decided to reply that the council had no authority to grant the request. The secretary of the Timaburn Race Committee wrote seeking the council’s assistance in repairing the race, which served a great many residents. —Referred to Cr George and the engineer to report to next meeting. Rowlatt Bros., Tuapcka West, wrote asking the council to improve the road leading to their property.—Referred to Cr Hall and the engineer. A request from Mr S. French, Clark’s Flat, for permission to erect a gate across a road,. was granted during the pleasure of the council. LABOUR FOR FARMERS. Some discussion ensued when the clerk read a letter from the Commissioner of Unemployment advising that the Unemployment Board had again decided to make labour available to farmers to assist in the eradication of ragwort. “It is absolutely impossible for farmers to get labour from the unemployed,” said Cr Revie. Cr George expressed the opinion that the Unemployment Board’s offer provided a golden opportunity for farmers to rid their land of noxious weeds. He thought, however, that the men should be employed on a contract basis, as under the proposed plan almost the whole of the responsibility was thrown on the council. The men would be much better under the supervision of the individual farmers. “ If these fellows would get down to it and do a fair thing, that would be all anyone would ask of them,” said Cr Revie. Fie expressed the opinion that the weed-eradication scheme might turn out to be something like the gold prospecting scheme, which in some localities |

had been anything but a success. Although it had been successful in the Tuapeka County, there were places where the men had never seen the colour of gold. That was not a paying proposition. Cr Bennetts said the- farmer had to be always with the men or they would not, with few exceptions, work satisfactorily unless on contract. He moved that the council should reply to the commissioner’s circular stating that the council favoured assistance to farmers under the 4a and 4b (contract) schemes. The motion was carried. FINANCE. The clerk (Mr R. F. Batchelor) reported that ■ the receipts for the past month had been £2099 Os lOd and the j expenditure £3456 3s 6d. The debit balance at November 30 was £863 15s Gd. Outstanding rates at present totalled £1703 2s 7d, £935 6s 4d having been collected since April 1. The report was adopted. TENDERS. The engineer reported that the followin;; tenders had been accepted:— About 1320 cubic yards of gravel Paul’s Hill, Heriot, Roxburgh, via Moa Flat road.—J. W. Bradfield, 8s 9d per cubic yard. About 300 cubic yards of gravel Wai-tahuna-Waipori road.—G. Jones, 4s Cd per cubic yard. About 350 cubic yards Hcriot-Rox-burgh road, Benger section. —J. J. Brogan, 4s 9d per cubic yard. About 500 cubic yards of gravel, Reserve road. —E. C. Sira, 2s lOd per cubic yard. About 464 cubic yards. Wooded Hill 1 road.—E. C. Sim, 3s Id per cubic yard. About 319 cubic yards- of gravel, Knowles road.—James Bowman, 3s lid per cubic yard. About 1900 cubic yards of gravel, Waipori-Outram road. —J. M'Cone, 3s 6d and ss, subject to authority coming to hand. About 450 cubic yards of gravel, Waitahuna Sottlement-Clarks Flat. G. Jones, 3s per cubic yard. Tenders left in hands of "the chairman, riding member and engineer from last meeting were dealt with as follows: — Two hundred and eighty-six yards of g avel, Lee Flat-Black Rock Runs road■—The tender of J. J. Brogan at 10s per cubic yard has been accepted. About 300 cubic yards of gravel, Fruidburn Hill, Beaumont Station road. —A tender from A. Guthrie at 6s per cubic yards has been received. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer (Mr F. D. Grant) submitted the following report:— General.