ELTHAM COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 December 1924, Page 10

ELTHAM COUNTY.

PAST MONTH’S WORK MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. The last meeting of the Eltham County Council for the present year was held on Saturday. Present: Crs. C. J. Belcher (chairman), R. J. Knuckey, A. McWilliam, A. V. Messana, M. W. Barker, A. Campbel}, W. E. Carter, C. E. McGuinness and E- J- Gifford.

The overseer (Mr. Frank Muggeridge) reported as follows on the work for the past month: — South Riding. —General surface work was carried, out on the Fraser and Dtuziel Roads. Clay blinding was done on the Mountain Road. A culvert was put in and about half a chain of metal was laid down on the Fitton Estate Roadwto prevent silt from running off the farm on to the Dalziei Road.

Mangatoki Riding.—Watertables and culverts were attended to on the Eltham, Stuart and' Hunter Roads. About 32 chains of metalling was done on the Stuar.t Rbads, the 20 chains on the Lower grouted with bitumen, and the 12 chains on the Upper Stuart were grouted with ios tar; all the work was blinded .with chips and rolled. A further 30 chains of the Eltham Road were treated with bitumen; until fresh supplies of bitumen arrive no more sealing work can be done. A trial stretch of Texaco was laid at the toll Omoana Riding. —Metal patching and clay blinding was done on the Rawhitiroa Road. Overflow pipes were put in and the filling fenced at Ma'temateaonga. About 2 chains of fencing was put up on the Patea Hill. Authorities have now been issued for the Government grants to be spent on the Rawhitiroa and Mataiwhetu Roads. Owing to the amount of stripping to be done at the shell rock pit, very little metal has been crushed, but from now on better progress should be made. Mr. T. Mather was appointed quarry foreman and has commenced work. Kaponga Riding. —General surface work was done on. most roads in this ridyig. Clay blinding was done on the Auroa, Rowan, Neil and Opunake Roads. Repairs were done on two bridges on the Opunake-Stratford Road. As some of these bridges are in a bad state of repair,. I would suggest that a carpenter •be employed for about six weeks to do the work.

• Elthaim Riding. —Clay blinding, widening, and water-tabling was done on the Rawhitiroa Road. Two culverts were put in and drains were attended to on the Pukengahu Road; . Slips were cleared on the.. Ro-tokare La-ke Road. Metal patching and water-t-abling was clone on the Maata Road. Good progress. is being made with the metalling at-Tiri-moana, sf>o cubic yards having- been ,carted - out. The roller has been - sent out to the road, but the last few days have been too wet to <lo any rolling. The report was adopted. COUNTY'S STRONG FINANCE. The splendid financial position of the county council was revealed by the interim balance-sheet. The credit balance on April 1, 1924,. was £39(51 17s. Receipts from April 1 to'December 10 were £1497 15s 3d, and the expenditure from April 1 to November 8 was £15.303 9s 3d, leaving a credit balance of £3638 3s 2d. The following rates had been levied in 1924-25: General £13,41’3 -15 s 7d. separate £5244 5s fid, special £298 4s 3d, making a total of £18.946 5s 4d. The rates collected totalled £7lOl 4s hl (general £5153 7s fid, separate £1*928 8s sd, special £ll9 8s 2d), leaving £11,845 Is 3d outstanding. The amount-available, including rates due to March 31, 1925, was £'15,483 4s sd, and sundry receipts were estimated to produce £6OO. making a total of U6OO.

Out of the above, the following payments would lave to be made; —Interest on loans (approximately), £3000; interest on antecedent liability '(approximately), £2150; annual payment in reduction of antecedent liability, £1200; making a total of £4450. The balance available for works and administration was £11,633 4s sd. “That, gentlemen, isr a splendid -position to be :n,’’ commented the chairman (Cr. C. J. Belcher). “It makes you feel sort of comfortable that you have got nothing to worry about for several years. It is even hotter than it looks on paper. Probabiv U2OOO from the loans .will make the balance look even better. We will bo in credit again next April/’ NOXIOUS WEEDS. Regarding noxious weed, the following motion was carried: —“That representations be made to the Minister of Agriculture asking him to take steps to discriminate in ’he application ol the Noxious Weeds Act between the rough back country of the Omona Riding and the other ridings of the Eltham bounty. The council desires to point out «hat in the rough back country of the Omona riding,, with its larger holdings, it is now impossible for occupiers to cope by hand with the growth of such weeds as foxglove,, w’ing thistle, and Californian thistle, which appear on the third schedule and which have inundated the rough sheep country, but it is alsb necessary and possible to control these weeds on the smaller diviry farms of other ridings of the country. It is felt by the council that it is absolutely necessary to have a different schedule for such a riding as the Omona from what is necessary for the other ridings of the county, and the Minister is hereby petitioned to make the discrimination sought.” SUBSIDIES FOR LOANS. A letter was received from Mr. O. J. Hawken, M.P.. giving the following official information which he hue received, concerning the Rawhitiroa and Mataiwhetu Road grants, from the Minister of Public Works (Hon. J. G. Coates):

“In connection with the representation', you made recently to me on -behalf of the Eltham County Council requesting an increased Government contribution to subsidise a loan which the Eltham ’County Council propose to raise for metalling the Mataiwhetu and Rawhitiroa .Roads, I have now the honour to inform that this matter has received further consideration, and 1 have now agreed to provide ,a subsidy on the. whole' scheme of £2OOO £2 for £l, the remaining cost to be "subsidised on a basis of £1 for £1 as previously agreed upon. The district engineer's v estimate for the whohk scheme - is £12,000, and under the subsidy as now agreed to, the Government will be providing £2OOO, £2 for £l, and £4500, £1 for £l.’as against the county’s £lOOO, £1 for £2, and £4500,. £1 for £l. Mr. McWilliaim, who accompanied you when you inter-

viewed me in Wellington on September 30, has to-day (November 14) been communicated with and advised of my decision and that authority to cover anticipated payments during this financial year will be issued to the council when its proposals have received the approval of my department.”

A letter of thanks will be sent to the Minister. GENERAL. The Superintendenit of the -State Advances Office notified the .following advances had been remitted to the bank: Tirimoana Road Loan £l5OO, Omoana Riding East Roads Loan £l5OO. —Received. Regarding the maintenance cf main highways, the board’s representative Mr. T. M. Ball, wrote that owing to delay in the printing of the necessary forms, formal monetary authorities have not yet been issued for approved maintenance works. However, it was suggested that local -bodies \yho have carried out such works on Main Highways should render claims to him for one-third of the expendftjire from June 9 to October 31, and he would endeavour to arrange for payments at the earliest possible date.—Received. The District Public Works Engineer ‘(Mr. T. M. Ball) forwarded schedules giving the amounts taken on rhe Main Highways Estimates for construction and the accounts approved for maintenance. He enclosed a circular issued by the Main Highways Board regarding an examination for foremen and overseers supervising works on highways. The examination would hot be compulsory. £3OO was the amount to be contributed by the board for the Hawera Block 1, Section 67. Ngaere Block 10, Section 19, and £233 for Kaupokonui Block 11, Sections 116 to 163.

The State Advances Department wrote that the council’s application for £3OOO advances on the South Riding Road Construction Loan had been received. The department was not in a position to immediately consider application, which had been recorded and will be dealt with in due course.—-Argus.