WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1915, 3 August 1888, Page 14

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL.

This council met in the county offices, Hawksbury, on Friday last, when there were present : The chairman (Mr J. Green) and Crs J. C. Buckland, W. Bolt, J. Porteous, and J. D. Ritchie.

ANNUAL BALANCK SHEET. ' The annual balance sheet, which had been received from the Auditor-general duly certified, was considered and adopted, and the shairman was authorised to sign the same.

DEPUTATIONS.

Mr Muloney appeared to urge the cleaning out of the ditch opposite his property at Merton. He also called attention to the state of the bridge, and explained that there was no outlet for the water after discharging itself from his land, and it returned again to the paddock. — Action in the matter was deferred to ascertain if Mr John Reid would give his written consent to the council cleaning out the ditch as requested ; Crs Bolt and Porteous being appointed to interview Mr Reid in connection with the matter.

Mr Dale appeared to urge the granting of a slaughter-house.license. He handed in a petition signed by a large number in favour of the lieense,'and explained that the opposition got up against the license was purely one of trade jealousy and personal ill-will. — The council agreed to postpone the consideration of the application until next meeting, and to request Inspector Groves to report on the suitability or otherwise of the premises and their site.

PETITIONS.

Eight ratepayers in the Pine Hill district petitioned the council to have the road known as Sprits road, which was represented to be all but impassable, repaired. — The petitionera to be informed that the road referred to was entirely under the control of the North-East Valley Borough Council. The petition of 43 residents at the North Heads, lower harbour works, pointing out the non-necesbity of granting another slaughterhouse license to Mr Dale, and advocating the claims of Mr M'Comb, was received and adjourned for consideration when the inspector of slaughteryards' report was brought up.

FINANCE.

The Finance Committee recommended the payment of accounts for the month, amounting to £188 8s lOd.

CONTRACTS.

Tenders were opened for the following works, and the lowest recommended for acceptance :—: — Contract 319 : Formation of Omimi road, Merton — M'Lean and Cameron, £24 ; Charles Bond, £26 5s ; Ward and Williamson, £39 7s ; Johnßendall,£39l3s. Contract 321: Snpplyof metal at Mansford Town— Buckley and Perry, 3s 6d per yard. Contract 322 : Supply of rotten rock on Quarry road, Hawksbury — W. Kerr, Is 4d ; John Kendall, Is 7§d ; flurston and Rendal], Is lid per yard. Contract 320 : Supply of metal on Warrington-Seacliff road. — The committee recommended that this contract should be readvertised, there being only one tender sent in.

inspector's report,

The report for the month stated that

No very serious damage to the roads throughout the county, except a few slips here and there, had resulted from the late rains, most of which had either been repaired or were in progress of being so. The list of roads requiring moreimmediate attention were given as follows: Blueskin riding — Eoadprotectection between Parkea'andWeatherstonefc ; culvert at Goombe's ; repairs to Waitati-Waiktira road. Merton riding— Repairing two culverts. Hawksbury riding— Repairs on road to run 171e.— Tenders to be called for the works referred to.

Petition from Mansford Township.— The inspector recommended that a path should be made 5f o wide, as it w ould be used by nearly all the ratepayers of Mansford Town to rench Port Chalmers. — Tenders to be called for the work referred to in Mansford town, the council agreeing to bear half cost of footpath in continuation of present path through Town Bolt to Port Chalmers at the south-eastern boundary of Mansford Town, if the borough council carry out the work by contract let to the lowest tenderer, apd it is finished to the satisfaction of the county inspector, and plans and specifications of same to be approved by the council. Fletcher's Application.— This road at Mopanui was a very good road, except in one or two places, which required surfacing, and which could be attended to in the mual way. — Received, and the inspector to be instructed to have the repairs effected.

