CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 72, 13 April 1901, Page 2

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

The ordinary meeting of the Clifton County Courcil was held at Waitara on Friday, Present: Messrs. PisotI', 1 ', Fo-eman, Oliver, Murley, Hicks, Elliot, and Webb, A petition was wad from five settV's at Waihi asking for repairs to the Ta'rangi road. Mr. WebH said the centre of the road h*ii washed out. Mi". Elliot thought the only remedy was setting one of tha settlers to allow a •'rain to be made on to bis land. M>\ Foreman did not think that course would be effective. Notification was received ef .£2OO V)»ing placed to the credit of the Council in respect of the Government grant for Uru'i road formation. The clerk stated that the loan had no 1 , sufficed for the work, and the balance had been placed to the Riding nccnunt. A circular was received from Dr Mason relative to plague precautions. A letter wns also read from the same authority stating that the question of pollut'oi of Rtreams by railk from a dairy factory had been referred to the Agricultural Department. The Lands D?parfcroent, in reply t« an inquiry ns tn what money was to be spent on the Otaroa read, stated the amounS

Mr Hicks considered the Engineer should be instructed to get on with the i work at- once. I Mr Webb considered that the deviation should be the first matter attended to as it was a mo it important improvement, the present track being very narrow «nd dangerous. The Engineer (Mr Orbell) advised thnt there was not suffioient to carry through the whole work. Mr Foreman advocated making up the from Tikorangi to Kenning ton's as there was not sufficient money to complete (h? wr-rlr. Mr Hicks end and the Chairmtn took the sime view After some further discussion it was decided that the Engineer ba instructed tn ext°nd the present formation works as far ns the available money would permit, and (hat tenders be callsd for f"8 same to be sent in by the date ®f the «"xt meeting. C. E. Raby wrote complaining of the state of the Wai-iti Hill, and that be held the Council responsible for damage *o himself and his property while travelling over that part of the road which, ffrom the factory to Pukearuhe was in a disgrncofu! state, Mr J. T. Gilbert also complained of the same road and stated that though it might be good prionsh for cattle it was a hardship on 'he settlers, ns provisions could n"t be cirtad over the road. A similar complaint w is received from A. Thomp s'n, senr. Mr. Oliver said the people there °eemed hardly to know their own minds. The Chairman s#id there wns ho dnubt the read was bad, in fact dangerous. The settlors were in favour of deviating and several who had spoken to him were willing to pay a special ••ate. Mr. Oliver that if £IOO of rates were c«ll"cted £SO might be sv> f rit, The settlers hid stated they "■ould make som« further proposals to him and consult him on the matter, Mit. had nnt done so, nnd he thought; 1 't injudifiouß to spend money on the 1 ''on/1 until the question of deviation 1 was settled. ' The Chairman replied that it was ' j rmi!>h on the settlers to have to swag , their provisions. Mr. Oliver considered tho settlers, j shonld asrree on ene plan or the other I lit had bein arranged that thay should \' wotifv their wishes that dry, but they j f had not done se. IJ

The Foroman pointed out; the roid was pa'tlv on privita property, and' f pven wpre that, not sc, the road in its prps'nh place could never bs Ra'isfaetorily put in order. He thought the right ooursi wis for the settlers and *he Members for the district to confer arrange a definite oo.urtje of ao.tinn. In reply, to. Mr. Murlev, the Chairman ruM nhnit £5 would make the ' or t'l passable, so as to enable the settlers to get their winter provisions up. Mr, Murl'-y moved that *h« Works Committee ef the Mokau Riding be authorised to effect temporary repairs *vnd to consult, the settlers as to the! ■'evia'iin of the p*esent road. Mr, Foreman seconded the motion,' <vhifih was oirned. j M>s-ra, Foreman, Bfieks, and Elliot, J w evs ftpnoinfed a committee to open I 'rrir?ers for work on tSe Otaroa Rnad. I Accounts imaunting to .£BIB lis 3d J ,vr, e tassrd, ij Tnn Commisnonev of Oown Lands ; w o'e s'.it.inn that before he could cor- i t'ifv a. l ) to th-i comp]fit! r >n of the Juno- ' t|nn Tlinrl instilling, for which a sub- ' s'dv o F £750 had been granted by the Onv>rnm«n t ( ti, o plans and specificat'ons m"fit he sent him, < Mr. Macliay, Engineer, at it el that ' the plans had bean seat ia and BUgges- *

