COOK COUNTY COUNCIL

Gisborne Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2139, 23 July 1907, Page 1

COOK COUNTY COUNCIL

The monthly meeting of the Cook County Council was hold yesterday. Present: The Chairman (Hon. Captain Tucker) and Crs. AA’. D. Lysnar, Macdonald, lvenway, Boland, Matthews, White, Slierratt, and E. Lysnar.

HEALTH INSPECTOR’S REPORT. Mr. Robt, Thelwall; reported: “Sinco your last meeting no infectious diseases have been reported. L have visited To Karaka to supervise tlij alteration to septic tank, in-

structed h.v the .District Health Officer. This alteration lias cost the proprietor of the hotel some £lO, through his not submitting the plans

to the Health Officer before doing the work. I have visited AVliatatutu hotel on my periodical tour of inspection. The scheme proposed by the Health Officer has been carried out so far as practicable before the spring,

when it will bo completed according to the Health Officer’s instructions. A complaint was made of a piggery

being a nuisance owing to it being on the road frontage. I have visited

th> premises, and written to the owner in the matter. I have paid the several piggeries a surprise visit and found in all cases the offal was being dealt with according to law, and not I tiling, of an insanitary nature came under my notice. The majority of the butchers are still burying their offal at the abattoirs.’’—Adopted. IMPOUNMNGS. Mr. A. Parsons, County Ranger, Ormond, reported' that 42 head of horses and cattle had been impounded since last meeting. PAKARAE BRIDGE. The Engineer reported as follows:. With reference to tho Pakarac bridge, as,l understand that the loan for construction has been ear 7 ried,. I should ho glad of instructions from the Council as regards site; I have laid off two points, one about half a mile from the hotel (estimates of which have been already submitted), and ono near tho hotel; this latter site would in my opinion be more convenient as regards stock paddocks for the travelling public; and also because tho beach is available from Seymour’s to Shaw’s wool-: shed, thus saving the present construction of about 1 milo of road;

but the cost of a bridge at this point will run into about £6OO to £6OO more than the one first laid Qif, the bridge being slightly, longer and necessitating the construction of a concrete pier. The Chairman said that the lower, bridgo of itself, without roads, would therefore cost £9OO more than the upper bridge.

! In reply to a question the Engineer said both sites were equally satisfac-: tfiry but for road purposes and coil-' vt'nionco he preferred the lower site.i Cr. Matthews advocated the lower, site. The beach was always a good route, and a few hundreds would be well spent in getting a work that; would be permanently satisfactory. The Chairman thought the matter should he left to the Engineer. Cr. Matthews said the position was, -f;;m^ e to^.coinur<ikfind.,^-'Ol»—loinri>xw*>--a question whether they preferred the sandy beach, or a, piece of road, that would get very bad in winter. Cr. Macdonald said the site should have been submitted to the rate-: payers. Cr Boland pointed out that the; loan voted upon by tho ratepayers; was ouly £3OOO. , !

The Chairman said any loan could be extended by 10 per cent without' a further vote. Thus £3300 could be raised, and the rate agreed upon

would cover this amount. Cr. Matthews moved in favor of the lower site. . I Cr: Boland said the people did not] want to run into more expense than was necessary. Cr. Sherratt moved an amendment I in favor of tlio top site. The people hid not authorised any change of S 'Cr. W. D. Lysuar supported the lower site. He pointed out. that there was no stock 'accommodation at the top site. The lower one had tin only piece of flat ground in the vicinity. The bridge would be a last- J ing improvement, and a few hundreds should not stand in the way of the more advantageous site being seThe Chairman thought the inferl ei|ee in the minds of the ratepayers, as nothing was said to the contrary, w is that the bridge was to be at the present site. After further discussion, the Gounoil decided to follow Cr. White’s advLo and consult the. ratepayers on tlio matter. The decision of the majority, whether expressed at a public meeting or by means of a petition, would be accepted by the Council.

