Taranaki County Council.

Opunake Times, Volume VIII, Issue 365, 11 March 1898, Page 2

Taranaki County Council.

At the Taranaki County Council on Monday,* there were present:—■ Messrs Okey (chairman), Horrocks, Priee, McDonald, McCullum, Tate, Lepper, Caddy. The Chairman reported that the sum decided upon to be spent on metal for the Parihaka Hiding was £6OO, the sub-committee, appointed to deal with the matter having come to that decision. The Committee's action was approved. With regard to persons hawking without licenses, the Chairman stated that he had consulted the solicitor on the subject. The best course, he considered, was to advertise the fact that Council intended to enforce their bylaw referring to the matter, and this will be done.

The roads and drains in the Omata Riding, reported the foreman, were in . fair order, and the services of tha bridge carpenter were requested for repairs to the Winireka bridge. Fair progress had been made with the Herakawe Hill contract, and traffic * would probably be able to use the new road this week. The contractor would require 1000 more yards of earth than was in the cutting, and the foreman suggested how he should obtain the required material. The action of the Chairman with . reference to authorising the making of a culvert at Okato was approved. The question of carters' unloading timber in dangerous places was brought up, and Mr Price moved, and Mr Lepper seconded, That any carter employed to cart timber must unload and stack the timber out of the way of traffic.—Mr McCullum thought that would be a bad practice so far as stacking was concerned, as it would prevent the Foreman from seeing any " shaky" pieces of timber there might be in the load.—An amendment proposed by the Chairman, and seconded by Mr McCullum, That the Foreman be instructed to stack timber out of the way of traffic, was carried on the casting vote of the Chairman, the voting on the amendment being : Ayes : (4): Chairman, Messrs Caddy, McDonald, McCullum $ noes (i): Messrs Horrocks, Price, Tate, and Lepper. The Parihaka foreman reported that he had attended to small repairs to several bridges and culverts, and other work. The matter of attending to a culvert erected without the Council's permission, and made too high, by ■ Messrs Wadsworth, was left in Messrs McCullum's and Caddy's hands. It was decided to procure planking for decking of Oaonui and other bridges, The Foreman also reported that a number of culverts between Eahotu and Oaonui wanted either renewing or repairing, but the matter was allowed to stand over.

The bridge carpenter (Mr Penwarden) reported that he was completing the concrete piers at the Tariki bridge, which would be finished about the 12th, and he then proposed to attend to the decking of the Winereka bridge, and to the Oaonui. The Secretary of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board wrote, notifying that a rate of Is 5d in the £ had been struck, an increase of 4d in the £. A letter was read from the ValuerGeneral and the clerk was instructed to apply for a valuation roll. Mr Caddy's action in connection with the leasing of a gravel pit at Okato, the rent to be 3d a yard, was confirmed.

During the discussion, Mr Caddy stated that he estimated there were about 10,000 yards of gravel in it. The following tenders for work in the Parihaka Eiding were accepted: No. 1, Parihaka, J. and M. Lawn, 8s 9d ; No. 2, W. Jenkins and Co., 3a 2d (H. Corbett's tender was the same price and lots were drawn); No. 3, W. Vincent, 2s 8d; No. 4, E. Pepperill, 3s SU ; No. 5, E. O'Sullivan and Co., 2s lid; formation work at Okato, Julian and Allenby, £2B 17s. Pursuant to notice given, Mr Caddy moved, that the motion passed by the Council ordering metal in the County to be broken to two inches be rescinded. It was contended by Mr Caddy and several other speakers that it would mean an additional expense if two-inch metal is used ; and that 8£ * inches is quite small enough. On being put the motion was declared car-, ried. Mr MacNamara was appointed foreman for portion of roads in the Pari' haka Eiding. Accounts amounting to £872 4s 9d, were passed for payment.—Herald.