WAITAKI COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23203, 29 May 1937, Page 22

WAITAKI COUNTY COUNCIL

ANNUAL MEETING MR JAMES RODMAN RE-ELECTED CHAIRMAN The annual meeting of the Waitaki County Council was held yesterday morning, there being present Mr James Rodman (chairman), Crs J. 6. Adams, J. D. Ross, S. M. Taylor, J. D. Rutherford, E. S. Brewster, R. B. Meek. D. Rodger, and W. E. Aubrey. Mr Rodman was unanimously reelected chairman, councillors paying very high tributes to Mr Rodman for his splendid services to the county. Mr Rodman had devoted a great deal of time and trouble in attending to the affairs of the county, and at no time in the.history of the county had there been a better chairman than Mr Rodman. The chairman's honorarium was fixed at £IOO, the same as last year. MONTHLY MEETING Very complimentary reference was made to the work of Mr J. Weir, organiser of the Coronation procession, and the county clerk was instructed to write thanking Mr Weir, and expressing great appreciation of his services, which had resulted in such an outstanding success. Special votes of thanks were also passed to Mr A. Nuttall for his work in bringing the whale boat from Moeraki; Oamaru Toe H for the members' assistance in attending to the catering for the country children; Mr Hajl (caretaker of St. Paul's Hall); and Cr Meek and Mr R. K. Gardiner (joint secretaries) for their part in connection with the Coronation celebrations. Accounts totalling £2393 13s lid were passed for payment. The following licences were issued: — Public halls 9, eating houses 4, bakehouses 3, butcher shops 5, cordial factory 1, ice cream 1; dairy 1, slaughterhouse 1, petrol pumps 12, winemaker 1, billiard saloon 1, hawker 1, transfer 1, building permits 5 (value £2173). The following Treasur" notes were received:—Highway subsidies, £3320 2s 7d; thirds and fourths, £9 lis 2d; goldflelds revenue, £l2 Is. The Minister of Transport advised tbat it was not possible at this juncture to consider subsidising wages of county rangers—Received, it being decided to forward a remit to the Counties' Con~ ference on the matter. The Marine Department advised that the council's objections to the ban on the removal of fand and shingle from NorthK)tago beaches had been noted. — Received. Mr R. R. C. Thompson fßrookstead) and others were granted permission to erectr a telephone line along Nicholls road; Mr G. Stevenson to erect a telephone line at Weston; Mr G. H. Hacquoil (Kauru Hill) to lay a pipe across the road; and Mr C. R. Hoad (Omarama) to cross the highway with a water race, using a concrete bridge over the race, subject to the, engineer's approval. ; Miss V. M. H. Nicholls (Kunheka) wrote requesting; the council to erect a substantial fence .around the gravel pit on her property, as the pit was a menace to stock.—Agreed to. . Mr S. Robinson (Alma) requested the council to erect a street light at his gate.—The request was agreed to, and it-was also decided to erect lights required at Herbert, and to write to the Main Highways Board, requesting that the Deborah subway be lighted. Mr J. A. Duncan (Hilderthorpe) wrote drawing attention to the bad state of the road passing his house.— Referred to the engineer for attention. , The Kakanui Improvement Society wrote reauesting the council to form the road.around the bluff to Campbell's Bay with relief labour, and advised that the. Automobile Association was prepared to subsidise the . work.—Referred to the chairman and engineer for inspection and report. The application of Mr L. Clark (Weston) for permission to install a petrol' pump outside his garage was granted. The Windsor and Pukeuri School Committees and Waitaki Hospital Board wrote thanking the council for supplying children with flags in connection with Coronation Day.—Received. •••'., The Under-secretary for Lands advised that the department would be ready at an early date to appoint the controlling board for the Glencoe reserve. —Received. The Public Works Department wrote asking if the council would increase its contribution of £SOO towards the cost of improving the Dansey's Pass road, in the light of recent rises in costs.—The matter was left to the executive officers and chairman, pending a decision being reached by the Maniototo County Council, the matter to be discussed at the next conference of the District Highways Council. The Acting Prime Minister wrote suggesting the setting-up of local committees to organise.the appeal for the King George V Memorial Fund. —Received.

