STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 88, 23 March 1931, Page 6

STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL

REGULAR MEETING .OPERATIONS FOR THE MONTH Tlxe monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council, held in Stratford on Saturday, was attended by Messrs. T. R. Anderson (chairman), S. Pitt, T. T. Murray, F. Mounsey, W. Were, F. Best, H. C. Taylor, L. Bunn, J. T. Belcher and W. Vickers. Mr. J. Pow, secretary to the New Zealand Counties’ Association in 1929, circularised county councils regarding a proposal to compile and publish a model set of by-laws, and stating that “if a sufficient number of counties join in, the cost to each subscribing county council would not exceed ten guineas, and might be less.’’ The model by-laws have been printed and circularised, but the £125 legal expenses have not yet been paid. No trace of the list of more than 30 counties willing to share the legal expenses has been found, and it was felt that county councils would agree that two guineas was a reasonable assessment. The council’s share would be appreciated, as the writer wanted to get the matter finalised. —On the motion of the chairman and Cr. Mounsey it was resolved to pay the council’s share.

Puniwhakau Reserves

Mr. M. P. Ford applied for permission to fence and use all an fenced reserves fronting sections 2G and 19, Block 111. and IV., Omona survey district. The Puniwhakau Stream, which at present acted as his boundary, was not cattle-proof, and the reserve would enable him to erect a stock-proof fence, and he would agree to kill the noxious weeds. Mr, W. M. Lines, Makahu, offered to pay £1 annually, and fence and keep down all weeds on the piece of road opposite the house formerly occupied by Malone and Worthington. Cr. Bunn favoured Mr. Ford’s application, as being the adjoining owner. He movptl that the council accept- the offer. Seconded by Cr. Murray and carried. Mr. Lines' offer was also accepted. Ranger’s Report

Ranger Cuff reported that some complaints were received from Denbigh Road regarding stock wandering, and despite warning the trouble continued. A Court case was pending. Otherwise the roads were practically clear. As to weeds, with the exception of the Waiwiri Road, ragwort was well ni hand on the roadside. Blackberry, of which there is a big growth this season, would be attended to. Ten applicants for licenses to drive cars or ride motor-cycles were dealt with, and these were granted. Heavy traffic licenses were being attended to, in conjunction with the Borough Council. The registration of dogs was persevered with, but the collection Was somewhat slower this year than usual, but they would be duly collected. The amount collected for the month was £35 17s 6d. Midhirst Sections A. C. Eichstaedt, Kelly Street, Midhirst, asked the purchase price of the council’s section in the same street. The chairman said that the council had no further use for the sections, which were used for a horse stable. On the motion of Cr. Pitt, seconded by Cr. Vickers, it was decided to place the sections under offer at £4O an acre. Motorists and De-rating Mr. Walkley, secretary to the North Island Motor Union, forwarded a statement of the attitude of the union towards the question of de-rating. They were not opposed to affording relief to county ratepayers, but rather by insisting on a proper administration of the Main Highways Fund, to bring about a reduction in the burden now being carried in the counties. — Received. Incidence of Road Expenditure The Matamaßi county clerk forwarded the following resolutions and asked for support: (1) That the present system of subsidising local body rates be abolished (this subsidy is now paid out of petrol tax funds, but has no direct relationship to reading expenditure); (2) that the Main Highways system be revised, so as to include only roads of national importance; (3)' that a reading fund, to include all petrol tax, tyre tax, license fees, heavy traffic fees, the other moneys of a similar nature, be utilised for financing the Main Highways Board and subsidising local bodies in proportion to their annual expenditure on all road works, including principal and interest on loans; (4) that the Government be approached and requested to institute a full inquiry into the position of reading finance, with a view of moving the incidence of roading expenditure off rateable property and on to road-using vehicles generally on the foregoing linos. —Received.

Ngatimaru Riding Case

Mr. R. W. Larsen wrote asking if the sum of £4O placed to the credit of the Waitara Valley track by the Clifton County Council had been spent on it.

