CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LX, Issue 143765, 13 April 1912, Page 4

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. , The usual monthly meeting of the Clifton County was held yesterday, when there, were present: Councillors S. Elfiot (chairman), if. T. Hicks, C. O’Sullivan, A. M. Uower, S. J. Kennington, H. Sander, J. Gleeson.. SURFACEMEN’S REPORTS. The following monthly reports were read: A. Hutchins, Okoke Road.—P. Darko has put in I'Ji days on the top end of the Okoko Road, above Mr. Wright’s gate. I have put the hand rails on two bridges on the Pikp Road. The first bridge on the Piko Road requires a new wing on one end, and, as 1 have sufficient timber for tho job, I will fix it up as soon as I can get the timber carted. There is a lot of filling required on the Piko Road and tho top end of the Okoke Road. C. F. Dowman, Purangi.—This month most of my time has been taken up in cleaning tho road into tho pit. Owing to the bad weather, the slips have been, coming down as fast as 1 could clear them away, and I could not get a man to help me. Wo have .quarried about 130 yards of metal this month, and if tho weather keeps fine for two or three weeks we will have our amount out. 1 have also started on the Pita Road and have spent about £4 10s on tho .Domain Road. My. Graham is getting on well with his tunnel. A. Rolfe, Matan, forwarded timesheets of work done by men under his employ, and also asked for a fortnight’s holiday. Drake Bros, had finished their contract. W. Knhtz, Mokau Riding.—Owing to the had weather, the uninstalled roads have got cut up a good deal, and a great part of the month has been taken up by putting down burnt papa and cleaning out water tables on unmetalled roads. Therefore 1 have not been able to attend to the metalled parts. I am very much in want of some bridge decking as some of the bridges in my riding need a new plank or two, and T have none on hand. ENGINEER’S REPORT. Tho engineer (Mr. C. F. Dowsett) reported as follows; Otaraea Road.—This work is now making satisfactory progress. Tho deviation was surveyed during the month and the fencing arranged for at a reasonable price. Okoke Road.—Paul’s metalling contract has been completed and the work taken over. Taylor’s contract has been somewhat hampered by weather conditions, but 1 am of opinion that greater progress might be made with more organisation and system, and suggestions to that end have been made.

Kaka Road.—-Paul has been pushing on with his widening contract and has almost completed same.

Piko Road.—Whittaker has completed his widening contract, and a further-70 chains have been laid off. Plans and specifications are now in course of preparation. This work will carry the dray road to Whittaker’s house and Bull Creek. Wai-iti Deviation.—Falconer Bros, have almost completed their formation contract, and are now attending to required finishing details. W, Rowe’s Deviation. —Mr. Parsons is busy erecting this fence, which will shortly ho completed. Mimi-Mokau Road.—.Bellshaw Bfos. have put out about 550 yards of burnt papa, and aro now completing their final kiln.

Uruti.Road Bridge.—The steel girders and the majority of the timber is to hand, and a start will be made shortly with this work.

Junction Road Metal.—Messrs. Drake have satisfactorily completed their contract.

Mr. Dowsett also reported on 51 of the 84 bridges in the county. Repairs necessary totalled £4,457 and eight of 'the works specified were specially urgent, namely Onaero (£42), Colson’s (£75). Pnti,ki (£400), Sandstone (£200), Junction Road. 31 and 32 pegs (£210). Junction Road, below Well's (£120), Junction Road, near Silk’s (£249) and North Matan (£340).

DEPUTATIONS. Mr. Pukoro, of Uremii, waited on the council and asked them to fence the road to the beach through his property. The engineer (Air. Dowsett) thought the council would be treating the Maoris fairly if a gate were put at each end of the road, and it was decided to do this. Mr. W. J. Erceth also attended the meeting with reference to the financing of the Wai-iti deviation. Be said the Minister of Public Works, when in Waitara, promised £SOO in £ for £ subsidy. They then found that the estimates provided for only £3OO and ho asked the council to apply for the other £3OO. The settlers themselves had raised £SOO by a loan, and there was

