WALLACE COUNTY COUNCIL

Southland Times, Issue 16840, 16 September 1911, Page 3

WALLACE COUNTY COUNCIL

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. The usual meeting of the Wallace County Council was held at Otaulau yesterday, the following members being In attendance ;—Messrs 11. Hirst (chairman), Jno. McNaughton, Win. Affleck, tT. Power, F. J. Dyer. T. Buckingham, ino. Fraser, Greer, and J. King. CORRESPONDENCE. The Public Works Department forwarded authority to spend £IOO vote, being £ for £ subsidy on Belmont to Black mount road.— Received. The Under-Secretary of the Mines Department forwarded authority for spending £-00 on Uuahine to Beach.— Received. The secretary of the General Post Office. Wellington, forwarded statement of'revenue and expenditure at the Aparima telephone office. There -was a deficiency for the tear of £1 Os, half of which was due by the council, and the secretary asked that 11s 6d be remitted to him. —Amount to be remitted. Mr J. C. Thomson, M.P.. forwarded reply of the bon. Minister of Public Works to the request of the Council for grants for Kirchwood-Eeldwick-Wairio road ami Struan's Flat road. Tim Minister had informed Air Thomson that the request would have his careful consideration when dealing with Hie estimates.—Received. Major-General Godley. Commandant Of the New Zealand Force asked tor the co-operation, help, aim assistance Of the Council in the training ol the Senior Cadets and Territorials, and asked for the use of any building under the authority of the Council. Council agreed to offer what assistance they could. _ , The Secretary of the New Zealand Counties’ Association forwarded a resolution of that body requesting all County Councils to ask candidates for Parliament at next election to use their best endeavours to induce and assist any Government in office to introduce during the first session of the new Parliament a comprehensive Local Government Bill.—Agreed to.

The. Commissioner of Crown Lands. Invercargill, pointed out that P. Glynn, lessee of section 3S. block 1, Aparima Hundred, had no right to the royalty the Council had been paying him for gravel. The land in question was an Education reserve administered by the Lands Department. The Commissioner had notified Glynn that all future royalty must be paid to the Lands Department. —Commissioner to be informed that Glynn had never been paid royalty by the Council on gravel. The Secretary of the Nightcaps Coronation Hall committee replied to the Council’s inquiry that the proposed hall was going to be built of brick, size 35 feet by 70 feet, and that the estimated cost was £6so.—Received. James A. Adamson and Son, Orepuki, asked permission to build over the footpath in Dover .street, Orepuki, an iron verandah. They also requested that the sewer be continued at least one chain on the western side of Truro street from the corner of Dover street. —Request acceded to.

D. McKenzie and Co., Nightcaps, applied for permission to construct a tramway on or about the same route as Messrs More and Sons had obtained the Council’s sanction to build, from TVairio siding to their coal mine. The writers left the time to begin the work to the Council’s dictation. —Received. S. Symington wrote with regard to the petition asking that the road running between his property and the reserve at the top of the Fairfax hill, that the work was urgently required by all the settlers along the road, as ft is the only outlet for their produce and is at times in a very bad condition. At the present time the writer was without any good means of access between the main road and the homestead in wet weather. He hoped the Council would be able to see its way to entertain the suggestion at least in part.—Received. James Baird. Birchwood. again drew the attention of the Council to the unexpended vote on Gully Road. He was promised a road at once when he took up the section four years ago. He had not got anything done yet, and his time for improvements would be up next month. He had not been able to get Into his section yet. He suggested that a track could be made very cheaply as the first mile was level.—The engineer explained that tenders would-be called as soon as the allocation - of the work was arranged by the Government engineer.

Knowler Bros., Te Tua. complained that nothing had been done to the water tables which the Council promised to attend to when the weather took up.— Matter to be attended to. James Sheddan, Otautau, asked permission to plough the west side of the road line in front of his section, Aparima Hundred. If the request were granted he would sow down the side of the road in grass.—Application granted.

A. TV. Roger, jun., Birchwood. forwarded an account for amount due under agreement dated 23rd November, 1910, namely £lo.—Account to be paid. Twenty-three ratepayers in the TValau protested against - the erection of a gate near the bridge recently erected over the Orawla on the road leading to Tuatapere. They also asked that the present gate be removed.—The gate to be removed.

Twelve property-holders at Fairfax petitioned the Council in respect to the road leading past sections 4 and 12, 5 and 11, G and 10. 7 and S, block 14, Jacob’s River Hundred from its junction with the Fairfax road. They asked the Council to gravel the road. J. A. Adamson and Son, Orepuki, wrote asking that the asphalt footpath In Truro street be extended.—Engineer to report. James Gordon, Otautau, asked for pipes across road near his section.—Request granted on condition that applicant brings up fall. J. R. Nuttall, Longwood. was granted a seven years’ lease at 5s per annum of the quarry reserve at Longwood. O’Belrne and Keddell, on behalf of J. Kynaston, wrote with reference to the groin placed in the Orawai creek. — The letter was referred to the engineer. John O. Clapp wrote suggesting that a deviation be constructed Instead of having the £7OO spent on the Manuka Hill road.—Letter received, as Council has no power to change the localities of Government grants. A petition was read from a number of Dlpton residents asking that the Council give a guarantee of the interest on the cost of erection of a telephone line from Dipton Post Office to McGill’s homestead, a distance of about flve miles. —Granted. Isabella Scott asked that the road leading from Feldwick to Orawla be opened for traffic.—Engineer to report and remove fence if necessary. James Scott wrote requesting that the £ for £ vote for road at Scott’s Gap be expended as the road was impassable. —To receive attention. Accounts and salaries amounting to £IOO2 7s 9d were passed for payment. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The County Engineer (Mr J. Geo. Baker) reported as follows ; I have the honour to report that during the month several Government grants and other works have been laid out in various parts of the county and several contracts will be started next month. Regarding the application for a gate on the Maori Hill road, I would advise the Council not to accede to this request as this road is a main thoroughfare and the traffic on it is increasing dally : further, the fact that the Orawia stream will not keep back rabbits invalidates any good the gate may do in that direction. The extension to the approach for the Tuatapero ferry is completed and so far is working satisfactorily. The bridge gang is at present constructing a concrete bridge on the Thornbury-Riverton road and a wooden bridge on Fletcher and Ronald’s road. The work will be completed about the end of this week : a start will then be made renewing Wilson’s bridge, which at present is in a dangerous condition. River protective works are in progress at Thornbury bridge, Wrey’s Bush bridge, and the stock bridge at Avondale. Cr Power and myself visited ttiat portion of the Wairio-Birchwood road between Wairio and the Blue Bottle Creek. This road is In a very bad state, there being little or no formation and what culverts are in are useless. Cr Power lias authorised the expenditure of £7O on this road, whicli will do a little towards repairing broken culverts and taking the surface water off the present track.