TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3149, 22 July 1914, Page 15

TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL.

The Tuapeka. County Council met on Friday: present—Councillors Rose (chairman), MTnerrey, Howat, Simpson, Cotton, Bennetts, Wood, ana M'Donald. An apology being received from Cr Stewart. CORRESPONDENCE. The Havelock Sluicing Company was granted permission to ‘ carry a pipe line across the Main road at Waitahuna. In response to Mr M. O’Connor’s complaint about the condition of the road at Moa Flat, the engineer was instructed to attend to the matter. A similar complaint from M‘Lay and Murray concerning a iuapeka Flat road was reported. Mr C. V. Kirke, Tapanui, asked for a reduction in the grade oh Dusky-Kolso road, and the engineer was instructed to report. A letter from Mr R. S. Charters, Wa*kaia, asking for a bridge over Leithan Stream was received. The Secretary, Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, forwarded estimate of expenditure for current year (£33,Out)), and stating that the levy on the Tuapeka County would be £1358 6s 10d, which was £57 Us 7d less than last year’s levy. . A Wellington accountancy firm advised it would bo pleased to float a loan on the London market under the Local Bodies Loans Act The Under-secretary of the Department, of Internal Affairs wrote in reference to complaint from settlers in Moa Flat that they were not properly represented on the council, and drawing atttention to ‘‘The Counties Amendment Adt, 1913,”. which permitted 12 ridings in a county. A Jetter was received from the Clerk. Bruce County Council, enclosing copy of resolution suggesting a conference of local bodies to consider a system of collecting motor car revenue. —Received. It was received to co-operate with the Railway Department in erecting notice boards from 150 yards to 200 yards from crossings in the county. The Otago Motor Club’s better was received, and, officials of the council were empowered to take action against all persons travelling with unk’ghted vehicles after dark. The council agreed to the Miller s_ Flat Public Hall and Library being vested m the council, with selected residents being appointed to supervise the propc’rty. The Prime Minister notified that the authority for a £IOO grant for the Lawrence to Beaumont road had been issued on May

14. In response to a letter from Mr Finlay Munro," Tuapeka Flat, drawing attention to the washing away of a valuable piece of his land by the Tuapeka River, caused by the. placing of a number of stones in the crossing. the engineer was instructed to report. ' A letter from the Commissioner of Grown Lands notified that . a commission would sit at the Magistrate’s Court, Lawrence, on Monday, 13th inat., at 2 p.m., to take evidence in regard to alteration of boundary between Bruce and Tuapeka Counties; and a further communication from the commissioner intimated that the present position of road south of llocky Bluff, near Miller’s Flat, prejudicially affected the disposal of the adjoining Crown lands, and asking that a portion of this road should be shifted to the, proper position, which would entail only about 35 chains of new formation.—Department to bo informed that the council cannot see its way to shift the road. GENERAL. Cr Howat drew attention to the unsafe condition of the Pomahaka bridge at Pomabapa siding, which was under the charge of the engineer of the Clutha County. Its condition was such that there was nothing else for it but the construction of a new bridge, and he moved that an application be made to the Government for a subsidy of £6OO for its erection, a copy of the resolution to be forwardtd to the Clutha County and its co-operation asked. —Cr Rose seconded —Cr Bennetts said that a fearful amount of money “steals away in those big bridges in the Tapanui district, and the Main road is not in it compared with them.” —Cr Howat retorted that all the bridges in the Tapar.ui district had not absorbed as much general revenue as the Miller’s Flat brid go. —Cr Bennetts moved as -an amendment deferring the matter, but this was lost. The Hon. Jas. Allen and the Hon. W. Fraser wrote acknowledging the council’s letter urging the -authorisation of the railway from Beaumont, and b ith stated in reply that the matter would receive the care ful consideration of the Government when the question of rai’way authorisations was being considered. —Ministers to bo thanked for their courteous replies.

Cr M'Donald drew attention to the fact that the Golden Gate dredge was still working within a chain of the Miller’s Flat road, despite the motion passed at last meeting, and Mr M‘L-uu'h!in, a resident, appeared in person and complained to the same effect. — It was resolved that the county solicitor be instructed to take immediate action against the company.

