HIGH

Grey River Argus, 30 June 1942, Page 8

HIGH

U'tie-- annuE^ma^g^^OT l the No. 1?. DistrictvHighwpVs Council. was? hel J 1 at'.'’GrgymduthPyesterday, '/Mr E.y.F/| Evans, /' Pubhg . .Works Department /.Engineer, There ' ..were.; present Megfets C. W. Stoop I ; yWestland County-)', J.- Higgins (Grey 1 F. W. Archer (Inangahua.i County) and. J. H. Powell (Bulleri .County).. .. i . Mr Evans. was re-appointed chair-', man for the ensuing year. : | The-chairman announced that -tire I Blackball-Roa road had been declar- ■ ed a highway." . • "I It .was decided /.that a circular i concerning* fees for the laying of water pipes under highways by pri- ■ vate. owners, be sent to ’ .other local i authorities. The circular drew’ the Council’s attention .to the'fact that a charge of £2 could be made for the i laying of pipes in place of the bld ; charge of 10s a year. ;

REDUCED ALLOCATION

The chairman stated that it had .been found necessary ■to reduce the allocation for highway work from a gross of £130,000’ to about £80,300.. Mr, Archer said £120,000 had be'en used last year. The chairman said that local bodies’ estimates had been submitted and actually they amount-* ed to £107,000, about £28,000 more than the allocation. That was .what the Council was up against.. There was no option but to carve down the estimates. The estimates submitted were actually moderate when compared with last year. The figures, did not include flood damage. ..Mr Powell moved that the. Government be asked to repair all flood damage to main highways. The chairman said that during the time the Highways Board had been in existence it had greatly increased its subsidies and it was hardly -thstime to put the “boot’’ into the board and endeavour to obtain more generous treatment. -.-. ;; -

Mr Powell said that the County Councils nad to continue putting the “boot” into the ratepayers for money to repair flood damage. The time had arrived when the Government of the country should stand by in time of flood.

The motion lapsed for the want of a seconder.

The chairman then went on to ’ give details of Public Works Depart'ment and - local bodies’ estimates for various works in their respective areas and of the manner in which they had been cut down owing to the reduced allocation. As an example he said that the Westport-Nelson highway for which £5700 had bem allocated last year, the Buller County had this year applied for £7280. This had been cut down to £6OOO. ..■'■■ It was decided that all local bodies be advised where alterations had been made in the various estimates.

• The chairman said that the estimates amounted to £107,933 and with an addition of £13,000 for flood repairs amounted to £121,533. He had, by judicious reductions, cut that sum down to the vicinity of £84,000 the allocation granted. It was decided that the Council approve of the- reduction of the estimates to £84,000. Mr Powell moved that the High ways Board be requested to make an increase of ten per cent, on all three to one subsidies made to County Councils. The chairman seconded the motion pro forma. Mr Archer said it was a very, .inopportune timeito bring up a resolution of that-kind.

Mr Higgins)paid that at the present time lie dould not support any such resolution. The motion was lost.

Referring to the Hokitika-Rimu-Ross Highway, Mr Stoop said that in its present condition the road wai most dangerous. However, if a few corners were fixed and a little work done on it, the road would be a good start ; to the Main South Highway. He also paid a compliment to the men-working on the Main South Highway for the splendid condition in which they kept the road and to the officers in charge'. He moved that their services be recognised in a small manner. The chairman returned thanks for the kind references. In ednneefon with the Ross road, he said that improvements would be carried out as soon as finance was available. Mr Archer said he would like to see more work Sone on the 'Reeftonffnangahua Highway. chairman said he would refer to the Engineer at WestMMteas decided to hold next year’s 'V. 'Mi at Reef ton. was Mind matactive

