CLUTHA COUNTY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23333, 27 October 1937, Page 3

CLUTHA COUNTY

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL The monthly meeting of the Clutha County Council was held at Balclutha yesterday, there being present Crs R. Brown (chairman), T. Maginness, D. R. Jack, J. Cumming, A. V. King, W. J. McKenzie, A. Mcintosh, W. S. Thomson and H. A. Brough. FINANCE The county clerk (Mr A. K, Baxter) reported that the total debit balance to date was £1755 17s Bd, compared with £7182 12s 4d at the same time last year. Against this debit the following claims had been made: —Main Highways Board £2OO, Public Works £1293, Puerua lock £BO, State Forest fifths £IOO, petrol tax £BO. The position was better at present than at any other corresponding date for many years back. It was hoped to continue this advancement and to finish the year with a good credit balance. —The report was adopted. CORRESPONDENCE

J. D. M. Hogg and six other ratepayers of Owaka wrote asking that the council consider the desirability of forming and renewing culverts on that portion of the road leading from Newhaven to the Cannibal Bay road. — Granted.

The chief postmaster, Dunedin. wrote advising that the question of kerbing, channelling and concreting the footpath adjoining the post office property at Owaka had been referred to the head office of the department, and it had been decided to contribute £2O towards the cost of the work. It was requested that the new work be put in hand as soon as possible after the new post office building had been erected.—-The county clerk advised that he had written thanking the department for its contribution

Herbert Goodsir (Tawanui) advised that he and Andrew Sharpe, Ltd., would be willing to cart and spread, free of cost, 10 trucks of gravel to fill up the ruts and potholes on the road from Tawanui to the end of the road to the sawmill. This section of the road was a disgrace.—Cr Brough said that a great part of the work had been carried out during the month.- -It was decided to thank the writer for his offer.

The secretary 'of the Otago High Schools' Board advised that the board had decided to subdivide Wyndham Station into three parts, in such a way that only a short access road to a point about 80 or 70 chains from the boundary of the endowment, would be required. In addition a bridge over the Wyndham Stream would require to be constructed. The council was asked whether it would, if. desired, undertake the formation of the road and the construction of the bridge.—lt was decided to agree to the proposal The secretary of the Clinton Cemetery Trustees applied to the council for the customary grant of £25 towards the upkeep and improvement of the * cemetery.—Held over until next meeting. E. F. Pannett (Clydevale) wrote expressing strong objection to any move to do away with the Tuapeka Mouth punt.—The clerk of the Tuapeka County Council advised that his council was prepared to install an engine and propellor in the punt, provided the Clutha County Council would contribute half the cost.—lt was decided to confer with the Tuapeka County Council with a view to reaching some agreement concerning the cost of installing an engine in the punt, councillors expressing the opinion that the Tuapeka County Council should pay at least four-fifths of the cost, as the punt was used principally by Tuapeka ratepayers.

P. Clent (Balclutha) wrote objecting to the proposed erection of a gravel elevator on the ford leading to his property.—lt was decided to sustain the objection. R. J. Brown (Waipahi) asked that the work of widening, grading and gravelling the road to his property be proceeded with as soon as possible.— To be attended to as soon as a Government grant is received for'the work.

A CarrutherSj J. A. Taylor and G. Carruthers advised the council that they were holding it responsible for damage done to motor car springs by a large hole in the road at Ashley Downs. The total cost of effecting repairs to the gars was £5 9s 6d, and the writers asked that they be reimbursed at the council's earliest convenience.—Received.

D. Finlayson and 12 others, wrote requesting the council to have the Puerua Valley road improved so that it would be fit for motor traffic—Cr Maginness said that although the council had applied for 27 grants for the purpose of providing access roads in the backblocks, the Government had granted only nine of them. The council had been put to a lot of trouble and little had come of it.—lt was decided tu forward the petition to the PublicWorks Department. E. L. Randall (Kaka Point) wrote objecting to the erection of sawmill huts on the roadside adjacent to his property.—lt was decided that the engineer inspect the locality. C. F. Shaw and 33 ratepayers of Finegand petitioned the council to complete the Finegand River bank road, for which land to the value of approximately £4OO had been given to the council.—Cr Mcintosh said that the council received a grant of only £25. for work on this road, and could therefore carry out the work in short stages only. • The postmaster, Gore, advised that willow trees along the Waikaka Valley road were interfering with the telephone line, and the council was asked to have the. trees cut back as soon as possible.—lt was decided to ask the department for an explanation of its request, as the department had previously cut back the trees itself. The Main Highways Board's representative (Mr P. Keller) advised that the board concurred with the New Zealand Road Safety Council's recommendation that longitudinal running planks on bridges should either extend over the full width of the bridge or should be completely removed. The board decided that a commencement be made with the work, and offered the usual maintenance subsidy towards the cost.—lt was decided that the engineer furnish the board with a list of bridges in the county which required attention. GENERAL It was decided to make a donation of £5 5s to the St. John Ambulance Association. Cr Cumming said that the Public Works Department was taking gravel from the Conical Hills pit in considerable quantities. There was only a limited supply of gravel in the pit, and if the department persisted in its action the council would find itself short of gravel for its contracts.—lt was decided to advise the department of the position. ENGINEER'S REPORT The county engineer (Mr A. C. McLay) reported as follows on the work done during the month:— MAIN HIGHWAYS The Balclutha-Papatowai highway had been graded once from Ratanui to Balclutha during the month and the Balclutha-Waitepeka section graded twice. Approximately 24 cubic yards of maintenance gravel had been placed on the Balclutha-Waitepeka section. General surfacing had been carried out. on the Romahapa and Glenomaru sections and 36 cubic yards of maintenance gravel had been placed fjn the Maclennan section. This highway was in good order. The Owaka-Purekireki highway had been graded once and was in fair order. General surfacing and culvert repairs had been carried out. The Balclutha-Kaka Point highway had been graded once during the month and was in fair order at present. The Papatowai-Chaslands and RomahapaPort Molyneux highways were in fair order. On the Clydevale portion of the Waiwera-Clydevale highway turf had been removed and culverts and water-table? cleaned. This highway was in fair order.

