LEVELS COUNTY COUNCIL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XCVIII, Issue 170572, 4 August 1921, Page 3

LEVELS COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETIXC4. The monthly meeting of the Levels County Council was Hold in Tim aru yesterday. Present: Messrs C. N. Urbell (chairman) .K. J. Cleland, IC J. McKeown, G. E. Kerr, and T. W. Biosnalian. CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT. The chairman said the debit balance that day stood at £8920 Ids JLld—very near Lheir limit. The revenue received lor the month totalled £'77, including £ls 8s (jd from rates. It would bo necessary to go iiito the loan question at an early date, and he suggested that they should hold a special meeting for this purpose, if there was not time that day. He bad instructed the Councils engineer to prepare estimates of the cost of the most urgent works, as the present would probably be a suitable time to call tenders there being more men offering to undertake work now than formerly. It would be known that Timaru had decided not to join the Power Board; he supposed that Levels Council would stand in with the rest of the district in this matter to join the Board when it was formed. He did not know what Mackenzie Council intended to do in the matter. Mr Kerr said that Levels Council should certainly join the Board. CORRESPONDENCE.

The Ashburton County Council wrote forwarumg a long resolution viewing with alarm tne mgii rate of . interest, m the nonunion, and suggesting tnat the Government should use its influence to bring the rate of interest m tins country., on a ievel with that m Great Britain. Air jxerr asked the chairman if he could explain why the bank rate m kin gland was 5£ pur cent., and m New Z/eauuid 7 per cent. ? The chairman said he could not. Mr Kerr said there was something wrong somewhere. It was decided to support the Ashburton resolution. The South Canterbury Development League wrote asking the Council’s support by a donation. The chairman said lie thought the League should be supported, but if it was going to do any good it must bo r more representative of the district as a whole. The League should .have a strong membership if it was to bear influence for good. If the League was strong in membership and representative of the whole district then ilitlocal bodies should contribute liberally to it, but there could not be much use in voting money to it otherwise. He suggested that the Levels Council should think the matter over, and decide at next meeting what contribution (.if any) they should give. Air Kerr 'spoke warmly in support of the League and said the Council should give to it more liberally than in the past. The League was doing very good work. The chairman said that one great mistake had been made by the t teepresident of the League (Mr Dash) in condemning Lake Coleridge as lie had done. By doing that he was simply playing into the hands of Christchurch. The a?m of South Canterbury should be to concentrate on securing the promised power from/Coleridge, and they should not deflect' their energies to other schemes. The Pleasant Point Town Board applied for the loan of the Council s grader.- and a man, to do some grading m the township. Tile Board also gave notice of their intention to shingle Maze's (a boundary) road. It was decided to lend the grader, and to ask for particulars/pf the proposed work on Maze s roacL The Pleasant Point Technical Association invited the Council to elect a representative for that district on tins lilooting Committee of the Point Technical Association. —Mr Clehtnd was appointed. . ... The Tena uka Technical Association sent a similar request in respect of their district, and Air Biosnalian was appointed. Eor the Timaru Association Afr AlcKenwa was'appointed. Air H. L. O’Donnell iwrot© asking tha ttlie road leading to Ills property be improved. It was said that before the road could he graded Mr O’Donnell would require to grub the gorsc from Ii is frontage, I and the engineer was instructed to seo what could he done.

Mr 11. H. Gill applied for metal on his road frontage.—Work to be done under the loan scheme. The -sow Zealand Refrigerating Company implied for a license under the Health Act, 1,921. —It was decided to refer the matter to the local health in--speetor. ® ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer reported on work done during tire month and on work requiring to be done. Regarding the To -Ygawai traffic bridge, no gave alternative estimates for repairing it —£380 and £485 respectively. "With regard to this bridge, the chairman said it was a question whether they should spend £4OO or £SOO to patch it up. seeing that a new bridge would soon have to be built there. The engineer said the bridge was 46 years oid. It was safe for light, but not for heavy, traffic. No load in excess of three toils should he taken over it. It was decided to advertise that the bridge is only open for light traffic, and to hold over a definite decision as to whether the bridge should be patched u|j, till next meeting of the Council, when Mr Garrick will be present. It was decided to defer work asked for at Gloniti, as the Council have not the money for it, and there is work requiring to be done much more urgently in other parts of the county. It was agreed, however, that some patching should be done at Jameson's and Gladstone Robinson's.

TENDERS. Tenders were received for 450 yards of rotten rock metal, near Moa Ibis.-. Totara —I‘. Bates £226, A. E. Vincent £221 ss. McMillan Bros. ,£lB9 8s Od, Seyb Bros. £174 7s (id (accepted). GENERAL. On the motion of Messrs Kerr and McKeown it was decided to apply to the State- Advances Office for the balance (£7000) of the £IO.OOO loan for load works in the Otipua, Point, and Claremont ridings of the county. The chairman was appointed the Council’s delegate to attend the Municipal Conference in September. The road ranger reported on impound • ■ mgs for the month, the report indicating that he had been very aetive. Mr MeKeuwn was appointed to represent the Council at the South Island Motor ITi ion Conference in Christchurch. Accounts amounting to £I7OO 16s (id were passed for payment, and the Council rose.