MANIOTOTO COUNTY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23055, 4 December 1936, Page 20

MANIOTOTO COUNTY

MONTHLY COUNCIL MEETING At the monthly meeting of the Maniototo County Council, held in Ranfurly last Friday, there were present: Crs P. Aitken (chairman), W.Howell, H. W. Davis, N. Nicolson, E. Morgan, T. A. Lowis, R. Scott, J. B. M'Gill, and T. Hall. The district engineer, Public Works Department, Dunedin, advised that the Main Highways Board was unable to declare any additional highways this year, and the question of declaring further highways would receive consideration next year according to the position which then obtained.—Received.

Mr W. A. Bodkin, M.P., Alexandra, forwarded a copy of the Local Government Amalgamation Scheme Act, 1936. —The chairman, clerk, and engineer were empowered to submit a report on the probable and possible effects of the Bill as applicable to the county and district.

The secretary of the Oturehua School Committee advised that the committee denied liability for an account amounting to £2 rendered for the use of a power grader to effect improvements of the school grounds, and suggested that the council forward the account to the Otago Education Board.--The clerk reported that the account was originally for £2 19s, and on September 7, 1931, had been reduced by resolution of the council to £2.—lt was decided that the committee should be notified that, in the opinion of the council, it was within the province of the committee, not the council, to forward the account to the Education Board.

The following applications for right of occupation until the land was required for tree-planting purposes were held in abeyance until further advice was received from the Land Board:— Messrs Fraser and Macdonald, solicitors, Ranfurly, on behalf of Mrs Edith Mathias, Waipiata, for the right to occupy part section 25, block V, Maniototo district. —Mr W. F. Duridas, Ida Valley, for the right to occupy section 19, block XVI, Blackstone survey district.—John Hamilton, Lauder, for the right to occupy part section 52, block 11, Blackstone survey district.—Mrs M. G. M'Knight, Otur.ehua.for the right to occupy section 6, block XVI, Blackstone survey district. —The Trustees, Executors, and Agency Company of New Zealand, Dunedin, for the right to occupy section 5, block XIII, Blackstone survey district. Mr B. A. Todd, Naseby, wrote asking when the erection of the bridge over Spec Creek, on the Kyeburn River road, would be proceeded with.—lf funds sufficed the erection of the bridge would be proceeded with towards the end of the financial year. The farm manager, Sanatorium, Waipiata, applied for permission to place a pipe for residential water supply across the Waipiata-Hamilton road. — The application was granted provided that the work upon completion meets with the approval of the county engineer.

Mr R. G. Wingham, Lauder, applied for a permit to use a class J motor vehicle on Class 111, Main Highways. —lt was resolved that the permit as requested be issued subject to pneuma-tic-tyred vehicles being used, the permit to apply to main highways only. The medical officer of health, Dunedin, wrote stating that, through confusion of principle, the charges levied on local authorities for the services of health inspectors for the past two years had deviated slightly from the figures agreed upon in 1932, and enclosed a debit note for £5 9s 6d, being the amount required to adjust the figures to the end of 1936.—The amounl was passed for payment.

The Conciliation Commissioner, Wellington, forwarded notification of application for an award by the New Zealand Federation of Local Bodies' Labourers, etc.—The chairman stated that, in collaboration with the clerk and the engineer, a reply had been sent on to the New Zealand Counties' Association, setting out the council's viewpoint of the several proposals.— The action of the chairman, clerk, and engineer was approved. It was decided that the dog registration fees for 1937 should be 2s 6d for each sheep dog and cattle dog kept solely for the purpose of herding or droving, and 10s each for all other dogs. It was decided that in future where applications are made by ratepayers or others to have private work carried out by the council, a deposit equal to the estimated cost of the work and/or materials must accompany each application. The Finance Committee recommended that accounts comprising vouchers Nos. 7669 to 7735, being unemployment £llO 8s and County Fund £1825 8s 3d, be passed for payment.— Carried.

