WAIKOHU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 14195, 12 January 1917, Page 4

WAIKOHU COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Waikohu County Council was held to-day. Present: Os. C White (chairman).. A. Smith, A. A. Fraser, F. Shanks, L. B. Tulloch, G. Gaukrodger, and Abbotsford Smith. The .standing orders were suspended ' to allow A. J. Curtis to interview the ' Council in reference to his contract on ' the Makaretu road. Mr Curtis asked for an extension of time, owing to unfavorable weather and scarcity of labor. — It was decided to grant three months' extension. Mr J. Gardner wrote saying that he ! had arranged to purchase from A'lv Sorensen the area necessary to complete access to the boundary of Wharekopae ' 2B block at a total cost of £61/ which, added to the cost of fencing,, would ' make his expenditure more than equal to the amount granted by the Council.*Received. Dr Sydney Smith, district health officer, forwarded a copy of the Order-in-Council revoking the appointment of the Cook Hospital Board as local authority under "The Public Health Act, 1908," in the Cook and Waikohu Coiinties as from January Ist, 1917. — Received. The clerk of the Cook County Council (Mr -John Warren) wrote saying that his Council is prepared to subscribe the sum of £12 10s per annum as its share df -the cost "of .^maintaining Taumata road if the Waikohu County Council will carry out the work and on condition that no extra work shall be charged against the Cook Cpunty Council. — Decided to -ratify the .agreement subject to the understanding that it< includes ordinary maintenance only, neV^Nvorks, such as' new bridges and metalling to be dealt with by separate agreement. The district engineer, Mr C. E. Armstrong, replying to , the Council's letter o C October 3rd, asking for a statement ot unexpended authorities for works, stated that he is prepared to (submit to head office any proposal the Council wishes to, make in reference to re-allocation, if good reason can be shown for suoh.-r-Decided to. request the -allocation of certain authorities for work suggested by the engineer. The Under-Secretary for Public Works advised that a Government grant of £490, for. which authority is. held by the district engineer, had. been reallocated to the Gisborne-Rotouua stock track, : and would be expended by the Department — Received. 7 A circular was received "from Mr J. G.* Wilson, President of the Board of Agriculture,, asking for information as to the be,st methods of preventing or eradicating the worst noxious weeds in the district. — Information to be supplied. , Replying to the Council's letter in re- . f erence to a building said to be on the ; road line at Matawai, the district engineer (Mr C. E, Armstrong) said that the ,- building in question, .is the .\Vorks Hospital and. is. .on Government Reserve, but ; a.s the building is now ou,t of use it Js ' proposed to move it. forward to a new - site when ready. — Received. ' Mr Chas. Percy, clerk of works," applied for an increase of pay whilst en- : gaged on survey work for the Council. ' |He suggested the sum of £25 per month ' and out-of-pocket expenses ; he provid- * [ing buggy and horses and full survey equipment. — Resolved, to grant £25 per • month, Mr Percy- to pay his own ex- ; penses. , The Chief Engineer, N.Z.R., forward- = ed for completion^ the deeds in oonnec- ' tion with the Council's lease of 'paufc of i I the Te Karaka railway reserve. — Dee<ls to be completed. \ ! Messrs Laffey and Ryan, contractors, applied to the, Council" to complete the ' metalling in connection with their con- ; tract at Kaitaratahi , arid deduct the cost from the srim due to them. — Request granted. 1 Mr J. W. Price asked leave to cut ■ grass seed on the Otoko-Makaretu road u'ne; — Permission given. . ; Ml* W. C. McLean applied on behalf of Mr J. B. Poynter for a renewal of the J latter's billiard saloon license. — Granted. Messrs Stephenson and Lennane, taxi ' proprietors, applied for permission to put up a sign, across the footpath at Te ■' Kara^— Leave granted. • Mrs A.. AW. Home, hon. sec. 