BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2861, 13 January 1909, Page 23

BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary monthly meeting ol the Bruce County Council, held on the 11th, was attended by the chairman (Cr A. M. Driver) and Ors J. M. Begg, J. Adam, J. Smith, J. Clark, Tv. Bell, P. Hoggart, D. Boyd, T. H. Kusseli, J. Tough, and D. Gardyne, jun. engineer's befobt. The County Engineer" (Mi A. Nelson) reported as follows:— I have the honour to report to you on the state of the roads and works for file month ending July 8, 1909, as under: — The contractor for the work of opening up the new road from. Mount Stuart to Manuka Creek railway station, has made a start with the work. The sluice box at the lower end of the auxiliary drain (Inch Clinton) has again given way, and the pressure of water at high tide scoured out the sand below the box, although it was protected by sheathing driven down 4ft below the bottom of the box. The sand is so loose at this point as to be a constant danger to the stability of the box, and I have arranged to put in the box up near to the roadline, where the soil is of a more clayey nature and not so likely to be damaged by a high tide. Timber has been supplied to renew th© four bridges on the Wangaloa read, and the work will be taken in hand in a short time. The widening of the road on river bank leading to P. Rutherford's, on Mrs M'Dermid's land, is now completed, and the new fence erected. Portion of the river bank has also been planted with willows to protect same from being scoured away. The repairs to Waihola jetty are now completed, and the approach, where it t "was being washed away, has been protected with some rubble stones. Two bridges in Waihola Riding have had some of the planking renewed, as they were breaking down under the traffic. Several other bridges have been repaired during th© month. I have prepared plans and specifications of works under Government votes. The Roads Department has approved of same, and tenders have been called for the works. Mr J. Smith, of Barnego, has made a start to shift his fence off the road, and is erecting a new fence on the proper line. — Approved. COBBESPONDENCE. The Roads Department wrote notifying that votes for JBlackburn (£100), Cairns (£100), and Greenfield (£300) roads would be >arried out by the department. — Resolved, to reply urging that the works be gone on with at once. Mr James Allen, M.P., wrote enclosing' a letter from the Minister of Lands statinsr that a sum of £100 had been voted to open up a load through Bardie's section, 20a, Greenfield, and that the expenditure of the vote had been entrusted to the department.— Laft in the hands of the Commissioner of Crown Lands (Mr D. Barron) to arrange. D. Scott WTote asking the council to clear out portion of Clarkosvill© drains through Mr Murray's land. — Referred to members for the riding to deal with. Th© Superintendent of Electric Lines wrote stating that the cost of the proposed telephone extension to Glenledi and Leslie's would be £10 per annum for five years, and forwarded the customary guarantee- for the signature of the council authorities. — The Chairman explained that a guarantee from the settlers had been obtained for paj'ment' of £10 per annum for five years for the telephone from Milton to Glenledi. — Resolved, that the settlers be called upon to sign a properly-prepared guarantee bond for payment of the amount promised. G. M'lntosh, of Taieri Beach, wrote asking to be relieved of payment of punt fares at Taieri Mouth on the ground that he had land on each side of the river. — Received. In reply to a request from the secretary of the Clutha River Board, asking the council to el-ect one person to eerve as a membar of rhe board, it was resolved to reappoint Cr J. M. Begg as member. A letter was received and noted from the chairman of the Hospital Board (Mr S. Solomon) thanking tho chairman and councillors for recording tl"vir votes in hie favour as a trustee. J. Oruiokshanks wrote stating- that he had a difficulty in getting men, and would start his contract on Rongahere as soon as the holidays were over. — Received. The Secretary of the Greenfield branch of the Farmers' Union wrote asking for a statement of the Balmoral Riding accounts for the past two years. — Cr Begg thought a copy of the statement should be supplied, and it was resolved that the clerk eupply the information applied for. R. Peattie, Clarksville, wrote stating that work being done by Mt D. Scott was obstructing the flow of water, and diverting it on to the roadway. — Mr Peattie waited on tire council in connection with the com- | plaint. — Cr Haggart explained that the | members for the riding had viewed the | locality, and he moved: — "That Mr Scott I be given notice to reduce the bank he has constructed, to the original level." — Cr Boyd | seconded the motion, which was carried. I TAIEBT MOUTH BRIDGE. ! The Chairman reported that, along with Cre Begg, Bell, Gardyne, and Haggart, he attended a conference with the Taieri : County Council, at Mosgiel, on Friday last ! re the Taieri Mouth Bridge, when the following- resolution was agreed to: — "That ; Bruce County Council contribute £1000, Taieri County Council £1000, and that a 1 special rating district be made pver por-

