WAIHEMO COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Witness, Issue 3475, 19 October 1920, Page 13

WAIHEMO COUNTY COUNCIL

The last meeting of the Waihemo County Council, as at present constituted, was held on Saturday; present—Crs O'Connell (chairman), Ross, Chapman, Ritchie, Matheson, Aitchison, Clark, O'Neill, and Miller. DEPUTATIONS " T. Hewitt appeared in objection to being called upon to pay an account for expenses incurred in the removal of gorse.—lt was resolved—" That, while sympathising with MiHewitt, the council regrets that there is no other course open to it than to insist on payment of the account." The Rev. Mr Foreman and Mr Pittaway, representing'the School Committee, asked the council for a grant for the school war memorial. —It was decided to grant a £1 for £1 subsidy on all. money raised locally up to £10: CORRESPONDENCE. H. Dowie wrote . stating that he had reconsidered his resignation as sxirfaceman for Dunback and Macraes, and was reappointed to the position. B. Jones (Waynes Town) wrote complaining of wandering horses and ca-ttle in Dunback. —T. Stanley (Macraes) made a similar complaint as to cattle and horses wandering from the commonage a£ Flat on to the road from G-ifford's to Deepdell Station. —lt was. decided to drawn the ranger's attention to the complaint. It was resolved to instruct the solicitor to sue for a number of outstanding rates. inspector's report. The Inspector, referring to flood repairs in Bushey Riding, recommended that a small bridge culvert be put in at Hailstone's, Shag Point. A good deal of damage was caused by gorse in the water-tables and culverts. The Shag Point work would be started next- week. During the three years three miles of the riding had been gravelled, Bushey Hill road graded and gravelled, and the following roads graded throughout:—Fleming and Millar's road, Shag Point road, boundary road from top of Horse range to town boundary. The only bad wash-out in Goodwood Biding was near Mr Gilmore's, Goodwood, where a slip would have to be attended to as soon as possible. The whole of the roads in. this riding had been graded, and 200 yards of Bobby's Head metal, also 150 yards of Logan's Point metal, put on. Most of the crossings in Blue Mountain Biding had required rilling in. Gravel was being carted to Hughes'* road (Meadow rsank), and should be finished in a few days. A start was made grading Taieri Peak road, but owing to wet weather the work had to be discontinued. A. start would be made again next week. The only serious wash-out in Dunback was on the Stonebum road. Owing to other urgent work the team could do only a few days' work there, but the grader would be put on when the Taieri Peak road was finished. Timber for the Sweetwater bridge had come to hand, and it would be completed as soon as other urgent repairs had been effected.

The only wash-out of any consequence in Macraes Riding was on the Mareburn road, where a slip had been removed. Reviewing the work of the county during the last six years, the inspector stated that there had been a marked increase in wages and in the coat of teams, gravel, metal, and timber. The price of labour and team work had increased about 50 per cent., metal and gravel about 100 per cent., and timber 100 per cent. These increased' costs and the scarcity of labour and material had had an effect on the works done in the county. The average ratepayer was always suggesting that the council was not doing enough, but they should consider that at present prices it cost from £l6O to £4.30 a mile to do gravelling or metalling. In the various ridings during the last three years a lot of work had been done in grading, gravelling, metalling, and putting in piers and bridges in Dunback. There had been very little damage by wash-outSj except at crossings,, and he attributed this to the use of the grader in keeping water-tables clean and widening them.. The surfacemen in Waihemo had longer beats than in most counties, and where one surfaceman attended to more than one riding some people thought their riding was being neglected. An endeavour was made, however, to distribute the work equitably. It required a good deal of consideration to keep expenses within.- the limit of the rates, and every endeavour waa made to expend money judiciously. The report was adopted. It was decided to cancel Mr Kitchen's contract at Stoneburn and to call for fresh tenders.