MANUKAU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 367, 12 April 1918, Page 2

MANUKAU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Monthly Meeting.

At the monthly meeting of the Manukau County Council h°ld in Auckland on Tuesday last there were present: Crs A. E Hattawav (Acting Chairman), J. Luke, A. Muir, F. H. Brownhill, S. W. House, F. W. Waters, with the Clerk A. Bell).—The Chairman, Mr Ale>:. Bell, was unavoidably absent. COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

The resolution passed at the last meeting that fortnightly committee meetings should be held to deal with finance and other questions prior to the usual Council meeting was, on the motion of Cr Brownhill, rescinded, it being agree 1 that special meetings could be held' from time to time if the Chairman considered the same necessary. MANUREWA STATION BRIDGE.

With reference to the bridge and approaches to be constructed at the north end of the new Mannrewa station the Railway District Engineer (Mr D. T. Mcintosh) wrote that the bridge would be constructed simultaneously with the approaches, but the Department would have to be satisfied that the whole work of roading at the north end of tie station would be undertaken, the same to bo approved of by the Department. The matter was held in abeyance pending decision as to the proposed loan. A MERGING QUESTION.

With reftrence to a petition which had been circulated in the East Tamaki Road District for the Road Board to be merged in the County a letter was received from the Chairman (Mr K C. Wallace) of that Board stating that at a meeting of ratepayers held on the»3rd instant, the following resolutions were passed, viz : (1) That this meeting disapproves of the action of Messrs Brown and Eccles (ratepayers) in raising the petition in the district to merge the Road Board into the County Council without being authorised. (2) That the meeting stands adjourned for twelve months in order to give time to the ratepayers to assure themselves that the step proposed to be taken was a correct one.

On the motion of Cr Waters the communication was " received."

Cr Brownhill said that any ratepayer had a perfect right to prepare and circulate a petition if he so desired. Cr Brownhill enquired if notice of a proposed petition should be officially advertised before it was presented to the Council. The Ctark replied in the affirmative explaining that or,e month's notice was required to be given by advertisement before such presentation.

I'AI'ATOETOE RECRKATIOX OROl'X!>. In regaid to the debentures which had been is.-,tied for a term of five years in < f the Papatoetoe Recreati m Ground loan the Council's solicitor-*, in vit-w of the fiet that most of the monev had already been borrowed on that term, suggostel that before going to the expense of a fresh poll the debenture-holders not having agreed to the longer term, an en'etvour c hould In made to h tv>' the t* ini fx■ • U'!• d to lilteen years i• v legislation and that a clause to that (-fleet should be incorporated in the Washing-up Bill in the present session of Parliament.

The Council decided to instruct their solicitors to carry out the suggestion.

ISAI.ANVK SHEET. A draft of the balance sheet for the year ended th j ."-Ist March last was submitted and nr time was give a

by the members to its consideration. GREAT SOUTH JtOAJi lOOTPATII. Attention wa* called by the Manures a Town Board to the unsatisfactory state of the footpath on the Great South Road at Manurewa and a re<iucj>t was made for it to he improved—Referred to the Foreman. RAILWAY SCORIA. The District Engineer of New Zealand Railways, Auckland, notified that tenders were invited for the purchase of scoria on the old railway line between the Great South and Weymouth Roads and that the same would close on the 13th April. Cr Muir suggested that it would be advisable to purchase some'scoria for his Riding and the Clerk was authorised to tender as be thought beat. ACCOUNTS. Accounts amounting to £906 3s lOd were passed for payment. foreman's report. The Foreman (Mr C. Dixon) presented his report as follows : Mangere Riding : The cutting down and forming of footpath on Massey Road was nearly completed and the old metal had been replaced on the road. It was evident that this portion of the road would require a thin coating of blue metal before the winter. The tar-spraying machine had been in the Riding and completed all the work. The work to the footpath near the Public Hall had been completed with the exception of the laying of shingle in front of Barr's. Repairs to Church Hill had been attended to with twelve yards of blue metal from the Depot and six yards of blinding from Lushington's pit. Surfaceman were now attending to the metal patching on the main road, East Tamaki. Fapakura Riding: The County plant had completed the crushing at Brookby, Reardon's pit. Further progress had been made with new metalling on Weymouth Road and was almost completed. As toj the complaints of settlers at the far end of Brown's Road the work would be done as soon as the teams were available. The tarring and sanding of 18 chains of footpath on main road, Manurewa, had been done. Wairoa Riding: The two-inch pipe at the approach to Brown's (native) property on the Maitaitai Road should be removed and replaced by a six-inch pipe. Considerable damage had been caused to the new bridges at KawaKawa Bay due, he thought, to the work not having had sufficient time to consolidate. Keeney Bros, would undertake the surfacework on Otau Hill from Campbell's to the County boundary during the winter months. Messrs Marsh and Tuesday had almost completed the contract on Cashmore's Hill. He had inspected the work and found it satisfactory. The report was adopted.