COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2692, 23 December 1909, Page 2

COOK COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING

The usual monthly meeting of the Cook County Council Avas held yesterday Avlien there Avere present: Hon. Captain Tucker -(chairman), Crs. F. J. Lysnar, H. White, T. Jex-Blake, A. Fordo Matthews, It. Sherratt, 1. Fraser jun., and E. B. Boland. An apology for non-attendance Avas received from Or. Holden. FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

The folloAving financial statement was laid on the table Overdraft, November 25th, £16,298 9s 2d; collected general rate £3145 0s 7d; special rate £172 19s sd. charitable aid rate £386 17s Hd. Interest £5 11s. Sale of timber £7, Treasury Fines 10s, Gisborne Borough Council (interest) £B4 15s sd; £3802 14s 4d, £12495 14s 10: Required to day £IOBB 12s lid, overdraft, December. 18th., £13584 7s 9d; advances £1204 10s. CORRESPONDENCE. Mr Samuel Morgan, of Tologa Bay, wrote requesting permission to erect a signboard in front of his premises.—The request Avas granted. . On behalf of a number of Tologa residents, Mr IT. Williams AAwote drawing attention te the urgent need existing for the opening uv of the road between Orehau and PouaAva. —The matter was held oA r er for further considera. tion

The District Lands Officer (Mr G. li. Bullard) ivrote in reference to the cleaning out of drains by the Pouparae settlers. He requested that to make the Avork more effective, the Council ask the settlers below the settlement to also clear out their drains. It AA'as proposed that the suggested notice be given to Messrs Read and Hamilton, the settlers in question. The Vvaikohu Council notified that the folloAving resolution Avas recently passed by them: “That this Council desires to express its highest appreciation and sincere thanks to the members and staff of the Cqo'k County Council for the A-alunble assistance rendered pending the erection of suitable'offices at To Ka r aka. —Received.

The Clerk of the Waikoliu Council Avrote stating that his Council was willing to advance £l2O in connection with work on the stock track if it could legally do so.—The Clerk pointed out that tbs advance was only a temporary one. It AA'as decided te reply, stating that as soon as the £l2O be placed to the credit of the Council tenders be called for the whole work.

Mr A. P. Durrant, Clerk of the Waiapu County Council Avrote requesting that repairing work should be done on the road-, between Mangatuna and Mangaheia/as it Avas in a.very bad condition.—The matter Avas referred to the Engineer. Mr W. L. Rutledge, of Tologa Bay, wrote complaining of delay in the replacing of a small bridge on tile road leading to his section on the TologaTauAvhareparae road.—The Overseer stated that the Avork would be proceeded with immediately.

Messrs Kirk, Buraard and SievAvright Avrote regarding the compensation payable to Mr. -Cole in connection with road deviation Avork, and offering to accept £2O. —Cr. Fraser said that the offer was a reasonable one, and it was decided to accent it. WAIMATA BRIDGE.

The Town Clerk forwarded a formal notification of the Borough Council’s intention to erect a bridge over the Wai. mata river at a cost of £4950.

Mr W. S.. Short, Assistant-Under-Se-cretary for Public Works, wrote stating that if the Council had any objection to contribute half the cost of the bridge over the Waimata Ri\ r er it would be necessary for notice of such objection to be sent to the Governor Avitliin tAVO months from the day on which the Borough Council gave notice of its intention to erect such a bridge. Some discussion folloAved, Cr White claiming that the present bridge Avould soon have to be renewed 1 , and it should be made a great deal Avider. Then one bridge should be sufficient. Cr. Jex-Blake contended that the bridge AA'as not in the right place for the country people* but rather that it should be at Russell Street. Cr MattheAvs concurred. The proposed bridge was unsuitable for a stock bridge and the locality was one that Avould be most dangerous. In view of the settlement of the land alone, he held that the bridge should be a swing bridge in order to let timber laden vessels to pass through it. A still better place for a bridge Avould be further up the riv'er at the Island. If the proposed bridge'were pu& over the river it should be a permanent one. Cr White again suggested that the Council should pay its full proportion of the cost of one bridge, but when two were, within such a short distance of each other it AA'as hardly fair to ask them to contribute, to both.