plenty of good shell rock handy on the beach. On the motion of the chairman, seconded by Councillor Hicks, it was decided to make application for the remaining £2OO. SPECIAL URUTI ROAD LOAN. Messrs. R. Kirton, R. M'Kenzie and C. Barnitt awaited on the council in support of the special loan to bo raised for metalling the L'ruti Road. They were in favour of the proposal. Mr. Kirton acted as first spokesman and brought several arguments to bear against the objections raised. They thought they had arranged the district as fairly tn all concerned as possible. Air. Kirton had interviewed practically all the settlers whose names were on the petition and could safely say they had devised the scheme in the interests of the majority. Air. AlKenzie also advocated the loan. Air. Barnitt also considered the scheme the most reasonable ‘one yet made. They represented 23 of the 27 settler* in the area. Messrs. J. H. Slight. A. Miller and AY. A. Rone also attended with the hope of being excluded from the special rating area. Air. Slight opened the opposition with the stntepient that he would derive no benefit tram the metalling and objected strongly to Ins being included. They, wore practically isolated. Besides, K!iore was liis outlet and he was only 10 to 15 from the railway station. Air. Rone also considered that the road would be of no earthly use to him. Both deputations then withdrew. In discussing the proposal Councillor Gleoson considered the boundary should have been made at the water-sfied. Councillor O’Sullivan thought all should be included in the special rating area, and Councillor Bower concurred.

Councillor O’Sullivan moved that the council take the necessary steps to raise the loan in terms of the agreement presented by Messrs. Kirton. Barnitt and M'Kenzie. Councillor Bower seconded. Cr. Sander moved an amendment that the sections of the objectors be excluded from the area on the ground that the area was too large for the amount of loan proposed to lie raised. Councillor Gleesou seconded the amendment.

On the division being taken Councillors Kenuington. Sander and Gleeson were the only supporters of the amendment and the original motion authorising the raising of the loan, was carried. URENUI POUND. Jas. Smith, the pound-keeper at Urenui, notified the council that ho had made necessary, repairs to the pound, the total cost of which was 17s 6d. Councillors expressed surprise at the keeper doing work without the council’s permission and eventually the matter was left in Councillor Clecson’s hands. GENERAL. Parris Taylor, contractor for the shell rock contract at Uruti and the stonework contract at Urenui, wrote asking for progress payments on both contracts. He had the stone and men waiting and the wages were necessarily running on. He could not continue owing to the crushers not being available. It was resolved to pay £l5O on account of the shell rock and £SO on the stonework. Mr. H. Larsen, Pehn, asked the count cil to expend any available money for repairs necessary on the Puke Hoad. Several punga bridges, he said, were badly in need of repair, and there was also a bad slip on the road.—The matter was left in Councillor Kennington’s hands. Mr. H. R. Farmer asked the council to form a sft., track to enable him to get access with a sledge to his property at AVai-iti. The road referred to is a continuation of the AVni-iti road to Mr. Farmer’s section.—Councillor O’Sullivan moved that an estimate be asked from Mr. Farmer for the work, and that Mr. Farmer he asked to do the work at his price. Councillor Sander seconded. Mr. AV. H. Foreman, Okau, wrote asking that the thirds accrued from section 3229, block 0. Mimi, occupied by himself, he expended in widening the Tooi track before the coming winter. This had been promised by tho previous council. C. E. Raby, Rerekapa, wrote objecting to a paragraph that appeared in the last report as published in the Budget of Match 2. He said there was a suggestion that his work was pool- and a waste of money by those who have done work on the Tooi Road. He objected very much to the statement, as ho had worked there himself. He did not intend to allow the matter to pass without protest, as he had only gone to work when no one else was available. Messrs. Henry Jury and M'Eldowney Bros, endorsed what Air. Rahy had said.

The Under-Secretory of the Public Works Department enclosed a copy of a notice published in the Gazette of February 8 relating to the license to construct and use electric trams. FINANCE. The Treasury notified having credited the council’s account with sums amounting to £lO9l os 4d. These were made up of: Metalling, etc., Okokc (£1 for £l, on account of £700), £167; earthwork, etc., Otaraoa, £25; Pike, £101; Pukcnruhe f£l for £1), £150; metalling Mimi-Mokau, £7O; formation, etc., Mataro (£1 for £3), £7B 5s 4d; and payment of sixth and final advance' on account of the £ISOO loan granted for the construction of Okoke Road, £SOO. LEGION OF FRONTIERSMEN. Lieutenant B. G. Mahoney, organising officer for the North Island for the Legion of Frontiersmen, wrote from Tnparoa, E.C., statirtg the objects of his legion, and asking the council’s support. ‘’The Legion.” he said, “is a purely military force being raised throughout the Empire among certain specially qualified men. To ke_ep it up to standard it is necessary to have the enrolling in each district under the control of some responsible body, anti therefore we have approached a number of the New Zealand county councils requesting their support, either officially or privately, as they may deem best. particulars.