TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Witness, Issue 3215, 27 October 1915, Page 16

TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL

The monthly .meeting of the Taieri County Council was held on the 22nd; present —Crs Freeman (chairman], Blair, Bkckio, Doherty, Kempshell, Gow, Christie, and Elliott. REPORTS. Tho Finance Committee recommended that accounts amounting to £733 11s 7d be passed for payment. The receipts for the month totalled £1833 0s 9d, and the bank balance showed a debit balance of £4137 2s 6d. —The report was adopted. The following report was submitted by the engineer:— The Brighton and Woodsido gravel contracts are completed. Ruthven Brothers are making satisfactory progress with the two Barewood Government grant contracts. The contractor for tho Switchbacks regrading is not much further forward than when I lust reported. Tib has been unfortunate with regard to labour, and has met with an accident himself; but the work must either be carried out more expeditiously or other arrangements made. Tenders wore invited during the month for supply of teams for small grader and plough, and the offer of Thomas Fellough, of Oamaru, accepted. Work was started this week on the road Loo (Stream to Butlers, where I inspected tho teams and equipment and found everything in good working order. The Strath Taieri work will be taken next in order, tho intention being to grade the road from tho township to Glad brook. Centre road, from Sutton to Rock and Pillar, and portions of tho Moonlight and Stoker roads. By roads will be surfaced where this work can be carried out to advantage. Throe men have boon employed at. Mosgiel quarry, principally at stripping and cleaning up work. The output for the month was 277 yards—all to private custom. There are 400 yards of metal at the depot. Cr Gow and the engineer interviewed Mr C. Christie regarding his application to lay a pipe drain across Gladstone road. Tho pipe is to carry house slops and discharge ;nto a creek that flows through private property. Wo recommend that permission be •withheld until Mr Christie takes measures to purify the effluent. I inspected the roads that wore the subject of communication from the manager of Gladbrook. I drove over all the roads with comfort. With regard to the road from Brown’s corner to Gladbrook, this is to bo graded under contract 123. The old Top road is little used except for stock purposes; the formed portion will bo surfaced with tho grader, for the romainor tho clearing through the matagowrio will bo widened to 20ft, and the surface roughly levelled off. This should meet all reasonable requirements. The Dry Ridge road has been surfaced, and if funds are available will bo regraded under contract No. 123. Tho surfaceman is attending to tho removal of rocky bars on these roads. Ho is working single handed at present, but will bo given assistance when casual labour is obtainable. Surfaceman Ruthven has resigned his position as Otokia surfaceman. I propose to transfer Surfaceman Flett, of Outram Riding, to this beat, and work Outram Riding with one man and casual horse work daring tho summer months. The reads in Hardy’s township have been surfaced. A few days horsework is required to make up tho subsidence at the gully, and tbs is now being attended to. I recommend that you authorise me to purchase another two-horse grader. For casual work one machine is required for up country and one for tho lower ridings, and for contract work, where two teams arc employed for plough and grarier, a saving would be effected if a second machine were available for broken time of the plough team. The engineer’s report was received, and the recommendations contained in it were approved. The sanitary inspector reported that the slaughter-houses in the county had been inspected during tho month, and everything was found to be clean and in good order. With regard to tho matter of drainage from dwellings at Wingatui, he had furnished the county clerk with a list of the names of owners 'where drainage was being discharged on to the road. The drainage at Momona School had not yet been attended to. Several residents at Concord were creating a nuisance by putting their drainage on to the road. —It was decided that the Education Board bo informed that the Momona School should be connected with the drainage system. Tho ranger reported that he had imnounded 16 cattle and eight horses during the month, and that _ the fees collected amounted to 14s. —Received. CORRESPONDENCE. The Public Works Department advised that a cheque for £725 had been paid _ to the credit of the council for the following works in the county:—Centre road, StrathTaieri, £200; Lee Flat road, pound for pound, £75; Matarae to Sutton, £SO ; Maungatua, pound for pound, £100; Boat Harbour Creek bridge, _ Brighton, pound Impound, £3OO. The Minister also wrote stating that he regretted that votes, so far as they related to new money provided this year, would not be available for expenditure until such time as satisfactory arrangements had been made for the raising of the necessary loan for public works purposes, and it had been decided to what extent the funds then available wonld be sufficient to justify the prosecution of new works.— Received. The District Engineer of Railways wrote asking for a list of tho crossings at which the council desired additional warning boards placed.—It was resolved that when

the department was ready to erect the notices, the council would intimate where they were most required. The Green Island Borough Council wrote asking if in the event of a quarry being established in the borough, the council would take any metal it required for its roads in that locality. It also asked if the council would use the borough pound, which was to be instituted. —It was decided to inform the Green Island Council that the council could not buy any metal from it, and with respect to the pound question, it could not see its way to depart from its previous resolution that the pound at Green Island was not neccsssary for the county. A petition was received from a number of ratepayers at Middlemaroh against the proposed opening of the road through Messrs Grieve’s and Tisdall’s properties, on the ground that the money used could be better spent on the existing open roads.— Mr Grieve appeared in support of the petition, saying that this road had not been required for 20 years, and Mr Tisdall said there was no benefit to be given to anyone by opening the road.—Mr Michael Hanlon wrote urging the council to open the road, pointing out that it would be a groat convenience to him in his capacity as a dealer in stock. —After considering the matter, the council decided that the resolution, that the road bo opened, be adhered to. An application by Mr D. M'Bratney for permission to erect a gate on a road line at the entrance of his property, at Middlemarch. was refused. The Otago Hospital and Charitable Aid Board forwarded a statement showing the board's levy on the county for the current year, amounting to £691 3s sd—Received.