LENELS COUNTY COUNCIL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13275, 2 May 1907, Page 6

LENELS COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Levels County Cotmril -was held yesterday. Pre- " " sent:" Meisrs C. N. Orbell (chairman}, F. J. LeCren, J- Mahony, J- Stewart,' T. Mte, and W. Barry. lie chairman stated that the annual v statutory meeting ought to have been held, - to receive the annual balance sheet, but this had not; y3t,b:en rciurn'ed from "Wellington. CORRESPONDENCE. The Mackenzie County Council intimated their --willingness to pay one-fourth of the cost of defending the appeal in the by-law test eas*. . Mr R. Fcrgusson offered £25 towards the cost of forming and making passable Andrews' Road, off Wai : iii Road. —The surveyor submitted an estimate.—Messrs Mahony and LeCren had inspected the - place and reported that the -work was necessary and the offer a fair one.—The offer -was. accepted, and.the -work to be done to the amount "of -estimate. Mr J. H. Brosnahan, Levels, applied for tracsfSr of kase of a gravel reserve from Mr Murphy.—Agreed to, rent to be the same a* before. A Kerrytown settler asked for protection against another who was'using the ' road as a grazing ground for a. scoie of tattle, and half as many horses, which were being herded by a boy. If a-, ranger took them the boy released ihani by pay'mg a shilling. —It-', was agreed.-'to instruct the ranger to get assistance' in the way of evidence and then prosecute, for herding on thu road.—Members said the practice was .a great nuisance. Mr A. M. Jameson applied for the grading and shingling of the road from Page's corner to Lindsay's.—lhe surveyor said shingle would have to be got from the beach.—Surveyor to report. Mr A. CleDand asked for a coat of rhingle for the road from his place -o the plantation road, which was shingled 25 years since, and" lately had' been damaged by traction engine traffic. —Cannot be entertained at present. INTER-COUNTY TRAFFIC. Messrs R.: Hutton, J. Anstey and seven others petitioned for.the, regrading and metalling of Brassell's road as it was in a "bad state of disrepair. They understood that a Government grant of £IOO had b.'o-n made for thi? work.—Mr LeCren said the road taras now in a fearful state. The Waimate County has, to contribute onefourth of the cost. Mr Mahony suggested bringing the- matter before the Minister for Public Works and asked him to get the Public Work Act amended, to enable them to demand payment- from Waimata in advance; and they should apply for a fresh commission on this road, and the road from Pareora bridge to Beaconsfield. The circumstances had altered since the previous Commission, upper Parsers having been settled. Mr J. Anstey waited on the Council to support the petition, and gave some details of its condition. It was to be regretted that a Kttle more tronble was nottaken to get> a larger contribution from Wahnato County, as three-fourths of-the traffic on l this road was from Waimate. The Council's own traffic was also verylarge, all the shingle for roads in that „ neighbourhood" having to be carried over Brassell's road, the settlers'- traffic being . a very small proportion of the whole. Mr Anstey pointed out that the grades of some 'steep pinches should b:- reduced before metalling. He also mentioned that the road up the hill needed attention. (This was the one referred to by Mr LeCren). Mr Anstey having retired, the Council discussed the matter'. The chairman said they could not undertake to make Brassell's road good without tho Government grant, and they must b; assured of the renewal of the grant before they started on it. Tli? surveyor -pointed out that the chief expense would b? tho regrading. Also that the shingle for the hill road would have to be carted over Brassell's road, therefore, the former must be done first. The chairman said they must get the £IOO grant % made secure, and then they would undertake the first. AUCTIONEERS' LICENSE FEES. Mr Mahony ; - moved a* a remit to the Counties Conference to the effect that the licsnse fees paid by auctioneers should be distributed pro rata among tho local bodies over extended districts, and this was carried. kSURYEYOR'S REPORT. Th? County Surveyor, Mr T. Black, reported on the work done by the county teams', and on the progress made with the contracts. Some extra teams had been engaged on Tozer's road and in scooping dam and carting and anchoring willows for turning a stream of the Opihi above Kerrytown ford. The dam ought to b? made higher, but it- was doubtful whether a dam would stand a big flood. Repoi.r, were made on works appli.d for. wi;-h estimate;. —Improvements on road on- O'Koyle's Hill: forming track 20ft wid? on Fergn:son's road. He had purt!u;<-ed 200 bujhe 1 ; of oat.*: at Totara for th.' Point team. Reports on the horses in the two tenrr.': were appended. fresh horsf-s we:e Tequired.—lt was decided to purchase some horses. • Mr Barrv applied, for Mr Shaw, for - --—' "" at his farm, to keep gorse down. He wculi! i

