MACKENZIE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXX, Issue 12262, 5 January 1904, Page 4

MACKENZIE COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Mackenzie County Council was held yesterday. Pretent—Me.ssr< !•'. R. Gillingham (chairman), J. S. Rutlie: t' -rcl, W. Wreford, R: Irving, and R. Guthrie; ' CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT.

The chairman "reported that he, Mr Guthrie, and""the engineer had inspected the Burke's P.iss cemetery, and he enumerate'l the work required. They had an offer from O'Keefe, the sexton, to trim fences and grub out gorse and briar, for £5 a year for four years. Thay also visited the Burks'3 Pass water race and found it in an unsatisfactory state. It was made beside a gorse hedge and the show had pressed the gorse down into the race, blocking it in places, and polluting'the water withdead vegetation. Mr Banks recommended ploughing a new race away from the fince, and Mr McGregor was willing to allow this to be cut in his paddock. It would take two or three years' revenue from the race to do the wtrk. The Government had approved of the proposal to spend the £IOO grant fofAlburjrroads on shingling the lower end of Limestone Valley-road, and he recommended that tits unehinglod p.ortion be regraded as soon as possible in preparation for shingling. The Crown Lands ranger had been instructed to report on the danger of encroachment by the Opihi river upon Punaroa; he had made one visit, but would arrange another when he could meet Mr Banks on the ground. The credit balance, in' the bank was £328, and the accounts, to be paid/that day' were. £2OB 12s 6d., ■ It was agreed that O'Kefe be engaged, to clear .the Burke's Pass cemetery ;' that the engineer submit an estimate'for 'altering the water-race; that tho chairman's recommendation re Limestone Valley Road' be adopte.-K Mr Wreford urged that the gang do the work required by 0. Angland before going to Limevtone Valley, and it was agreed to. INTERVIEW. ■

Mr Ibndro waited on the Council recarding the. closing of a dead end road into Bis section 8, reserve 1840, Fairlie, and after hairing him it was resolved *0 take steps to close the road. - , ENGINEER'S REPORT. Mr R. L. Bunks, clerk and engineer, reported «» follows—"I have to report that since last meeting the Council's gang has "been employed in. repairing the Mount Nessing road, and ride track, and the road is now in fairly ?;ood order. I propose shifting the men rom this road at tne end of this week. H. Struthers' gang has completed repairs to the Braemar, Burnett's, and Mistake roads, -nnd after repairing side track on , Sawdon Flat ami shingling road near Edward's Creak, * curried, out a number of works in the Silverstream district which Jwd been .-promised for tome time.. This gang it now taken oil for the time being. ■ The bcea'lcwater on creek at Alex. Adamson's, .Puiwoa Settlement; has been iopaired, and the ford should -now be a good one. „Tli" "wubatlc decking ordered !■•■. JJ"" ,®<»- Sfatioual Mortgage and Agency Mimpniy i» hoc vet. delivered. • As the road to Mr GS ltayterV.».g. run, Cham--1 this month through L- Burnett's n'' i'-11, it, will be necessary I , to wiike 11 s'i<ia.'cutting on the surveyed line, as flic «xi«tiug track will ,be cue off- Wi*h rejuin.l t (>■ the proposed plank bridge (;vcr tlu: Opirii river on the Clayton road, 1 ikd flmt a length of ,300 J. ; wet will reqmje t<> be bridged! The cost j wonlil be about £56. Part of this -amount i might bo charged to land fund account, if | Mr W. Davidson would agree to some of the thirds from his section being ex- , pended tin the work. I have made ar- , Tangcinents for having the sweet briar on ' tlio Majn Burke's Pass road and on the ; Itollesby Valley road grubbed out this week." 1 It was agreed that the plank bridge , on Way ton rwid be «one on with, and that , Mr Davidson bo asked to permit part of , liw thirds to be used. : It was agreed that the lease of the pound-house ut X'lurlie be offered for five

: ' yeys ® r Rutherford _ said ho had just been over the Mackenzie l'aua road, and it was jn very bad order, next to impassable, ' a ? I 1" ' >co " '»"g promised that £3O should be.gjiDht iijkjji It.—-It wan agreed t. : to send Slrutlicrs Tip at once to mako the ; road passable, and also the Hakateramea. . road. AH teams (lien to be joined to ; 'onn the Limestone Valley road, and' ten- ; <Jern to be called for shinKlincf. _ CO It R.RS I'ONDKNC E. ? Correspondence «■«» read as follows: ; it, / 0 . 1 ? . Department, (1) stating r that the M te for cemetery for Albuiy, on Jwsewill settlement, had been increased to

