COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2378, 19 December 1908, Page 3

COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

ORDINARY MEETING. The-ordinary meeting of the Cook County Council was held yesterday. Present: the Hon. Captain W. H Tucker (Chairman), Crs. B. Sherratt, H. White, T. Holden and A. F. Matthews. Mr W. D. S. MacDonald asked the Council to lend every assistance to have the 'boundaries of the new Waikoihu County defined, as the £SOO granted Iby the Government ‘for the Waikohu road had been applied for, and the contractor rvas anxious to be paid. The Clerk said the County could pay the contractor and that course was agreed to, and.the Council would oraike application to the Government for the money. Mr J. B. Jackson claimed 15s per day from December sth as compensation for loss of w'ork through the Council withholding contract money due to him. The Council decided not to entertain the claim. Mr J. Griffin, Napier, also asked the Council to pay him money due. The Clerk said he bad paid £143 to Mr Griffin's credit and a cheque for £240 wiis now ready. The poundkeeper at Tologa Bay repined to the charges laid against ■him by Mrs Hale. It was decided .to inform Mrs Hale that if he had cause for complaint against the poundkeeper (he should seek redress in the law courts. Messrs Gear and Jobson sent _ a cheque for £l5O to he refunded in 1910, and to be applied meanwhile to the cost of the building of the •Mangaheia bridge. The cheque was received. Mr MaoLaughlin asked for a remission of three years rent, £54, on Section 133, Patutahi, as >a payment towards the cost of repairing the IiGIICO. It was decided to inform the tenant that he must pay the rent to the Council, as repairs to the amount of £35 had been made by the Engineer. Cr. White moved that the tramway proposals be amended so as to extend the line to the Te Arai bridge and that the amount of the loan be increased to £30,000. ' Cr. Matthews seconded the motion which was carried unanimously. The Clerk was instructed to apply for the authorising order for £3O,OUU as early as possible, the .proposal to be put before the ratepayers enrily in the new year. , The financial statement presented showed overdrafe December sth £23 - 156; collected since, rates £3B M, and other sums to £4900. Accounts due £llO9 12 s Sd; overdraft (December 19th) £19,365 13s 4d: advances made for work to be paid for by Government grant, £4450. The Council considered the position was more -satisfactory than for some time past. . . The Ranger reported that 48 lieaa of cattle had been impounded during the month. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The County Engineer, Mr de G. Eraser, reported: — , Contract 254* metal repairs Ciu*y s Hill, south side. —‘Good progress is •bein 0, made and four drays employed. Contract 250, quarrying, spawimg and knapping stone for GisborneWairoa roud. —The contractor has made a good start with this work ; the carting of the broken stone will be proceeded with in the course of a week or ten days. , Contract 249, collecting and bieakin<r creek boulders, Waimatu. 300vds have been carted out ana partly broken; -I have also arranged for the cartog on to the ‘loa-d in an ferent ilocalitios* . Contract 245, metal repairs Middle road. —'Four drays are employed at this work and good progress is being advanced. , , Contract 246, formation and metalling Waipaoa river road—Lomplete<Contract 245, metallling Whataupoko back raid.—Willi be proceeded with at the new year. Contract 244, metalling TakapauHauiti road. —Nearly completed. Contract 240, metalling TokonuiArai road. —Some 1200 yards of stone have been collected and about halt that quantity broken. ... 7 . Contract 237, Branson s road, vv aimata. —Completed. _ Contract 198, erection of bridge, Dakarae. —The contractors have succeeded in excavating to solid bottom for the main pief, and portion of the concrete deposited. Considerable difficulty has been experienced in rendering the coffer dam fairly tight, but most of the trouble has now been overcome, and I hope to see good progress made by the next meeting of the Council. ROAD MAINTENANCE.

The Chairman said that the Council should consider the work done by til© men employed on maintenance work. Ratepayers complained that the Council was not getting full value for the money spent and should either put the men on (as road contractors or provide each man with a plough and scoop, as shovelwork was not the most suitable for road making. Or White said he thought the Council should supervise its own work, but favored the -use of the plough and scoopv Cr. iSherratt said - he would like to see ploughs experimented with. The Engineer said the trouble was tlyi-t a man with a) plough and scoop needed a man to lead the horse raound the bends. He found 1 that the road machines did the best work. The trouble was that each roadman had from 18 to 20 miles of road to keep'in repair. The Council had an excellent lot of men on the ropd at present. The Chairman: But they have out-of-date appliances. The plough and scoop will do better work than & shovel. - . In reply to Cr Holden the Engineer said he had about 30 surfacemen employed during the summer. Three graders were working, one at .Tiniiroto, at Toioga, and at Muriwai. He found it was better to hire horses at a price than for the Council to own them. Cr Holden said the Council needed more graders, and he was anxious to try them on the Wad mat a rouds. No tenders were received fo.r the Mangaheia. bridge, and fresh tenders will be called for the work. The accounts were passed for payment and the Council adjourned,