COUNTY COUNCIL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 44, 20 February 1913, Page 3

COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Stratford County Council met yesterday. Present: The Chairman (Mi W. Hathaway), J. Thomson, J. Chris- ‘ toffel, T. Anderson, J. Smith. E. Marfell, E. Walter, J. Young, W. Rogers. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The County Engineer (Mr E. C. Robinson) reported as follows: Tenders have been invited for supply of shellrock in Mangaehu Riding, and for drain cleaning in Douglas. Work in Hand.—The Mangaehu metalling contract is proceeding slowly, but the contractor has been very much hampered all along owing to shortage of labour and is doing his best .under the circumstances. The Waiweri road remetalling is well in hand, and will be completed in about a fortnight. The cleaning and straightening contract in Makuri stream is nearing completion. A start has been made with the boulder supply contract on Palmer and Pembroke roads. The Barclay road tunnel and filling have been completed at about the amount authorised. The renewal of Finnerty road bridge, West Riding, is in hand. Rock was unexpectedly struck in the foundations, rendering .pile driving impracticable. 1 am therefore having two small concrete piles made and the piles will be usee elsewhere.

Grader.—During the month the grader has been doing useful work in dressing up Pukengahu, Wingrove, and Moutain roads, South Riding, and Monmouth, Stanley, Makuri, Salisbury and Croydon roads in North Riding. At present it is engaged in making a track along portion of Salisbury road, and when this is finished will be sent out to Mountain road to trim up and bank the new metalled length.

Holler.—The roller has been engaged in rolling in new metalled lengths on Mountain, Salisbury, and Beaconsfield roads. It,is now being cleaned, etc., prior to going out to West Riding. Stone Crushing Plant.—This is now engaged in West Riding, as per riding foreman’s report. General.—l have put in hand the raking, etc., of Pembroke and Monmouth roads. A man has been put on to repair the upper part of Denbigh road. The cost of renewing Mangaehu bridge on Tututawa road would be about £4OO. The cost of renewing the deck of Gentle Annie bridge, Cardiff road, would be about £l2. The bridge is, however, generally unsound, and a renewal throughout will shortly be necessary. This in reinforced concrete would be about £IBO. The necessary pipes for replacing small bridge on Cardiff road with a culvert have been ordered. Application has been made for the £SO grant to York road, and it will shortly be paid over to the Council. Two small bridges one on Beaconsfield and one on Ahuroa road West, are in a very unsound condition, and require renewal. This I think could be done with large concrete culverts in each case. The Beaconsfield road in East Riding is in a worn-out condition. It has been reported as being so at periodical intervals during the last six years, and the need of remetalling urged. The fact that it has not broken up altogether might be considered as an argument against the necessity for renewals, but during the period in question the cost of attempting to maintain the road has been exhorbitant, and the results mainly futile inasmuch as the road during the greater portion of the year is in nothing short of a disgraceful condition. The adoption of the system of renewing a certain portion each year, such as is in vogue in other parts of the county, is the only way in which .satisfactory results will be obtained. Maintenance shellrock is required on Stanley and on Waiwiri roads. For the latter, suitable arrangements could probably bo made with the contractor at present carrying out the remetalling. Timber has been ordered for the redecking of a small bridge on Opunake road near Mahoo and is now coming to hand. FOREMEN’S REPORTS. North Riding (West).—Mountain Road: This road has been raked clean from loose stones, and the earth banks at northern end picked down ready

for the grader to bank up the newly metalled length. Rutland road: The necessary work on this road will be attended to forthwith, also some small repairs on Derby road. Radnor road; A portion of this road has also been raked.

North Riding (East). —Crushing operations were completed in the carl;, part of the month. The total amounts dealt with were G7G cubic yards on Salisbury road, which provided 5! chains of remetalling and necessary maintenance, and 38 cubic yards for Cross road. The remetalled portion was blinded mostly with pit gravel, but at the southern end with clay. A 12-inch culvert on Salisbury road has been extended to make a fade track over it. Two men have been engag-

ed for the work on Ratapiko and Makara roads.

