COUNTY COUNCILS

Southland Times, Issue 19099, 17 November 1923, Page 13 (Supplement)

COUNTY COUNCILS

SOUTHLAND.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Southland County Council was continued yesterday I morning, Mr E. Bowmar being in the chair. With reference to a letter from the Medical Officer of Health in regard to the drainage nuisance in the Invercargill Subi urbs, it was decided to ask the Health Dej partment to prepare and submit by-laws I for the consideration of the council re- ! garding the adoption of special by-laws governing the erection of buildings and the drainage of land on which a dwelling was erected in a specially declared area within about one mile of the boundaries of the borough. Two ratepayers at Oreti Plains were advised that the work of grading 50 chains of road known as Proctor’s Roadline had been laid off.

The County Inspector forwarded a report on an inquiry from John Davis regarding his rights in connection with a reserve leased by him in Forest Hill Hundred. The matter was referred to the chairman, Cr. Baird and the engineer for consideration. J. T. GarveyJ.P.. was informed that no authority had been issued for the Tramway Road contract, Mabel.

The request of four ratepayers at Wallacetown, to form a road on the north side of Section 1, Blcck 41. Falkirk street, Wallacetown extension, about seven chains, was referred to the member for the riding and the engineer.

W. Lindley was appointed surfaceman for Gore-Mataura district, of Mat aura riding; wages 12/- per day. Seven ratepayers wrote, calling attention to the bad and decayed state of the two bridges over the Waikiwi stream near the New River Ferry School. They understood that there was a grant for the renewal of these bridges and trusted that the work would be put in hand.—Matter is under consideration.

It was decided to agree to the Wyndham Town Board's proposal to pay one-fourth of the cost cf recent repairs to the Menzie’s Ferry Bridge, but it could not pledge the council in regard to future maintenance. The following works were authorised: — Awarua Riding—Drysdale Road, gravelling; £lOO. Wallacetown Riding—Otatara District roads, maintenance; £174. Winton Riding—Winton to Browns, etc., roads, maintenance. Frisby Road, formation; Spring-hills-Grove Bush Read, gravelling, etc.; £464. Waikaia Riding—Maher’s to Wendonside Road, maintenance, Waikaia and Block X roads, maintenance; £lB6.

It was arranged that councillors should visit the quarry at Greenhills on Friday, 26inst., at the conclusion of the Finance Committee’s meeting.