Cr. Pitt said the case was unique. Here they had a man in another county asking if money had been received by the council, and wanting work to be done for him. As one of the committee that fixed up the adjustments between the Clifton and Stratford Councils, he did not remember that any liability was left on the road. Everything w r as cleaned up. It was resolved that the chairman and engineer frame a reply to Mr. Larsen. Engineer's Report The following report was submitted by the engineer, Mr. J. W. Spence: North Riding.—During the past month 30 chains of the Pembroke Road, east of the factory, have been coated with bitumen. Approximately 140 yards of shell rock have been quarried at Oldridge’s Pit. Seventyone yards of fines have been carted out and dumped for maintenance on the Stanley a-ul Croydon Roads, the balance having been placed on the crushing site. Three defective planks on the Kahouri Bridge Mountain Road and two on one of the 1 ork Road Bridges, have been replaced with new ones. The Mountain Road has been

patched with colfix, and clay-blinding has been carried out on the Radnor, Denbigh and Denmark Terrace. Up to the present, fifteen men have been placed on relief work in this riding. They have been employed mainly cleaning up the roadsides and cutting back bad corners. South Riding.—General maintenance work in the way of clay blinding and metal banking has been carried out on the Warwick, Victoria, Cheal, Wingrove No. 1 and Mountain Roads Under No. 5 scheme a portion of the Climie Road has been straightened, and a filling five feet in height has been made. A coat of metal has been placed on same. A start has been made with another filling on the same road, which will be two feet in height on the former work, and 30 feet of nine-inch concrete pipes were placed in position. East Riding (Toko). —Five days were spent in building up the sides of the bitumen surface with shelllock and coating same with Colfix; in carrying out this work it has been necessary to crush further quantities of shell-rock. Metal banking and water-tabling have been carried out on the Ohura and Toko No. 1 Roads. Colfix patching has, where necessary, been done on the Beaconsfield Road. East Riding (Douglas).—The metal on the Ohura Road between the fool of the Saddle and the county boundary has been blinded with coarse pit sand. Water-tabling and fern-cutting have also been carried out. On some of the horse-shoe bends further banking with turf and clay has been done. On the Douglas South and Mangaotuku the metal has been blinded, the watertables cleaned out, and the fern cut.

East Riding (Huiroa).—'The greater part of the past month has been occupied building up and widening the; formation on the Mohakau Road, and the drains and a portion of the Mohakau Stream have been cleaned out. The contractor has practically completed the metalling contract. One day was spent in fern-cutting on the Akama Road. West, Riding.—Colflx patching has been done on Opunake No. 1. The side tracks have been repaired with shingle from Waingongoro Stream. Overhanging fern on the Waingongoro Road has been attended to. The portions of the Climie, Outhie and Opunake No. 2, which received first coats of Coltix last season, have now been coated with bitumen. Clay blinding g.nd general maintenance work have been carried out on Palmer North and South, Hastings, Poto, Ronald, Rowan and Brooks Roads. Mangaehu Riding.—On the Manga-i f’iu South in places the grass edges which were encroaching on the metal have been cleaned off, the metal on the bonds has been raked into position, the watertables cleaned and overhanging fern cut. Similar work has been carried out on the Mangaehu Main and Tututawa Roads. Fern has been cut on the Mangaehu North and Taihore Roads, the wheel ruts havo been filled and the watertables clean-! ed but. Similar work has also been carried out on the Puniwhakau. On this road several drains have beep cleaned out, and the mouth of the tunnel near the Taurakawa Road has been cleared of timber. The decking of the bridges on the following roads: Mangaehu, Kaiteike, Taurakawa and Tututawa has been repaired.

Ngatimaru Riding.—The grader has been run over portions of the Junction and Matau South Roads. A filling on the Matau North has been filled up, the watertables on the Matau North and South, Junction and Mangaoapa Roads have been attended to. Temporary repairs have been effected to one of the bridges on the Mangaoapa Road. All stringers, for which matai and totara were used, will require to be renewed. This is only an item as far as the bridges in this riding are concerned, so far only one sound bridge has been discovered.