TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2604, 10 February 1904, Page 10

TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Taieri County Council, held on FiiJay, was ptteiukd by Mjr K. G-.b^Oii ((.h^iiiain;, Cis J. li-iller, John Do/., Ja,u:u3 li.muo.i, D. lu'jJonaid, VI. Aiiacuo, V. C'm^U", «.' ct Sr.iusoii. 'Alii; 3 HEIGHT. The County lingin m (IvLr B. xi. Couston) submitted hio r^pcit loi me past month, v,h*cu buUed. — Contracts and \\ ork3. — Contiact 103 (giavei iiaikoiai iioalh to i>r:gi.lon; ib ccu^ieced. CoiiUciets lOi .gin'. ti bliA.h-'lßien) and 11 o ( eoiuikg O'-i.trd ic.id a. Cm, ii^.aie\) a)-d 103 mlvdiic-'d.. C. nli.ii.!> it/li (io_;aa-iou ntar Olac' bicok) is not b..aica. CoiUiaots ibS inatiou Little _uos&; ,iacl IC/J <,gi.i^ c. lticcsrton to West Taicn) vie m progiess. Teudeia are called tins mretrig ior Jso 110 /jjalk on lor.d to Guild's atid isoidi's io..t';, A r o. 11l (gravel Strath-Taicn) and 2\o. 112 , r -iav-cl Outiam to Woodside). 'ilio v,orks umic'd out by day labour and by ynvate cOxitriLuuor; aio- — J\orLa 'iaicii. Coiij'iuctioa of g}CH-& Ivji- piotcciticn of Whaio .Flat io^d. iiiist la ion: bpalis Gladstone load and 30in coucicte culvert at iiivei side. Kaikorai : Metal at Knox's and on Covstorphine road. Outram: Improvement of locky gradients on Rock and Pillar load, Taising of Bolithos road (Mr 1). Miller providing the horse -\voik), and metalling of Sutherland's road (Mr Sutherland finding hor^e work and contiibutmg £20). The road grader has completed tho lormatioi of load B right on to Taieri Mouth, has giaded Jaffray's road and C road, Maungatua Riding (the Otokia Drumago Board subsidising th-e last-named read), and is now on woik on the Waipori-El Doiado load. The ccamty solicitor li.is been instructed to act re obsuuetion o.i road at Mill Creek aud re the hr.c of telegraph on Ceua'y road near Berwick. I have made appiitat on to the Land Board to have X'o^tion of Isnd adjoining Sciogg's Hill road at gravel pit proclaimed a, pravel reseive and vested m the Taieri County Council, and at the meeting of the board on "Wednesday the application was approved and i3f erred to the Government for favourable consideration. This will be a valuable asset to Otokia Riding, ps it woufcl hs impracticable to work the roadhne much longer withcut causing inconvenience ond danger to traffic through the narrowing of the road and th« increased depth of cutting as the pit extended into the hillside.

Green Island Borough. — Pursuant to seclion 176 of " The Municipal Corporations Act, 1900," his Excellency the Governor notifies that a petition has bsen planted to him praying that the area of laud extending for half a mile o-i either side of the Main Trunk railway from Look-out Point to Abbots Creek may ba excluded from the County of Taieri and included in the Borough of Green Island, and calls oil persons affected to lodge written objections to or petitions ggainst the proposed alteration within o.ie month. My reconimendfttioi s axe that tho chairman, county solicitor, end county engineer take such stsps as they consider nece^saiy to place before the Governor (1) an objection to the proposed severance en bthalf of the vesl-d inteie&ts of Taieri County: (2; a petition esainst the proposed alteration on behalf of the residents of the prescribed crc-a ■ (3) that the member for the Taieri (M.v Donald Reid) be aske-d to co-operate w/th the courty in this matter. Marshall's Bridge —Cr Miller and the engineer inspected the budge over Lee- Cieek at, Marshall, which w<* the subject of complaint from Mr D. Campbell on account of the water being dammed back on his land in time ot flood or heavy rain. Mr Marshall has generously given the council peimission to widen the cieek through his land for a distance ot three chains, which -will materially assist the fvee flow of floocl water, and we recommend that this work ba carried out foilhwitn. Metaals KoaJ.— Application was msd-J lO have 12in concrete pipes inserted to carry water across hollow in this road. There is not sufhcient cover for pipes; what is required is a 12in box, but I think the matter is one which will cause trouble over diainage, and as the land is within the West Tiwieri drainage district I advise that the matter be lef erred to that board, the council agreeing to contribute towards the cost Thompson's Eoad, along Lee Canal.— This road was to have been graded whpn the grader was at work m Maungatua Elding. On survey it was found that the fence lines encroached very considerably on the line of road, in one place where an angle has been missed altogether the fences ciossmg and re-crossing the correct position of the read I have therefore taken no action. The leport was adopted. VIN'AXCE COMMITTEE'S KEPORT. The Finance Committee reported having examined accounts and voucheis for the month, and found that the expenditure hid bren £551 17s, -which amount they recommended should be passed for pajment. — Adopted. GEKEBAL. Ranger J. GUmore reported having impounded cattle found wandering in Maungatua and Outram Ridings, and on the Taieri Beach and Me in South roads- — Noted. Inspector Bain reported that the Kaikorai Stream had been in a rather bad condition on several occasions dvmng the month. He would recommend that the clerk ba instiucted to write to the Hoslyn Borough Council asking them to take action in the matter. — Adopted. Messrs Lyall, Mitchell, and Fleming, representing the South Taieri Presbyterian Church, waited on the council with a request for the remission of rent on the South Taieri manee. — The Chairman pointed out that the council could only make remissions in cases of extreme poverty, and asked if that -was the ground on which the request was based. — The deputation evid«ntly appreciated the point, and after a discussion consideration was deferred for a month. Dr Callan, of Outram, reported haying discovered a case of scarlatina at Berwick.—Received. COKRESFOSDENCE. The Clerk to the Henley River Board wrote stating that the- beard agreed to the proposal that a case be stated for the opinion of the Supreme Court on the terms mentioned m the council's letter, and the board suggested the advisability of gomg on with the work in view of the risk of damage occurring through neglect to repair the bex in dispute. The board proposod that the work should be carried out at once by the County Council, the board contributing half the coat on the understanding that, if the court decided the council was responsible fcr the dram, they should be reimbursed. A further condition that the board desired to impose was that the work 6houkl not cost more than £70. — The council decided to agree to the terms, but stipulated that the board should do the work. The Clerk to the Maungatua Drainage Board forwarded the following resohition passed by the board — " That the County Council be informed that the culvert on B road, west side of Lee Creek, leccntly put m, hi.s not be«n made deep enough to allow the drainage to JJRS3 through by at least lit, and the. boaid