Fifteen ratepayers asked that the cutting at the top of the Sam’s Grief Hill, Tuturau, be deepened and the road widened, as the road was in a dangerous condition.—Referred to member for riding and engineer. It was decided that applications should be called for the position of ranger for the purpose of impounding cattle found wandering on the roads in the Waihopai and Awarua Ridings, and that part of the Wallacetown Riding, south of the Riverton Railway line and Makarewa River.— Remuneration to be the driving fees. The recommendation of the County Engineer to have road repairing carried out on Weatherburn Road and Bushy Park roads was adopted. Two ratepayers at Riversdale and St. Patrick’s respectively, were given cne month in which to start the work of clearing gorse off the roadline, the Inspector to report at the end of that time. D. and J. Clark, who wrote in connection with the calling of a tender for Clark’s Road, Roslyn Bush, for which a Government grant had been authorised some time ago, were informed that the work will be attended to as soon as the Government grant was available. F. McGillivray wrote in connection with a stretch of road about 5 or 6 chains long, on the road to Pebbly Hills, which, he said was, he supposed, the worst piece of the lot. He offered to gravel it at the same price as another contract.—Referred to member for riding and engineer. W. R. Potts wrote, asking the council to grant some more money to the Government grant that was being expended at Hanning’s blcck road to make,, it passable for residents further up.—Referred to member for riding and engineer. It was resolved that the Minister of Public Works should be advised that the construction of the Oreti River Bridge at Mossburn was an extremely urgent work and that he be urged to make available for expenditure the whole of the grant (£1500), for this work instead of the £5OO voted on account of same. It was further decided to forward a copy of petitioners’ letter to the Minister. Accounts amounting to £3412 19/7 were passed for payment. WALLACH. 1 The monthly meeting of the above was held in the Council Chambers, Otautau, yesterday, when the following were present: —Crs. F. J. Linscott (chairman), Crs. L. Garden, T. A. Buckingham, W. J. A. McGregor, L. Cody, F. J. Dyer and H Crawford. Leave of absence was granted to Crs. W. T. James and 8. Fowle. CORRESPONDENCE. R. Henderson, Tuatapere, notified that culvert on King street was blocked, and required to be renewed and deepened as it was not large enough.—Held over. Joseph Rowlands, secretary Hirstfield Domain Board, asked permission to erect a swing gate on roadline at Hirstfield Domain—Permission granted under usual conditions. Laurie and Chamberlain, Tihaka, asked that the Council supply 18 chains of gravel for the maintenance of Riverton-Orepuki main road.—Contractors to supply onequarter of maintenance free of charge, the Council to pay the balance at the rate of 5/6 per yard, and quantity to be 12 yards to the chain. George Brown, Fairfax, drew attention to the condition of road leading to his house, and asked that the work of gravelling be carried out immediately.—Contractors to be written to and allowed six weeks to complete the work, otherwise deposit to be forfeited and contract re-let. E. WStson, Riverton, drew attention to the dangerous practice of people using whitebait nets on the Jacobs River bridge, and asked the Council to mitigate the nuisance.—Engineer to have notices erected. J. B. C. Dore, Riverton, asked permission to erect a dwelling at “The Rocks,” Riverton, on Section 157.—Request granted, subject to uusal conditions. The Ermedale Timber Co., Fairfax, notified that 100 yards of gravel was being carted free of cost, and suggested that the Council spend £l5O on Ermedale-Fairfax Road, towards which they would contribute £5O. —Council to provide £4O, the company to subsidise this £1 for £l, the Council to provide 100 yards at depot, the company to cart on to road as maintenance, and any further maintenance required to be found by the company. The plan of the proposed slaughterhouse for T. H. Walker was submitted.—Licence granted under usual conditions. Denis Dowling, Otautau, notified that he would deepen channel when water was low enough.—Received. A. W. Morgan, District Traffic Manager, notified that gravel was allowed to drop on to the rails at Aparima public siding, and difficulty was experienced in moving the wagons on this account. He asked that carters’ attention be drawn to the matter. — Engineer to act accordingly. D. T. Muir, Waikouro, asked that contract for Waikouro-Merrivale Road lie held over until January.—Granted one month to continue the contract. A. S. Gardner, Lillburn, asked if £3OO was going to be spent on his road in gravel this year. If the work was gone on with he was prepared to give his teams for a week free.—Money to be spent when available.

