MACKENZIE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13638, 4 July 1908, Page 2

MACKENZIE COUNTY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the Mackenzie County Council was held yesterday. sent,:—Messrs F. K- Gillingham (chairman), J. S. Ru.lierford, D. Stewart, VV. l'.lack, T. Smith, ami R. living. Apology was made for Mr ii. bchlaepkr. CHAIRMAN'S .STATEMENT. The chairman stated that, the overdraft, was £317, and the pay-sheet was £4BO. The latter was larger than usual, but several items ~ were payments from loan fund and land fund. There would be no revenue coming in until the rates were due, except £232 balance of Government subsidy. He suggested that the Council should obtain the volume of consolidated statutes containing those relating to County Councils and other local bouies. — it was agreed to inquire whether these laws will be included in one volume. ENGINEER'S REPORT.

The engineer, Mr R. L. Banks, reported that metalling on road to Winter's S. G. run made good progress during the month until the present week, when the ground became too solt for carting. A side track could ba made to advantage alongside the metalling. The rains of this week cut up the fords considerably in the Cave and Albury ridings, and these were now being repaired. Owing to scarcity of labour the stone breaking on Rock Gully road had not yet been The Fairlie riding gang had repaired Mrs Cotterell's road, surfaced part of main road in, Tekapo riding as agreed to, and had resumed the repairing of Main Silverstream road'. The fords in the riding suffered little damage. In the Tekapo riding repairing had been done on the Grampians Road, and in about 8 days he proposed shifting the men to the Tekapo road, which required shingling in a number of places and the water letting oft. The stock bridge over Opihi river at R. Guth-rie-6 S. G. run had been satisfactorily completed. P. J. Beaton was making good progress with his contract for work on the Tekapo bridge, and the re-decking was being pushed on. So far traffic had not been muh interefered with. He had received a number of inquiries re purchasing portions of the old decking timber. The weak chimney at Burke's Pass County buildings had now been replaced in brick. As instructed he had examined the threatened encroachment of the Opihi river below Silverstream, and was of opinion that any work done at this place -should ba undertaken by the owner of the land down the stream, as the damage would probably be wholly confined to his farm. Regarding the old -decking timber, the engineer recommended that some of it be used for making wing fences to the Sawdon and Edw'ards creeks motor bridges, to facilitate getting sheep over them, and this was agreed to. It was agreed that the side track on Winter's road be made.

Mr Smith suggested that the gangs should be "burst up" and the men sent about with shovels to clear the watertables and mouths of culverts. The culverts became choked, and the water ran over the road and scoured off the road metaJ, causing a lot of repair work.—Mr Smith also recommended tnat the men be provided with gum boo is for the work of repairing fords, two pail's for each gang, and this was agreed to. Members mentioned a number of places where the rain had brought out weaknesses in roads and drainage conditions. Mr Guthrie recommended that the Fairlie gang be employed about the town as much as possible in winter after letting off water, and doing some patching on the main road. Shingling on the main road, done now, would not be worn down till summer, when the heavy traffic came on, and in the meantime it would be rough for light traffic. There was a great deal of work required about the township to occupy the men. Mr Black desired to see a dam. on a creek near Winscombe removed, as it dammed water back so as to fill up uonie deep holes in the roadside, apparently old gravel pits.—The engineer said the dam did not raise the water on the road, but no doubt did hold the water up to Ihe ford level.—Mr Black insisted on- the ueed for the removal of the dam, and the chairman, on whose land it is, said lie would have the dam removed. REQUESTS DECLINED. On behalf of Mr Keenan, Three Springs Homes.ead, Mr Guthrie applied for a crossing to be made over i-iie water-race within the property. Mr Guthrie pleaded a previous concession of the kind, but the chairman said the circumstances were not the same. Af;er some animated discuoiion the chairman ruled that this was extraordinary business, and time must be given to inquire how many such crossings might be applied for if this were granted. .Mr Black asked for a drain pipe across a road to be lowered to permit one of his paddocks on the upper side to be drained for cultivation. After a discussion in which Mr Black pressed for the work to be done and at once, undertaking to .pay for it if necessary, the request was referred to the engineer to report, aud on this Mr Black left the room and later on sent in hits resignation. CORRESPONDENCE. Correspondence was received regarding the Council's request for a grant of £l5O for a bridge: over. Irishmen's Creep, - Fairlie. The Hon. W. liehad referred the application to Mr McGow.an, Minister of Roads. Sir W. J. Steward wro'e that he would support the : claim, and he had pointed, out- to the Minister that this was the only money' grant asked for by the Council. Mr Withees, district road engineer, inquired' why this creek was called Irishman's Creek. It was called Hall's Creek on the block map, and as there was an Irishman's creek bridge on the Wolds Flat he asked if-the Council could nGt alter , the neinc. —The Council agreed to alter The name to Hall's creek. Sir W. J. Steward wrote that- Mr Fodehs tender liad been accepted for erection of a pest office at Fairlie. He hod spoken to the Minis'er about purchase of a section for a Courthouse, and was informed that it was not necessary to purchase a section from which he inferred [ that it was intended to be erected on the police section. Tlie "question of building would be considered .when : the> public works estimates- were being prepared. The Council had requested the Government to take over the.road between Tekapo and Pakaki, as a Government road. The -clerk stated- that no reply had yet been received. The chief engineer of roads'.niade inquiries to which the following replies had been prepared—Number of bridges in the country over. 12ft in length -<l2, total length 1487 ft, total length of formed cart, or dray roads 536 miles, length of these' metalled or shingled 369 miles, ;total length of graded bridle tracks 8 miles.' Mr P. J. Beaton requested that the unfinished balance of work in his Tekapo ■ bridge contract be allowed to stand over till spring, the weather now being unsuitable.—Agreed to. Messrs A. S. Smith and E. .Smart ap-/ plied for the closing of a road line between • their sections and Council ; reserves.—lnquiry to be made whether this is possible. Mr F. H. Smith asked for a double 'in-. stead of a single plank placed 'over • Exe Creek, and netting sides be fixed, so as to make a sheep bridge of it.—The chair-, man suggested that'a span • of , theold Opihi bridge be placed there,, and this was agreed to. . ■ Mr H. A. Innrs-Jones and H. Campbell (Camp Valley) applied for and. were granted planks for creek crossings. , Mr W. Gardner asked "for-attention to a bad road in front of' house.—To be attended to as soon as possible. Mr' R. Appleby appied! for 'some road formation.—Deferred for a month. , Mr, Sams, * Balmoral, • asked' that timber for . a stock • bridge r over Glenmore Creek on the main road, be reserved from the old