The Secretary of the Bcngcr and Teviot Road and Railwav League forwarded the following motion, passed by this league on March 18: —“ That Crs M‘Donald and Bennetts again bring forward the motion to get road from Lawrence to Roxburgh declared a main rood.” Mr Jas. Edgar, secretary tTapanui Branch Fanners’ Union, wrote forwarding the following motion passed by his branch: “That the Tapanui Branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union emphatically protests against the proposal of the Tuapeka County Council to declare the road from Bruce County boundary, via Lawrence, to Roxburgh. a main road, and pledges itself, in the event of effect being given'to the resolution, to take immediate stops to obtain the severance of the Tapanui district from Tuapeka County.”—A similar motion was received from the secretary of the Crookston Branch of the Farmers’ Union. Cr Bennetts moved, in accordance with notice given at last meeting: ’ That the road from Bruce boundary, via Lawrence, to Roxburgh be declared a main road.” In moving his motion Cr Bennetts .said it was no use shelving the matter further. The objections by the Tapanui and Crookston branches of the Farmers’ Union were entirely out of place. They practically had a railway to their door, whereas it cost the people at this end of the county £2 per ton to place their produce on the railway at Edievale and £2 10s per ton to carry their requirements from Lawrence to Roxburgh. His object in moving the resolution was not to bleed the other ridings for the purpose of improving the main road, hut to make it legal for the council as a -whole in the case Of urgent necessity to vote money should it seem desirable. —Cr M‘Donald seconded the motion. —Cr Simpson expressed eymjpathy, but thought the council should wait to see what the Government intended to do as regards legislation to take over main roads. —Cr Howat opposed the motion, which

he thought drastic and premature, as it involved a vital change of policy, which should be left to council. Ho warned the members that if they carried the motion they would simply be creating the same position that at present existed between , the counties of Bruce and Tuapeka, The motion if <«rtsd. wdKhj inflict an injustice on residents of Tapanui i’a-J Crookston Hidings, and they could take it frohi him that these people would take immediate steps to obtain relief.— Cr Wood said he had no hesitation in saying this Main road was a main road, and had been a main road ever since its construction. He had previously voted against Cr Bonnetts’s motion to have it declared a main road, because he believed? at the time it would bo better to try and get the Government to take it over. He had interviewed Mr Allen on the subiect, and had received the assurance of that gentleman that if the Government decided to take over the main roads, this one would be among them. The point, however, was that, as things stood l , this was not a main road, and in the event of the Government bringing in legislation authorising the taking over of main roads this particular road could not be included. In these circumstances ho was favourable to the motion, though he would prefer the consideration of the matter deferred till they had a full meeting.—Gr Cotton opposed the motion, and after Cr Bennetts had replied, Cr M'lnerney moved, Cr Simpson seconded the postponement, which was carried by four votes to three, Crs M‘Donald, Wood, and Bennetts being against the amendment. A deputation, consisting of Messrs S. Fletcher, J. B. M‘Kirday, and E. C. Browne, representing the Waipori Prospecting Company (Limited), waited on the council and asked that the council should on its behalf apply to the Minister of Mines for a subsidy of £4OOO fortfic purpose of quartz prospecting at Waipori.— On the motion of Or Simpson and Cr Bennetts, the request of the deputation was granted. On the motion of Cr Bennetts, seconded by Cr Macdonald, it was resolved that the county engineer purchase forthwith a team of four horses and two drays, the cost to be debited to the Benger Ridings. . Cr Macdonald moved, and Cr Hose seconded, a vote of thanks to Mr A. F. Huberts, Mr 0. Tonham, and other settlers in the neighbourhood for the assistance rendered in connection with- the protective work being carried out at Miller’s Flat. — Carried. On the motion of Crs Bennetts and Wood, a general rate of one penny in the pound was struck. •

A number of minor works and matters were discussed, and accounts amounting to £22oß'were - passed for payment.