South Riding.—All the roads are in good order. I have blinded the Wingrove and Lower Bird, Robson and Waihapa roads, and dressed up the unmetalled portion of the Waihapa road. Mr Nash should ho notified that his creek is blocking the culvert on the Upper Bird road. East Riding (Toko). —The Toko Road East met-aiiing is nearing completion; 32 chains of new metal have been put down during the month, making a total of G 9 chains. There is still about 19 chains to do to join up with the old metal, and about £2O left to do it with. The loose metal is being raked up on the Ohara and Toko roads. The Beaconsfield road has beer, raked and now wants a good coat ol blinding. East Riding (Douglas).—All tin roads under ray care are in fair order. We have, put in two sets of pipes or. Ohura-Mangaehu road and Ohura road using ten 18-inch pipes on the former and ten 9-inch pipes on the latter. V\ < have also cleaned drains anti water tables and carried out general roadwork on Douglas, Ohura, ami Mangaotuku roads.

East Riding (Huiroa). —General sur facing work has been carried out or the roads under rny control, which arc in fair order. Notice should he givei to Mr H. Kidd to clean out his drain opposite Mr Bevan’s, on Akama road. Water is lying stagnant to a depth of 18 inches on top side of road. West Riding.—The crushing and metalling operations at western boundary are now finished, also at Kaupoko nui and Kapuni sites. Work is now in progress gt Hastings road and when this is completed we will move to Palmer road. The formation of the portion of Palmer road to he metalled is almost completed, Cr Ar.der.sot kindly doing the ploughing for it, and lending a horse, dray, and scoop About 9 chains of Palmer road between Duthie road and Opunake road br.di; wants remetalling.

Mangaehu Riding.—During the month I have been supervising Me Phee’s metalling, and the Puniwha’cai surfaceman has been forming up the Puniwhakau rpad. Two men have been put on Taihore road to clear il for wheel traffic. All the roads are in fair order except the Tututawa road which requires watertabling and mrtai banking. I expect to have this d,;u' in a week or two. DEPUTATIONS. Mr J. M. Mulree waited on the Council in regard to certain minoi improvements required on the Brecon road. The work was stated by the engineer to cost about £lO, and it will be put in hand in due course, Mr Wolfe, a settler living at the extreme end of the Waingongora-Cardifi road, requested that 2.| chains of metalling - should be done so as to give him access to his property.— Granted, Mr Wolfe to pay one-third of the cost, estimated at from £l2 to £ls.

Mr I). S. Maxwell brought >1:1 p the matter of the unformed Mt. Humphrey’s road, which if widened wouh give him access to His property in the Puniwhakau. —Decided to spend the “thirds” available. ARMY MOTOR RESERVE.

! The assistant-adjutant and Q.M.G., Wellington Military District, forward ed a' request that the Coucil shouh supply a list of the names of person: who are registered as the owners 0 private motor cars in Stratford, it | being proposed to form an Army Motor Reserve of officers in New Zealand. The Clerk will supply the neces 1 sary information. | FROM THE CONSOLIDATED FUND The Bruce, County Council forwarded the following resolution to the Council for its consideration: “That this Council is of opinion that contributions to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards should be made from the Consolidated Fund in lieu of the present system of making levies on public bodies.” In his letter, the Bruce County Clerk said it was thought that, owing to the probability of a new Local Government Bill being brought down by the Government next session, the time was opportune to have this matter brought before the local bodies and members of Parliament with a view to. securing their co-operation and support in the direction indicated in the resolution. The Chairman said that this in his opinion was a matter which require:] serious consideration. Cr Smith said he was in favour of the resolution, and moved that it be endorsed. “There is a great tendency for us to get ‘spoon-fed’,” said Mr Smith. Cr Marfell said that at present one half of the Board’s revenue came from the Consolidated Fund. It would, in his opinion, he very much better 1 if the Board had power to levy its own rates, though the other local bodies might do the collecting. The ratepayers would then realise their' responsibilities. At the present time the ratepayers did not know what they} were paying. In addition, the Board’s, had now unlimited powers, and the local bodies just had “to toe the; mark.” This was a dangerous fen-! Lure, though other Boards were not so constituted as the Stratford Hospital Board, where the ratepayers were

