TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3332, 23 January 1918, Page 9

TUAPEKA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Tho ordinary meeting of _the Tuapeka County Council was held on Friday, 18th inst. Cr M'lnerney was in the chair. Before taking up the ordinary business the Chairman made reference to the death at the front of a number of district lads, and moved that the council record its sympathy with all the bereaved families. The motion was carried, the members standing. A subsidy of £5 by the settlers of Dalvey for every £2O spent by the council on improving the road to that settlement was accepted; £SO to be spent by the council. A number of settlers in the Tuapeka Flat and Tuapeka West districts drew attention to tho dangerous bend in the road below the school, and asked tho council to take prompt measures to make it safer. The engineer and others admitted that it- was a bad turn; but the member for the riding (Cr M'lnerney) said it was no worse than others in the county, and he was not prepared to expend a large amount of his riding funds on this work to the neglect of more urgent road works in other-parts of his riding.—lt was resolved that the member and engineer meet the petitioners on tho ground, and that a report bo submitted at next \meeting. Cr MTnernov was reappointed to represent tho council as a representative on the Clutha River Board. ._ It was resolved to expend £2O in improving the Tapanui Cemetery road. Cr Rodgers moved, in accordance with notice, that the motion passed at the last meeting voting £SO towards the Radium Fund be rescinded, and stated in support that while he was in sympathy with all the advantages that were likely to accrue from the use of radium, he held that the council had no right to vote away the ratepayers' money for this purpose. He thought it was the duty of tho Government to provide radium for the treatment of wounded soldiers. On being put to the vote the motion was lost. Consideration of the question of a stone'crusher plant was deferred for six months, the engineer meanwhile to prepare and brin<; forward a report. Accounts amounting to £1369 Is lOd were passed tor payment. A start is to be made with the strengthening of the Teviot River bridge at once and the engineer wa3 instructed to have the two bridges at Rongahere attended to as soon as possible. The engineer was instructed to communicate with the Commissioner of Lands on tho question of granting grazing ]:< -sos over the available gravel reserves and river beaches, thereby depriving the council of the necessary camping-grouncls when undertaking gravelling work. It was resolved to increase the surfacemen's wages to lis per day from February 1. ' The Engineer reported that the road from Miller's Flat to Roxburgh had been greatly improved; the Main road from Ettrick to within half a mile of Roxburgh had been regraded; the Main road along Island Block, in the Beaumont Riding, required a substantial amount of gravel for maintenance purposes; several culverts had been put in in Crookston Riding during tho past month; protective works at Kelso wcro well under way, and grading in this riding would be started in the beginning of February; tho bridge over Conner's Creek

was now complete; the principal work in Brown's Riding had been extensive repairs to Cockleshell road; in the Waipori Riding tho approaches to the bridge over Reidy and Bungtown Creeks were now complete. The Chairman explained the urgency for promptness in connection with the expenditure of the Government grant of £SOO on the Main road, and said he had thrashed the matter out with the Minister of Public Works, who had urged their pushing on with it without delay. It was resolved that the flat near the Rao's Junction Hotel should be metalled, and also the stretch of road along "Spud Flat," and the engineer was authorised to obtain a few more trucks of Logan's Point metal to supplement the supply at, present lying at Beaumont Station.