The Chairman said that it appeared to him that objections might be raised that the site was not suitable for County purposes. They were already contribiiting to one that was, and the pro. portion of the cost proposed to be levied on the County Council was not a fair one, and that the Council was already considering the erection, of a bridge at a site more suitable to the County. Any bridge over a tidal river should be a-swing bridge, and that.the cost of the bridge proposed by the Council would be much less than £4950. Cr. Lysnar expressed himself as being strongly in favor of the site for the new bridge, on the score of expediency and economy. He protested against the objection of the chairman, stating that the 4 Council had jmever given any thought to the erection of any other bridge. In answer to Cr. Matthews, the clerk said that the County’s proportion of the cost of the Kaiti bridge was £I2OO out .of £3OOO.

The Council then proceeded to pass the objections raised by the chairman, one by one, with the exception of that referring to the Council having under consideration the of a bridge at some other site.

It wa s decided, on the suggestion of the clerk, that the objections he telegraphed to Wellington, and that an explanatory letter be posted later.

D; REPORTS. —Sanitary Inspector. — 7 The Sanitary Inspector (Mr-. R. Thelwall) reported as follows: “Four cases under the schedule of infectious diseases have been notified since your last meeting. A case of scarlet fever at Makauri, and the patient sent to tjie public hospital. On visiting the premises, I found the surroundings to’be in a filthy state, and have little doubt that the disease Avas contracted on the place. The occupant (the patient) keeps a dairy, and is supplying milk to the factory. As the patient was removed to the hospital at once, after consulting with the doctor in attendance I deemed it unnecessary to stop the milk leaving the premises. I have had the premises thoroughly cleaned up and disinfected. A case of typhoid fever was reported from Repongaere, and upon investigation. I found the patient had been living in the Motn district, and was sick on arrival there, and at once sent to the hospital. There is little doubt that the disease Avas contracted by drinking contaminated Avater in the vicinity of the camp at Motu. A second case of typhoid Avas reported from Repongaero, and sent to .the hospital. In this case the disease may have been contracted on .the premises by drinking contaminated Avater from an old Avell adjacent to the piggery. The premises AA’ere disinfected for the patient (a boy attending the Patutahi School) and precautionary measures have been taken. A case of typhoid Avas reported from Manatuti, and on making inquiry I found that the patient \va s located at the convent, and is being dealt with by the Borough Inspector,” . The report Avas adopted. —Overseer’s Report. -

In the absence of the Engineer, the Overseer (Mr. Keane) presented the folloAving report: “Contract 257, '■ metalling Darwin Itoad, Kaiti: Work on this contract is proceeding very sloAvly, the delay being caused through the difficulty in getting the required number of railway trucks to carry in the gravel. Contracts 260 a, 260 b, 260 c, and 260 d, Patutahi main drain: Very fair progres s has been made, and if the fine AA’cather continues these contracts should be completed by the next meeting. Contract 262, carting metal to depots: Good progress lias been made with this AA’ork. Contract 263, painting county bridges: Four out of the nine bridges in this contract have been painted. Contract 265, cliff cutting, Mangatuna: The contractor has this AA r ork Avell in hand. Contract 266, collecting and breaking creek boulders, Waimata: About 300 yard R have been carted out and 100 yards broken. During the month the rounding up of the Arai and Hangaroa roads iVith the graders has been considerably delayed OAving to the bad Aveather, but is now proceeding satisfactorily. The Hangaroa party will finish tip in that district about the second Aveek in January; they Avillthen be put on the flat near Mr. Gray’s at Waiohika, and Avill aftenyards go on to the Ngakaroa road. Since the last meeting of your Council the following contracts have been let at satisfactory prices: 260 e, widening Patutahi drain: 271, road formation, Westmere. I have also made satisfactory arrangements for metal repairs to the Mangapapa Valley road, for Avliich tenders were too high at the last meeting.”. It Avas decided to inform the Darwin Road contractor that if he exceeds the contract time penalties will be enforced.