Tekapo bridge decking.—Agreed to, and bridge to be built up to a cost of £lO. The Albury Beautifying Society requested a subsidy on their expenditure. This had been over £SO already and donations of trees and timber had been worth £2O more. —The chairman said all the work of that kind in Fairlie had been done by private subscription, except about £4.—The Council voted £5 out of the general fund. , Dr Bums, of Pleasant Point, reported a ca.se of diphtheria at Rocky Gully, on June 15th, a boy of 3 years being the patient. —A short discussion took place on the question whether the Council or the local Health Officer had any duty to perform in these cases, or if an epidemic of infectious disease broke out, and no definite answer was forthcoming. —Mr Smith said the patient had been isolated, and was now well again. . TELEPHONES.

Mr Logan, superintendent of electric lines, replied to a request for a telephone office at Mawaro, that a line would be erected if the Council or six settlers wouM inve a guarantee for five years of £5 a year, or a lump sum. of £2O. The telephonist must provide accommodation and would be paid 2d per message, with a minimum of £5 a year. Mr Smith undertook to try ana get tne six guarantors, and the letter will ® handed to him. . . , A request for the extension of tlie telephone to Ashwick Flat could not be entertained at prtuent as tlw co6t would not, be warranted by the probable ievenue. The estimated .ctist of construction was £lB5, and the annual expenses, including interest, maintenance, stationeiy, and telephonist's salary £26 15s, aud the revenue only £2. . , The Council considered the estimate of revenue was absurd, as a telephone to Ashwick Flat would be useful to the stations beyond. The chairman wondeied why guarantee terms had nut been eiat-ed us in the other case. The Premier had been making promises to extend the facilities of the telephone in the back blocks, and here was a case of the sort.—-In was agreed to make fresh representations to i lie -Minister pointing out that the revenue would certainly Iw larger than the Department's es.ima.te. SMALL BIRDS.

The clerk, Levels County Council reported the result of a conference held ou June 6th, regarding small birds. (1) That the distribution "of poisoned grain be discontinued ; (2) fixing the prices of heads at Is per dozen, for nve months, May to September, and 3d per dozen for eggs for the rest of the year; (3) That the Government be asked to obtain information regarding small owls, and if advisable, to introduce some. Mr Irving did not think it necessary to spend so much oil the small birds. They were not doing so much damage, as the caterpillars uoed to do beior-e the birds ciime. Mr Smith had seen the birds eating tlie diamond mo h among the turnips thjb year. It was only the eariy ripe crops that suffered much. .Mr Irving : And the crops ripen earlier down country, and there are more plantations there. The chairman perused the Small Birds Destruction Act, but lpund nothing in it bo compel the Council to adopt Lhe recommendations of the conference, and the Council decided to ,puy for poisoned grain only, as last year. The secretary of ihe Otago Fanners' Union wrote that, at the annual conference a good deal of favourable evidence was given regarding the usefulness of little owls in the destruction of small birds, and it was resolved to. apply to eajjh County Council of Otago for a donation of £2O towards the coist of importing owls, and to the Government lor a £ for. £ subsidy. The Mackenzie Council was invited io make a donation. , • Mr 'lrving aid jiot .think the owls , destroyed small birr] 8, "at most they only drove them' from one place to another. ilr Guthrie doubled whether they would even do that. He had seen small birds mobbing owls and driving them away. , , Air Smith had seen them mobbing the big hawks here to. He thought the owls' would destroy small birds: FAIRLIE DOMAIN. It .was resolved to advance! £2O to the Fairlie Domain account, to enable some planting and other improvements to be carried out. ACCOUNTS. The Receiver of Land Revenue forwarded £lO2 12s 6d fourths accrued. This had been paid in before the chairman's statement was made up. A formal resolution l was carried sinking a uniform rate of,ld in the £ over the whole county. Accounts, amounting to £489 Is 2d, were passed for payment. t