STRATFORD COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 22 September 1924, Page 7

STRATFORD COUNTY.

MEETING OF COUNCIL. (From Our Own Reporter.) Stratford, Sept. 20. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was held to-day. Present: Councillors E. Walter (chairman), W. H. Were, J. Jacobson, 8. Pitt, S. Parker. J. O’Neill, T. R. Anderson, J. T. Belcher and M. Davis. The engineer (Mr. J. W. Spence) reported on the work of the month as follows: North Riding (East).—The balance of the shellrock on the Ackland Road has ,!been put through the chip crusher for maintenance purposes. General patching has been done on the Croydon Road, the Fup roller being used on this work. The trimming up and rolling o? the track to the new factory at Midhirst is being done. Several of the sharp bends on the Makara Road have been taken off in readiness for receiving a coat of metal when the metalling of this road can be put in hand. General maintenance work has been done on other roads.

North Riding (West).—Metal patching and water-tabling have been carried out on the Cardiff, Hunt, Barclay and York Roads. Further quantities of metal have been crushed and distributed where necessary throughout the riding for maintenance purposes. About one hundred yards of shingle have been put through the chip crusher for tar blinding on the Mountain Road. One hundred and forty yards of boulders have ■been crushed for the Midhirst DairyCompany.

South Riding.—Repair work in the way of water-tabling and metal patching has been done on the Robson, Wlaihapa, Nash, Bird and Wingrove Roads. The drains on the Bard and Oheal Roads have been cleaned out. Tar patching has been carried out on the Mountain, Chea] and Finnerty Roads. The deck of the bridge on the Finnerty Road near Mr. Wilkie’s property has received a coat of tar and sand. The filling at the corner of the Cornwall Road, which was completed last month, has received a coat of metal; the fence Jias also been erected. A fence has been placed on the sides of the filling on the Climie Road near Mr. T. Orr’s property. Several sets of pipes have been placed on various roads, some being used for the benefit of the roads, others being placed under private crossings, the propertyowners being responsible for the cost of the pipes.

East Riding (Toko). —In conjunction with the Huiroa employees, 294 yards of shellrock were crushed on the WaiWiri Road, 230 yards being distributed on Makuri Road, and the balance being placed on the Waiwiri Road for maintenance. The work of metalling the Toko East Road is well in hand, about thirty chains being completed. Watertabling and metal patching have been done on the Ahuroa Road. East Riding (Douglas).—General repair works have been carried out on the Mangahu, Ohura-Mangaehu, Mangaotugu, Taihore, Douglas South, Crown, and Gordon Roads. A start has been made with the stripping at the (Jordon Road pit. East Riding (Huiroa). —A considerable amount of metal patching has been done on the Makuri Road. Watertabling and slip-clearing have been done on the Douglas North and South, Autawa and Akama Roads. West Riding.—The metalling of Jhe approaches to the new bridge on Opunake No. 3 Road has been completed. Tar patching has been carried out where necessary on all roads. Metal patching and water-tabling have been done on Opunake Nor. 1 and 3, Finnerty, Manaia North, Palmer and Duthie * Roads. One of the sharp bends on the Finnerty Road has been *ut back, the spoil being used to widen the filling near the junction of the Ronald Road. Repairs have been effected to the covering of the tunnel on Mr. Babington’s property at th« corner of the Ronald and Finnerty Roads.