MURIAVAI ROADS. Mr. Claude Williams, of Munwal, wrote re .tho static of the Mui in ai I roaT between the sandhills and the 1 school. Tho metalled part was" 11T a dangerous condition',' and required I mending and patching. Another por-1 tion of the road required metalling, and there was a section of five or six I chains that should be graded, as there was no “get away” for the water from tho watertables. In (regard to a special rate the writer said, “We enclose cheque for 410 14s tin payment of enclosed accounts, but iwa shall bo glad if the Council will ! consider the matter of relieving us of this charge. AVe gain no benefit fron the bridges in question, and it seems hardly fair to throw so largo a proportion of tho cost upon us. A return of the cheque would bo most welcome.” > Mr, Faulkner wrote on too same subject. He mentioned there a very fair quarry on Mr. Kemp s property, where, after a little openling up," tho stone could bo cheaply

got. The Engineer said lie was doing temporary nwk until the spring timo. Ho could not obtain metal at present, and was using sand. The clerk pointed out, regarding Hr. Williams’ letter, that no remission could be made on special rates. The Enginer was instructed to do what he could sit present and include .the permanent wotly in pis estimates. [ ENGINEER’S REPORT, : The County Engineer (Mr. HeGcnms Eraser) reported : Contract 196. —Metalling Waikohu-•Whatatutu-road, 31 chains: Comtions of road, Aloha: Fair progress has been made, and the contractor expects to complete in about three weeks’ time. Contract 191.— Gifting and breaking boulders and metalling Tclaga Flat: Nearly finished; as some 30yds of beach boulders are exposed near tpo road, I have instructed the contractor to secure same and have them stacked and broken for future use. Contract 185. —Whare-kcpae-Taliora : The contractor is confining his work during the winter months to formation in road cuttings, the flap Potions of the road being left till the spring. Five contracts for formation and metalling have been left over with the Council s consent until fine weather sets in. Contract 175. —To Haraka. Idle contractor has completed the t .v . bridges anil abfiut Qne-tliinl or the earth work. Oil the East Coast road on tho top of Putae Hill, the 1 ground is moving seaward, ami toe road has subsided several feet, liotn on the old line and on the new deviation ; the road-is beingkept. open .or wheel traffic, but I do not- intend to regrade the subsided portion until the grounds show signs of settling; several subsidences have occurred at this point during the past few years. - r tutahi cpiari-vt As members of the Council have expressed an opinion that metal should be placed directly on the roads in place of from depots, l would respectfully lav before tho

Council for eousiderqtioibqtho follow i/ig facts; the distance to ho repaired from tho Patutahi quarry is about 25 miles, as follows: Borough boundary to Makaraka, 2 miles, Mat kaiaka to Big Bridge 2J miles. Big Bridgo to Patutahi quarry 7.J miles, AVairoa road and branch road Patutii.’ii 3 miles, Big Bridge to Pnkirikirj 6 miles, Makaraka "to AVaerenga-a-liika and factory road 6 miles. To give this distance a coat of say Sin (or ono stono deep) would absorb about 20,000 yards of metal. Taking tiie quantity annually provided (3000 yds) I could only.Tgjye 1$ miles of road Out of metal, .and on the same basis distributed lived the whole.distance only two-thirds of a yard of stone is provided for ouch chain; it is therefore apparent that no coat of metal is available, hut only barely sufficient to fill in holes and nits. Should this metal he put on during the dry weather (unless the road was scarified and blinding provided) much

would he displaced hv travelling stock, more ground to dust by heavy

carting, which, with the supplies for the Borough and County purposes, will average some 10,000 tons, and the roads generally rendered inconvenient for wheel traffic; it is alsb difficult to place the stone wherimost advantageous, while the roadjs are dry and hard. As regards the saving of cost which it is claimed would he effected by placing tho met il directly on the road, the previous eis- from depots is about 2s per yard, or say £l5O on the usual quant ti.Y taken; metalling contractors would, if required to spread thy stone as delivered, charge Is extra} and supervision extending over all

the sections would have to lie proviil e l, so that the material could be uti-

lised to the best advantage. In coni elusion, Sirs, I may state that I think tho most advantageous system wouUl be to thoroughly repair, say, 1

to 1) miles at a time each season, an 1 provide depots as heretofore for tin* balance of the sections, and each following year take in hand a new' piece, where most required. Howl ever, to do this work would certainly

need double the usual quantity of stone being provided. AA’hatever course the Council decide on, my best endeavours will be used to economise as much as possible.—l have been requested h.v Mr. C. Gray to ask if the Council will have the road drains cleared from near Bruce’s store to his boundary on both sides of the road.' —I have laid off and levelled 4 bridge sites on the AATiimata, togeth-, er with the necessary approaches, and