undertake not to interfere with the watertable. —Permission granted. ' OPIHI WATER-RACE. Mr Mai-chant waited on th? Council to explain thte cost of the Opihi water-race, in excess of the estimate, and the original contract price. The estimate was £450, the contract for the work as laid out £426'155; bub the mileage had been increased by a mile and a half, and alterations had beat made to suit the convenience! of the people; for whom the race;; were made. The total paid to the contractor was £475 13s. The Council also paid £lO odd for extra, wire netting. The chairman said itih-a total cost including engineering, clerk of works, and legal expenses, had been £538. The Covncil had borrowed £6OO, and they must try to return the balancfe. THE YEAR'S ESTIMATES. The Council proceeded to consider the.estimates for the current year. In this connection the chairman said he had got the surveyor to prepare a list of roads that needed attention, but he recommended that this list.be nob published as ratepayers would expect the whole of the work scheduled to be carried out, or at any rats, those they were interested in; whereas the Council would only be able to carry out some of them, and must- make the selection themselves iro mtirue to time. The financial estimates were as follows: Receipts—From rate- of Id in £, £8450; Government subsidy on rates, £1585; Government grants, £850; license fees and dog tax, £340;-?- contributions from Waimafo County. £150; from Mackenzie County, £25; -sundries, £2so;'total, £11,650. Expenditure.—Office salaries and expenses, £730; Harbour Board , levy, £2084; Hospital Board levy, £876; small birds destruction, £350; interest on overdraft, £200; N.Z. Exhibition balance, £35 10s; repairs, County office, £llß ss; two teams and other day labour, £1360; ma-, terials for road work, £370; repairs to bridges,' £150; hire of teams, £100; new horses, £120; liabilities for works in hand, £1737 4s 6d; bank overdraft, £2844 14s 4d; total, £11,580 31s lOd. Last year, the chairman said, they paid £6OO towards the Opihi protective works, and that would not recurr, and if they had to pay anything for the Opihi bridge it would be done out of loan. The important question now was the amount of rate to be struck. Some, of the ridings could carry on with a penny rate, whilst others %voujd properly require more than a penny, as there was no balance in the estimates to pay for any. contracts without incurring an overdraft. He did not, however, approve of differential rating. Mr Barry thought his riding could get along with a penny rate, whilst others could not. Mr Mahony thought the riding boundaries should be readjusted. The clerk said that the Council could i consider that question this year if they chose, but it must be after notice at a special meeting. Th echairman said the estimated receipts with a penn yrate were £11,650, and the expenditure, £8750 on fixed i.ems, exclusive of bank overdraft (on general account) of £2350. That left nothing for contracts, on the penny rate ba-'-is. He suggested that notice of motion should be ,given for a pinny rate over the whole ' county, and another notice for l£d or l£d. An extra eighth would bring in £I2OO. Mr Mahony spoke for some time in opjesition to the application of differential rating, unless it were preceded by readjustment of riding boundaries. A suggestion was niade by Mr Mahony that the county fund might be a gainer by reduction of the Harbour Rate; — a reduction of that rate by half would give th;m £IOOO. As no agreement could be come to, especially between Messrs Barry and Mahony on the question of differential rating, notices of motion were given by Mr Stewart for a general county rate of Id, by Mr Mahony of a general rate -of and by Mr Barrv for Id rate over Seadown riding. TENDERS. The tender of E. Hall and Sons at £llß 5s was accepted for the alterations required in the County offices, tion, £33 lCs; A. Lees, Du neain, INTERVIEWING THE MEMBER. Mr Mahoney "suggested that the Council should see Mr Hall-Jones about getting ihe County rtpresented on the Tiniaru High School Board. Many of the County ratepayers had sons and r daughters at the school, and they had as much right to have a representative on the Board as Mackenzie, Geraldine, or Waimate Counties. ' ■ _ Hi? Chairman suggested Brasell's Road, and the unfairness of the Waimate County's contribution being only one-fourth, could also be mentioned. Mr M«>honey added the making of the County Office" a Dog Registration Office, outsids the County. It was agreed to arrange a deputation to the Acting-Premier if possible. ACCOUNTS. The treasurer intimated the payment of £3O for Lands-borough Road, and £75 for the Claremont Main Road. Accounts were pn?sel for payment amounting to £505 16:; 6d. Th? Council to?;- at 5.33 p.m.. after agreeing to hold a si>eci;:l me-.-ting that day fortnight to consider the estimates.