Merchiston Township.— Three culverts were required in this township— two in Dangford street and one at the junction of Almond and Grant streets.— Tenders to be called for the work by nexl meeting. Long Beach Road, Purakanui. — There were two roads through sections 37 and 38, and one only was necessary. The proprietress had agreed to allow the best line to be selected if other one be closed and dealt with before she fenced.— Received, and consideration deferred.

Blucher Road.— About 30 chains of this road had been so cut up that.it had become unsafe for traffic. Most of the formation could be done by ploughing, and would not be expensive. Several steep hills also required grading, but deviations would be necessary, as it was simply impossible to obtain reasonable grades by foltowing the surveyed road except at a very heavy expense, and at an expenditure of 10 times as much as would be required by deviation.— Received, and the council agreed to call for tenders for the necessary work on condition that Messrs Murray, Hobsrts, and Co., as agents, consent in writing to grant the necessary deviation to enable the council to carry out the work on the improved gradients proposed. • Tre^athen's Application. — The road referred to in this application through section 21, block VI, North Harbour and Blueskin district, had never been closed, and the inspector recommended that as other parties were interested and had no other outlet, it should remain open. —Mr Tregathen to be informed that as other parties had objected to the closing of the road, the council could not accede to his application.

SPECIAL GEANTS.

The inspector reported that the whole of the vote (£320) had been expended in opening up Runs 171k and 171h, but the road had beeu left in a most unsatisfactory state, as double the money was required to complete it, which, when done, would open up about 10,000 acres for bullock dray traffic. As no money was voted last session, no work had been done except in the most urgent places in Hummockside district, -which had been improved out of the rates in the ordinary way. — Received.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The council decided to forward to the Wallace County Council copy of a resolution passed at last meeting re the destruction of small birds.

The application of Mr Innes, Port Chalmers, to purchase road lines through sections 32 and 34 was approved, if the Land Board concurred, and the road through sections 33 and 34 to a point terminating at the north-western corner of section 39 of the same block and no further was conserved.

The application of Mr W. Robertson, Port Chalmers, to' be allowed the old road as compensation for deviation through his property, section 36, block VI, North Harbour and Blueskin district, was referred to the inspector for tracing, and report at next meeting.

The application of the chief surveyor, Dunedin, to have a report of the road to open up Crown lands for sale within the county for the year ending June 1888, and approximate area of Crown lands opened up, or to which improved means of access has been given, was referred to the inspector \o supply the same.

A statement was received from the Crown Lands department, Dunedin, showing moneys accruing from deferred payment land sales, perpetual leases, and small grazing runs rents from August 1, 1857, to January 31, 1888, and asking the council to furtmh plans of roads upon ■which it was proposed to expend the money. The statement included the following amounts : Deferred payments — Budle district, £5 12s 6d. Perpetual leases— Hummockside, £13 14s 2d;

Rock and Pillar, £3 12s 2d. Small grazing runs —Hummockside, £49 5s Ik ; Silver Peak, £6 8s 4d ; Waikouaiti, £12 7s 7d. Total, £90 19s lOd.

A letter was received from Mr J. Peters, Mansford Town, drawing attention to the state of Coombe Hay Terrace.

A letter from Messrs Duncan and Macgregor, solicitors, Dunedin, re closing road lines through Corner Bush estate, was received, and it was agreed to take the necessary steps to give effect to the request.

OTHBE MATTERS.

The council resolved to call for tenders for the lease of sections 8 and 9, block VI, recreation reserve, Merton riding, for a term of three years under the provisions of the Public Reserves Act.

Resolved — " That plans and specifications be prepared by next meeting for the renewal of the upper portion of the Mount Royal bridge on the main road, and that the same be submitted to the Waihemo County Council for their'approval before tenders are called for the construction thereof."

Crs Ritchie and Buckland submitted a report giving the result of their interview ■with the WaihemO' County Council in reference to the allocation of the cost of the maintenance of the boundary road, which was to the effect that the council declined to alter the present arrangement, and agreed to contribute halE cost of Mount Royal bridge. — The report was received. The council then adjourned.