Untitled

Otago Witness, Issue 1900, 3 July 1890, Page 12

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meetlDg of this county council was held in the County Council Chambers, Hawksbury, on Friday last The members present were—The chairman (Mr James Green), and Cra J. O. Buokland, W. J. Bolt, J. Orickmore, J. Forteous, and J. D. Ritchie. DEPUTATIONS. Messrs T. Johnston and A. Cameron waited on the council in reference to the district road leading? past their properties, Flag Swamp, whioh was represented to be in nn almosjb impassable condition. They asked the oounoil to effect the necessary repair?.— The Chairman said the application would receive due consideration. Mr H. Clark, Waltitti, appeared with regard to the action of the council at last meeting to expend a sum of £5 in improving the road lending to his property, Moponui, which he pointed out was totally inadequate for the purpose. He estimated the expenditure, to be of any practical nse. afc from £30 to £40.-The Inspector, who reported on the ro<id, stated that the expenditure of £5 would rot be o' much servic>. that the roid required regrading before any metal w«s put on it and thai; an expenditure of £15 to £20 wou'd. by reducing it to a permanent level, improve it conßidorablv.—The council resolved, on the motion of Or Bolt, seconded by Or PoRTKOTJS, to call for tenders for the work. PBTITIONS. Twenty-five settlers in the Lower Harbour district petitioned the council to take Into consideration the state of the district road leading to the school, whioh during winter months was almost impassable, and the parents of many children had to keep them at home, in consequence of which the aversge attendance was affected and the sohonl was deprived of many privileges they would otherwise be entitled to from the Uduoatlon Board,— The council reclvel the petition, hut beyon-i clearing out the clnnn<i nitUm was deferred till the summer. Bixratepayers in Mie WaTiMfjfcomHsMcf-pi t.itloned the council to li.ye Bom«thiig <lnne towards uas'ng the grade at a steep pii'eli nonr Me "Tnstei ton's house. The pinch wki a. very bad onn, and in wet weather bpcame very slippery. and a horee had great difficulty in getting" up with anythiug like a lo'd. They also asked to have some metal put on th- worst portions of the road. The pinch near the Wnrrington Church alio required attention.—The petition was roc*ived, but consideration waß deferred until the summer. Ten rata-iayera in thp Waltati district petitioned the council to have the r.">ad from the bridge above Mitchell's to the bottom of Donald's hill attended to. They SHjjgested it should be gravelled, to av^id a heavier expenditure at a later period.—lteferred to the inspeotorfor a report, but the counoil could not undertake to do any work until next summer. Four settlers in the Doublo Hill district petitioned the council in reference to the state of the road from Bain's hill to the top of Rocky Bree. tho ruts being bo deep In some places a? to be dangerous.— Received, and referred to the inspector for a report. FINANCE. The Finance Committee recommended the payment of acoounte (or the month, Amounting w #171

