CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2848, 14 October 1908, Page 11

CLUTHA COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the above was held in the County Chambers, Balclutha, on the 2nd. Present— Crs J. R. Mitchell (chairman), J. Edwards, J. Clarke, W. Nicol, W. Hay, D. A. M'Lachlan, A. C. Saunders, W. Grainger, and J. dimming. COEKESFONDENCE. J. K. Logan, superintendent of electric lines, wrote acknowledging receipt of completed bond for telephone line between Owaka and Pounawea, and intimating that instructions had been issued for the work to be put in hand as early as possible — Received. J. L. Bryant, Owaka, 'wrote resigning from position of returning officer for Catlins Riding. — Cr Saunders moved that Mr Andrew Lees be appointed to the position. to. W. Widdowson, assistant engineer, Public Works Department, Dunedin, in reply to a letter from the Clutha County, wrote complaining of the damage done to the ford over the Catlin's River near the Houipapa Railway Station, stating that the wiser course would be to ask the Minister to have the ford improved. He had found no trace of damage by the haulage of rails for the Railway Department. — Cr Saunders said he would make further inquiry. — Agreed to. W. Telford, Clifton, wrote asking that permission to inspect the boundary of the road recently purchased from the council be granted to the engineer, as he had 4ben ready to do the fencing. — Cr Clarke did not think the council should supply Mr Telford with the boundary. — The Chairman and other members said- Mr Telford was entitled to all he asked for.— The Chairman moved that the engineer attend to the matter. — Agreed to. ' Ward Bros., Ahuriri, wrote, asking permission to lay down & tramway on Gwyn's road. — Cr Hay moved that the request be granted. — Agreed to. John Clarke, Clinton, wrote intimating that at a meeting of ratepayers it had been unanimously decided to close the road between sections 28 and 30, block 11, Poxnehaka. — Cr Clarke moved that the ratepayers' resolution be confirmed and the land sold. — Agreed to John Johnston, puntman, South Molyneux, wrote asking for an increase in. his salary of 10s weekly; consequent on the reduction of traffic owing to the closing of the Puerua bridge and the removal of the ■Inchcluth*. Creamery. — Cr Hay moved that the wage be raised to 15s. Bruce Council to be notified. — Agreed to. John Dunne, Mayor of Balclutha. and the Balclutha branch of the Farmers' Union, wrote urging .the necessity for a high, loading bank at -the Balclutha railway station,' and askiner the council's co-opera-tion in placing the matter before the Minister of Railways. — The Chairman said the whole county- was interested in such a matter, but Mr M'Lachlan considered it was purely a borough matter. — Ultimately Or Hay moved that the council lend its supoort. — Seconded by Cr M'Lachlan. and carried. From A. S. Malcolm, M.P., stating that he had made representations, and saw the ohief i engineer immediately that he noticed tb vote for the rebuilding of the Pomahaka bridge was not on the Estimates. The engineer said it would be Impossible this year, but he hoped to provide for it next year. — Received. The Clerk, Executive Council, wrote stating that African box thorn had been placed in the third schedule of the Noxiouß Weeds Act. — Received. — . OHABITABLE AID. Various letters were read in connection with the distribution of charitable aid. and the secretary of the Charitable Aid Board supplied a return of cases ud to 31st August. — Or Hay instanced a case where a boy getting 22s 6d a week had refused to give his widowed mother a shilling. {Another boy occasionally save her something, and the mother had tour children at. fiome. * He moved that the county eolicftor be asked for an opinion as to whether the council . could _ compel, the^e boys to' contribute to ..the mother's suDPort. *— Agreed to. Or Clarke moved that the Charitable Aid Board be asked for payment of moneys due Cr Saunders reported on a necessitous eaee near Owaka-y* man and his wife and family were in dire want, and the neighbours raised 1 a subscription, and he had authorised 10b { a week to be,.wwd until the council met.— Action ■ approved, relief to be .continued for a month.,. An amount of 5s weekly to a woman Iras continued at the request of Mr Dunne. Mayor of Balclutha. - It was decided to continue the present weekly amounts -to district recipients. inoineeb's befobt. - The County Engineer (Mr W. R. Leeder) reported as follows:— . Contract for maintenance metal on Main Port *o*d is completed. Con*ract for metalling on Soper'a road, Te Houk*, has also been put through. Quarrying maintenance metal on the main Te Houka road is progzessing satisfactorily — upwards of 200 cubio ha* been quarried out. to date. On •the Ifain Souih road, from the Four-mole Creek going south, about 40 cubic yards of jnaintenanoe metal has been run out. Contract for formation on Flinn's road is well in hand, and should be completed at an early date. Two bridges on Overton's road jreqxdre -repairing. Material for this work has .been ordered, and will be to hand at an early ctarte. On the back road, leading into. Ashley Downs, the old wooden bridge has been removed and • new concrete pipe culvert put an. A portion of the old Lake road has Wen. repaired 1 with 40 cubic yards of maintenance metal.