ELTHAM COUNTV COUNCIL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 13 October 1924, Page 6

ELTHAM COUNTV COUNCIL.

LOAN PROPOSALS DISCUSSER. j SMALL HIGHWAYS SUBSIDY. j Loan proposals and main highways J subsidies were amongst the matters i discussed at the monthly meeting of the Eltham County Council on Satur- ! day. when there were present: Crs. C. J Belcher (chair), R. J. Knuckev, : A. McWilham, A. Y. Messana, M. W. " Barker. A. Campbell, W. E. Carter, 1 C. E. McGuinness and E. J. Gifford! ' LOAN MONEYS. 1 Tlie State Advances Department ad- : vised that it had been resolved to : grant the council two loans of £ISOO 1 each for road construction in the Tirimoana and Omona. ridings respectively. ■ On the motion of the chairman, it was decided to make application to lift the balance of the south riding loan—£3ooo—which, owing to the inn position of a. limit of £SOOO of loan money per year, was holding up the council’s finance. The Mangatoki and Kaponga ridings, he said, would soon require to raise loans for bridge construction, and the chairman said there would be no chance of raising the money for these works while the postion with regard to. the south rid- 1 ing loan remained as at present. With the south riding loan out of the way the council would be free to lift another £SOOO of loan money for other works next year.' TIMBER. ROYALTIES. With regard to the action of the council in supporting a resolution indicating that county councils should receive half the timber royalties earned by the disposal of timber growing on Crown lauds, Mr. O'. Hawken, M.P., wrote stating that these royalties were now used by the Forestry Department for afforestation, and he rather doubted the wisdom of diverting these funds. 1 _ The Minister of Crown Lands wrote in connection with the same matter, stating that the point 'raised was receiving the consideration of the Goi 7 - ernment. Cr.. Barker pointed out that millers carting timber over county roads were required to. keep the roads they used in order, otherwise they were not granted permission to use them. HIGHWAYS SUBSIDIES. The Main Highways Board advised that they would make the following contributions to the council in respect of maintenance subsidies: Boylan Road, £300; Manaia Road, from the Waimate to the Stratford boundary, £233. The chairman again referred to the meagre financial support which the Highways Board was affording the Eltham Council, in comparison with other councils. They had only eight miles of main roads gazetted, and the above was all the money they would receive. A telegram was received from the Highways Board asking whether representatives of the hoard could meet the council on Wednesday next to discuss the matter of toll-gates.—lt wa* decided that the chairman and the Mangatoki and Kaponga riding, representatives should meet the members of the hoard. NOTICES AT DANGEROUS CORNERS. A suggestion that warning notices should be erected at dangerous points on the roads throughout South Taranaki was brought before the council by the South Taranaki Automobile Association. The association would provide the signs, while the council were asked to. provide the posts and the labour of erection. Cr. Carter considered the idea a splendid one, and other councillors made similar remarks.—lt was decided to comply with the terms of the association’s letter. The necessity for the erection of warning notices near all the schools was also.discussed, and the council decided to erect any such signs which had not been already attended to. GENERAL. The. decayed condition of two culverts opposite his property on the Pukengahu Road was mentioned in a letter from Mr. John Granville, of Mangamingi.—The matter was left in the hands of the engineer. Mr. H. G. Gibson wrote asking the council to attend to a silted up culvert and outlet on the Stuart Road., —lt was stated that the engineer was' already attending to the matter. Tenders for. carting contracts were considered in committee, and on resuming it was reported that the contract for carting broken metal from the depot to the Tirimoana Road had been let to Mr. A. E. Parker and the contract for the carting of forked metal' from the Waingongoro River to the depot had been let to Mr. E. Commerer. Advice that plans were being prepared and would he forwarded to the chief surveyor for approval next week, Cwas received from 'Messrs. Syrne and Weir in connection with the transfer of sections on the Eltham Road, Kaponga. It was stated that by the transfer bet ■seen the council and a ratepayer of a couple of sections mutual benefit would result. | OVERSEER’S REPORT. B The county overseer (Mr. F. M.uggeridge) reported as follows:—South Riding.—General surface work was done oh must of the roads in this riding and several roads were metal patched. The bitumen sealed portion of the Boylan Road was given a coat of sand as it was bleeding badly in | placets. An old culvert on the Dalzrel I Road . was lowered about three feet | and renewed with 18-inch con ere to I pipes. Two small culverts were put I in for the Fraser Road School Com--5 mittoe and a culvert was put in for I thq Eltham Dairy Company's Fraser o Road factory. Chips have been I placed on the Sheet Road. . MangaR told Riding.—Water-tables and cul- | verts were attended to on most of the i roads throughout the riding. A culvert was extended and the filling widened opposite Mr. Mc-Guinness’ property six 18-inch pipes being used. About one and a half chains of metal was laid on the Cornwall Road. Chips , were carted out to the Eltham, Duthie, Lower and Upper Stuart R’oskls. Omona Riding.—Slips were cleared and widening done on the I Rawhitiroa and Matamaroke Roads. Water-tables and culverts were attended to on the Mataiwhetu, Waitiri and Ivarewa Roads. in company with the district engineer and councillor McWilliam an inspection was made of the shell rock pit and crushing site at Omona. An inspection was also made of those lengths of the Rawhitiroa and Mataiwhetu Roads which it is ‘proposed to metal this summer. It was decided that the gap between the pit and Omona be pushed on with and another contract be let for the carting along the

Ma taiwhetu Road, both jobs being! worked at one time. Regarding the big slip that is on the move down in the Wheuuakura Valley Road, the river hank is composed mostly of Soft blue pug, and each time the river rises the toe is washed away and the country above slips further down. Planting willows might'be tried, but it i-s doubtful whether that will protect the bank. Kaponga Riding.—General surface work ami metal patching was done on most of the roads in this riding. Chips were carted on to the Auroa and Manga whem Roads. Eltham Riding.—Watertahling and metal patching was done and twenty chains of drain was cleaned out on the Rawhitiroa Road. The bridge on the Wingrove Road was repaired. Pot-holes were filled on the Tirimoana Road and slips were cleared off the Rotokave Lake Road. A start has been made with the refacing of the Anderson Road, but owing to the weather poor progress has been made. Tenders have been called for the carting and getting metal for the Tirimoana. Road. These are before you for consideration. General. —Mr. A. L. Collins was appointed roller driver. A suitable horse was procured for the spring cart. Repairs were done on the roller and 5-ton White truck, the latter breaking the top off one piston. The portable crushing plant is ail ready to. go to Omona and will he sent out when the weather is settled. —. Adopte d.