OTOROHANGA COUNTY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 60, Issue 4235, 24 January 1940, Page 12

OTOROHANGA COUNTY

MONTHLY MEETING. (Our Resident Representative.) The Otorohanga County Council held its first meeting for 1940 yesterday, when the following were in attendance: Crs P. W. Crowley (chairman), W. Bluck, V. W. Simms, W. Thomson, A. Jamieson, J. L. Wallis and H. C. Grierson, with Messrs S. J. Fortescue (county clerk) and D. MeKenzie (county engineer) in attendance. FINANCIAL STATEMENT. ” Since the last meeting of the Council the decrease of £966, shown then, of rates collected in comparison with the same period last year, lias been reduced to £689. This is partly due to the Council’s instructions to the treasurer to take all possible steps to collect the outstanding rates. From the figures set out below it will be seen that the riding balances ccllectively compare very favourably with last year. Provided that the same amount is collected from ratepayers by March 31st as last yeai, then the credit balances should be satisfactory. The Te Rau-a-moa riding has been debited with the annual charge of £174 11s 5d for the Mangait i bridge. The following are the balances of the respective ridings: Honikiwi £582 17s 6d debit, Mangaorongo £712 14s lid credit, Waipa £55 6s 6d debit, Te Rau-a-moa £72 3s lid debit, Wharepapa £255 5s 7d debit. These figures are for the term ending January 1939. The present balances at January, 1940, are: Honikiwi £39 18s lid debit, Mangaorongo £368 is 11 credit, Te Rau-a-moa £261 18s 2d debit, Waipa £l4 15s lid credit, Wharepapa £lBl 8s 2d credit. The expenditure out of th? riding funds for the years 1937, 1938 and 1939 were respectively: Honikiwi £846 4s 6d, £B7B 7s 9d, £330 13s 4d; Mangaorongo £1235 14s lOd, £1214 6s 2d, £llO6 12s; Te Rau-a-moa £653 ISs 7d, £783 5s 9d, £lOO6 12s 9d; Waipa £727 2s, £750 5s 9d, £6lB 17s 3d; Wharepapa £B4O 7s 7d, £955 18s 7d, £BOl 6s 7d. NEW GRADER PURCHASED. On the recommendation of the engineer it was decided to purchase a modern road grader. There are 400 miles of metalled road in the county, and this required constant attention with modern machinery. The engineer was of the opinion that some of the metal roads had been neglected in the past, and would rapidly deteriorate, if not regularly attended to with suitable machines. FARM HOUSING SCHEME. A lengthy communication from the Minister of Housing was considered I regarding the erection of homes on

farm lands, and the financial position regarding the same, as it affects the county. Councillors thought it would be much better if the State handled tb** matter without the county counci's being brought into the question. If the county were agreeable to co-oper-ate with the State in the build’iig of houses on farms within the county, it would make the office administration costs much higher than normal. It was decided to defer the matter until the next meeting. COUNTY CLERKS’ CONFERENCE. The county clerk was given leave of absence to attend the annual conference of county clerks at Auckland next week. TIMBER CARTAGE ROYALTIES. The engineer was authorised to see that the timber cartage royalties due by an Otorohanga timber milling concern were paid forthwith, and to stop cartage operations over the county roads in default. The engineer’s report was adopted. DEPUTATION. Messrs Palmer, Staite and Blomfield, settlers on the Waipa River Road, near Otorohanga, waited upon the Council regarding the condition of the surface of the road. Being the main highway from Otorohanga to Maihiihi the road carries a very great deal of traffic, including school buses and the cartage of stock The deputation thought that the road should be re-surfaced and if possible tar sealed. The deputation also complained o’" the prevalence of ragwort along the road, saying that it would eventual!} infest the cleared dairy lands on both sides of this highway. They fell it was extremely disheartening to settlers who kept their properties cles’of the weed to see thousands of plants seeding along the highway. The engineer explained that it was not the function of the county to keep the roads clear of noxious weedw was the duty of the land owners ro keep their respective frontages clear. As regarding sealing the road, this would probably cost £3,000 per mile, at the present time; then there was the maintenance to be considered. The chairman explained that the work of tar sealing could not yet be undertaken by the county, but the surface of the road would be attended to in due course. Miss W. E. Gummer, of Te Awamutu, who has been at Kaipaki for some months, is spending a short holiday at Waiheke Island with friends.