The Clinton-Ciydevale highway was in good order. The Waipahi-Pomahaka highway had been graded during the month. 80 cubic yards of maintenance gravel placed, and general surfacing carried out. This highway was in good order. The M'Nab-Rae's Junction highway had been graded once md special attention given to the lowlying portion on the 'Koi Flat. General surfacing had been carried out. This highway was in good order. On the Waikaka-Kelso highway culverts,

ditches, etc., had been cleaned during the month and the highway was in jjood order. Also, 21 cubic yards of maintenance gravel had been placed. CATLINS RIDING Water-tables on Hunt's road had been graded out and 20 feet of 18-inch pipes placed. The formation work on Jack's Bay road had been carried out and 16 feet of three-foot diameter concrete pipes- placed and the filling completed. On Ibbotson's road 25 feet of 18-inch pipes had been placed. Grading and shouldering had been carried out on Jack's Bay road, Callaghan's road, Lakeside road, Smith's road and Williamson's road. On the boundary portion of the Purekireki-Clinton road 374 feet of 12-inch pipes, 60 feet of nine-inch pipes and 21 feet of 36-inch pipes had been placed. This section was now trimmed and ready for metalling and the work of stripping the quarry was in hand. MACLENNAN RIDING

Wheel tracks on the Puketiro-Tawa-nui road had been carried out with 40 cubic yards of mqtal. Patching with 66 cubic yards of maintenance metal had been carried out on the Catlins Valley road. On Kahuika School road 50 cubic yards of maintenance metal had been placed; 14 cubic vards on M'Cullough's road. A washbut on the Beresford Creek road had been repaired. CLINTON RIDING

The Clinton section of the Pureki-reki-Clinton road had been trimmed and regraded over the greater part of its length, and all culverts and outlets cleaned. A stone and wood culvert had been renewed with 24 feet of 30inch concrete pipes. The work of opening the quarry was in hand. Shouldering and grading had been carried out on the Old Main South and Clinton-Wyndham roads. CLYDEVALE RIDING

During the month the contractor had completed the gravelling of Camp Hill road, and good progress was being made with John o Groat's road. The Washpool Creek bridge at Aitken's had been completed and the work of filling in the approaches was being put in hand. Turf had been removed from the Clydevale-Rongahere, King's and Clydevale-Clinton roads, general surfacing had been carried out on Deaker's, Mouatt's, Manse, PannettWharetoa and Lambourne roads. A stone culvert on Bunn's road had been repaired, and culverts on Deaker's and Pannett-Wharetoa road.

CLUTHA RIDING . Approximately 20 cubic yards of maintenance gravel had been placed on the Carterhope road. General surfacing had been carried out on Te Houka and Morgan's roads. Good progress was being made with the work of constructing a footpath on the Hospital road. GLENKENICH RIDING

During the month 32 cubic yards of maintenance gravel had been placed on Swamp road, 32 cubic yards on Kirk's road. 20 cubic yards on Pomahaka back road, 16 cubic yards on Kelso-Maitland, four cubic yards on Merino Downs-'Koi, eight cubic yards on Taylor's, and six cubic yards on Maclntyre's road. General surfacing and water tabling had been carried out on Seddon Hill road. Culverts on 'Koi back and Merino Downs roads had been repaired. POMAHAKA RIDING The gravelling on Miller's road had been completed; 36 cubic yards were placed during the month. Repairs had been made to the Pomahaka River road near the lower bridge. A new culvert had been placed on Whiteman's road, and ditches on Newson's road cleaned. RICHARDSON RIDING

Two 18-inch culverts had been placed on Neale's-Cap road. Repairs to Centre road had been completed, and general surfacing done on various riding roads. SOUTH MOLYNEUX RIDING

Maintenance metal had been carted and placed on Sandy Bay, Ward's, Ahuriri Flat, Karoro Creek, and Gall's roads. General surfacing had been carried out on Morrison's road. Water tabling had been carried out in Grant's, Manse, and Church roads. Metal had been quarried for repairs to Barker's and Heaps's roads.. Repairs had been made to Puerua Valley road and Centre road. WAIPAHI RIDING Smaill's road had been regraded throughout in readiness for gravelling. Shennan's, Wollam's, Reid's, Hill, Heffernan's and Conical Hill's School, Landslip, Brown's, Wattie's, Mount Mistake, Cameron's, Hickey's, Young's, Sutherland's, and Faulk's roads had been graded during the month. General surfacing had been done on Charter's, Heffernan's, Wollam's Shennan's, Young's, Arthurton Top, and Arthurton Landslip roads. A bridge on Wollam's road had been repaired.

GENERAL During the month the contractor had made good progress with the Glenshee road bridge, Waikoikoi. Solid rock had been reached in both abutments, and the work of concreting is in progress. On Merino Downs road 30 chains of gravelling had been completed, and Smaill's road contract was nearing completion. Gravel had been placed on approximately 60 chains of the Pomahaka Downs-Wairuna estate road.

During the month seven roads had been pegged out for formation and gravelling - contracts. Specifications had been prepared for three roads. One specification had been forwarded and approved by the Public Works Department. The report was adopted.