well represented. lie did not hold, with Air Smith, that the motion would | tend to make the ratepayers less j “spoon-fed.” On the contrary, he : thought, it. would tend to make the I ratepayers shirk their responsibilities' in this respect. The chairman moved as an amende I merit “that this Council s not in lav- 1 our of the Bruce County Council s mo- j tion as it would tend towards waste and extravagance in administracon.” The amendment was carried. SAW Ml LLS' AN D BOA DS. Air Joseph McCluggage wrote us follows with reference to Derby Bros.’ , sawmill at Stanley Roadr “We will taking tin's mill over, and would ns:! lie to ho in conflict with your Conn- ; oil over the carting of timber on tin* j roads. We will agree to pay you any . reasonable royalty per 100 feet for carting on the roads, hut would respectfully point out that running a sawmill tinder the j conditions at Stanley road is very diff-, event to having a mill where there is plenty of timber close to the railway. ! Phis mill, so far, has not paid, and only on account of being' hound by agreement, we are cutting timber there, and are asking for the Council’s consideration. However, we are fully aware of the damage which is hound to occur through timber carting.” , _ j The matter was left in the hands' of the riding members. A COMPLAINT. Mr Henry Watson wrote enclosing i cheque for general and special rates' as per notice, with the exception of the Alakuri drainage rate, which, Ire i ; claimed, was not in accordance with tiro proposal submitted to the ratepayers at the meeting held in Douglas, i when it was stated that such rate was to he a differential rate equalling 61 per acre on tire area rated. “1 require,” the Writer stated, “an explan-1 ■ a tion from the Council as to why tins. . rate is so much higher than that pro-j posed at the meeting, especially as the i work does not benefit the property, ! particularly section in the East Riding, on which the outlet is completely blocked and has been for over three ( years.” Cr. Marfell moved that the writer , be-notified that the Council took all i proper steps in levying this rate, and that he again he requested to pay. Cr. Young seconded. Crs. Marfell and Walter stated Hud j they had' endeavoured to get a dif- 1 ferential rate struck, hut this wasj not legal. Owing to the varying va-l lues of the land, some settlers had to pay a little more than Cd and others a little less.

The motion was carried. Air. Henry Sanson, in preferring a request that the Ahuroa road should ho adequately metalled, wrote: “I don’t profess to know more than your overseer, hut at the same time 1 think our roads are formed too Hat. If they were well raised in the centre, or crown, the water would easily run off, especially if the 1 water /channels were cleaned out. u I may say that your Council has raised the rate this year—l am paying upwards of £loo—and think that the least which you can do is to make the road so that I can drive in without danger of being thrown out of the gig.” Air Sanson will he informed that the work has already been authorised and will be commenced ■as soon as possible.

Mr 0. Olstn made enquiries as to why the metalling of the Esk road had not been completed. On Mr Olsen agreeing to pay half the cost, the work will be resumed. Mr James Nairn preferred the request that the Council should grade and metal the cuttings on the south end of the Ronald road, and jf possible, form the balance of the road. Surely it was time the lower end of the road had some attention. The south end was next to impassable in winter, and his tenants often could not get out on to the Finnerty road.

Tho letter was referred to the engineer and riding members for a report. Messrs Wicham Bros., Ngaere, wrote stating that they could not understand why the Makuri road, upon which tho grader had been used with good effect, had not been put in order, by cleaning culverts, outlets, and watertables.

The engineer will look into the mat ter.

The Inspector of Rabbits and Noxious Weeds asked that the Council should have ragwort, on section at corner of Ohura and Waiweri roads, cleared and destroyed.—Received. TENDERS. The tender of Mr, J. Kerrisk for shell rock on the Mangachu Riding was accepted. The Council will make inquiries concerning a section at the corner of the Ohura and Waiweri roads, and in all probability tenders will be called for the leasing thereof. A loan will be applied tor to renew the Mangaotuku bridge on tho Tututawa road, cost to be £100; the decking on the Gentle Annie will be renewed ; the bridge on the Beaeonsfield and Ahuroa West will be repaired. Mr Nash is to be notified re bis crook blocking a culvert on the Bird road. The Toko road west, from the creamery to tho foot of the hill is to be gravelled for ton or twelve chains.