CONTRACTS. Tenders were opened for the following works :— Contract 401 : Formation on Nenthorn road— No tender wa* accepted for this work, and the counoil decided to call for fresh tenders on a reduced plan Contract 402: Repairs to Sloan's bridge. Pleasant River— John Rendall. £13 11s 6d (accepted); R. M'Lew, £14 6s; A. Robertson, £18 ; P. M'Laren. £22 Bs. Contract 403 : Repairs to Coutt's bridge. Pleasant Valley— The acceptance of tenders for this work was postponed for consideration. Contract 404: Culverts and gravel WBkiri-Waitati roid— W. Rendall. £77 16s (accepted) ; G. and H. Bland. £81 10s ; J Cassey, £82 9*; O. Bond. £10S ; W. Ward, £112 10s. Contract 405 1 Repairing and metalling road at Purakanul— Ohas. Bond, formation £18, metal 2s 9d per yard (accepted) ; O. King, formation £15 15s. meral 3s per yard ; G. Wilson, formation £18 6s Bd, metal 2s 6d per yard; J. Driver, formation £25, metal 3a 6d per yard. Contract 408: Graveil'ng train road, near Cherry farm —W. Kerr, 9d per yard (accepted); J. Rendall, 9Jd per yard; S. AHcock, lOd per yard ; T, Hurston, m}d p«ryard; J Allnn, Is 2Jd per ya<-d. Contract 407: Clearing and filling slips on Main road, Kllrnog Hotel— D. Pnllar £18 (accepted); G- WUson, £18 10s; O. Bond. £19 10a ; J. Rendall, £29 17s.— The report was adopted. inspector's kepokt. The monthly report stated that all the roads wore in good order In the North-Bast Valley ridings the channels had been attended to, and the surfacemen employed principally on the road leading from the Port boundary to Blueskin junction and Cedar Oreek road. In the Blueskin riding the surfacemen had for the moßt part been working on the Port and Blueskin road and gravelling a few chains at the approaches to the bridges In the township. In the Merton riding the surfacemen had been employed on the road known as Sadie's and the Coast road, and •were now engaged building the footbridge leading to Mr P. White*. In the Hawknihury riding th« men had been working chiefly on the Main road, rounding up gravel ami trimming the gorse on the river side, repairing bridge and surfacing road leading to the Kalk from old to lhoute —Received Beaoh road.— This rond at the head of Purftkanui Bay leading to the Maori reierve was in a very neglected condition through slips and the water running over it. An expenditure of £3 would render the road passable.— Reoeived, and tenders to be culled for the work. Driver's application.— The line of road in thi« application required a traok cut toallow a sledge or dray to get to the Half-caste reserve. The cost of a 16It wide track was estimated at £7.— Received, and the clerk Instructed to write to Messrs Driver '.and Monabt Informing them on receipt of £5 tenders will be called for the work, any difference in the accounts to be adjusted afterwards. Oemeterv road.— This road in the Blueskin riding wai much uspd for foot and light traffic and required gravelling from the river bed 2J ohainß, snd at the top of the hill the ruts required to be filled with gravel. The estimated quantity of gravel to put the road in repair was 40yds.— Reoeived, and tendere to be called for the work. Reid's flpplloatlon.— ln metalling a portion of the Bwcllff-W»rrlDgton, road, arrangements had been

made with Mr Reid to cart, spread, and break tre ■tones (40vd(O at 2s per yard. — Veeelved. Pryde and Eadie's road.— A few chains of metal or rotten rock put on this road in the worst planes— about nine chains— would greatly improve the mad, whioh in wet weather was very slippery. — Receive-}, and tenders to b« called for metalling the worst portions of the rond. Olymn's application.— The levels taken of the deviation in this application showed a good era<Je, and would make a good outlet on the MonntainTrack road.— Received, a>id tendon to be called for the work, cost to be oharged to land fund. Flag Swamp 'ros'i.— On this road pnst Messrs Cameron and Reid's land them was a piece of nbout two chains that required gravel, and' the hill at the corner of Camerons'n required to be reduced and the material in the hollow, thereby Improving the crade. There were also two nasty plnohes, which If reduced would improve the roid.— Received, and lolans and specifications prepared and tenders called for the necessary forming nnd gravelling. Mount Watklns Bush road.— This road was very much cut up and out of repair.— Received, anrt tenders to be called for the work, cost to be charged to the land fund. Kent.horn road.— At the junction of this road with the Scratchback road the formation required was light, and if this piece was formed the connection between Nenthorn and Waikouaitl would be 'greatly improved.— Received, and tenders to be called for the work. Culvert at Popham'a, Sawyers' Bay.— The road leading to the waterworks from this place acted as a dam on the water coming dowu the valley and the Main road, and the culvert under the Main road could not carry off the water fast enough to prevent the road from being flooded. A culvert placed across the Waterworks road would relieve the present culvert, and allow the water to flow in its natmal channel. — Received, and tenders to be called for the construction of a culvert across the east of Waterworks road at the Main road. Hemru ing's road.— The cost of opening a track through Marshall's to the edge of Hemmlng's paddock could be reduced by shortening the traok to be clearod by 10 chains, and doing away with a oulvert and a piece of formation.— Received, and tenders to be called for the necessary culvertß through Marshall's to Hemming's boundary. Saturday, June 28.— The council agnin met, all the councillors being present except Or Buckland. CORRESPONDENCE. From Mr T. AHoock. Hawksbury, offering to do the work on road leadiug to small grazing run, sections 7, block VI. for £15, and to the satisfaction of the inspector.— The council decided to call for tenders for the work, to be lodged by next. meeMng. From Mr George Clark (per Messrs Herous nnd Co.), Moonlight, applying for payment of carriage of a ton of quartz seufc from Dunback railway station to Dunedin for crushing purposes.— Referred to Mr Buokland for inquiry and certification before payment. From Mr John Cameron, Port Chalmers, aiklng the council to make the road nt the foot; of his section at Sawyers' Bay, and pointing onfc that ha bad been put to a lot of expense.— BeoeJved, snd the o! eric