'Poverty Bay ..School .Committees' Association, < wrote asking for the .Council's support to ; a day lighti_aiving scheme proposed to be introduced^ locally. — Received.' ■ A circular was received from the Petone Borough Council, asking** the . Council's co-operation in .an endeavor to have. removed the discrimination in rate of pay made between married and single men in the Motor Boat Patrol Service. — Received.. . The siecretary. of the P.B. \ Farmers' Meat Compiany wrote, controverting the statement made by the District Railway Engineer that the accumulation of waiter on the road was due to the Meat Company's culvert beiifg setYtoo low.; — Received. * Mr E^ B. Thomson wrote to protest « against the inclusion of his property in a loan area ,in connection with improve- 1 ments to the Po.ututu crossing,— -Decided * to. inform Mr Thomson that the proposed ' loan has been granted. ' j Mr W. Young, clerk to the Opotiki : County Council, vwrrote, gating that*, that Council, did' not agree to the .proposed alteration in the County boundary.---- Re- i ceived. Mr; H... E. Burgess wrote, asking for i payment of royalty. on gravel taken from liis pit previous -.to the time when the present Engineer took charge. — Tlie Clerk . said there was no record of the quantity of metal taken, and it .was resolved to ask the late Oyei'seer if he could furnish ah estimate of the, quantity. : ■ Tlie Auditor-General forwarded tho -. audited copy of accounts/ for the six months ended 30th September, 1916. — Received. Mesrs I? ells and Turnbull and Mr VV. G. Sherratt wrote drawing attention to (hi state of the Mangaharnia road and asking that the survey of the road^ be gone on with.-— On.- tho motion of 'Ur. Gaukrodger .the engineer; wa-i instructed ,to inspect the road at once, and make any possible ■■-arrangements for carrying, out the work up to the amount, previously authorised. The assistant' secretary io the' Post-master-General wrote that plana for. the ne\y ]>ost office and telephone exchange nt Te Karaka had bei'n ap--. proved. — Received. Messrs Blair and Humfrey, Motuliora, prices for Aotara timber and. posts. — Tender, declined. - Mr J. Warren, clerk of the Cook ounty Council, wrote stating that Mr C. Ferris had, been appointed sanitary inspector for the counties of Cook and Waikohu at a 6a.laiy "of £250 per annum; the' appointment- being made for six months, at the end ..of which time it was hope li' to be \ able' to determine whether one man Vould cope with the whole of the work. The Cook Council desired to have this Council'., consent to this arrangement, the salary being ap- : portiored as follows : Cook two-thirds, Waikohu one-third. — Decided to confirm the appointment. A number of settlers on the Makaretu road petitioned the Council to take over from the contractors the first two and a-half miles of the Makaretu deviation as soon as completed. Tho request was declined. ' , Messrs Evans, Thomson,, and Cooper wrote drawing attention to the bad state of their access road. Mr Cooper waited on the Council in support pi this letter. — Gr Fraser proposed that the engineer be authorised to carry out repairs if tho petitioners would assist in finding labor. Mr. R. Bruce wrote complaining' of tho state' of his road and asking .that it be put in order. — It was resolved to call the attention of Mr. pray to the dama.ge caused .to this road by the new weir, and to ask Mr Bruce to find labor to fix up the road at , the Council's expense. ' ,'■ ■ Mr E. B. Thomson wrote stating that lie was getting the approval of the parties interested to pell "to the^Council a portion of their property for a roadman's paddock. — Received. Mr G. H. Wright ■•intimated that he did not wash to part with the section which had been pegged out as a\ roadman's paddock, but would be willing Lo selL a suitable site near; Mr Shanks' boundary.-— Decided tha. the enjapneer ' should interview Mr Wright to try to eome to a satisfactory arrangement.. ' ( Messrs, Bell and Sons applied for leave : to make a putting into the river at tlie

Rangatira pond. — Request granted. Mr. H. Stevenson wrote complaining ef« an alleged irregularity on . the part of the poundkeeper. — ■Decided ;to reply that Mr Stevenson should himself take action against the poundkeeper. ■About 70 applications wero received for the position of County overseer, and. the Council proceeded to deal with them. ■ '■■_:■■■ ■I'lnp Mi|^ ■.