—Engineer's Report.—

The Overseer also read a report prepared by the Engineer regarding his having made, as instructed, a preliminary survey with the object of arriving at an estimate for a traffic bridge over the Waimata River, at a suitable site for general purposes, and more particularly for the crossing cf travelling stock. The site chosen Avas in the vicinity of Mr. Arundel’s late property on the Riverside Road. At this place a good bridge site could be obtained, crossing the riv'er about tAvo chains above the bend near the Island. The land required on the left bank (about one acre) Avas OAvnecl by Messrs Haache and Martin, and on-the right bank half-an-acre was required. The cost of bridge and formation of approaches AA'ould be about £2200, exclusive of cost of land. He also reported upon his examination of the condition of the Waiomoko Road. The Avliole line for a distance of about six miles /was practically unformed excepting about 40 chains. Oaving to Avant of drainage and culverting, it Avas even at this season of the year, beyond Hurrey’s mill, almost impassable for wheel traffic. As there did not seem any prospect at' present of having the formation executed, the best and most economical course to take AA'as to have small sections in various localities drained, and a number .of log and other culverts inserted to niake' the road fairly passable. H e estimated this --would cost about £SO, and strongly’recommended it be undertaken this summer. Mr. Fraser also pointed, out the advisability of having about eight chains of .formation done and a small bridge eretced on the road deviation near Seymour’s old dip, at a cost of £7O.

ROYALTY ON METAL

A letter 'was read from Mr. R. D. B. Robinson, Town Clerk, in reference to the Council’s intention to increase the royalty on Patutahi stone to Is a yard. He pointed out that under clause 3 of the - agreement with the Patutahi Road Board the charge to local bodies for royalty is limited to Gd oer cubic yard. Cr. Sherratt said that he proposed to ask the Patutahi Road Board to agree to an alteration in the agreement. He believed the Council would be quite justified in increasing the royalty on account of the damage done to the roads. The ratepayers, were anxious to see something done, and the least the Council could do was to try and protect their Toads. He had taken legal opinion, and had been told that the Council could charge is royalty. The Patutahi Road Board was quite agreeable to make the proposed alteration in the agreement. He moved that the Council ask the Board to amend clause 3, altering the word “6d” to read “Is 2d.” ' """ ■ : ."V ' ”, , It was decided to reply to the Borough Council stating that what they said was correct, but that the County Council intended to endeavor to have the agreement altered. 7 RIDING EXPENDITURE. Cr. White, in asking for a grant-for metalling for the Arai district, quoted the figures of the net revenue from the riding's, and the proposed expenditure in each) as follows: Net Proposed Revenue. Expndtre. - ■ ' £ £ Wliataiipbk'o ... 913 ... 1179 Waimata 2173 ... 1713 Patutahi ... 1191 ... 1625 Arai 7 ... 2461 ... 1756 , Gisborne ... 1984 ... 1418 Tologa ... 2678 ... 2635 Hangaroa ... 1210 ... 1176 Continuing, Or. White contended that enough money was not being- allocated to the Arai riding. He moved that a‘further sum of £4OO over and

above that mentioned in the Engineer’s estimates be given for a stretch of road to be metalled in the Arai riding.

Cr. Sherratt asked how much money was available to carry on all through the winter.

Ci\ White: Twelve hundred pounds. Cr. Sherratt said that such a sum was all too little in case of emergency. Cr. White claimed that riding accounts should be kejit, and something like the amount raised in a riding spent in it. Cr. Jex-Blake also claimed that the Arai riding never had its fair snare of the rates. He thought Cr. White’s request a most moderate one in view of the surplus of £I2OO. The Chairman pointed out that other ridings were in an exactly similar position.

Cr. Matthews seconded the motion. The Government had not done its duty by the small settlers in the Arai district in providing roads for them. He thought the representatives of the Arai riding were quite justified in their request. Cr. Boland proposed as an amendment that a day be appointed to go into the question of what the ridings were entitled to, and see what could be done in the matter.

The Chairman said the principle was a just one —viz. to levy a rate sufficient to cover the cost of administration, and then that every ridum should strike a special rate, the whole of which would be expended in it. The motion on being put to the meeting was carried, and it was decided that a special meeting be held to consider the whole subject on the day before next meeting. It was further decided, on the motion of Cr. Jex-Blake, seconded by Cr. Lvsnar, that the engineer be instructed to call tenders lor the expenditure of the £4OO voted for the Arai road.

Accounts were passed for payment, and the meeting adjourned Until January 20tli, at 2 p.m.