t ions of the Waihola and Glenledi Riding-s to raise a loan of £1000, under " The Local Bodies Loans Act, 1904," and that the Government bo asked to grant a further stunof "£ISOO to complete the bridge." — Cr Adam asked where the council was to get the £1000 it was proposed to provide. — The Chairman replied that this would have to be raised by way of special loan. The position was that the old punt waa done, and would have to be replaced in the event of the bridge not being constructed, and the cost of a new punt would be ££00, in addition to the cost oi paying someone to attend to it, and the necessary up-keep. — j Cr Begg explained that the Taieri Council ' contended that the bridge was not of any j benefit to that body. If a bridge put j over' the river at this part the Bruce County would be clear of any heavy expenditure" tLere for the next 30 or 40 years. — Crs Bell and Gardyne expressed the opinion tk*t there would be no difficulty in regard to the proposal to strike a special rate over the part of the district affected. — The Chairman suggested that the Tourist Department, through the Hon. T. Mackenzie, j might be aeked to contribute towards the . cost of the bridge, as the Taieri Mouth was i much used as a toui-ist resort. The cost ' of upkeep of a punt would be about £60 I per annum, whereas the loan of £1000 for I the council's proposition would be only £35. j The total cost of the bridge would be about i £7500, and there was already £3000 on the ; Estimates.— The report of the chairman, ; after some further discussion, was approved. GENERAL. Accounts amounting to £4-53 .7s 5d were passed for payment, *md the chairman noted with ■ satistaetion that the expenditure was again. below the receipts. ■ : On the motion of Cr Adam, it was resolved to decline responsibility for an account sent in by the Stock Department for clearing river banks of rabbits. In connection with the extensions of telephone communication between Milton and Glenledi and " Gardyne's," on the 1 coast, the Telephone Department suggested that Maori names be substituted for " Fairfax and " G'ardyne's," mentioning that confusion arose through a "Fairfax" being included in the Southland district.— The council did not feel justified in substituting Maori names, as suggested, until the guarantee from settlers concerned had been arranged in proper legal form. Wednesday afternoon was unanimously approved as the weekly half-holiday. The following tenders were dealt with: — Raising portion of road, Inchclutha, fresh tenders to be called; metalling portion of Lovell's Flat-Hillend road, Allison Bros., £108, accepted; formation of portion of road at Millar's, Milburn-Circle Hill road, ! A. Anicich, £143, accepted; formation and j metalling of portion of Hillend-Mount ' Stuart road, fresh tenders to be called; formation of portion of Coombe Hay road below Crooked bridge, J. Ferguson, £143, accepted; metalling poi-tion of ClarendonBerwick road at Mackay's, Adam Andrew £94 15s, A. Anicich £86, left to chairman to decide. Mr J. D. Brown,, a former member of i the council, waited on the council in reference to certain statements alleged to have been made by Cr Haggart in regard J to the condition of the Kaitangata floods | loan account. He stated, that the coun- j cillor referred to had said that there was ' a deficiency of £300 in the account, which | was not correct, and ratepayers had been led to believe that the council had improperly used moneys belonging to the fund. --This- was unjust to the members of the late council. — Cr Haggart said ex-Coun-cillor Brown had put words into his (Cr Haggart's) mouth which he had not used What he said, and what he repeated, was that when he left the council in 1905 there was a credit to the original fund of £300, and in regard to that statement he had been unable to get any satisfactory ex- j planation from ex-Councillor Brown. — The Chairman said the matter was evidently a ! misunderstanding between the parties, but I it was not a matter that the council could deal with, and it was resolved to allow the subject to drop. i On the motion of Cr Clark, seconded by Cr Smith, it was l-esoived that a return of receipts and expenditure from March 31 last to date be laid on the table at next meeting. It was agreed, on the motion of Cr • Begg, that the balance of the grant on the , Riverside road (£45) be expended in day labour. ■ Cr Haggart moved, and it was agreed, that the remaining parties to the Hillend telephone guarantee be asked to pay up, and, failing to do so, that legal proceedings be taken. I Messrs D. Reid and J. Duthie waited on the council in i-egard to a resolution ' passed at the previous meeting refusing to take over certain streets in Duthie's sub- ! division of Milton unless they were metalled. — Mr Reid referred to the law on , the matter, and said the council had acted on a misconception of the law in refusing to take over the roads for the reason assigned. — After the deputation retired the Chairman said it was for the council to say if further leyal advice should be obtained on the matter or if the council should rescind its former resolution. — After ! discussion Cr Haggart gave notice to move j at next meeting of the council that the resolution previously passed be rescinded. H. Farquharaon, Stirling, was appointed . dog tax-collector on the same terms as j last year — viz., 5d per dog; and on the motion of Cr Adam it was resolved to i make the dog tax 2s 6d per dog per annum. • A motion to make the tax 5s on dogs ! other than sheep dogs was not approved. } The Chairman reported that he attended j the meeting of delegates from the various . local authorities at Dunedin to consder the increased expenditure under the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boai'ds, and the elected members promised that every enI deavour would be made to keep down the | expenditure to the lowest limits consistent ' with efficiency and the wants of the institution. — Cr Clark, referring to the increasing cost of charitable aid, said he I thought Mr Gallaway'e proposal to establ ish labour settlements was the only satis- , factory solution of keeping down charitable j aid rates.

i A new way of dealing with uneraployI ment has been discovered by the firm of Brunner, Mond, and Co., of Northwich. They have d-ecided to reduce the number of hours worked a day by their men in order that work may be found for 250 more men. As the men are paid by time they will have smaller incomes, but it is reported that they rerognise that good will be done to tnose -who are out of work- -The scheme will not affect the wages bill of ihe firm.