Patangata County Council.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5628, 12 September 1889, Page 2

Patangata County Council.

[own correspondent].

The Patangata County Council met yesterday, when were present Messrs J. Mackersey (chairman), White, Hartree, Sax by, Nairn, Crosse, and L. Mc Hardy.—The Audit Department returned, the. ; balance-sheets, with . a remark thereon that interest on loan had been'paid out of ordinary revenue. A On the motion of Crs. Saxby and White, the balance-shei t was passed;— The Clerk- explained that he had. been unable to f get his Electoral Roll passed, in consequence , of. the' R. L M/s in« ability to attend Court oh the day fixed for tho purpose, consequently the old rolls would have to be used for this year.—V. Jensen had taken over Pdrangahad -ferry on the terms offered, excepting that ho declined to find a new boat: he had since given it up, and it was now let to Agassey on the same terms.- On the motion of Crs. Crosse and: Handyside, the action, of the Chairman was endorsed, and the matter of finding a new boat left over.—Mr W. 0. Smith wrote saying he had presented the Council's petition re Licensing Committee elections, and the Clerk had written thanking him.—The Patangata Road Board asked for a grant of £60 to be spent on the Patangata-Waipawa> road. Postponed.— Constable Shultz,_ Dog Tax Collector, found great difficulty in collecting from people located near the rabbit fence, who claimed that they kept their dogs to catch rabbit?, representing over one hundred dogs, asking for leave to sue. On the motion of Crs. Crosse and Handyside,' the requisite authority was given to sue all dog-owners.— The pay-sheet for last quarter was passed. —A report showing the progress of, Oero bridge was read. The piers are all completed to the corbels (inclusive), six spans are completed to the hand-rails, there is not much more material to come, and with favorable weather the nine spans.to be erected should be done in as many weeks: the road approaches have been-surveyed and laid off on, the eastern side of the river, and tenders called for formation,!— The Road Overseer's report was read as follows:— In submitting my report for last quarter, I have the honor to recapitulate the .ahiount of works completed during the twelve months ended 30th September, 18S9. Owing" to the decision of the Council to reduce the overdraft at the commencement of this year the fund available for new operations; was meagre, particularly in the case of the Eparaima and Patangata ridings."- *The greatest amount of improvements in main j. roads, maintained wholly or partially out of.:/ county rates, has been carried out under the • direction of the Oero and Tamumu Hoad Boards. The Counoil has just cause for congratulating the ratepayers on the fact that another large bridge over the Tuki Tuki river is in course of construction, at the Wautukai ford. This is the second important work of the kind initiated under the auspices of the Council, the first being the Tamumu bridge. These two undertakings alone would redound to the credit of any local body, and to the enterprise of those settlers who have made themselves responsible for the interest on the loan raised for that purpose. In the Eparaima ridmg the expenditure, exclusive of maintenance, has been confined to some minor metal repairs near the Eparaima Bush, and to the formation and deviation at MoMullen's Pinch no>v in course of completion.',. An important and much needed improvement has been j effected in the formation of a mile and a j quarter of road over Crosses Hill, but it is a matter of regret that funds were not available for metalling the whole, and so render traffic possible at any season of the year. In tho Patangata Riding the greater pirt of the funds have been laid out in forming and metalling an awkward section of the Tamumu-Kaikora road, at the junction and in the formation of the new deviation on Limpus Flat. The cost of putting the Te Aute boundary road in order has been charged proportionately to each riding. In the Oero district the road from Elsthorpe, half-way to tho foot of Patea Hill, has been made available for dray traffic ; there now remain some 60 chains of formation to complete before the trunk line through to the coast at Kairakau will be passable for vehicles during the summer months. Extensive metalling operations between Punawaitai and Pourerere Pah have been carried out by the Tamumu Road Board, out of the county grant-in-aid, and a contract for the deviation at the Puru Puru is now in progress, and will ultimately da away with the steep drop on the old bridge. No further steps have been taken in the matter of the road through Mr Ormond's swamp paddock since last meeting. The Council will doubtless direct what works shall be undertaken during- the ensuing year after examining the table of proposed expenditure and estimated receipts which I have compiled, and now have the honor to submit for consideration. It will be observed that the sum available for expenditure on road works is largely in excess of that of last year, but still, unfortunately, not at all adequate for tho urgent requirements of the roads in the Eparaima and Porangahau districts. 1 regret to state that the rates raised are by no means sufficient for the due maintenance of the roads in the last named ridings, and that the road from the Pukikura gorge to Porarigahau hill is rapidly falling into decay, and must within an appreciable distance of time become utterly useless for vehicle sin winter. J A sum of not less than £3000 is required for metal between the county boundary and Mr Ormond's Flat, at the Eparaima bush, without taking into consideration any of the formation and metalling further on towards Wallingford, where metal is more expensive. I have endeavored to repair the ruts in the wornout metal by trimming off the sidesand filling in with the stone so obtaiued. This has naturally weakened the outsides, and resulted in' heavily laden drays piercing the thin coating of metal and becoming lodged in the clay beneath. Unless a large expenditure in metal be promptly authorised, I cannot be responsible for the proper maintenance of this road, and it rests with the Council to decide whether tho traffic shall bo stopped in winter or raise a loan for expenditure iv repairs. In the riding of Eparaima there should be expended a sum of £250 in re-metalling certain Darts of the Gorge cutting at the top and base of the hill, where the mud in , wet weather lies deepest.; This sum should include one hundred yards of metal for Pope's Hill, a very bad spot after rain; also the .widening of parts of the embankment at Wanstead, whioh has already been authorised. Any balance could well be expended in repairs along the flat opposite Brace's old forge. The Council will recollect a protest raised by me in a previous occasionagainst the use of larged sized two and a-half inch guage metal when the stone is hard and good in the pram. I have now 'the honor to reiterate my remarks, having found that metal broken to so large a gauge lies orithe road loose, without binding together/ for eighteen months after being carted and spread. The difference in cost' would-be from Is (3d to 2s a yard more for 1 breaking to a guage of two and a-half inches to pass a ring every way, or a two-inch ring ono way. A heavy roller would improve the larger sized metal when first laid down, but there aro none available sufficiently weighty for the purpose. On the southern section of the riding I have to recommend that three and a-half chains' of narrow side cutting at Drower's Hill be' widened six feet and partly metalled. • At this point the river is undermining the road,- which is barely eleven feet wide. The Wallingford school cutting, twenty chains in leDgth, requires a coating of metal; say three hundred yards, and, if possible, the road from the top to Mr. Ormond's gate should be properly formed, and a fow loads of metal spread at the entrance. The metal for this latter work should be quarried from Messrs. Hunter's white stone quarry, and their permission obtained to open the road into the site. The south side of the Kokomoko Hill has been surveyed, and a far easier grade laid off above the present road. The Council would do well to obtain Messrs, Hunter's and Ormond's consent to the exchange of this line, and the old road. The formation cannot well be taken in hand this year, however. Tho flat known as Canning's Lane needs attention in the winter, and could be formed for about £50, with good drains ou either side to carry off the drainage from the hills on the south side. The question of metalling it would havo to be deferred until next year, also the new formation at MoMullen's Pinch, Messrs Hunter have consented to the opening up of the Flagstaff Hill quarry, out of which I propose metalling a wet and boggy cutting on the Porangahau Hill, below the gate going in to Oakbourne. Passing the boundary gate between the Eparaima and Porangahau Ridings there is about a mile of bad road on the right and left of Blowhard Saddle, on which I propose spending £200 in metalling, and, if feasible, the first fifteen chains of Porangahau Hill cutting, half-a-roile further on towards Porangahau. Tho balance .of the funds of this riding should be allocated to patching the' road near Herbertville, between the township and the junction with the Bush road— about £100—and in metalling twenty chains of the new cutting on Crosses Hill, which is very soft in certain spots. TheKaikoraPatangata road has been severely handled by the bullock drayß and waggons cart—"oyer the bridge timber, and will need at least 2000 yards of metal this year to put it into fair order onco "more. 'The cutting on tho' hill north of Limpus Flat has not yet been taken in band, although the publio fl.ro using the road now handed over to Mr Limpus by the Council. Muoh of the metal used in repairing the Te Aute road near tho Church particularly, is faulty and will need repatching this summer The usuaVgrants-in-aid will have to be made to the Oero and Pamumu Road Boards for main roads. Whether ,or net the work indicated above result at the' close of thl season in debtor balances against any' of the ndin R s,lamof opinion that the espendj! tare suggested can hardly be reasonably avoided; moreover, the overdraft at the ; #ank w not of a startling nature, consider! ing the annual revenue 0 f t] / e count -L. Gilbe™, Road Inspector P.C.C - The Clerk said Mr Orrhond wrote in Jut saying be had taken no steps to have the proposed deviation surveyed, V t&re had been no flood to enable a correct estimate to be formed. On tho motion of the Chair Vr U ni!rinfl that Mr Ormond be asked what com-, e he pro!__?^"Ss£fti^.