Inspector Laughton wrote recommending the council to apply to the Minister of Transport to declare Kurow, Duntroon, Pukeuri, Maheno, Enfield, Ngapara and Herbert closely populated areas under the Act.—The recommendation was adopted. The Makara County Council forwarded a resolution urging that the proposed legislation making provision for the amalgamation of local bodies be amended so as to provide for a poll of ratepayers before the legislation is proceeded with.—The letter was received, councillors being opposed.to the resolution. '•>'■ ' ■ , _ '■'■' The Waitaki High Schools Board wrote soliciting a grant to the Technical School funds.—lt was decided to make a grant of £5, the same as last year. The Royal Humane Society wrote soliciting a grant to its funds.—A grant of £1 Is was made, the same as last year. Legal opinion was received from the Counties' Association concerning the planting of trees near a boundary fence and the liability of owners through branches overhanging the fence. —Received. The chairman, Cr Meek and the county clerk were appointed delegates to the annual conference of the Counties' Association, to be held in Wellington on August 25, 26 and 27. The Kurow Motor Company requested that the road across the Berwan flat be gravelled.—lt was agreed that the lorry driver place gravel only where required. Messrs Lee, Grave and Zimmermann, on behalf of Mr J. M'Nab,-wrote drawing attention to a complaint concerning the discharge of storm water on to his property, the firm being referred by the Borough Council to the County Council.—lt was dec' 1 id to decline liability in the matter, as the water was discharged from a borough pipe. A petition was received from ratepayers of the Papakaio Riding, asking that M'Pherson's and Ferry roads be gravelled.—Referred to the engineer for attention to Ferry road, it being agreed to apply for Government grants for gravelling M'Pherson's, Cants and Glen Settlement roads. The county clerk submitted a report on the housing scheme, involving a total of £5400, or £9OO per house, which would be let at £1 a week, making a total revenue of £312 per vear. which would more than meet the annual charges of £2BO. The scheme was ready for submission to the Government. It was decided to call tenders for the gravelling of the Otekaike-Special School road. The engineer was instructed to report on the Doctor's Creek culvert, and it was agreed to draw the attention of the inspector to sweet briar growing on road lines. ENGINEER'S REPORT The county engineer (Mr G. L. Cuthbertson) reported as follows: Moeraki Riding.—The damage to the sealing caused by the Phcenix Company's lorry had been repaired, and maintenance gravel put on Caldwell's and other roads. Otepopo Riding.—Pipes had been put in the bad crossing at Kirton's, and new decking ordered for a small bridge on the Herbert-Serpentine road. Incholme Riding. Maintenance gravel had been put on the Dasher and

Allen's roads, and a culvert constructed and well dug opposite the county house. Kakanui Riding—Reshaping and gravelling of the town belt between Mersey street and Awamoa Central road would be commenced next week, and gravel placed on a short length of Jessop street. Papakaio Riding.—A number of roads had been patched up, and the raceman reported that an ample water supply had been kept in the race, and arrangements'had been made with the Power Board to install a light on Eden street extension. Waireka Riding.—The grader had been engaged on the main highway, and the bridge over the Waiareka stream had been repainted. Awamoko Riding.—Repairs were being effected to the crossing over the Awamoko at Tokarahi, and Strachan's and other roads had been trimmed up. Otekaike Riding.—The streets in Kurow had been cleaned up, and a cattle-stop put in at the doctor's residence Ahuriri Riding—Two small bridges over the Quailburn Stream had been erected by the council staff, but the contractor lud not yet completed the gravelling of the Longslip-Birchwood road. General.—The Highways Board had intimated that money would be available for sealing seven- miles of the Waiareka-Duntroon and PukeuriKurow'highway. The length on the Waiareka highway was about 2\ miles, leaving 43 miles for the Kurow highway, which would take it to about Horse Gully road. The Public Works Department had requested a return of all ungravelled roads in the county giving access to settlers. He had made an inspection of these, and found that in almost every case ratepayers had access by a gravelled road. The report was received, and it was agreed that it would be wise to hold over the sealing at Kurow and Duntroon until next year, pending the installation of the water supply system.