The tender of Disabled Soldiers' Products for 1000 dog collars at £3O 10s, plus sales tax, was accepted. Mr E. K. Gallagher's tender for 550 cubic yards of gravel on the Blackball road at £74 9s 7d was accepted. Mr A, Blanchard's tender at £193 Is 4d was accepted for the Hogburn channel realignment at Inder's bridge. ENGINEER'S REPORT The engineer (Mr R. J. Black) reported on work for the month as follows: Main Highways St. Bathans Loop.—Shepherd's Creek bridge is completed with the exception of approach gravelling. On the Manuherikia section 50 chains of four cubic-yard fine gravelling was completed. Newly-gravelled sections were dressed by the grader. Widening at Enright's siding was completed, and repairs were carried out at Two Mile Creek bridge. Palmerston-Clyde. The northern maintenance gravelling contract is completed. The grader was in steady use during this contract and in dressing up the finished spreads. This should give a good running surface over the dry summer months. The southern contract over 20 miles is still undecided, as the lowest tenderer commenced and then abandoned his contract. The next in price offered to carry on, but has not confirmed this in writing, and I recommend that E. K. Gallagher, next, at 3s 10|d per yard, be allowed to carry out the work. Light grading was continued throughout. Filling at Hore's Creek was completed. Ditching was cleared at Blackstone Hill, Beck's Hill siding was widened. Hedges were cut for view at Hill's Creek.—The tender of MiGallagher was accepted. Kyeburn to Middlemarch.—At Six Mile Creek bridge the contractor has commenced the foundation concrete. The fine gravel surfacing contract proposals for this highway are approved. Idaburn to Moa Creek.—This highway was graded from Idaburn to Oturehua, and widening on the valley section is commencing. Railway Creek culvert near Oturehua has concrete work and road formation completed. Waipiata-Styx— Grading was carried out from Patearoa to Waipiata and gravel surfacing repairs were done on this section and on the Styx Hill section. Olurehua-Hill's Creek.—A six-inch culvert was placed on the Oturehua section, and drainage carried out. Ridings Mount Ida.—The Hogburn Channel footbridges were repaired. Surfacing and water table repairs were carried out on the Ranfurly-Naseby road. The Ranfurly-Waipiata road was graded. In Ranfurly township the contractor spread approximately 80 cubic yards of screened gravel as required. Kyeburn.—The gang employed on construction of heavy river groynes moved to the Lower Kyeburn area and commenced work on three groynes on the west bank of the Kyeburn, where serious damage threatens valuable land. A 24-inch culvert was construcled at Longlands Creek on the Swinburn Cemetery road. Ditching was completed on Longlands back road and a cut a few chains long was formed to keep the main creek flow below the roading. Spoil from this was used in filling roadway depressions. Lauder.—A stone groyne in the Dunstan Creek above Beattie's bridge was completed. Ditching on Brown's road was extended. Arrangements were made with the highway contractors for concrete abutments for Shepherd's Creek on Shepherd's Flat road. The county men will follow up with the superstructure from old materials replaced in highways work. St. Bathans.—A nine-inch culvert was placed in Blackstone Hill coalpit road, and formation was made up and

gravelled at Dillon's Creek culvert. This road was graded. Probably the heaviest rain ever experienced at Becks occurred towards the end of last month, and a fair amount of damage occurred on the Blackstone Hill Runs road, where water crossed the road terrace for some miles. The grader was in the vicinity, and the formation was quickly repaired. Short sections still require gravelling to complete. Idaburn.—Two stock crossings 18 feet by 10 feet were erected over the Government race for the Home Hills runholders. A 24-inch concrete culvert was placed, and road formation completed, at Duncan's Creek on the Highfield Runs road. The White Sow Valley road was graded. Gimmerburn.—Short lengths were gravelled on the Maniototo-Wedder-burn road at Graham's Hill. Contract No. 276, Wedderburn-Highfield gravelling was completed. A six-inch culvert was placed in the Highfield Runs road, and the work detailed last meeting for this road along the runs was commenced. The grader is being moved to join this work. New gravel spreads on Barney's lane and WedderburnHighfield roads were dressed up by the grader.

Taieri Riverbed at Creamery Bridge The Creamery bridge stands at a very sharp angle to the stream at a long bend, and the piers, square to the line of the bridge, assist towards a heavy silt deposit below at flood time. As briefly reported ,on about four years ago, this deposit has grown until the flow is diverted along the bridge to erode the soft banks about one chain and a-half beyond the line of the old channel. This flow passing through at one end then along below the bridge to escape almost in line is the direct cause of the silted " island" deposit above the bridge, where there is no tendency to use that portion of the bed as was the case when the bridge was erected. I recommend that a graded channel, approximately one chain wide, which would average three feet in depth, be cut through the deposit below the bridge in an easy sweep to rejoin the river at seven chains, and that the material, approximately 3000 cubic yards, be used in elevating the roadways to the approaches. With the current thus using the bridge opening in fast oblique approach and square get-away, a short groyne placed in opposition to flow immediately above the northern end would force the stream on to the western bank above the bridge, and pass correctly through the piers, while attacking, at time of flood, the " island '■' above the bridge. The few willows growing would thus be exposed and easily removed. This proposal, with the use of spoil in roading, would cost approximately £225, and should leave the channel free for many years. Crs Hall. Davis, Howell, and the engineer were appointed to inspect and report to next meeting regarding this work. The report was adopted.