WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3803, 1 February 1927, Page 32

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING,' The montly meeting of the Waikouaiti County Council was held on Friday, and was attended by Messrs A. Heckler (chairman), E. Laley. J. Preston, George Gilmour, P. Briscoe, and' J. M'Lachlan. INSPECTOR’S REPORTS. Mr T. Lang, inspector, reported as follows with regard to works in the’ridings:— Hawksbury Riding.—During the month 60 yards of gravel from Shields’s pit have been spead on the Main road, mostly on the hill near Goodwood dairy factory. The road from the river at Orbell’s crossing to .the foot of the hill near Ballingdon bridge has been graded thioughout, and the grader is now working on Mill road. These roads will require about 200 yards of mainten ance gravel before the winter. Merton Riding.—7so yards of metal have been crushed up to the present time and spread on the worst portions of the Main road, £2O ,• yards being put on the road from the quarry towards Waitati and blinded with gravel and rotten rock, and 330 yards spread on various portions of the road north of the quarry for a distance of five miles, most of it being also blinded with rotten rock. Pullar’s road requires about 50 yards of metal, and the metal for Pryde’s road can also be crushed at the same quarry. Scarp street, at Karitane, is being formed before metalling by raising it with clay taken from the cutting on Grimness street. It would be advisable to finish grading this road, as it is very steep, and there would be a considerable amount of traffic- on it if the grade were easier. Four trucks of metal are required for the road near Puketeraki station. Gilchrist’s road and M'Grath’s road have been graded. Blueskin Riding.—The construction of the new bridge at Waitati. on the WaitatiKawarika road, is finished, but there is still some rock filling to do. A protection fence on each side is required at the end of the bridge next the cutting. It could be constructed from old planks. Thirty or 40 yards of metal have been broken for th« Purakanui township road. A hollow in the road near the beach requires filling before the metal is put on. The clay could be taken from the side of the road higher up and the road widened. Ten chains of the footpath near Mouat’s has been formed and is ready for the gravel. The construction of the concrete crossing at Mitchell’s ford will probably be started within a few days. North-East Valley Riding.—Water-tables have been cleaned out on Reservoir road and Hall road and the footpaths cleaned. Metal has been broken and used in filling potholes on the Main road. The metal on the Waitati-Wakari road has been raked in and blinded, and the pitching of the bank? of Burns's Creek under the bridge is finished. The reports were approved. CORRESPONDENCE. The Receiver of Land Revenue (Dunedin) wrote forwarding £3O Ils lOd, the amount of small grazing run “fourths” for the period ended October 31, IS26.—Received. Mr C. J. M'Kenzie. chairman of the Main Highways Board, Wellington, wrote forwarding the following resolution passed by tho board distinguishing between maintenance and reconstruction: —“Where the work on a road is of such a kind that it merely restores the road to its original character and standard this shall be considered maintenance; but where the work comprises work of an additional character, thereby improving and bringing the road up to a standard superior to its original standard, then such work shall be considered as reconstruction, even though there be no alteration in the location; that tar or bitumen sealing, which, in the board’s opinion, will preserve the surface of a road and is economically justified, it shall be considered as maintenance. All proposals for initial two coats of tar or bitumen sealing shall be submitted - to and first approver! of by the board."—Tho writer pointed out that in accordance with this resolution tar or bitumen sealing done since December 2. 1926, would be subsidised in accordance with the present maintenance subsidy of 30s for £l. subject, of course, to the provisions of the above resolution.— Received. Mr C. J. M'Kenzie, chairman of the Main Highways Board, Wellington, wrote atating that where a clerk of works was engaged to supervise a specific work and was kept continually employed on that work during the progress of reconstruction, the Main Highways Board regarded his wages na part aost of She work and subsidised them on the aaual basis.—Received. Mr P. rlercns. secretary of the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, wrote with reference no the Railway Advisory Board that at a meeting of representatives of Jocal

bodies last month, it was decided that a railway advisory board for the Dunedin district should be set up, the various interests represented to form the board, but the important matter of electing an executive was deferred to a further meeting. This would be held in the board room of the Chamber of Commerce.—Received. Mr F. _S. Lloyd, county clerk, Naseby, wrote with refei ence to the proposed Counties’ Association in O til go. The writer stated that a conference would be held in Dunedin on February 9 to consider the question of joint by-laws.—Received.— Cr Preston ana the county clerk were appointed to represent the council at the conference. Margaret Karetai and eight other residents of Karitane wrote requesting the council to form a footpath on the south side of Scarp street, Waikouaiti townsship, and agreeing to gravel the footpath at their own expense when it was formed. — The writers also asked the council to purchase a portion of land at the corner of the street. —It was decided to inform the writers that the matter had been left in the inspector’s hands to deal with. Mr H. Powei) (Merton) wrote asking that some repairs should be carried out on a road known as Pullar’s road.—lt _ was resolved that the writer should be informed that the road was- being put in order, and the work would be completed when the writer cleared the gorse out of the water-table. Mr P. H. Power, secretary of the Otago Motor Club, wrote suggesting that a rail should be erected on both sides of the culvert on the roadline near Mr Bissland’s property at Waitati.—The matter was referred to the member for the riding and the inspector for report. Mr Thomas Downes (Waitati) requested that the ditch near his property at Waitati should be cleaned out.—The inspector was instructed to attend to the request. Mr D. J. Mackenzie wrote requesting the council to metal about six chains of road leading to his section at Waitati. and agreeing to assist towards the cost of the work. —The offer was accepted, provided the writer paid half the cost of the "work. Mr Andrew Harvie (Nenthorn. Moonlight) wrote calline’ attent:on to the state of the Nenthorn main road, and asking that it should be attended to at once. —It was decided to inform the writer that the work,: woidd be attended to in conjunction with the work at Mathie=on’s. Mrs B. J. Reid 'Waitati) wrote asking what the council intended doing with regard to repairing the road leading to her property.—The inspector was instructed to attend to the worst part of. the road. GENERAL. Mr J. AFGregor’s tender for the supply and delivery of 100 cubic yards of metal for Al'Kay’s road, Merton Riding, at 12s per yard, was accented. The contract for the supply of gravel for the Mount Trotter-Palmerston road at 10s per yard was let to Mr T. G. White, Palmerston Mr C. J. Murtagh (Purakanui Point) ■wrote asking permission to fill in two feet of the road line with a view’ to forming a footpath along the front of his crib. — Permission was granted. It was resolved to write to the persons who erected the gate on the public road leading to the homestead on the Cherry Farm property requesting them to remove the gate until they complied with the conditions under which permission for its erection was given. Accounts amounting to £1449 3s 4d were passed for payment. * It was resolved, on the motion of Cr Laley. that a 10 per cent, penalty should be added to all rates remaining unpaid after February 28.