tiens made, but thore [Van a difficulty 1 in obtaining tendsrs owing to the scarcity of metal. It was suggested by Mr. Webb that a mail should be «n----ployed to search for met il. A no* h>r proposal was made to offVr a r/'w.n-d for the discovery of a gravel pit. At a later stage of the proceedings the Clerk was instructed to write to the Commissioner and state that as thn season was now so late i h , was advisable to postpone calling for tenders.

The Engineers reported that on the Mangamaeho Ro»d the contract for the first mile was finished and goad progress mide with the second mile, good work being done on the contract for the third mile. At Oxenham's bridge the reconstruction work was finished and the approaches were being granted. They re parted having inspected the bridges and that the following repair* were needed :—Waihi, raising a foot and other small works; Waihou, tarrinj? and painting; Onaero, repairing, tarring and painting; Urenui, two new end. piers and tarring and painting-J \limi, redecking, tarring and painting ; ►he first bridge on the Mimi-Mokan Road, tarring and printing; Mangamaeho, a new pier and tarriug and painting; Gision's, tirring and painting. The Junction Road bridges are to be reported onat the next meeti' g. In reply to Mr. Foreman the Engineers stated that apart from the small repairs mentioned the timber of the bridge* was in a very good state.

Considerable discission arose on thp que'tion of redecking. Mr. Oliver eventually moved that the Engineer's report be adopted except as to redecking the Mimi bridge.—Carried. The tarring and painting is te be dane by day work. Mr. Roge's wai'ad en the Council and stated that there was about £29 owing te him for work done some yevs back on the Kehaaguraoa Road. He said it was understood he was to wait for payment until the Okoke Road wa° in funds.

Mr. Foreman: Do you think the Okoke Road will ever bo in funds ? Mr. Rogers: lam nfraid not. The Chairman siid he thought it was nothing bat right that Mr. Rogers should receive some consideration as the road was bow ueeil by the settlers and Mr. Rogers had been wailing some years for payment. On the motio i of the chtirman, it was decided to pay the amount claimed Mr. Tylfe waited on the Council relative lo repairs to the Taurangi road. He said that doubtless th» settlers would contribute some of the cost, and he suggested that a drain should ba out through into one of the sections to take off the water somewhere between his boundary and Mr. Jay's house. Mr. Foreman pointed out that at Stockman's corner there would still be a large accumulation of water. He considered that forming tbt-ss by* reads was a waste, as th-j wh<~e! tracks formed watercouisss, and the roil was seourod out. A formal resolution was passed confirming a special order rtlative to che Junction road work. Mr Webb advocated an alteration in keeping the accounts, so that the byroads should get their due proportion of money contributed. He suggested the same system as was in force elsewhere in ke> ping separate accounts for each road. The Chairman considered that tho propo-ii.l v.o ilil ii.vo'.v« s«p'into ia;.s as the revenne tiu v raised did not suffice for the main roads. Mr Webb replied that under the present syftoin the settlers contributed largely in rates and got very little in return. Mr Foremm suggested thatacertaiu proportion of the rates celiac ted should be allocated to by-roads. Having no Road Boards in the Clifton County the rate could be struck up to si* farthing*. He pointed nut the injustice of the [ *vho'e rate being spent on the main roads which were of coursa of the first irapomoce, but of little use if sattlers [could pot get. oj\ to them, ; Mr Oliver drew attention to the fact that the Mokau roid has not bton gazetted as a main road and the question was whether the Council was light in spendiog money on the road. The Chairman thought it, would be unwise to move in Matter as th# Council might find itself saddled with i the maintenance of the toad as far as \ Mokau, The Council then adjourned. i