have, the plans nearly .completed. The Chairman said the metal question was too big a-subject to go into, just now. AA r ith regard to the drains mentioned by Mr. Gray they might instruct the Engineer to do what was necessary to protect tire road. If Mr. Gray required anything further: lie might agree to contribute the extra amount. —Agreed to. Cr. McDonald said the drainage certainly required attention; the water was stagnant. AA'AIROA MATTERS. The AA'airoa County Council wrote,. Stating it had been informed the. Cook Countv Council had on hand, iA.-nvS-rn-1-il-q fir-wlptwvmvrv-oti the Ruakituri Valley road, and asking to have any such amounts handed to the AA’airoa Council. —The! Clerk said that lie had £23 odd m hand, for which a cheque had been drawn out. The Clerk of tlio AA’airoa County Council wrote: —“Referring to your telegram of the 20th ult., stating that there is no necessity for a conference on the question of altering the boundary between tho two counties I am directed to ask if you; would kindly supply this Council; with a rough tracing of the area proposed to he added to tli is County. The Clerk said the plan had been : revised, and was all read** to go for-: ward. . Cr. E. -Lysnar asked if the "osition • was not that the Council could not; prevent the severance? It was a matter resting with the settlers. The Chairman: AA’e don’t want to stop it. AA’hat the settlers ask we a/e quite willing, to concede. Cr Kenwav said some remark hail been made at the AA’airoa County Council meeting at this Council s action being high-handed. The Chairman replied that all the petitioners had been included. It was for the settlers to take the piopnr steps, and this Council assumed tliat the AA’airoa Council was made acquainted with the whole procoeatit l ITTTTT* I 11/V ITV

WAIHUKA-ROAD

. Mr. H. Riddick, on behalf of rcsi- in dents of Rakauroa, wrote: The tl Engineer’s estimate for completion st af the AA’ailnika road involves the it: expenditure of another (approximate- ni lr) £2200. The residents here con- li sider that in view of the heavy ex- a: ponses incurred, viz., £5200, your p Council he approached for a subsidy, S,IV, of £soo.”—lt was stated that t the Government grant had been ill- tl eluded in the total. At Cr. AV. 1). Lvsmir’s request the. b matter was deferred until the whole rating question was gone into. GOVERNMENT GRANTS. t Mr. David Todd wrote advocating th-3 claims of the AVaimata-M aiapu n inland road for inclusion on the list of works submitted to t]ie Govern- ,1: meilt. There was a gap of nine t miles between the Tauwhareparae i clra ■! road and the AA’aimata dray . roail Of this four miles had been t completed as an Bft to oft buggy road to his homestead, leaving live miles to be formed to a;ive through inland l communication from East Cape to t Gisborne. The road traversed light country and coqlfl he cheaply made, < he estimated tlmt £IOOO would make I an Bft- track all through,.. The road i would serve many coast settlers. Cr. Ivenwny agreed with the writer. It was a road that should lie , pushed on as a stock route. The Chairman said that this item : was placed on the list submitted to the Government. The amount asked for was £500; and it had as good a chance as any of the other items. At a later stage the Chairman reported that after consultation with A 1 ■ Carroll he had added to the list'of r.eqqir.emeptt £4250, made up as follows : —TV Hanga roa-AV harekona.v £OOO, AA'hareruta-Muhunga £2oo, , Mangapoike Valley £IOOO. HangaroaAVuika remoana £IOOO, MaraetahaTokonui £-400. and East Coast-load, Puatae, £IOOO. He considered there was a goojl dpi lice qf getting most of I them oil the‘main Estimates, and lie hoped to get the balance on the Supplementary Estimates. It was hard to get a definite answer, but lie wis hopeful of satisfactory results. Cr. AV. I). Lysuar said all the items should be on the Estimates; the list, was only a small portion of what the district'was entitled to. Cr. White expressed his confidence thrt tho Chairman would do his best Cr. Lysnar; He liail better no’ comeback too empty-banded. (Lauglitor.A AVe want the lot. The Chairman said lie would not tain the responsibility of guaranteeing that. If a member was too persistent he might be dubbed an infernal nuisance,” and get vev littl x (Laughter.) AA'AIOMOKO-ROAD. Mr. Tlios. Fraser, jtin., notified am cer taupe qf the Oquiip l ! s ofter £ for £ subsidy up to £-10 for AVaiomoko road. He requested the Council to undertake the "° lk > n V“ he would pav In the other £4O at tire Council's direction. The Chairman said Air. Fraser | seemed to mistake the position. The . Council would not vote more than £4O even if the work cost £IOO. Cr. F. Lysii'ar: If £BO is insufficient tho settlers might provide the, balance. / Cr. Boland said the settlers had already expended £ls on surveys. The Chairman said the petition was understood by those interested ; tho

