SELWYN COUNTY COUNCIL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5989, 26 July 1887, Page 3

SELWYN COUNTY COUNCIL.

This Day.

The ordinary meeting of the Solwyn County Council was held at 10.30 a.in. today ; present— Messrs D. M'Millan (Chairman), H. W. Peryman, W. Dunlop, F. Jones, T. H. Anson, J. Rennie, J. D. Enys. An apology was made for the absence of Mr Westenra.

CHAIRMAN'S STATEJrEKT.

The Chairman made the following statement :—

_ " Tenders have been received fop the timber required for repairing White's bridge. It will be desirable to give notice of the intention of the Council to close the bridge during the repairs. The consideration of the question of the main road, Springs district, was deferred pending the receipt of correspondence which has now come to band. Mr Sluis having resigned his seat on the Lincoln Domain Board, Mr i C. M'Pherßon has been recommended for appointment in his stead. The recent floods have destroyed the works which have just been completed on the road to , the Wilberforce quartz reefs. Letters on the subject have been received from Mr G. Baker and the Christchurch Goldmining Company. Letters have been received from the Minister of Public Works, aud the Heathcote Road Bo3rd, relative to the drain in the Heathcote Valley. The Railway Department is willing to put the drain in repair if the Council will undertake the future maintenance of it. A [ letter has been received from the Riccarton Road Board relative to the lighting- of the gas lamps on the Park roads. A circular has been received from the Labour Bureau Board of Advice relative to making applications for labour. Mr E. Ford wishes to interview the Council on the subject o£ making the road from Whitecliffa to High Feat. Letters have been received from several of the Road Boards relative to the suppression of the small turds nuisance. The Heathcote Road Board have written asking the Council to strike a special rate in the district to meet the claim for Hospital and Charitable Aid expenditure. The Inspector of Slaughterhouses has submitted bi3 monthly report. Correspondence has been received from Messrs M'Phedran, King and otherß, relative to ieaseß of plantation reserves. The Malverii Koad Board has asked the Council to relieve it of the cost of maintaining three culverts over water-racea in the district. The usual monthly reports from the overseers have beensentin. The South Malvern Eoad Board apply to have the water-race below Watson's deepened." MISCELLANEOUS WORKS. The tender of Messrs Sharplin and Lacey for supplying the timber required for repairing White's bridge, was accepted.' A long discussion took place on the | question of the maintenance of a portion of the main road, Springs district, near Babbit Island. Correspondence was read showing that in 1878 the Little River Eoad Board undertook in a letter to the Springs Road Board to maintain the road, and the Council decided not to interfere with this arrangement. Consideration of the repairs needed to the Browning's Pass road was deferred to a special meeting, to be held on August 3, pending the receipt of a report from the Overseer on certain repairs, carried out by the Christchurch Goldmining Company's men. The offer of the Government to repair the drain in the Heathcote Valley, conditionally on the Conncil undertaking its maintenance, was accepted. HIGH PEAKS ROAD. Messrs E. Ford and C. Lightband waited on the Council, and requested that the road between Whitecliffs and High Peak 3 might be made. Mr Ford stated that the formation of the road would enable the deposit of manganese near the latter place to be worked to advantage, as with improved communication it would be possible to deliver the mineral at the ship's side in Lyttelton at £1 per ton. There were also deposits of copper and other minerals in the locality to be opened by the proposed road, which would also give access to a quantity oi agricultural land. The Chairman read a letter from the Eakaia Eoad Board, written on the occasion of a previous application, stating that the Board did not consider itself justified in incurring further expenditure on the road, and that about £2000 would be required to construct it. Mr Ford stated that ho had received a report from London on the manganese, which was considered of fairly good quality. After some further conversation, the Chairman said that the Council would consider what could be done in the matter, and Messrs Ford and Lightband withdrew. It was decided to write to the Minister of Mines and the Minister of Lands, urging them to tako Mr Ford's application into favourable consideration, and to suggest that some of the unemployed might be put to work upon the road. TRACTION ENGINES. Mr F. W. Ea3t waited on the Council on behalf of the owners of traction engines, and presented the resolutions passed at a meeting held last week, objecting to the clauses in the new by-laws regulating the travelling of traction engines, providing that a man with a nag must precede a traction engine on the road, and that owners or persons in charge of such engines should be responsible for damage done to bridges, culverts, or roadways by the passage of the engines over them. Mr East pointed out that in his district the latter clause virtually prevented traction engines from travelling about at all. He suggested that the Eoad Boards should place notices at such culverts as were •unsafe for the traction engines to cross. The Council decided that the By-laws should be given a trial, and that if they wore found not to work satisfactorily, they should be reconsidered. CHARITABLE AID. The Heathcote Eoad Board wrote, requesting the Council to strike a rate in their district for Charitable Aid purposes, a 8 they were not in a position to pay the amount required by the Charitable Aid Board out of the Board's funds. Consideration of the letter was deferred till it could be ascertained what provision would bo made for local bodies in the next, subsidy, as it appeared that there was a probability of the Heathcote Road Board being able to pay the amount after receipt of the subsidy in question. MISCELLANEOUS. Mr C. M'Pherson teas appointed a member of the Lincoln Domain Board in place of Mr SLuis. The Council decided that it could not j make any alteration in the arrangement 1 1 made for paying for the gas supplied to { the lamp on the Riccarton road.

A number o£ matterß of unimportant details connected with the lease of tho plantation reserves were settled. The reports of the water- race overseers stated that the damage done to the races by tho floods had not been very serious. After dealing with various routine matters, and passing accounts amounting to £460 13a 2d, the Council adjourned.