Mangaehu Riding.—The grader has been run over the Mangaehu South Road. The water-tables on this road have been cleaned out and several small slips removed. Further work has been done on the Mangaehu Main Road at the river encroachment, where fascines and extra filling have been put in. A considerable amount of timber has found its way on to the Manga Road, also a few slips; these are being cleared away. The report was adopted. TIMBER ROYALTIES. The Taumarunui County Council advised that those counties suffering loss of revenue from timber royalties had brought their claims prominently before Parliament, and had now reached, a stage where success was almost assured. An appeal was now being made for the moral support of all counties not interested financially, and the council was asked to favourably consider a resolution in support of payment of half of all revenue from the sale of Crown timber to counties from within whose boundaries the revenue was deriveu, and to forward copies of the resolution t> the Prime Minister and Minister of Lands through the member for the district. It was decided to support the suggestion, and a resolution to that effect was carried. MOTOR VEHICLES BILL. In a circular letter the secretary to the New Zealand Counties Association advised that his executive had carefully considered the Motor Vehicles Bill and the various [ suggestions and amendments proposed by individual county councils. A resolution was finally carried to the effect that the executive was not in favour of the proposals regarding annual license fees and suggested that any increase in revenue required by the Main Highways Board be obtained by an increase in the tyre tax. The executive had re-affirmed the necessity of the Government setting aside part of the £3,000,000 loan or otherwise borrowing a sufficient sum at an early date to provide county councils with money at as low a rate of interest as possible for the financing of main highway construction and also to obviate thfj competition for loan money between counties in the open market. The executive had further re-affirmed previous resolutions that the subsidy on general rates should be 5s in the £ on all rates collected, and that soldier settlers be placed on the same basis as ordinary ratepayers; that hospital board levies be based, one-third on population and two-thirds on capital value instead of on capital value only as at present; that county councils be exempt from the provisions of the Industrial and Arbitration Act. | It had also been decided to seek the advice of the association’s solicitor (Mr. T. F. Martin) as to whether the Motor Vehicles Bill on the Main Highway# Act

would prejudically affect county by-laws. It was hoped to distribute his opinion in the course of a few days.

In regard tc accident insurance, it had been decided to tabulate information received from county councils with a view to deciding whether any better scheme of insurance could be established. In connection with the above matters, the executive had waited on the Ministers for Public Works and Internal Affairs and placed its views before them and had impressed on them the importance of giving the matters their early and favourable consideration as counties were very urgently in need of assistance in finance and administration. When the Select Committee of the House met to consider the Motor Vehicles Bill, the executive would give evidence in support of its views in the interests of the counties. The chairman said, the council had agreed to most of the matters referred to and was quite in accord with the steps taken by the association. Personally he thought a tyre tax would be most equitable.

EGMONT PARK BOARD. ‘ There are now two power boards operating in Taranaki depending upon the rainfall of the difftri-et, and the depreciation of the bush on the mountain will become a serious matter to them,” said Or. Pitt when the council was considering the circular letter from the New Zealand Foresty League, Incorporated, in connection with damage caused by goats and cattle within the Egmont National Park. Mr. T. R. Anderson, a member of the park board, outlined the position, and. referred to the lack of funds and revenue handled by the board. On the motion of Cr. Pitt, it was decided to inform the Foresty League that the council was of the opinion that the subsidy from the Tourist Department was insufficient and that, conairiering the handicap by way of shortage of funds under which the board was doing ail in itfe polwer to conserve the native bush. GENERAL MATTERS. Tt is pretty hard on ytafu, and we will consider the matter carefully,” said the chairman when Mr. Sehnellar, of Ronald Road, waited on the council and pointed out that o’wing to- lafek of a little metal he was forced to supply milk to a factory three miles away when he was responsible for shares in and wished to supply to another factory only one and a quarter miles away.—The engineer was instructed to bring down a report on the matter. Describing a portion of a| road as absolutely dangerous, Mr. J. Martyn wrote asking if anything could be done to prevent the road leading to his property at Huiroa from slipping intq the river. He alleged that the trouble was caused through neglect to the water-tables, which became blocked and allowed the water to run all over the road.—The engineer was instructed to look into the matter. ■R. Reid, Wharehuia, wrote asking the council’s permission to remove a portion of the bank on the roadside before his house.—Left in the 'hands of the engineer. Henry Wheller, whoso property extended from the Croydon Road to the Stanley road, wrote asking the council to attend to the matter of lowering or enlarging culverts on the many creeks traversing his farm, as at the present level the water backed up for a considerable distance. It was decided to widen and metal the sharp corner at the junction of the Sole and Mountain Roads. The matter of making better arrangements for the supply of shingle for the Palmer and Opunake Road Was left tothe engineer.