Council was to expend £4O. —The letter was received. Hnpi Hiimki and . a number of other owners of AA’hangara land asked tliat any road at AA’aiomoko be confined to one chain. Some settlers claimed that it was to he a chain and a half, but that was not the understanding. The Engineer said tliat tlio road on thi flat was only intended to he one chain. The Government, however, had laid out a chain and a half road ovp.* the hill. Cr. Boland suggested that the Engineer should grade the road and leave it to tho settlors to decide whethc- they or tho Council did the work.

Agreed to, tlio matter being deferred till next meeting, in order that tils settlers he consulted. ROAD BOARD -SUBSIDY.

The Patutahi Road Board inquired wlmt amount of subsidy the Council would give if tlio Board decided not to strike a general rate for the year ending March 31st next. The Hoard considered the reduction of subsidy fiom £2OO formerly paid to £l6O was not warranted. “Tho amount of work done yearly h.v the Board with th-- small funds at its disposal,’’ the secretary of the Board wrote, “will, the Board think, compare favorably with tho rest of the county, although much-needed work has had to stand nvoi . as this claim for flood damage made by the Hoard was ignored hv the Government.” Cr. Slierratt said tho Board had done very good .work. It would cost the Council much more to get the -ame results. He suggested £2OO as a. fair subsidy. In reply to questions tlio Clerk said tiie subsidy received by the Council would not exceed £IBO for-this portion of the district. That was the largest sum that could he paid the Hoard without. loss. The Chairman: Then we can give them that sum.

Cr. Matthews suggested that the matter stand over until Or. Lysnar’s motion re rating was dealt with. If the latter were carried ■ there would he no need for the Council to sit oftoner than once a year. CY Lysnar said lie would like to see Road Boards entirely done away with. I hirteen Roail Hoards administered £ISOO or £I6OO. Under his proposals this portion of the district would receive about £3OO. Tho motion was deferred. AA’AIKOHU BRIDGE. .

1 lie Council’s reply to the Department of Public AA'orks re the AA’uiivolm bridge was read. The communications had evidently ctossed, as the Under Secretary, forwarded a. form of agreement regarding tlio construction and .maintenance ol the combined road and railway bridge. The Chairman said he had gone into the matter with Mr. Carroll and 'V r * Kfiata. They agreed with him tliat- the Council could not he expected to agree to such conditions. He (the Chairman) had stated the Council would sooner build its own bridge on interest, as this would cost loss than the Department's conditions. He thought there was every prospect of the Department coming back to the original proposal, viz. that the Council contribute £960 and 2s 6il per loot. The letter was received. AA’ATEII TROUGH. 1 lie Rorough Council wrote agreeing to the erection of a water trough at tlio Matawliero saleyards. The Engineer said the si.te near the gate had been found unsuitable. He had decided to. place it on the opposite side of the road near the blacksmith’s shop. THE TYRES ACT. Air. E. Dovery, Pulin, wrote, in connection with tho Tyres Act, contending that “eight ' bullocks are equal to four horses.” He carried a cord of firewood with eight bullocks and used a 6-inch tyred waggon, whereas his neighbour used three horses in a 4-inch tyred vehicle and never got stuck, as his (the, writer’s) team often did,. TheJpnit: bullocks, which was really the effect of enforcing the by-law. Unless the: Council relaxed the by-law to some extent in favour of the use of Iml-1 lot I, s In* was afraid lie could not. battle the winter through, and lie had a family to support. r Tlu* Chairman said the Council could do nothing in the matter; tlio by-law must stand. Cr. Kenway said the Council had not- long since re-allirniod the . bylaw.

