GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCILFINANCE

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVI, Issue 22935, 4 July 1944, Page 3

GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCILFINANCE

Rates Levied The Same As Last Year Adequate Provision For Highways A decision to strike a geneial rate of 1 7-32<1. in the £, and a bridge rate of l-32d. in the 1, was made at a meeting of the Geralcln County Council yesterday. Mr n. Mackenzie presided. A debit balance of £5 0 815.2 pared with a credit of £024 18/a last year, was reported by the chairman of the finance committee (Cr. J. wooahead). Recipts for the month totaled £457/4/1 bringing the total receipts to date to £5437-9 ■ refunds were due from the Mam r-ign-ways Board and petrol tax. and the Government subsidy on last yeai s rates was also due. Highways Estimates The engineer (Mr J. R- Hawcridge) said that estimates were considered at a meeting of the No. 15 District Hlgliways Council during the month, ims year adequate provision had been matte for general maintenance, a total oi £2926 being approved on highways, which brought expenditure back to Lie 1940-41 level. New works approved, said Mr Hawcrldce. included the Skipton bridge replacement, a second seal coat on Manse Bridge approaches, sealing' 18 chains at Clandeboye near the dairy factory, maintenance sealing of bad sections ot the Hinds-Winchester main hignway, and the building up of a bad section of the Hanging Rpck Main Highway near Maxwell’s as a flood prevention measure.

Mr Hawcridge said that the proposed Hilton School bridge, Black Creek bridge, and the reconstruction and sealing to Edgar’s corner on the TemukaPleasant Point main highway had been held over in the meantime. It was worth noting, he said, that during the heavy downpour on June 22, fords at both the bridges mentioned were totally impassable for traffic, and were badly scoured. Gift to Patriotic Fund The general manager of 1 the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company forwarded a cheque for £5O toward the county quota in the South Canterbury Patriotic All Purposes Appeal. The clerk (Mr A. A. Readdie) reported tn this had been divided equally between Geraldine and Temuka. Mr William Moore, Timaru, wrote thanking the council for re-appointing him as their representative on the South Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. A letter was received from the Mackenzie County engineer-clerk (Mr D. Jeune) concerning the request which had been made to the Geraldine County for a grant toward the Orari Hills access road. He advised that the settler at Orari Hills stated that he would contribute £3OO spread over two years. The owners of Orari Gorge station had been asked to contribute, but so far they had received no promise. As the matter stood at present, the Government were paying £l2OO, the settler £3OO and the county £3OO. While the road would help one of the county settlers to get a back hut on the Phantom river, the road was for all practical purno.ies for the benefit of three blocks in the Geraldine county. The chairman: We are already paying over to the Mackenzie County the rates from the Orari Hills property—about £3O a year. It was agreecj that the chairman (Mr K. Mackenzie) and the engineer (Mr J. R. Hawcridge) should meet the Mackenzie County Council on Friday. General It was agreed, to reply to an inquiry by the Geraldine Borough Council, that the county could not supply metal chips of sizes suitable for footpaths. It was agreed to make a grant of £3/3/- to the Boy Scouts’ Association, Christchurch. The usual grant of £2O was made to the Temuka Public Reading Room and Library from Hobson Trust funds. The Estate of D. S. Pearse advised that they would accept the sum of £1 for land taken for road widening at Epworth, Temuka. The Geraldine poundkeeper (Mr M. Bell) reported that he had impounded 33 head of cattle and seven horses during the year. The Temuka poundkeeper (Mr R. A. Young) reported that, he had impounded 23 head of cattle and four horses.