tion re Eperaima expenditure be adopted. —On the motion of the Chairman and Cr. Crosse Mr A. Mackay was in»tructed to inspect Wallingford bridge ancLreport ■what repairs are necessary, aud the Dmance Committee was authorised to act on the Sime.-On the motion of Crs Crowe a;«d Nairn, the Clerk was authorised to enquire for terms from Messrs Hunter and Ormond for the new grade on Ivokomoko In 11 -«>n the motion of Crs. Crowe and Saxb>, the Overseer's recommendation re £**0 exauthorised to c " f Ylandvside and Crosse, &;r r a S *<** Solid bo asked to exchange WaiK-opiro vXt road for road along the range. Sstad reference to a letter from Messrs. Mcc and St. Hill, who complained that tbe Whangaehu homestead was ho only large although they had paid all rates and taxes i „,r„Tr years. this was owing to the for manyy«*' hidl Bhould be the roaT which debarred them from rnSltotho Road Board-On the Son of Cr. White aud the Chairman, a rant was made of £60. Patangata-Wai-Biwaroad which lay within the county. Dbiection was taken that it was not a county road, but Cr. White showed that it was the practice to subsidise works ; that in mso tho Road Board made a grant to the county of £85, and iv 1882 of £25 It was understood that this vote would be doducted from their subsidy.-resolved, on the motion of Crs. White and Saxby, that tne Overseer's proposals. «-<vorks m ±-atangata riding bo adopted as fat as funds would permit.-The Clerk's estimate _of revenue and expenditure for the following year was adopted, on the motion of Crs Crosse and Hartree.-Crs Handyside and N_rn proposed that all bridges on boundaries of ridings should be "« n t" n^] t o »«y by the contiguous ridings. Cr. White objected that his riding had two bridges, both leading to the coast, and moved an amendmeut seconded by Cr Hartree, that PaUngata riding be not charged many case, clrried by four to three on a d.vision.-On the motion of Crs. McHardy and White, it resolved that the Tamumu Road Board Take over of the Tamumu bridge. on the motion of Crs. White and Handyside, that the owners of sections with forse ledges be called on the keep the roads fn front of their sections clear.-On the motion of Crs. Crosse and Saxby, a rate of three farthings in tho pound was struck.This finished the business.