GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22445, 5 July 1938, Page 7

GERALDINE COUNTY COUNCIL

PROGRESS MADE WITH MANSE BRIDGE NEW AUTO PATROL GRADER IN TEMUKA AREA Completed proposals for the Manse bridge have been forwarded for approval by the Public Works Department, the engineer (Mr J. R. Hawcridge) reported at a meeting of the Geraldine County Council yesterday. The engineer reported that a new auto patrol Diesel grader had been purchased. The machine, which, with equipment, cost about £ISOO, had been placed in service in the Temuka area of the county.

The engineer recommended that the saleyards bridge on the boundary of the Levels and Geraldine Counties, near Pleasant Point, be redecked. Even without' the extensive renewal of stringei-s, considering the small amount of heayy traffic, new decking should give the structure a further 12 to 15 years of useful life. He was not altogether in favour of going to the additional expense of working in two lines of additional stringers. It was decided to advise the Levels County Council accordingly.

The financial statement presented by Cr. J. Acland (chairman of the finance committee) revealed that there was a debit at the bank of £4749 17s 7d. Main Highways subsidies and relief wages would reduce this to £3663 9s 9d, which was £6O more than at the same period last year. A general rate of 1 3-16 d in the £ had been levied. For the Pleasant Valley Tennis Club, Mr G. H. Worner wrote enclosing a letter from the Department of Labour about the employment of subsidised men for the laying down of tennis courts. The department’s letter said that provided the local body would act as employing authority for the work, a subsidy on the basis of £4 a week would be made available to the club for the full-time employment of registered and eligible married men on the formation of the courts. It would be necessary for the club to find all other costs involved.

It was decided to comply with the request, but an application for a Hobson Trust grant was declined. Those present were the chairman (Mr K. Mackenzie), and Crs. F. R. Flatman, T. Lyon. J. Acland, A. Bisdee, A. J. Davey, W. Buchan, C. Ley, the county engineer, and county clerk (Mr A. A, Readdie),

RANGITIRA VALLEY ROAD

UNBRIDGED CROSSINGS A DIFFICULTY CREEK CHANNELS OVERGROWN WITH FLAX The Rangitira Valley road has very little depth of metal and scours badly, th' Geraldine county engineer (Mr J. R. Hawcridge) reported at a meeting of the Geraldine County Council yesHe inspected the road after the last heavy rain. Some measure of improvement could be effected by cleaning out water tables, patching and shouldering with the new grader, he said, ar 1 this was already being done. - The main source of difficulty was from three unbridged crossings of the creek down the valley and a fourth crossing of a tributary creek near Talbot’s, Mr Hawcridge said. Nothing smaller ’than double 3ft pipes, ) would take the water. . , . The first step, however, would be to insist on the owners clearing the creek channel, which had a good fall but was almost completely overgrown in places with flax. Without this clearance, no culvert would be effective and the water would back up on the road, making the fords impassable. At least 11 settlers were more or less directly affected, Mr Hawcridge said, and no difficulty should be experienced in obtaining a Government grant u at some later date finance was available. . _ . T In reply to a question by Cr. A. J. Davey, the engineer said that if a clearance was made of obstructions it might be possible to pave some of the fords. , lt , It was decided to ask the property owners to clear the creeks, the council to clear a chain below the road in each instance.

HOBSON TRUST GRANTS FOR TEMUKA AND GERALDINE Grants totalling £173 10s were made from the Thomas Hobson trust fund by the Geraldine County Council yesterday. In the Temuka district the grants totalled £96, and were made .up as follows:—Plunket Society, £25; district nurse, £2O; rest room, £ls; Temuka Library, £10; Winchester Library. £5 10s; Rangitata Library, £5 10s; Waitohi Flat Library, £5; Milford tennis courts, £lO 10s. In the Geraldine district, grants totalled £77 10s, and were made up as follows: —District nurse, £25; Plunket Society, £l2 10s; rest room, £10; Geraldine Library, £5; Peel Forest Library, £2 10s; Tripp Memorial Library, £2 10s; Geraldine Swimming Club, £2O. The Public Trust Office (Timaru) forwarded a statement of the Thomas Hobson trust funds, which showed a credit of £249 in the Temuka riding account, and a credit of £B2 7s lid in the Geraldine riding account.

SUBSIDISED LABOUR AT GERALDINE SIXTY-SIX MEN IN EMPLOY OF COUNTY COUNCIL Sixty-six men are at present employed by the Geraldine County Council under the Labour Department’s subsidised labour scheme. Twenty men were added yesterday in the Temuka district under a 100 per cent, subsidy basis. The county clerk (Mr A. A. Readdie) reported that there were 44 in the Temuka area (12 subsidised by the council and 32 free of county subsidy). In the Geraldine area, 22 men were engaged (12 subsidised by the council and 10 free of county subsidy). The chairman (Mr K. Mackenzie): We have £3OO in the estimates which can be utilised for work with these men. Cr. F. R. Flatman said that transport, gumboots, and tools would wipe out the greater part of this amount without any subsidy on wages.