GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13909, 21 May 1909, Page 7

GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY .MEETING

. The monthly meeting of the Geraldiu'e County Council was held yesterday. Present: Messrs G. J. lJenmstoutt (chairman), A. Metcalf, G. . Armitage, A. Ivclman, and IS. R. Macdonald. ENGINEER'S REPORTS.

A report was read from Mr Marchant, County Engineer, regarding the erection of a road fence near luirlie <m the wrong line. The fence must he taken tip and re-erected. —It was explained that the men sent to do the work followed the pegs, .which h;id somehow been shifted. —It was decided td have the fence re-erected. Mr Marchant also reported on bridge works in hand. The strengthening of llainclitf bridge was completed, and the work had been satisfactorily tested by driving a heavy traction engine over it. The contract price was £'4lo, and the work done was worth £4OO. A final payment of £SO could be passed to the contractor Mr W. H. Tubb. AH the timber work of Hanging E«k bridge was completed, except the kauri haudrailing: and the wliole would be completed in a fortnight. A fifth progress payment of £'2so could be passed to Mr W. J. Black, the contractor. The Hanging Rock road was now rather more than half completed and should be finished in a month or six "weeks. The necessary fencing was now being erected, a t.'iird progress pavment of £l2O could be passed to the contractor. Mr J. Todd. On the Opihi concrete bridge the report said: 'We have not yet surmounted the initial difficulties of driving at this site. There is no difficulty hi"driving the large steel columns to iheir fullest depth, and these constitute the whole strength of the piers. The concrete casing is merely a preservative veneer. At the worst we Lave succeeded in driving the concrete casing to a depth of 12ft. below the river-bed. but after that some very liard stratum is encountered, which the concrete cannot penetrate, and it < racks off at the top of the columns. Just at present we are working on or about the site of the original Opihi bridge and may have struck son>p of its wreckage. We e xpecr to do Ixr-tter when we get out into the riverbed. Mr Marchant further wrote that complaints had been made to him of the danger to tht» public crossing the Opihi bridge while nile-driving operations are in hand. Ho intended therefore to open the ford across the river jpn the lower side of the bridge as

soon as possible, so that people could take tlieir clumt: <»1 alternative routv.s. Ine action ot tin.' engineer was endorsed,, Mr Billings, Clerk of A\ orks, reported that lie iiacl visited Aliandale nridge and found everytlun'g in good order. \ ictoria bridge,, Urari, -required a leu- new planks and battens and these had been put in. The Treasury notined the payment of £B2l 2s in respect of Hanging ftock bridge. WATER-RACES.

Mr Rolleston, chairman of committee, reported a good supply in the Orari-ltaugitata system. Mr Me tea If raised the question whether the water-race is vested in the Council where it runs through the Orari Gorge Estate, and whether the Council's rights were affected by the Government purchasing a part of the estate. —It was resolved to take the necessary steps to have the land required vested in the Council. CORRESPONDENCE. - Mr C. Jessop asked to have the road to Hanging Rock bridge formed past his land, as he intended to fence to his boundarv—Referred to the engineer. The clerks to the Levels Council and Tenuika Road Board wrote that these bodies had decided to adhere to the resolution come to at the 1908 conference re small birds.—The chairman said no farmer in the Mt. Peel district had applied to the local distributor for poisoned grain. After some discussion the Council decided to follow the .same course. The Education Board asked for pecuniary assistance in the appointment of ,i competent instructor in for the schools in the district. Mr Armitage spoke in support of the reorest, and asked how much the Coiyieil would be prepared to give—The chairman said that would depend very on til" qualitv of tV instructor, while Mr Macdonald s n 'd thev must know the salarv first—The matter was held over pending the receipt of more information. The chairman applied for ami was granted a month's leave of ab=encr». as lie was about to visit the Tclar' l . and at his sur<zestion Mr Mncdonald was appointed to act in his pla»*e. .Account* +o £772 lis <d were passed for payment.