TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL

Evening Star, Issue 18589, 21 March 1924, Page 7

TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL

BRIDGE RENEWALS. The following report will, bo submitted to the council by the engineer (Mr B. B. (.’oustom) at. the meeting to bo held today North and East. Taieri.—-The_ washout on the Riverside road has been filled, and 100 tons of metal spread and blinded on the .scoured portion of the road. The silt lias been graded from Circular road, and (ho gravel that is being obtained from the lower reaches of the Silverstrcaju, under contract No. 23, is being run out, on this road at the rate of about 60yds per day. The willows have been cut on Circular road, also on Gordon road. The gravelling of Centre road has been completed from Milner’s pit. Owing to the dry weather it was necessary to blind the metal on Gladstone road, North Taicri, and gravel from Milner’s pit was delivered by tiio motor lorry for the, purpose. Rudd has finished breaking the metal at i'lagstaff for -Mrs Mitchell's road, and this is now being delivered and spread. When not otherwise engaged the North Taicri men have curried on with the surfacing of Long Ridge road, Kaikorai and Otokia.—The Main South road has been surfaced and the culvert complained of by Mr Boss lifted and repaired. The bridge that was damaged by the flood on M'Laren’s Gully road has been renewed. The old Brighton road and MTntoslTs road have been surfaced, and the gorse cleared from the coast, side of the Green Island to Taicri Mouth road. Outram and Maungatna.--The gravelling of the hilanton to Outran) road and Outran) township roads has been completed, and attention is now being given to the surfacing of Bremner’s road. The gravel has been run out on the OtokiaMaungatua road, and forty chains of the Lee Canal road, from Beattie’s corner towards Mrs Black’s, have, been graded ready for gravelling. The metalling of the Mill Creek road has been completed, and teams are engaged Jioxing and blinding the metal. The metal on the OulramBerwick road, from Berwick to Petrie’s has been delivered and spread. The quarry squad have finished the metalling of the road at Whare Creek on the Maungatna Hill, and have boxed _and blinded same, and left the road in firstclass order. The Waipori road, from Trnquair to Round Hill, is being surfaced with the grader. The timber required for Fulton’s bridge, Woodsido, has arrived from Australia, and the contractor expects to make a start driving the piles next week.

Deep Stream and Strath-Taieri.—The formation of the road to Run 971. Rarewood, has been completed. Five culverts were inserted, and half a mile of road formed. The roads in this part of the riding have all been attended to, except the road graded by Ruthven, from Pukerangi to tho Reefs, which requires to bo chipped, and I recommend that two men bp employed for a week to attend to this.

Practically no progress has been made this month with the filling in of tho washout at Machine Creek, which work was let by contract, and I am obligo4

to recommend that other arrangements bo made for carrying out the work. A thunderstorm in the early part of the month scoured the hill roads of Strath Taieri Riding, and the men have been engaged since then effecting repairs. A matter that gives much concern is the condition of the timbers of a number of bridges in the country. Now that trio traction engines are ranking their rounds not a day passes hut some bridge has to be repaired, and when the planks are lifted the timbers beneath are found to he decayed. Many of the bridges wore built thirty years ago, and cannot last much longer, and the council will be obliged in the future to make more liberal allowance than in the pant for bridge re* newals.

It is necessary for rac to have some knowledge of the extent to which you will _go in rating before preparing aox| year's schedule of allocations. So far as flood damages repair is con-, corned, thoro is an amount of £3,280 to bo provided towards payment of the £ for £ subsidy on schedule roads. This amount is apportioned between the rid* ings as follows .-—North Taieri £720, East Taicri £3O, Kaikorai £3O, Otokia £1,030, Outram £l2O, Maungatna £B4O, Deep Stream £430, and Strath Taieri £9O. There is also a sum of £2,000 to bo provided from riding accounts to meet the subsidy on works on riding roads, tha amount set against each riding being i North Taieri £366, East Taieri £3O, Sri* verstroam £125, Kaikorai £l7O, Otokia £2BO, Outram £290, Maungatna £660, Deep Stream £3O, and Strath-Taieri £6O. It is satisfactory to note that, notwithstanding the exceptional expenditure in* curred at the time of the flood, all the ridings except Maungatua ana Strath Taieri have set aside a sufficient reset?* to meet their obligations. My recommendations regarding next year’s schedule Is that the sura of £3,280 be set aside for flood damage repair as previously noted, and that in addition to this amount the sum. of £4,720 be allocated for ordinary road maintenance, tho schedule to be submitted to next meeting.