Cr. AA’. D. Lysnar said if there was any injustice they could alter it. The Engineer, questioned, said Imllotfe were far worse than horses in cutting up the roads. The Chairman : I disagree with tlio writer. Four bullocks are worse tban eight, horses—on the roads. It was agreed to adhere to tho by-law.

Cr. AVhi.to thought the Council should consider the whole question of tyre regulations before next, winter, and this mot with the Council’s approval. Cr. Lysnar remarked it was too •late to review the by-laws this season. TECHNICS L EDUCATION. The Gisborne High School Hoard wrote, iii reply to the Council, advocating the appointment of a director of technical education and recommending the Council to make a liberal grant towards the project. Cr. Matthews said they did not want a. director, they wanted a demonstrator who would go out into the country and give practical instruction on butter-making and farming methods generally. A colonial limn should be appointed, possessing high technical capabilities, as well as practcal experience. He would ho prepared to support a grant for that. The Chairman : Is the instructor intended for the High School brys or the farmers. Unless it is f or the farmers the scheme is of little

benefit. Or. Kenway said the Council had no definite information as to wind was intended. The whole tiling was too vague at present. The matter was deferred until definite information is put forward Or. Lysnar said it should lie stipulated, before a grant w;rs ma le, that this district secured a fair proportion of the instructor’s time. The School Board’s letter did not answer that query. HANGAROA BRIDGES. A letter that had been sent to the Rangaroa ltoad Board re bridges on the Gisborne-Hangaroa road, for which a loan of £6OO ]iail been obtained 1)y the Board, was read. The District Road Engineer estimated the cost of two suitable bridges at £7OO. and tin; -Minister bad approved >i the additional £IOO required being provided by the Government. The Clerk stated that lie must mow send, on for authority for the Council to expend the money.—Agreed to. A FENCING MATTER. Air. A. Kempthonio asked permission to erect a fence of two barbed and ono plain wire, height 3ft, Din, anil lft between each wire, length ibout 14 chains. The fence lyas l'eplired to protect animals, more particularly cattle, from lulling into the icw Battle-hill drain, which in some larts was Sit wide on top and 0,11 lecp alo to protect the bank from Inmage by stray cattle and horses. Hie (*x}ien'se was provided the grant of £2|! on •*ii||e fflb Councillors considered it dangerous •o allow a barbed-wire fence aleng,ide a roadway. , . , Tbe Engineer said the place slioue ')(. protected, and favored posts and ■ails for the purpose. Tim Clerk quoted a. ruling in an Ormond ease requiring the Coun-.i U) have substantial protection lit :: langerous place. , t The pliairman said the £2O was foi road repairs. ... The matter was referred to the engineer, with power to act. no barbed .vire to bo used. RANGATtRA BIUDGIS-. Air Frank l'attullo, Rangatlra estate. Te Karaka, wrote asking d the Council would instruct the Engineer to draw up an estimate of the cost of erecting a stock bridge to take the place of the foot bridge at tließangatira crossing. If the cost would not exceed £4OO or £SOO the settlers were willing to rate themselves for the purpose, . Cr. Slierratt mentioned that the bridge was intended for sheep and horses. Request granted. TE ARAI ROAD. The matter of the damage sustained to the Te Arai road by reason of excessive traffic in consequence of the Borough Council waterworks contract was discussed and legal opinion read, Cr. White asked whether the damage had been assessed. The Chairman pointed out that

this was very difficult. Roughly it was considered it would take £2OO to put tho road back in the same order.

Cr. AA’liito said it was a peculiar tiling tlio contractor was liable, and not tlio Council. The Chairman said tlio Borough Council had done more damage than was necessary. Tho road had been cut up for pipes, irrespective of tho cartage. Cr. AA’hite mentioned that tlio road should have been put in order as tlio work progressed. He held tliat the damage was done in consequence of two contracts, and the Borough Council was the responsible parly. Tho Engineer said the contractor had offered the services of three men to go over the road anil fill ill the trenches properly. He had also offered to pay tho wages of the Council’s, roadmen to accompany the men. After some discussion Crs. AA’. D. Lysnar and AA’liito were appointed to consult with the Engineer ns to the best course to pursue. SURVEY CHARGES. Tho District Surveyor submitted an account for £ls 18s Cd, living for the examination and checking of plans. The Council considered tho charges excessive. Mr. Matthews said that no charge was made to private surveyors. Tho County Engineer was a certificated engineer, and no charge should be made to the Council. Cr. AVhito thought the Government, might stop tho amount-out of subsidy. Tlio Engineer considered tho charge unfair. It had not, within his experience, been charged in Hawke’s Bay -or AA’ellington. It. was decided to dispute the charge until further light was forthcoming. Later in the day a message was received from the Survey Department that an item “AA’. T. Neill, 60 hours, £lO 3s 7d,” had been charged in error.

