EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 10 December 1924, Page 6

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Egmont County Council met at Opunake yesterday. There were present: Crs. J. Young, J. A. Pettigrew, T. H. H. Sinclair, H. Donald, J. S. Toslaud, G. Gibson, and J. Hickey, juu. Ah apology for absence was received from the chairman (Cr W. C. Green). Cr Young was voted to the chair. On the motion of Cr Gibson, formal leave of absence was granted Cr Green, the Council further recording its sympathy in his indisposition, and expressing the wish that he would soon be restored to health. Extending a welcome to Cr T. H. H. Sinclair, the new’y-elected representative of the Opua riding, the chairman said the ratepayers were fortunate in having secured the services of Mr Sinclair, who, the speaker felt sure, would render an able stewardship in all matters relating to their interests. Cr Sinclair suitably responded. THE MONTH’S WORK. The report of the overseer (Mr L. J. Harrop) was adopted, stating, inter alia: Oeo Biding (Southern). —Main South rpad: Patching has been done with crushed metal between the Taungatara and Piinehu bridges. Slight deck repairs have also been done to the Taungatara bridge. Patching has been done and the water-tables cleaned out in places on the Watino and Patiki roads. 1

Oeo Biding (Northern). Weka street: Patching has been done with pit metal and the water-tables • cleaned out. Watino road: This road has been patched with pit gravel carted out of Brenmer’s property by the county team. , Eltlxam road: Patching-has been done on this road with crushed metal, and the road has been clay blinded in places. Patching has also been done on the Kiri, Opunake-Stratford and Patiki roads. Gpua. Riding (Southern). —Eltham Road: Patching has been ’ done on this road with crashed metal. Main South Road: Patching has been done with crashed metal. Th ai a Road: A line of 7 x 12 inch pipes has' been put in to replace an old ivooderi culvert, which had fallen in. Patching hss also -been done and the road clay blinded in places. Wiremu Road. —Waiaua. Ford : The stone groyne has been put up and the roadway formed to the river. The tree has also been cut to be put across the river below the ford, but we are waiting for the bullock team. The pipes were also made in the comity shed on wet days. Road Construction.—The lorry track by the metal bins has been formed and metalled. The track'by the tar tanks has also been metalled. Pipes have also' been made in the county shed on wet days. The report of the bridge foreman (Mr. R'. J. T. Dillon) as follows was adopted: Inspection of Bridges.—Upon arrival on the 6th ultimo I, in company with your overseer, inspected a number of bridges on various, roads, maiiy of which are in urgent need of repairs or rebuilding. Taungatara bridge.— J also -obtained the plans and specific-ac-tions of the proposed new. bridge over the Taungatara River. A, list of the lengths of steel reinforcement for this work has been compiled and over 100 bars which were in the county shed have been carted on to the site. Preliminary work will be begun in a .few days. Repair of Waitahi and Buiigareere bridges.—Two new rinm stringers have been ordered for the .strengthening of the Waitahi bridge on the Main South Road, as on inspection I considered that there was too great a depth of silt under the bridge to enable strutting of the stringers to be effectively carried out without a good deal of expense. One of the stringers is also broken and has been patched up at some time. It required renewal in any ease. A few pieces of timber for tomming up the Pungareere bridge was also ordered at the same time. These timbers are row, I understand, cut at the mill, but so far have not been delivered. As soon as they are, a start will be made to. place them in position and render the bridges safe for fairly heavy traffic. Bridge men.— I Hie bridge carpenter left your employ on the 18th, but a new man has been obtained. Thus the bridge squad now consists of four men. . Another three or four men will be put on as soon’ as the preliminary work has been done at the ’Taungatara bridge and they can be profitably employed. Timber ordered and beams required.— As the county yard was quite bare of any timber for the repair of the decking of existing wooden bridges,, thirty new planks have been ordered, 1 and when these come- to hand speedy repair of broken planks should be possible. I think it would be a good idea to have three or four hardwood beams of about 30 feet lengths on hand in case of emergency. Tools and gear.—On making a search for gear and tools for bridge work I found that the council possessed very little of either. Some tools have been obtained locally to supplement those existing so as to enable us to carry on, and a list of those necessary has been handed to your clerk for order. This list does not include a winch and a pile-driving monkey, although both may be needed. Possibly pile-driving may be necessary to support the temporally staging at the Taungatara brdge, but this will be determined as soon as the excavations made for the piers reveals the nature of the foundations. Work done. —During most of the month the work done by us has been at the crusher plant at Arawhata. Road and at the bitumen boiling tanks on the Main Road in the same locality.' A platform for the tank on the small lorry has also been made. We were unable to place a proper roof on the shed over the boiling tanks at Arawhata, as the power board engineer was afraid tliat it would be too c-lose to‘the live wires. Matters not dealt with. —A couple of other instructions from the council, including an estimate and the preparation of plans for a bridge has so far not been attended to as the period since the instructions were given is very short and my time has been fully occupied otherwise. T anticinate being able to undertake the matter during the coming month. The ranger (Mr H. Wiltshire) reoorted that a total of 90 head of stock had been impounded during the month. SAUNDERS-CARRINGTON ROAD. The Taranaki County Council forwarded a letter received from the district engineer, Public Works Department. Stratford, which in reference to the Saiiiiders-Carrington roads metalling stated it would be inadvisable to transfer votes proposed for this year, hut if the Taranaki County attaches sufficient urgency to the work suggested that from the ouota due to the county the sum of £SOO on a £ for £ basis he set aside next year. The covering letter intimated an alteration of this nronosal. it now being suggested that a* loan of £250, With a grant of £250, should be raised by each

