WAIKOUAITI COUNTY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23108, 6 February 1937, Page 23

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY

MONTHLY COUNCIL MEETING The monthly meeting of the Waikouaiti County Council was held at Waikouaiti yesterday, when there were present Crs H. Box (in the chair), W. Lee, C. T. M'Callum, E. Laley, G. Gilmour, and D. M'Millan. FINANCE Accounts amounting to £lOll 10s 2s were passed for payment. CORRESPONDENCE Mr D. S. Mackay and nine other ratepayers of Karitane wrote drawing attention to the state of Stornoway street.—Cr Lee suggested that for such areas as this a special rating area should be formed.—The request was referred to the member for the riding. Mrs Isabella Driver and 15 ratepayers of Purakanui wrote asking the council to improve the road between the foot of Long Beach Hill ~and Driver's gate.—The request was "referred to the member for the riding and the engineer. Dr M. Williams, Waitati, wrote drawing attention to the bad state of the road at Doctor's Point.—lt was decided to serve the property owners with notice to remove the overgrowth of gorse. Mr E. White, Seacliff, wrote drawing the council's attention to the obstruction caused by gorse growing at the end of Russell's road adjoining the main highway.—lt was decided to serve property owners with notice to cut the gorse. Messrs Hamel and Simpson, Dunedin, wrote forwarding a plan of the Purakanui subdivisio known as extension No. 1 .-^Received. Mr R. Falconer, Warrington, wrote asking the council to remove the culvert which ran on to his property.— The council decided that, as the trouble was really due to a natural watercourse it could do nothing. Mrs R. J. Cochrane, Sawyers's Bay, wrote asking for permission to lay a half-inch pipe line along High street.—Granted.

The clerk, Port Chalmers Borough Council, wrote drawing attention to the dangerous state of the road at Howitson's corner, and asking that the road be widened at this point.— It was decided to refer the council to the findings of the Royal Commission on the Dunedin-Port Chalmers road.

The secretary, Warrington Improvement Society, wrote drawing attention to two dangerous culverts between the church crossing and Mr Philp's property, and also to some bad corners on the main road to Evansdale.—The matters were referred to the engineer. Mrs H. F. Bennett, Seacliff, wrote complaining of the state of the road between her property and the Seacliff Catholic Church.—The letter was referred to the engineer. Mr J. Hallum, Waikouaiti, wrote regarding the state of the road from Mount Durdon to Flag Swamp.—lt was decided to draw the property owners' attention to the growth of gorse. s Mr W. Stevenson, Dunedin, wrote suggesting that the street lights at Karitane be switched on at 8.30 p.m. instead of 7 p.m.—The suggestion was referred to the Otago Electric Power Board. Mr P. Keller, district engineer, wrote asking the council to give further consideration to its refusal to take part in the proposed protective work on the foreshore at Karitane as the damage might ultimately affect Sulisker street. He was unable to recommend Government assistance to a greater extent than 50 per cent.—After inspecting the street, the council decided to hold over its reply until it could be ascertained what assistance, if any, the Amenities Society might be prepared to give. The secretary, Karitane Amenities Society, wrote complaining of the deposition of rubbish on the roadside, and also protesting against the erection of a shed for the sale of ice cream on the roadway near the children's playground.—lt was decided to reply that, if information could be given of persons depositing rubbish, action would be taken. The other matter was held over. GRAVEL SUPPLY

The Mayor of Waikouaiti (Mr A. Fell) and Cr Templeton waited on the council to request that a track be made to give entrance to a gravel bed on the south bank of the river. —The Mayor stated that for some years the borough had experienced difficulty in obtaining a supply of maintenance gravel and a recent survey of the river had shown that a good supply could be obtained from the locality mentioned. He did not think that the making of a track would be a large undertaking, but that some £lO to each local body would cover the cost. —After inspecting the site, it was decided to carry out the suggestion in conjunction with the Borough Council. GENERAL

Reference was made to the difficulty the dog tax collector had been experiencing in his duties, and it was decided to advise defaulters to comply with the regulations forthwith or proceedings would be taken. A discussion was held concerning various matters which it might be advisable to bring before the Minister of Public Works (Mr R. Semple) during his forthcoming visit. —The chairman urged that the matter of the abolition of riding accounts might advantageously be discussed. —Several members opposed the principal and also held that the question was not one to be properly brought up at such a time and, on the question being put to the vote, it was decided that this topic be omitted from the agenda paper to be presented to the Minister. The tender of Is 3d per yard by Messrs Keogh Bros, for the cartage of 1200 cubic yards of waste material from the Harbour Board's quarry at Lower Harbour to the Port Chalmers-Aramoana highway was accepted. Mr J. J. Brogan's tender of 14s per yard for a supply and delivery of metal to Russell's road, Seacliff, was accepted. ENGINEER'S. REPORT The engineer (Mr T. Lang) submitted the following report on the work jf the month:— Hawksbury Riding.—The worst parts of Hummock road and Dempster's and Townsend's roads have been surfaced, and surface work has been done on Mount Watkins road. Merton Riding.—Macdonald's road at Steep Hill has been improved by cutting off a sharp corner and putting in a pipe culvert on the hill. Water tables have been cleaned out near Brightling's and a nine-inch pipe culvert has been put across the road near Mr White's property. Ditches and water tables have been cleared out on several roads in Warrington and Karitane. The road near Dip Creek has been widened and prepared for metalling, but the contractor is not making much progress with the metalling, only about half the quantity being broken, and seven chains of the road metalled. A subsidence on the road above Omimi Dairy Factory will be filled with stone as soon as possible. Blueskin Riding. Hayward's Point road and Purakanui road have been graded, and pot-holes scarified.

The stone crusher is stopped working at present, but the metal for this road will be crushed as soon as it commences again. The road past the cemetery is now being surfaced. A large culvert on Powell's road at Double Hill collapsed, and has been repaired, and the lower end of Double Hill road has been attended to. Some repairs have also been done to Green's road. North-East Valley Riding.—Two hundred feet of six-inch pipes have been laid in the water channel above the hall on Hall road, and the ditch filled in. Grass and weeds have been cut along the sides of the footpaths at Sawyer's Bay. A culvert on Reservoir road has been repaired, but will require more covers. The new metal on Pigeon Flat road has been raked in, and Manson's ford repaired. HIGHWAYS Evansdale-Merton (via .Seacliff) Highway.—The recently metalled parts of this road have been blinded, and screenings spread over them. Ditches and water tables have been cleaned out between Warrington and Seacliff. This road was graded after the holidays, and will be graded again next week. The hand-rails on the two bridges near Merton station are in need of repairs, and will be attended to immediately. Dunedin - Waitati (via Leith Valley) Highway.—The only work done during the month was in clearing the fords, after a rise on the river.

• Port Chalmers-Waitati Highway.— About a mile of this road, commencing at Rawnsley's has been scarified, and 336 yards of metal spread over it. The water tables on this section of the road have been cleaned out and over-hanging scrub cut. Other rough parts of the road have been scarified, and the road graded throughout. The owner of the traction engine working the stone crusher, had to leave for the threshing season, but will be back in about six weeks to finish the work. The report was adopted.'