The Chairman: Just as well wo disputed it. SPECIAL RATES. Tho Council adopted the special order regarding the Pakarac bridge loan.

A special order was also adopted regarding the AA’aimata bridges loan. Cr. F. Lysnar asked if tiler© were any objections. The Clerk: None. Cr. Lysnar: There was a letter in the paper. Cr. Kenway said he had had a conversation with that objector, who did not proceed. FINANCES. The statement of accounts to July 22nd showed: Overdraft June 22nd, £6632 12s 3d. Collected: General rates £22 4s 4d, special rates £2lB 10s 4il, interest £2 0s .lod, dog registration £75 lis 6d, hotel licenses £lO 15s, rent of cottages £8 6s, grants £448 Is oil, total £784 19s oil. Required to-day £1772 0s 3d. Overdraft July 23rd £7619 13s Id. Advances £l5O. , , MONKHOUSE STREET. The District Surveyor, Air. F. AA’. Brodrick, enclosed a. tracing of Monkhouse Street, as requested. The Clerk said legal opinion was that -the road had no continuation. It was not mentioned in the permanent reservations and the Under Secretary for Lands said the Council hal no power to take the road. It rested with the Council to take it under the Public AAorks Act. Tho local members of the Education Board had expressed their determination to oppose

Cr. AA’. D. Lysnar pointed out that the land had been improperly gazetted. In the first gazettal the load was described hut the section tvas wrongly stated as No. 1. The second gazettal did not mention the road,: yet the plan on which it was gazetted showed the road. Tho Council shm'd strive to get the street for the To-' laga people; they could ask for tlio road to he deviated round the school. Crs. Boland and Lysnar were deputed to go into the matter and report. iaO~Housenoiq ~~ Should ever be without a battlo of Dr. Sholdon’s Magnetic Liniment; a reliablo remedy for cuts, bruises, aches, pains, rhoumatism, lumbago, etc. For sale by A. AV. J. Alann, agent, chemist.

A union chieftain, giving evidence at. AA’ellington the other day Tiefore the Arbitration Court, was reported to declare that if an employer.

though lack of profit, was unable to meet the very reasonable demands of tlio union in the matter of wages, lie was unfit, to lie an employer, and should be “wiped out.” A 20th Century Preparation. Dr. Sheldon’s New Discovery for Coughs, Colds, and Consumption. Small dose. Pleasant to take. Price Is 6d; large size 3s. For sale by A. AV. J. Alann, chemist, agent. Linen fishing lines for trout fishing are in future to be classed as “twine, not otherwise eniimerq.tcil,”and made to pay duty of 20’ per cent. Alolasses, fodder, as'“food for animals, not otherwise enumerated,” will also bo subject to 20 per cent duty. These are the latest Minisetrial decisions under the Tariff Acts.

New Lease for Weak Lungs. Dr. Sheldon’s New Discovery for Coughs, Coids and Consumption cures nfluenza and all lung' troubles. For sal©' by A. AY- J- Mann, agent, chemist. For some time past there have been sundry rumours as to the formation of a boot trust, or combine, amongst the manufacturers in New Zealand. Mr. J: F. Arnold lias now given publicity to the scheme, and it is reported tluvt the largest factories have i\greed to join the combination. A tribute to the excellence of the local work is that, under the proposed combination, all the high-class goods will be manufactured in Auckland. It hasjieen long 'known that a large quantity of the locally-made boots have been sold as being the best imported. Dr. ShelSgtYs Magnetic Liniment. Cures Rheumatism. It will penetrate to your very bones, sooth and subdue the pain. Rub it in freely. It will not blister or burn the skin. Rub it in and the pain will stop. Ij can’t help but do you good. For sale by A. AV. J. Maun, agent, chemist.