county. It was understood that the ratepayers’ sanction would be given. Cr Donald thought the proposal would lie favoured by ratepayers in the Egmont County Council, though' it appeared they would have to forego a grant in their own county to allow its expenditure in an adjoining one. Though he would prefer to see money expended on the Wiremu road, he recognised that that work would not be completed until the Saunders-Car-rington road was metalled, and therefore he would raise no obiection to the proposal.

The clerk expressed doubt as to whether authority could be given one county to expend grant moneys in another county, and pointed out that it would be necessai-y for the Taranaki County to apply for the grant of £SOO subsidising the £SOO raised equally by the two counties.

It was decided to refer the proposal to the ratepayers’ committee presided over by Mr Cassie. SANITARY INSPECTION. Referring to the appointment of a sanitary inspector, a communication received from the District Health Office (New Plymouth) pointed out that the: procedure in accordance with which an inspector of health had carried out the work for the local authority without any formal resolution of appointment having been made had been found to be incorrect, as the insnector had no legal status. To put the matter m - order it was suggested that the council pass a formal resolution of appointment of the inspector under the Health. Act, thus making the appointee an officer of the council and giving him the necessary legal standing. A circular containing similar information, and requesting advice as to * whether the council had made such an appointment, was received from the Department of Health, Wellington. In _ reply to Cr Gibson, the clerk said the council was responsible for £7O annually as a contribution to the inspector’s salary. The formal appointment suggested would not increase the amount. The formal resolution aopointing Mr h. Swindells (health inspector) to officiate was adopted. DEPUTATION. Messrs M. and R. Fleming waited on the council with reference to the Cape road (Pungarehu). Mr M. Fleming stated that the settlers had heard ’ there might be some delay in metalling the road, and urged that steps be to have it completed immediately. He -understood a grant of £2OO was available. In reply to the chair-' man s intimation that difficulty might be experienced in financing the work Mr Fleming said he thought the settlers might be depended Upon to assist. ' •

The council went into committee, and a lengthy discussion relating to. finance ensued, on the conclusion of which it ivas decided to instruct the foreman to' engage all permanent men <m loan works, and that the committee set up at the last meeting be instructed to go exhaustively into, the council’s financial position and report to the next meeting. , "ft* wa ? further decided to inform the deputation that their-request, would receive sympathetic consideration after the committee’s report had been dealt with, and tliaVthe. work would then he put in hand as early as possible.

GENERAL. Subject to the foreman’s approval, permission was granted A. E. Burrows to transfer contracts tor the supply of metal on the Oeo and Watino road's to Marshall' Bios. (Awatuna). The district representative of the Mam Highways Board (Mr T. M. Ball) notified that owing to delay in printing tile necessary forms, formal monetary authority had not yet been issued for approved maintenance works, and suggested that' local bodies should render claims for one-third of expenditure from June. 9 to Octobers3l. On receipt of claims an endeavour would be matle to arrange for payments as early as possible.