WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1928, 2 November 1888, Page 10

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of this county council was held in the Council Chambers, Hawksbury, on Friday, the 2rtth iusfc., at which there wore present : - The chairman (Mr James Green), and Crs J. W Bolt, J. Crickmore, J. Porteous, and J. D. Ritchie. DEPUTATIONS. Messrs T. Pratt, M.H.R., Bowling, Flavin, and Burnes waited on the council as a deputation in support of a petition signed by 15 ratepayers in the Mertou riding, requesting the council " to take tho necessary steps to have all obstructions removed on road line between block 111 and IV, Corner Bush, as the settlers on the Main road had to obtain their firewood from the Native reserve by this' road." The deputation explained the inconveniences experienced for the want of a proper outlet, and urged that the request should be complied with.— The application was referred to Cr Porteous to interview Mr John Reid on the subject, and to report the result to the council at the <iext meeting. Messrs Dempster and MAuley appeared as a deputation to ask the council to carry out some necessary improvements to the District road in Hawksbury riding between Puddy's and MAuleys Hill, which they represented were urgently required.— Deferred until next meeting. FINAHCE. The Finance Committee reported the examination of accounts for the month amounting to £152 Ms ss, and recommended the 6ame for payment* CONTRACTS. Tenders for the following works were opened, and the lowest in each iustance accepted :— Contract 332, formation and construction of culverts and fencing between the boundary of Native reserve and Station road, Purakanul-C'harles Bond, £17 17s; William Brooke, £22 11s; Charles King, £23 12s. Contract 333, formation and construction of culverts on Double Hill, Blueskln riding-Charles Bond, £10 10s; M'Lean and M'Lennan, £12; Wm. Stuart, £13 10s ; A.JAdams, £14 ; A. Semple, £14 14a ; John Rendall, £19 10s. CONTRACT 328. The committea reported_ having considered a letter from Mr Charles King iv reference to this contract. They recommended that fresh tenders should bo called, and that his application be declined, unless he proceeded to execute the work forfcn with .—The report w&a adopted. INSPECTOR'S REPORTS. The Inspector in his monthly report stated that the unusually dry weather that had prevailed during the last six weeks had dried and hardened the clay roads, and had It not been for the damage done during the August floods, which had not yet been repaired, the whole of the roads would now be in good order. The works requiring attention were - In tho North-East Valley riding : Repairs to bridge near Barrowman's road ; Blueskin : Repairs to two bridges on the Lower Harbour road. In effecting these repairs iron rails were recommended as being much cheaper. In the Merton riding the slips in Campbell's road might now be repaired, as there seemed to be no further signs of subsidence, and the present was a most suitable time for the work. The pinches at the upper end were very awkward and steep. The repairs to the bridges in the Norta-Easfc Valley riding could be carried out by the surfacemen, and the cost of the material would not exceed £5. The other work could be done by contract. He asked for authority to obtain cement and gravel for the culvert near Campbell's, recently required.— Report received, and the council decided to call for tenders for the work referred to, including repairs to bridges and culverts. Spit Road. — During the last 6even or eight years the channel of the Waikouaiti river had been gradually filling up with gravel, and the water in time of flood was forced across the road from 18in to 20in deep, the current being of sufficient strength to cut holes in the formation, which could not be seen when the water was high. They were very dangerous. The expense of lepairing the .road after floods had been very heavy, and was getting worse every year. He suggested two ways of remedying the evil ; (1) by following the railway fence off I hr> west side of the line from Merton station to the gates, about threequarters of a mile distant, and then crosbing the mud flat near Muir's ; (2) by crossing the mud flat in a line with Heyster street, and adjoining the Native reservo at the west point, and following the sandhills within one chain ot high water mark to Merton station on the east side of the river. As the line passed through Native land arrangement would have to be made with the owner. By following either of these lines the necessity of the bridge would be avoided, ami the expense of maintenance very materially reduced. The estimated cost of the deviation was given at £200. Mr Trail had informed him that there was a probability of the land he had referred to being kept as a commonage, in which case there would be no trouble about the proposed deviation. — Received*, and the council resolved that the estimated cost of the work was out of all proportion to the funds at their disposal, and the deviation could not therefore be entertained. CORRESPONDEXCE. Mr C. Jensen's letter relative to repairs in the Heyward's Point road near his place, and his complaint that Mr Mawson's fence hal been erected Bft on the road lino was referred to the inspector to report at next meeting. The Council refused an application from Mr T. Hammond, surfaceman, on the Merton riding, for four months' leave of absence owing to ill-health. A letter from Mr Charles Russell, Seacliff, asking to have the district road rormed, was referred to the , inspector with inntrmitions to see Dr King and inform him of the agraemeut with l)r Neill, and to ascertain if he %vas willing to carry out the deviation and work proposed by Dr Ncill. 