RANGITIKEI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XXXIV, Issue 9412, 5 April 1909, Page 8

RANGITIKEI COUNTY COUNCIL.

• ( monthly meeting. The moncbly beld at Marten on Saturday. Present. Ors. R..K. Simpson (ohairman).T. Fig natriok. M. Morrison, B. P. Detn hJidae J. Smitn. A. G. Simpson. A. MoGreEor. D. Fraser and T. Duncan. Applications for change of names onjrate roll were all granted. CORRESPONDENCE. From Treasury, advising_ P a y“ «f grants—Jacobsen’s Road£7s os lid ; Makohine Valley £6O ; MataroaMangaWeka £163 10s _9d ; Valley £B9 8s 4d ; Taihape-Waionru ■ I?b‘4d* Prom Treasury, advising payment of loan of £4OO, Pubirua Road S same, advising that loan of £630 for metalling farther portion of Brandon Hall Road, Bulls, will he available soon after 31st M ® rc *J* lar . From Roads Department, deolar ing portions of the followjng roads to he County roads:—Utiku Town ship, Torea and Rape Streets; inga Road; Tutupapa Road, and Turakina Valley Road. From District Road Engineer, asking Council’s consent to a deviation of the Turakina Valley Road through ’sections 1 a m d hft 3, XIII., Maungakaretu.— The Chair man was authorised to ■ sign rhe de From°Reooiver Land Revenue, advising payment of £337 7s 8d of ■ hypothecated thirds. From Wanganui Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards, advising amount of levies due <for 1909-10 hospital maintenance £653 0s 8d and charitable aid £244 17s Bd. . From Inspector of Factories at Mangaweka, certifying to signatures to petition for early closing of shops in Awarua Riding.—The . prayer of the petitioners was agreed to. From W. A. Ellis, asking per-

mission to erect telephone P°* es . road to York Farm.— Granted subject to the work done to approval oi the Inspector. From R. A. Gower, asking permission to cart foil loads of timber from Ms mill on condition that they cart metal to repaid road.—Left witn Engineer to deal with. From Pulford and Peters, asking for additional allowance of £3O on their contract for metalling on Moawbango Valley Road.—A sum or £lO extra was granted. From H. Sinks, asking for a settlement of dispute in connection with sanitary contract in townships of Hunterville, Ohingaiti and Mangaweka.—Matter left with Mr Mair and Or. Lethbridge to settle. REPORTS. .Mr Mair (engineer) reported:— The weather has been very favourable for road works and good progress has been made with all the contracts and other Oounty works in hand, and most Of them will be finished up before the end of the

present month. As the season was getting late I have let 1 to Mr Thos. James the contract for formation on Eanaekeke Road, and the work on Karetn Road South, the price being £BO for the former and £l3O for the latter, both considerably under the previous tenders. During the month tenders for 21 chains formation at Kawbatau and 20 chains gravelling on Weston Road, Mangaweka, were dealt with by a Works Committee, and a tender for the former accepted; the only tender for the latter being declined as to high. However, I have since been able to let this work to Mr O’Brien, of Taihape, at 8a per yard and he has now made a start Vith the work The work of burning papa on Mataroa Road South has been completed satisfactorily. 1037 yards were burnt with 150 cords of firewood at a cost of 6s a yard spread upon the fprmatiu. This may .be considered very satisfactory, as owing to Council’s part payment for the wood the contractor loit through the bash fires last year, the cost of the wood used was 17s par cord delivered upon the road. A dead bullock, reported to belong to Mr F. Mickleson of Ta Kapua, has been lying* on Wairepo Road West for the last month. I wired Mr Mickleson to remove it as it was both a nuisance and a danger to settlers, but so far nothing has been done. There is a part of the MakohineMangaweka Road near the Makohine v bridge, which is very narrow and leaves a sheer drop into the Gorge. I would recommend that this place be widened and fenced at a cost of about £lO, There is a sum of money a vailable which could be used for the w.ork. Tbe settlers concerned in the proposed bridge over Rangitikei river at Taoroa are very anxious that this Work should be put in hand at once to ensure it being ready for next shearing. I have been in communication with Mr Joseph Dawson, of Hufcanui, re the adoption of one of his suspension bridges for this aite. As Instructed I have made exhaustive into the complaints made at last meeting against two of the Te Kapua roadmen, and the petition asking that the Te Kapua foreman be dispensed with. In the first case, that of roadman Broome, the complaint has completely broken down. It is all over grass seed on the road which was v purchased by the roadman and afterwards removed by the .complainant Mr B. H, Nelley; then a quarrel ensued. Mr Carson who sees the roadman going to and returning from work each day gives the man a very good name, as do the foreman and many settlers along his length.,. I wrote to Mr Nelley to substantiate his complaint, but he has not replied to my letter. In the instance in which Roadman Adair was reported to have thrown the stones off Taihape-Mataroa road in preference to breaking them, with Cr. Fitzpatrick I met the foreman* roadman and the complainant on the road. The result was that the complainant r iversed his statement and saidjhe saw the roadman putting the stones back on the road again. By farther investigations I found that the school children had been caught throwing the stones off on their way home from school, also the heavy waggon traffic from the Box Uompauy’s sawmill was pushing much of the dry gravel over the side of the road. In the case of the complaint*against the Te Kapua foreman, this seems .to be mostly a misunderstanding, as it . wks thought the whole of the foreman’s duties w'ere in the Te Kapua > Riding and all his salary charged to it. However, when they learned that the foremans duties extended throughout the Te Kapua-, Otairi, and parts of the Waugaehu and Bangatira Ridings, from Mataroa in the north to Eauangaroa and Rata in the South, the complaint melted away. I have oonsnlted several prominent settlers in these Ridings, and they all agree as to the effioier. cy generally of the men now employed.