was instructed to reply fchnt the council ia nub in a position Bf. present to comply with lilb request, From Mr D. O'Hallnrnn, Haw ltsbury, drawing attention fco theimpvmhie stntn cf tho mad (• ading to his property in block V, Waikounlti <listriot, and requesting to have the work attended to, the distance of unformed road b'ing nine or ten chains. -The council regretted they could not see their way to grant any further relief as requested ; alto to Icurn that Mr O'Hallnran hud tiot carried out the arrangement entered into by him wil.e the council *t 'he January meetlnvr during the current year, ana In do all the uecesiary work he requited for the amount named and since paid. Prom the Chief Surveyor, Dunedin, returning ap; proved specifications for work to be done on WakarfWaitati road ; also requesting to ne furnish*' with a report on the roads opened upduri' g the year muling June 30 to eive access to unsold lands within the county. — Beoeived. From the Wairarapa North County Council re the question of making provision for the reennstrrction of large bridges destroyed by accident of flood or ttrei and the responsibility of restoring ■ uch structures, at all events on main roads, was one that should be borne by the whole county, and that it v ould be im; possible to raise a loan for the purpose under the Loans to Local Bodies Act. The following renolutioo had been passed by the council:— "That in the opinion of this council power should be given to county councils to levy special rates over the whole county for the purpose of providing interest, on loans to renew the bridges of the value of £400 and upwards without taking a poll of ratepayers."— Received. , From Mr Tompkins, Dunedin, thanking the council for being so candid as to exnress the opinion that the General Government ought to have given bim a road long ago to his property, and wishing to know if the connoil intended to tnke any action to open th? road through section 15 and as he had been trying to get a road over 20 years. He also desired to know the amount of compensation the church factors required for the road through sertioii 15, block I. After the Government having offered to survey the road and make out the transfer free of cost, he considered the council ought to have opened up the road. He a'eo exited attention to the fact that he bad lost " huudreds of pounds, and not one hundred." through not having 1 a legal road to his pro; perty.- The clerk was instructed to reply " thnt the council could nob see their way to procure a road through section IS Lower Harbour, and that in March 1885 Mr Edmund Hmitb wanted £25 per acre for any hnd required for a road through ttje onurch section it taken up the eastern side of eeotion, and a fence erected alongside of land taken, and the creek left uninterfered with ; while Mr Juller, the tenant, at the same date, wanted £f>o compensation if the road was taken through where Mr Smith suggested." GKlfitKli. ~ Resolved— " That fcb* offer of Messrs W. Barnes and A. Gardiner re deviation of road line <n sections 69, 70, block I, Waikouniti, be received and complied with, and that the inspector be instructed to have said deviation pegged off so soon as Mr B tend agrees to the actual price per acre he will give for the por T tion of old road proposed to be closed, and Messrs Bnrnes and Gardiner agree to that amount as being the amount they are willing to give the land required for the deviation at." Resolved— "That the clerk be instructed to write to Mrs Jane Barnetb requesting her to remove ttw gates and other obstructions lrom off the road line sold by her to the council on the 27th August 1865, and to inform her that if this request is not complied with within 21 days from the date hereof the council will place the matter in the hands of their solicitor to enforce their rights under the Public Works and other acts." The innpeotor was instructed to report on the road to Mr Bray's property near Durden's Hill, and on road near Galbrnith and Lindsav's ; and Or ftltohie was empowered to intervhw Mr Galbraith as to granting any ner-essary deviation, and also Mr Lindsay as to buying any surplus land, and report thereon to the council fcefi-re concluding an agreement. Rpsolved-" That a Hat of outstanding rates for 1889 be handed to the county loHeifor with Instructions to sue for th" same." Resolved— "Thnfc thß insr.ector be instructed to call for tenders for repairing the worst portions of Stead's road b tween the main road and Blookley's ; total coat not to exceed £3."' The council resolved to strike a general rote of Jd in the pound for the year pnding MarcK 31. 1891 : j payable in one sum on the 15th Augi^ 1890, an amendment moved by Or Ritchie— " Tlmt the general rate be id in the pound, and rbat a separate j rate of Ihree-eiuhdis of a penny in the pound be levied on all rateable property within the. ridings of North-Rist Vallty, Blueskin, and Merton"— b*ing negatived. The council then adjourned.