—Engineering surveys have been made for Finlay’s bridge. Shanks road and deviation to improve the bad corner on the Waikaka-Matheson’s main highway near*Heriot, and these, together with the Fruidburn and Pomahaka River bridges, are in hand. With the chairman and Cr Revie I met the district engineer, Public Works Department, and representatives of the Clutha County at the Pomahaka bridge on the Conical Hills main highway, and proposals to c..rry the three spans on 121 ft Clutha span utilising the trusses and transoms only were agreed to as most satisfactory. Repairs were completed to the Tallaburn bridge and also temporary repairs to Fruitburn bridge on the Beaumont Station road. Waitahuna Riding. —Main highways have been graded and 52 cubic yards of maintenance gravel delivered. About half a mile of Scrubby (Mount Stuart) road was formed up for gravelling ahd the existing gravel graded. The contractor for this gravelling work has commenced, but is making fairly slow progress. A washout was repaired on Waitahuna Gully road, and repairs effected to portion of Coghill road. The contractor for gravelling 61 chains of Breakneck (Davidson’s) road has commenced work. Waipori. —Repairs had been effected to portions of Waipori-Outram, Falls and Lawrence roads. The contractor for gravelling 32 chains of Lee Flat-Black Rock Runs road will commence shortly. Gabriels.—Grader and surface repairs have been effected to main highways, and a corner improved near Clark’s Flat bridge. Surface repairs have been effected to Jacob’s Ladder and portions of Gabriel’s Gully road. Browns. —Gravel repairs have been effected to the Tuapeka Flat end of the Balclutha-Lawrence highway, further metal has been quarried for Fahey’s road,

culverts have been cleaned, Beaumont townships, roadway formed to the gravel beach at Tuapeka Mouth, and surface repairs and water tabling carried out at lower end of Breakneck road up to Webster’s camp. Teviot.- —Grader work and scrub clearing have been carried out on the Roxburgh railway station highway, and surface repairs have been effected to portion of Knobbies road. An under-runner and culvert have been repaired and protected; on Ormaglado road, and slips have been removed on the Horseshoe Bend road. .‘ Other activities have been gravel repairs to' lower ends Miller’s Flat-Rox-burgh and Tima Burn roads,, and Minzion road, and surface repairs at the Black Hill. The contractor for gravelling G2 chains of Wright’s road has made good progress, completing this work, and has now commenced work on his Beaumont Station and Avenal road contracts. Fair progress has been made with formation work on the Lake Onslow-Paerau Runs road. Benger. —Surface and grader work has been carried out on main highways during the month, culverts and water tables have have been cleared between Dumbarton and Roxburgh, and near Coal Creek Church, and necessary gravel repairs will be effected to the Roxburgh to County boundary section next week. Beaumont. —The county lorry and plant have worked from the county pit at Island Block and have delivered 621 cubic yards of maintenance coat gravel on the main highway on weak places at Tamblyn’s hill, Evan’s pinch and Stewart’s bridge. Surface repairs have been effected; on the Edievale-Moa Flat road near Heath’s; also bn Hangh’s and Dunrobin roads, and gravel has been attended to between Old Switzers and MTienzie’s. The contractor has commenced gravelling 19 chains of Caffcll s road and • the contractor for gravelling Paul’s Hill, Heriot-Roxburgh road (one mile and a-half) will commence shortly. Crookston Riding.—The main highways have had grader and surface and minor gravel repairs effected to them, and the work of widening Featherstone’s bridge in reinforced concrete has been recommenced. The w r ork of blasting out water tables and building up portions of the Spylaw Hill on Old Switzers road is well in hand, and repairs have been effected to Hukarere and Spylaw Creek roads. A culvert was cleared at Cullen’s, surface repairs were effected to Adams s and Heriot township roads, and a further length of Dunrobin road metal was trimmed up. Tapanui Riding.—Surface, grader and patch gravel repairs have been effected to main highways, also patch gravelling on Scrubby and Kelso roads. Some 25 chains of Wooded Hill road have been formed up for gravelling, about one mile of Tapanui-Dalvey road has been formed and graded, Knowles road graded, and concrete wings have been put on Gibson s culvert on the Tapanui-Dalvey road. The contractors for gravelling Hilljacks and Tapanui-Dalvey road have commenced their contracts. The report was adopted.