would respectfully request the council to & tlier lower the culvert to the requisite depth or remove the boUom boards of the culvert." — It was decided to notify the board that they must do the work themselves.

Mr H. V. Fulton, secretary to the Waripcri Falls Klectric Power Company, wrote forwarding an tpology fiom the directors of the coni-p-my for erecuL_ig a telephone wire oj. one ct tho county's roads without permission, and! made application that permission should bo gia,nted for the lino to remain -nhcro it was for the present. — The Engineer expressed the cpmioi that the po&ts were not sufficiently substantial, epecially where they ciossed the vo.i 1. — Cr BUckle suggested -the company should be asked to indemnify the council of my acc.dcnfc happening througu the wuea ccmuis down. — It was decided to require the company 10 consliuct the hue to the engineer's Sviiisfi'ciioii, to ask for an indemnity on the lines snaijcsiccl.

Alrxa Uri' -brc.Ti (Abbotsford) wrote compla:iu"g thai cvirg io the inadequate tax on ({oji in the coi'^'y, they wer" far too minacious, •aid s.s p. "cstsH p. Izrga number of his sheep v.c-ro k-KcJ. Ml jcJiOwn also asked for an improve! ) oad to his property — The letter -was received, rvrc i the latter request referred to tli? 'jij-jinocr for repOxt. James Keith -wiote dra-wing attention to the state of (he rond near the Otokia, Ccmeteiy. — tc was decided to instruct the engineer to u.<=pect arid repent. Duncan li'lntosh (Brighton) wrote asking \he council to provide him with a better outlet from h-3 plure hi the sha-pe of c. road,— To ba infoiracd that the council has no funds available.

G-. TJagorian wrote offering to pay half the cost of a road from the Wpipori road to the Lee Stream Hotel. — The Chairman remarked that Mr Magorian wanted a better road for his clients. — The Enginoer estimated the cost of the road at £50 or £60.— Cr Samson thought it, v.-as a pity not to make use of aiiothcr naan'a inoxiey. — Cr Harrison : At the sarno time it is not a bit of use to the county. — Matter to stand' over pending an improvement in the county's funds.

Jamoß Elliott, of Mount Ross, Suttort, wrote diav.^ng attentio;i to a dangerous gully on the road between Sutton sidmg and Mount Boss. — To be informed that the council has no funds available.

"Wilkio, Scott, and Co., Mosgiel, wrote offering £15 for the right to cut flax on the river reserve at Berwick. — The request was decknet}.

The Minister of Marine wrote notifying the council that in pursuance ol ' The Harbour Act, 1878/' they were required to romove all ■ropes of wire and other material used in connection with the punt at the moiith of the Taieri River which were at their lowest point less ban 14ft from the surface of the river at high water. — The Engineer stated thst the Department had endeavoured to get the Bruce County to act in this matter, but without success, an dnow they were having a shot at he Taieri Couny. — It was decided to inform the Minister that the puut was under the control of the Bruce County.