BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 8 March 1921, Page 6

BRUCE COUNTY COUNCIL

The ninthly meeting of the Bruce County Council was attended on the Ist by Crs Gardyne (chairman), Scott, Bussell, Driver, Johnston, Sheat, Bell, Kenton, Clark, Allan, •nd BI air. TENDERS ACCEPTED. The following tenders for formation and retailing were accepted:—lrishman's Neck road (Glenledi), 64 chains, A. J. James, formation £45, metalling £7 a chain; MiltonCccmbe Hay, James Ferguson, formation £25, metalling £8 a chain; Milburn-Crrcie Hill, 34J chains, James Ferguson, formation £3B 10s, carting 4s 6d a ton. Tenders for similar work on the Puketi (Greenfield) and the Lovell’s Flat-Ka.-angata roads were left to the inspector and members to deal with. ECHO OF LAW CASE. The Minister of Public Works (.the Hon. J. G. Coates), referring to a request that legislation should be introduced enabling the Ka.tangata canal to be declared a natural watercourse, so that in case of the failure of the canal or tide gates the council would be relieved from further claims for damages, wrote that there was no power under existing legislation to declare an artificial channel a natural watercourse, and it waq not considered advisable to introduce legislation to provide the necessary power to do so. The matter, however, had been under consideration by the Cabinet, and it had been agreed that under the special cireumr.tahces tho Bruce County Council would be released from the payment of £ISOO, its contribution towards the renewal of the tide gf.'ite. The Government would not recognise any j go risibility whatever in connection villi any future damage that might fce czutod by the failure of these works.—Received. INSPECTOR’S REPORT. The Inspector reported that consids .able damage had been done by high tides to tie approaches to Morgan’s bridge, Taicii Mouth, and repair works were in hand. The grading on Clarendon-Berwick road was almost completed, and this would allow Mr Ferguson to get on with his metalling contract .at Michelles road. The concrete work in connection with the new bridge at Milburn was completed and the girders put in place ready for the decking. Various contracts in connection with Government grants and loan n j— were making good! progress, and

others had been started during the month. — Adopted. SOUTH MOLYNEUX PUNT. The Clerk of the Clutha County Council reported that at a conference held at Balclutha as to the working of the South Molyneux punt it was resolved to recommend to the councils that the request of petitioners for a larger and more convenient punt be declined at present, and that no increase in the puntman’s wages be made, but that the free hours of working the punts on +tlie Clutha River under the care of the Bruce and Clutha counties be reduced to the following:—Week days, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sundays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a half-hour before and after church in the evening; meal hours, noon to 0.30 p.m. and 5 to 5.30 p.m. The recommended charges for crossing before and after the above hours were as fellow:—For each person 6d, for each hors© and bchiclo or motor 6d, maximum charge for vehicle and passengers 2s.—lt was resolved that the Bruce county engineer and Mr Renton should obtain estimates for tho erection of gates on the punt for confining cattle and on tho road at each end of the punt for holding stock during transportation. It was decided to agree to the new charges. GENERAL. The Finance Committee reported that receipts amounted to £1472 19s 7d, ar.d expenditure to £2079 14s Bd. The ranger's report disclosed that 41 cattle and 10 horses were impounded during tho month. It was decided to share in the health authorities’ appointment of a sanitary inspector for South Otago, under the new Health Act. The clerk was instructed to submit details of the council’s superannuation scheme to its employees and, ask for their opinion on it. Cr Knfsell said there was now an additional set of rails at the north end of the Milburn railway station, which had caused a sieep grade. Ho suggested that tho inspector should see that a proper crossing was made. —Carried. It was resolved, on {lie motion of Cr Clark, to take oval* under the Public Works Act the road up Happy Valley to BSirg’s station at Pukepito. Cr Blair suggested that the surfacemen should work in two gangs, under the instruction of the inspector, instead of "throwing in earth and stones hero and there,”

which was a waste of time. He considered it would result in a cheaper and more methodical method of work, and that if metal was quarried farmers would sometimes be whiling to put it on the roads.—The Chairman remarked that he did not think the surfacemen would like working away from their homes. CORRESPONDENCE. Thomas Gage asked permission to lay about Sft of pipes to widen the Wangaloa road at the entrance to his mine,—Granted. James Liddell (Taieri Beach) asked the council to clear the road leading from the Main road of gorse and manuka, and form it to a width of 12ft; also to put in a culvert. Ho offered to do the ploughing and to cart the pipes.—lnspector and member to report. Tho Dunlop Coal Company asked for permission to cross the Main road at Kaitangata, opposite Mr Allan Robson’s property, with a tramline, which they wished to lay along the side of the road leading past his house.—Granted, during the pleasure of the council, at a rental of £1 Is a year. The District Engineer for Public Works advised that there would be no objection to the transference of balances amounting to £B6 10s from the Mahara coal mine road to the Kaitamgata-Wangaloa road, unless the council knew of any interested parties who might object.—Application to be made accordingly. The Town Clerk, Milton, asked the council to replace, with 2ift- pipes, the pipes that crossed the road at Salmond’s ditch. —Crs Russell and Scolt considered that the ditch" should lie widened before the larger culvert was put in.— It was resolved to let the matter stand over till tho next meeing and to obtain a legal opinion as to the council’s responsibility in the event of flood damage to Milton. The Secretary, Crichton Coal Company, asked tho council not to proceed with the metalling of the road from Crichton railway station to the mine pending decision on a proposal to connect the mine with a siding on the Milton side of the station, either by a horse tramline or a branch railway.— Received. The Kaituna Coal Company a*skod for a refund of £BS 9s, payment of royalties, on the ground that the money was not required by the council to maintain the company’s portion of the Wangaloa road, as the company did the work at a cost of £l3O. Granted.

Another letter from the company pointed out that none of the other min© owners had assisted it with the back loading of metal from the Kaitangata-Wangaloa road from the Kaitangata boundary to the Saddle, w th the exception of Messrs Morrison -*->ros., who had carted only 47 tons lOcwt. The company considered the other owners should pay at least £2OO for their share of the work, which was going to co6t well over £6OO, and asked the council to embody a clause in the agreement providing for the payment of a royalty of 6d per ton until the amount was wiped out. —The agreement, which has been signed by Messrs Morrison Bros., Wright and Edwards, Thomas Gage, and Thomas Miouieton, provides for the payment of a royalty of Is 6d a ton for the formation and metalling of the Kaitangata-Wangaloa road. — Messrs Morrison Bros, wrote offering to cart 200 tons of metal for the road, on condition that it was sent forward in quantities as notified by them.. —It was decided to hold a conference with the mine owners on March 18 to discuss the maintenance of the road. IMPORTING BANNED LITERATURE. WELLINGTON, February 28. ! Walter Nash, publisher’s agent, was charged at the Magistrate’s Court, and pleaded guilty to two charges of having brought into Now Zealand literature advocating and encouraging lawlessness and viol lence, contrary to the War Regulations ConI l inuance Act. The pamphlets complained | of were a Communist programme of the I world revolution Communist movement and the I.WAV. and a special message from the Communist Interndtionals—of Moscow. Nash explained that the literature reached liim as samples in a business way, and he had no intention of circulating them. Air Hunt, S.M., described the pamphlets as being as dangerous to the body politio as. typhoid germs in a city reservoir, and said that, had Nash intended to circulate them, he would have iqagosed the maximum; ; penalty; but in the cimumstances the case j would be met by a fine of £5 and costs. ! Two charges of selling such literature ! against other defendants have yet to be j heard.