Wm. Scobie, Eastern Bush, notified that he would wait on Council at its meeting, re the Marshburn ford and bridge.—Crs. Buckingham and McGregor moved that the dam at the crossing be removed, and that a warning notice be erected. That the matter of the bridge be held over meantime.— Carried. C. J. Nicholas, Tuatapere, applied for right to take 70 yards of gravel from halfmile pit and 70 yards from bridge for the purpose of putting down a public tennis I court. —Granted. Kilkelly Bros., sawmillers, applied for I permission to construct a tramway crossing j over Terrace Road, Alton Survey District, j | —Granted under usual conditions. John Pagan, Mossburn, asked permission to shift a hut from “Glenelg” to Mossburn. —Granted under usual conditions. Wm. Walker, S. J. Collie and C. A. McDonald, Dipton, offered to pay up to £5O for £ for £ expenditure towards cost of Josephville Protective Works.—Offer accepted with thanks. J. 8. Dick, secretary Southland League, asked that Council to instruct the engineer to prepare an estimate of cost of road between Monowai and the Waiau River for the purpose of obtaining a Government grant.—Engineer to make a survey of the route. The secretary, Southland League, forwarded a copy of letter from the Minister of Public Works, in which the Minister was sympathetic towards the Government subsidy on rates being on a graduated scale.—Received. Assistant Engineer, Public Works Department, requested the Council to submit a list of votes which it proposed to take up during the current financial year.—lnformation to be supplied as near as possible. Macalister Bros., solicitors, forwarded three copies of joint heavy traffic by-law, and stated a resolution should be passed appointing two delegates to act with two from the Southland County Council in making the by-law.—Crs. Linscott and McGregor were appointed delegates. Messrs Draper and Speight, of Redcliffs Runs Association, waited on the Council re Manapouri to Whare Creek Road.—Crs. Dyer and Cody moved that £l5O be expended from The Key to Manapouri Station and that £250 be spent from Manapouri Station to Redcliffs, on the understanding that Redcliffs Runs Association give £lOO subsidy.—Carried. Engineer to inspect re proposal oft cost of bridge over Whare Creek. ORDER PAPER. Cr. Crawford moved that the following amount be voted for expenditure in Pourakino Riding:—Fairfax-Calcium Road, maintenance (half charged to Aparima), £2o. Carried. Cr. T. A. Buckingham moved that the following amounts be voted for expenditure in Aparima Riding:—Dahlenburg Road, gravelling, £ for £, £5O; Otautau-Merrivale Road, maintenance, £150; Lower Scott’s Gap Road, £3O; making a total of £230. Carried. Cr. Buckingham moved that the following amounts be voted for expenditure in Otautau Riding:—McFarlane Road, maintenance, £B5; Chisholm Road, gravelling, £10; Allison and McLeish Road, mainteance, £5O; Lindsay and Robinson Road, £75; Buick and Stalker Road, gravelling, £ for £, £5O; Bayswater Road, road maintenance, £75; Gladfield Road, maintenance, £75; making a total of £42o.—Carried. Cr. McGregor moved that the following amount be authorised for expenditure in Waiau Riding:—Orawia to Birchwood, gravelling, £ for £l, £lOO. —Carried. Cr. Cody moved that the following amounts be voted for expenditure in Wairio Riding:—Wreys Bush to Mossburn, gravelling, £ for £, £100; Woodlaw to Wairio Road, maintenance (half charged to Wairaki), £100; making a total of £2OO. — Carried. Cr. McGregor moved that the following amounts be voted for expenditure in Wairaki Riding :—Struan Flat Road, gravelling, £ for £, £5O; Nightcaps-Birchwood Road, mainteance west end, £100; or a total of £lso.—Carried. Cr. Dyer moved that the following amounts be voted for expenditure in Mararoa Riding:—Dipton Castlerock, £ for £, formation and gravel, £150; Lumsden to Mossburn, £ for £, gravelling, £100; Wrey’s Bush to Mossburn, grading and gravelling, £100; or a total of £3so.—Carried. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The Engineer, Mr J. G. C. Baker, submitted the following report:—Since last meeting the weather has been perfect for road work, but so far very little has been done towards either the completion of the numerous unfinished contracts of last season or the work let so far this season. Re Mr A. H. Evans’s application under “The Land Drainage Act,” and in connection with which the Council last meeting gave Mr A. Robson notice to clean outfall, I have to report that Mr Robson has not yet done the work, although he appears to have made a start. In connection with the complaint from Mr W. S. Hunter (acting on behalf of Mr J. T. Wilson, Merrivale Road) that Mr D. Dowling had not yet completed the deepening of nine chains of new channel as per arrangement embodied in Engineer’s report of July, 1922, on November 8, Cr. Buckingham, in company with Messrs Wilson and Dowling, inspected the channel, and decided that an extra eight inches of depth, with a smooth bottom, be brought up to road by Mr Dowling throughout the whole length of the channel. Four inches of this extra depth is, I take it, outside the arrangement of July, 1922, whAeby Mr Dowling was to deepen the channel twelve inches for the sum of £9, towards which Mr Wilson has agreed to contribute £6. While at the above-men-tioned place, Cr. Buckingham inspected the blocked outfall on Mr Dowling’s land, and about 5 chains north of new channel mentioned above, and about which Mr Wilson wrote to the Council last meeting, and applied under the “Land Drainage Act” to have this outfall cleaned. Mr Dowling, being present, admitted that improvements were necessary, and stated that he intended to open outfall and then box in same with two 12-inch boards. Mr Wilson was agreeable to this, but Mr Dowling did not state defintely when he intended to do the work. The bridge gang is at present at Drummond constructing a building for use of the surfaceman on the county reserve, and comprising cartshed, stable and chaff house. On completion of this work the gang will build a small bridge on road being opened up in Block 111., Aparima Hundred, between Mr Chilton and Messrs Fisher Bros.’ farm.—Adopted. Cr. Buckingham is to be asked not to box the drain in the meantime until Cr. James returns. Accounts amounting to £946 3/9 were passed for payment. Mr Berndtson was appointed mining inspector for twelve months. Messrs J. E. Watson & Co.’s and J. Parmenter’s tenders for dog collars were accepted. Resolved: That the clerk write the Public Works Department asking about the delay in authorising grant for Hawthorn Road. Cr. Buckingham moved that the Council take in hand the work of cleaning ditch at Messrs Greenslade and Smellie’s contract. Cr. Buckingham moved re contracts held over for some time the Engineer be instructed to see contractors and get contracts finished.—Carried.