- In accordance with your instructions I iad an interview with Mr J. B. Mackenzie, and have arranged with him io purchase sufficient land to form the road a chain wide — fzoml Fopotunoa Station road to. the Main South road— and J Tecommend you have the land for widening taken on the south side of the road. Mr Mackenzie 'agrees to the above on condition that you close the lower end of the Popotenoa. Station road, which he is willing to purchase. I have inspected IMb piece of road, and do not think it is of any use. to tie public, and await your authority to proceed with the closing, etc., the taking of the land for road widening to remain in abeyance, pending the Taumata new road deviation being definitely settled. Rebuilding the bridge on. .Willoyburn .Stream is .under way, and will be completed in a few days. The timber to strengthen the Pomahaka bridge is being delivered, and rep'adrs will be put in hand in the course of & week or so. The road front "Warepa to Toiro is badJy cut up -with the heavy cartage from . the •awmill during the winter months- Some minor repairs to this piece of road have been carried out during tie past month, but further permanent work is urgently required at an early date. On the Puerua V»ll«y road about E ix chains of metal is

necessary to repair this road near Allison's, and a new culv«rt is wanted north of tho Mound bridge. From the top of Hunt's road Totmd Purekireki ther© are * number of very bacL holes, and I have arranged to have these filled with rotten rock. From Purekireki to Owak* there is also some very urgent work required, and I Tecommend you have a team sent out for a week or two to effect repairs. On Caley's road there is a bridge that will have to be repaired at once. Some of the beams are very rotten, and nrus-t be renewed. A centre pier is also necessary to strengthen the old structure for heavy traffic. The bridge over the creek west of Friend's is very rotten, and i» giving way in various places. It will be necessary to have a new bridge built during the summer, and I recommend you have the details prepared at once. On Kunt's road it will be necessary to send out a team for four or five days .to fill up holes and make the ro«d workable for the traffic to the dairy factory. I also inspected the work on this ro*d mentioned by Mr Chas. Anderson. It consists of raising the embankment on % culvert ' near tihe sawmill to improve th« grade on the rocky pinch at the south side of the culvert. Then there are two cuttings near the factory that require widening and th« grades reduced. I estimate the cost of the work at £28, and recommend you h«v« it carried out during the summer. On the main road, Owak* to Catlin's River, .there is an old timber culvert that -will have to be repaired as soon as possible; 18in concrete pipes will make a good job. and I recommend you have »»the' work' oarried out accordingly. With reference to Morton's conupaint about the side street leading to the doctor's residence at Owaka, a sm-aJI pipe culvert will get over the difficulty, and this will be attended to" as soon as the men return from tie Owaka" Valley 'road work. With regard to the petition for a suspension , bridge by Mr Chas.. Berney amd 12 others ne»r Houipapa, I have to report being unable to get round there this month, but wiil be in that locality about the middle of October, and will give the matter due atteni tion then. All the roads are drying very well, and the surfacemen in the various districts are pushing' on with the ordinary spring repairs a« expeditiously as possible. The contractor for the rebuilding of tihe Puerua bridge h*s the work well advanced? and will have the work completed and the bridge open for traffic in a fortnight or three weeks from date. Water- tabling and general repairs with maintenance metal, etc., has been extensively oarried out on the Port road, Souith Molyneux. On the Newhaven road an old bridge broke down during the pawt mottth. and I have had the place repaired with an 18in pipe culvert, and the gully made up with earth embankment. Th c "thirds" due on Carrick's Toad have been expended in metalling and improving approach from main road. The report was adopted. . 'general. . Tenders were accepted as followB:— No. 4 321— W. Allan, £21 ss ; No. 322— J. Nicol " £73 10s. The Clerk reported the receipts for the month as being £1430. 19 a Id, and the expenditure £1114 7s^9d.— Adopted, arid paysheet passed for payment. It was decided on -the motion of Cr Hay, seconded by Cr JNicol : — " (1) To call tenders for gravelling the Block road Irom punt to swamp, also for cleaning ditch 'from Lauder'e corner ; (2) to call tenders for 10 chains grading and six chains metal on Awakiki road ; (3) to call tenders for six chains metalling on Puerua road, near Mr Allison's." It was decided to give Is 6d per 100 for birds' eggs as formerly.