Ip approach Abe f. ih.afd a''dial’ assistance. . ‘{rouble ,vns ex-merfcn'ceiiTAiU;Hte--Ar? hurs Pass sc?-' I ticnS (if ®vt«r I siMW i!* l Jngtnwm' -fmt' ocbasional i cubic'. o n |fflral’seei y)n is anticipated , : ebcht year., ’A >fest: r ialls oi* snb w' on’ LtWEev 1 Pass. lion of the Reef- 1 ton-Mnfaejtf Junction main high-1 r way also -occurred, rand traffic was , held up .for mJ day On so on a few oc-I casions.' Already this year, .however,] considerable's-flood , damage has been i experienced-/ due jt’o 'heavy anfi .con-, linuousiAtr. during Easter and the : following few weeks, damage, amounting -Ito several 'thousands of /(founds. - ’.Renewal °t bridges approaching the end of their Usefulness has not been- lost sight of and a fey contracts were let for new struc-: tures. Regular maintenance has also been given to' existing bridges and it is gratifying to note that, local authorities are alive to the providing such maintenance which has the effect of. considerably prolonging the life of the structures ] themselves. Attention has been given j to centre Jine marking of sealed, highways although progress in this direction has not been as rapid as. I would like 1 . ’ It is hoped to proceed further- with this work during the ■■present year, and thus encourage ; road users to become still more, “safety minded.” Too many motorists still adopt this system of driving in the middle cf\a two-day road, a method for which there is no occasion. There is need also for more use by motor drivers of the rear mirrors with which all vehicles, are, or should be, provided. ANNUAL EXPENDITURE Annual expenditure on highways over the past ten years is shown m the following table. This .will give some indication, of the drastic, curtailment which , the Board has been - forced' to impose as a result of petrol restrictions: — '.■•■' ' • £ 1932- 55,089 ' 1933- . i 65,246 1934- 82,056 1935- 139,163 1936- '... 230,522 1937- 352,752 1938- 320,934 1939- 335,798 1940- 209,704 1941- 120,748 • A further reduction in the allocation for the current year has been' found necessary and there is every likelihood of improvement work practically ceasing altogether. Maintenance of the highways must have first call upon the available finance, and little will be left for bridge renewal' which is the next most important phase. I take this opportunity of thanking all local bodies and their officers for the continued helpful co-operation and assistance in connection with highway matters during the past year. The following is a general descrip- ' tion of the more important wo’’k carried out during the year: On the Nelson-Westport State highway, a contract has been let for a seven feet by seven feet concrete culvert to replace an old wooden bridge. Preliminary work only had been carried out by the end of the I year. At the Four Creek a water drive is being constructed to replace a second wooden bridge, due for renewal. Two short lengths of sealing (were carried out, ohe of 17 chains through the Lyell township, and the second o£ nine and 1 , a half chains through Berlins. A Xreinforced concrete bridge 24 feet wide and 60 fest in length, was constructed over Bard Creek on the Inangahua-GreymAuth main highway, a?id a length if 19 chains of-sealing was .laid past ijhe Landing School. Further south, a section of 30 chains, near Orwell Creek, was sealed, and the construction of Orwell Creek bridge, a reinforced concrete span of 40 feet, was commenced. On the- Greymouth-Waiho I State highway, improvements between Hokitika and Ross were continued on a reduced scale, a length of one mile 29 chains being reconstructed and metalled. A contract was let for the renewal of two small wooden bridge over Pennyngton’s and Blanchard’s Creek, near the Forks, the work comprising a deviation of 43i chains and two 10 feet by 10 feet concrete culverts. Proposals were approved for the reconstruction of approximately three miles betw'een Fairdown and Waimangaroa on the Westport-Karamea main highway, and ’during the year some two miles were completed. On the same highway, plans have been prepared for the renewal of Deadman's Creek and Sandal Creek bridges. Blue Spec Creek bridge, on the Reef-ton-Hanmer Junction main highway was renewed by a 35-feet concrete span, 26 feet wide. With the completion of this bridge, only two old bridges, the Lower and Upper In-

wilt UIIUSVO) mV ~ angahua’ bridges remain on the bridge renewal programme. These may' have to await the return of more favourable conditions. On the BI ackwater-Waiuta main highway the Blackwater bridge, one 45 fee, span, was completed in concrete ant a length of 27 chains of highwaj through the Waiuta township <was sealed. Through the township o. Blackball on the Ngahere-Blackbal ■tin. highway a length of one mile MMkns was sealed. All highwavs to the usual stand- ' ;■, * ./ ■■ Mho year ' n tin ’ -r’'A“ -.t V Hd make i year ’ -r- .t V /'-■I thinj. k x ‘ ‘ en ■ ■t