two acreS. (2) Sending form of agreement for expenditure of £279 19s 5d on planting at Tekapo—(this sum including £l5O recovered from the N.Z.L. and M.A. Co. us compensation for fire damage). (3) Belating to the proposed exchange of land on Tekapo Island, the whole matter will be laid before the Government. From the Department of lioads, authorising the expenditure of £IOO on metalling roads in Albury Settlement, and £193 14s 4d on Fairlie-Pukaki road. —The Council agreed to spend the former on Limestone Valley road; and 1 the latter on weak spots between Balmoral and Maryburn.— Proposals to be sent to the Department for - approval. - From the Treasury, forwarding £Bl lis 5d oh account of planting at Tekapo; and £5 4s lid on account of Punaroa Settlement road.—lt was resolved to- proceed; with the fencing of another portion of the plantation reserve," to be planted next season. The Chief Commissioner of Lands wrote that there are several uncompleted portions of county roads in the Levels Estate, and it; had been thought that it would ba a .good-thing if arrangements could be made with'the Council to get Ue principal parts at least completed and giuvelled. He therefore asked what proportion of cost, up to a definite amount, tfie Council would be prepared to provide, should the Government contribute to this desirable object. It would not be propbsed'to; do anything to the back road from Moha Vale to Rocky river, nor improve by deviation or otherwise the long steep hill at Green Hill, as it will be comparatively little used. ; The Government of-course takes the responsibility of forming the new road. An early answer was requested, as upon it depends how much the property will be loaded for roads, and the rents are about to he fixed. A tnri'ig was sent showing the new roads an:l all others abutting on or running through, the part of Rosewill Settlement in this i county. A considerable length of tUe latter is formed and gravelled already, and'' this it is no"E proposed to interfere with, but with the uncompleted parts only!—lt was decided to reply that £I2OO is necessary to do the work' referred to, and that the Council will provide £ for £ of any sum spent within that 'limit.'- There; are about 26 miles of such* uncompleted iwvds. Mr T. D. Burnett, Mount Cook station, Tfiported that the Jollie river .ford is i» an unsatisfactory condition; a fresh had destroyed the work recently done by Struthers' gang. Two chains of light cutting; would give a., good approach to the river at all times, and he asked that this be done.—To be done wh«n the gang next visits the locality.

From" Mr J. McGregor, calling attention to the : unsatisfactory state of the waterince at Burke's Pass, it being blocked by the snow pressing down the gorse fence into the race in two or three places. A man with waders and a gorse knife could clear it in -i couple of days. The headworks also require raising a few inches.— Mr Burnett 1o be seen about the matter. F'(>:ri Mr D.' Aiigland, Albury, reminding t.! p r ™'.nnil th \t . he is still waiting for -' iV'to he made to his section, and ho ccufrtcd that he would have, to pack hi' woo! out. He considered it unreasonable that he should ;be notified at this busy season to grub gorse on another section.—The Council had previously agreed to (jo on at once with the work. The Hon. Sir W. J. Steward wrote on November 25th, reminding the Council that the appropriations in the Jist he had sent would lapse on 31st March, 1904, and it was therefore desirable to make: application for the necessary authorisations without delay. The £l5O put down for Punaroa creek "diversion'' could, he had ascertained, be applied to the deepening. or other -alteration, of > the creek.—Members said the vote was £ for £, and the Council could not give £ for £ for a work .really private. Sir William Steward also wrote on December 6th, re the Council's resolution of protest against the demand of the. Railway Department for cost of maintenance of combined traffic and railway bridges. He brought the matter up in ithe House, and the general feeling was that the local bodies should pay for the wear and tear of road traffic. There was no chance of the Department foregoing the charge, and he suggested thai a, commission bs asked for to; fix what, if any, would be a fair charge. He asked the Council to consider this suggestion, and confer with the neighbouring Councils, and let him know if they'-wished him to move in the matter.The Council will take no .further steps.

The Government forwarded an Order-in-Council declaring the blackbird and ken to be injurious birds within the of the: Birds Nuisance Act, 1902. Mr M.. O'Connor, late water-race ranger, wrote from Temuka,/urging that too much had been deducted from his payments on account of work left -undone.—The engineer to settle the matter as he thinks just. Mr W. F. Hamilton, Ashwick station, applied for a grant—about £s—to make passable the Den hut track, that had been broken by slips. .He had twice made the track good at his own expense during the last six years.—The request to be granted. .... No tender was received for cutting half a." million feet of piniis insignia timber from Ashwick Flat plantation. The engineer stated; that he had not had even any inquiry about it. i- Mr Wreford brought up a promise that i had been made to Mr Kidd to improve! his road. It was agreed to do it after Limestone Valley work is completed. Accounts were passed, for .payment, and the Council rose.