'Ihe clerk was insfcrucf.o'l to reply to Mrs M. J. T. Robertson, Waitati, who wanted tho road leading from the main road to the cemetery repaired, that the council regretted she should have laboured under the misapprehension that the rafea had ticori paid on the property she occupied, and to inform her that there was now four years' rales dm; ami unpaid, and that until they were paid the council could not entertain her application for expenditure of money on the road referred to. A letter from Mr Jame3 Holland, calling attention to the bad state of the road leading from the Port and B'ueskln road, near the 10-mile, was referred to the inspector to attend to. Mr C. Jensen's (Purakanui) offer to accept £50 for land for road deviation through his property on Heyward's road, conditionally that the council fenced the netv road on both sides, was referred to Cr Bolt to furnish an estimate of the value of the land. Mr C. M'Donald, Beaconsfield, wrote requesting the council to cake steps to have the road passing through his property formed in its proper place. He also intimated that he looked to the council for compensation i or damage done to his property ; and the clerk was instructed to reply that the council did not admit he had any claim to compensation. Mr H. Thompkins, Dunedin, applied on behalf of himself and other property owners in Deborah Bay, to have a road made where most convenient to the settlers interested, and complained that ha had been paving rates for 20 yeara and could not get access to his property by road. Had he had one his rates from the improvement of his land would now have been 10s instead ot 3s 9d in the pound a year.— The pie rk was instructed to inform Mr Tompkins that if . he had any claim the council were of opinion that it ! was against the Government. MrW.M Simpson, Dunedin, wro*e re exchange of road lines through the Warrington Bush tint the proprietors of sections 71, 72, 73, and 74, block I, Waikouaiti, were about to subdivide their sections, and there was an old r,>ad traversing sections 71 and 72 that was of no practical use, aud the new road line through 71 had been laid off. He asked the council to make the necessary application to the Waste Land Board to have the road dosed.— The council agreed to comely with the request. A letter from Mr John Clyum, Waikouaiti, call*

ing attention to several slips In road through section 10, block VIII, was referred to the inspector. I • MISCELLANEOUS MATTBB3. Cr Pobteous reported that at a meeting of ratepayers in the Merton riding held in the eohoolhouse on the 20th inst., a resolution was passed to the effect that the road through blocks 111 and IV, Waikouaiti district, should nofc be closed aa proposed, and the council endorsed the resolution. Resolved, on the motion of Cr Bolt, seconded by Cr Porte ous— 4 "l hat this council is called upon to spend considerable sums to keep the Lower Harbour road in repair, and She general traffic being the carrying out of the works at the heads by the Harbour Board, who pay no rates to the council, the works being carried out by said Harbour Board, and are of colonial importance, the Government be asked to , sot aside a portion of the reserve at the North Heads, Ofcago Harbour, as an endowment to keep this road in repair, or to assist by a money grant, or by prison or unemployed labour ; and that the chairman and the mover be appointed a deputation from the council to wait on the Minister for Public Works to urge him to grant the necessary assistance." Ut solved "That tenders be called for widening that part of the road leading from the Warrlngton railway station through the Warrington estate on condition that Cr Porteoua pay half cost of same." Resolved—" That teudera be called for the lease for five years of tho quarry reserve, section 92, block V, Hawksbury, from Ist December next." Resolved— " That steps be taken to recover all outstanding rates for the year 1888-89, and the clerk be instructed to takolrgal proceedings against defaulters after the 21st November next." Resolved— " That in terms of section 41 of the ' Impounding Act 1881/ Thursday in each week be the day on which a sale may be held at the public pound within the county, and that public notification of this ordor be made ; and that a return of all fees received by the poundkeeper be furnished quarterly." Resolved-" That the inspector be instructed to have the water tables cleaned out, and some small slips removed in front of M'Grath's road." The council then adjourned.