One settler from Pohonui has written to me stating that both foreman and roadmen in his district giving satisfaction. A detailed inquiry convinces one that the present system is giving a fairly high standard of work'for the limited funds available over so large a district, and i would be sorry to see the present system abandoned till a more effective one was devised.

It was resolved, That Mr Mair’a action in letting contracts daring the month be confirmed, —That the Engineer be instructed to have protective fencing and widening done on the Makohine-Maugaweka road, near the Makohine bridge, at a cost of about £4O. ■

Mr Thoms (Inspector) reported The late showery weather has been very good for the metalled roads, and is causing the new metal to settle down making them much better to travel on. All the contractors for delivering maintenance metal on the roads have completed their contracts, excepting Mr Gave on Upper Tutaenui roads, and Mr Perry on the Turakina roads. Mr Gave is making good progress and will soon finish should the weather permit. Mr Perry is very slow, but has not much more to do. The work of widening on the Turakina Valley Road is nearly oomplet.ed, and the work of forming the deviation on the Kapa Kapa road will he commenced next $ week. During the month I have inspected a large number of the old bridges and culverts and found that some required repairing and others renewing. The small bridge on the Bnlls-Tnrakina road near Mr Black’s metal pit has been repaired. A number of the old culverts are rotten and will be replaced by concrete pipes of the following sizes. Two sets of JS-inoh pipes on the Bulls-Greatford road, one set of 18-inoh out be Quarantine Road, and one set of 24-inch on the Makirikiri Road. These pipes have just come to hand and the work of patting them in will he commenced at once. The metalling of Oraig’s Road, Wangaehu, has been, commenced. The settlers interested are finding four teams to haul the metal and the Council are filling the drays and spreading the metal. I have arranged with Mr E. Green to strip the pit, fall the metal and fill the drays for Is 3d per yard. This appears a rather high price, hut the pit is very bard to work. I went and saw Mrs Hirini (Merehira Paerau) of Wangaehu, with reference to taking road through her property to give access to Messrs MoLachlan and Glasgow’s properties. Also to connect with right-of-way leading to the Eatana Station. At first she refused, but eventually she agreed to allow it to go through if the road was fenced on both sides. I than went to see Messrs MoLachlan and Glasgow, to see if they would undertake the fencing of the road if the Council did the surveying. Unfortunately Mr Glasgow was away. Mr MoLaohlan agreed to do halt the fencing, and I have received word that Mr Glasgow will do the other half. The cost of the fencing will come to about £7O The clerk informs me that Mrs Hirini called a couple of days ago and told him she would not agrhe to the road unless she was paid for the land at th* Oounty valuation, which is £ll 5s per acre. The area required would be a little over three acres. OTHER BUSINESS. It was resolved—

That (Ors. McGregor—T. Duncan) in future all applications for loans from this Uounoil be dealt with bn their merits, notwithstanding priority of application. That,‘(Or. Smith—Chairman) application be made to the Treasury for tbe provisional approval of a loan of £3500 for constructing a bridge and acquiring and forming approaches over the Rangitikei river at Taoroa. That (Chairman—Or. McGregor) the Engineer draw up and submit to the chairman a list of sums to be applied for by Council by way of a grant from tbe Government for the current year. That (Ors. McGregor—Lethbridge) the action of the chairman in letting contract No. 393 on Potaka Road to James Goodwin be confirmed. That (Ors. -Fitzpatrick—Smith) the work of lowering the water now hacked up on Mr Jas. Ollivet’s property by embankment on Murray’s track be put in hand at once. That (Ora McGregor—Simpson) tbe action of chairman, in accepting Mr McDermott’s tender at £4BO 13s for contract No. 124, metalling Brandon Hall Road, he confirmed. That (Chairman—Ur. McGregor) the Engineer be authorised to deal with the letting of contract No. 295, Rongoiti Road. Thbt (Chairman—Or. McGregor) the estimates be laid before the Council at next meeting and a copy furnished to each Councillor a week before the meeting. That (Chairman —Or. Lethbridge) the salary of assistant clerk be increased to annum. That (Ors. A, G. Simpson— McGregor) notices be posted on bridges that are considered unsafe for heavy traffic. A deputation waited on Council (Messrs Brice, Birch and Dr. Skerman) to inquire about Kitchener Street and the at the Marton Junction. The Chairman explained what Government had promised to do and the Council's position in the matter. —It was resolved, that the Council agrees to raise a loan of £550 for forming and metalling the approaches to level crossing at Pipae Street, and, if necessary, to assist in making a subway to connect Robert Street with the Junction Railway Station, viz,. £250 for the road work and not exceeding £3OO towards the subway. The Treasurer reported a credit balance after last month’s payments of £1593 5s 4d. Tbe receipts during March totalled £1607 Os 3d. which brought the credit balance to £3200 5s 7d. The accounts passed for payment amounted to £2504 7s lOd,