WAIMATE WEST COUNTY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 11 April 1925, Page 2

WAIMATE WEST COUNTY.

COUNCIL MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Maim ate West County Council was held at Manaia on Wednesday. There were present : Grs. E. Long (chairman;, J. S. McKay, W . H. Le Fleming, A. Hamlin and W. Leslie, and Messrs J. A. Mansen (engineer; and Y. H. Hobday (clerk;. , THE MONTH’S WORK. The engineer (Mr J. A. Hansen) reported tliat during the month about dO chains ex the Upper Auroa road dad been rfe-tarred ana also 32 chains of the Upper Oeo road. About 50 chains of the Sheet road at the Oeo end had been given its fifst coat of tar. Tar-patching had been carried out on the Manaia,, Sheet, Palmer, Mangawhero, Main South, Rama and Lower Glen roads, all of which were now in very good order. Mr Boyce had delivered over 900 cubic yards of crushed me|til for the Oeo road, which had refaced just over a. mile oJ the road. The contractor was preparing to bring tarring shingle from the beach, and as soon as sufficient shingle was on the road it was intended to tar grout the whole of the new metal. The old iron hand rails on the Kaupokonui bridge (Glen road) were being taken out and replaced with concrete. Good progress had been made with work on the Kaptiiii bridge (Main South - road). On Tuesday the old bridge had been moved upstream, it being closed to traffic for about eight hoifrs. The old site was now ready for the hew bridge. Tenders for boulder stone contracts had been advertised, and closed at noon on Thursday.

The report was adopted. The chairman said the engineer, together with the bridge foreman (Mr W. Maddock) and his staff, deserved to be highly commended on the. expeditious manner in which the Kapuni bridge had been moved. It reflected greatly to their, credit, and it was also very fortunate for the travelling public that the bridge had been closed to traffic for only five hours. A vote ; of appreciation was recorded. Or Leslie reported that, a small bridge on the Skeet road, hear the Glen road, required attention. The engineer said that the bridge mentioned and another oh the Rama road were. to be repaired as soon as possible. He thought that the bridges would be replaced with culverts, hut in the meantime he intended having the surface planks repaired on the bridge mentioned by Cr. Leslie. He pointed out that the two mentioned were the only wooden structures remaining in the county.

GRANTS. Formal approval of the grant of £llOO, being subsidy (£ for £) on the estimated expenditure of £2200 on the construction of the Kapuni bridge (Main South road) was received from Eh? Main Highways Board. , The Board also advised approval of the grant of £406 7s fid, being subsidy (£ for '£) oh £1219 2s 4d expended in maintenance of the council’s portion of the Lepperton JiinctionHawe'ra (via Opunake) main, highway. TRAFFIC MATTERS. The appointment of Mr E. Clark as inspector for issuing motor drivers’ licenses was approved. • . The engineer Was appointed as inspector ‘of traffic and vehicles in accordance with the new regulations. Giving a general resume of the business of the traffic inspectors’ conference held at Stratford on March 16 (a report of which has been published; the engineer said the testing of drivers, both as to driving fitness and knowledge ol traffic .regulations, etc., as was recommended, by the conference, was most, important. HOSPITAL LEVY. '

The clerk anti mated that in accordance with the estimates of the HaWera Hospital Board and levies to be made, Wiaiimate West Cdunfty’,s contribution this yeat* would be £2182 14s —an increase "of approximately £l3O over the .previous year. Oomanentting on the position, the chairman .referred to the heavy taxation .required of ratepayers, in view of which lie Oouisid'ered there should be no objection to anyone being admitted for treatment. He < pointed out that; persons whom it was tho-ught c-ould afford the extra, expense were usually sent to private institution s, the public hospital apparently being reserved for those, an poor cineiuhstaiioes. He was not, howevef, criticising the administration of any particular hospital, the practice mentioned,-, being fairly general throughout the Dominion. Or. Molvay considered that provided aceommo’diarbiom bva.s available, admission was h.bit restricted and no one was compelled to accept doctors’ advice to enter private hospitals. He thoueht * this was the case so far as the Ha.wera hospital was concerned.

GENERAL. The T. L. Jolll Dairy Co. wrote requestixig permission. to lay a coveredin dfiain down the Palmer Road, from the company’s factory to the Kapnau river,-—Permission- was granted subject to the engineer’s approval of the work. . A letter received from the chairman of the No. .'7 District Highways Council advised that new application's for main highways declarations. would be considered at its meeting oh the 9th inist. ' The chairman, intimated that an application . might he made to have the portion, of the Sheet Road i’n the Wai-m-ate West area, declared as a. main highway. There was, however, insufficient time to prepare before the meeting on,, Thursday the: data required by' the Highways Board, but the matter would be kept in view for consideration next year. The engineer gave a. reminder that it had been intended. to include the Sheet .Road with the original applications, ibut it had been, dropped at the time, as it was. considered there was; then little chance of its going through, together with .the other roads applied for.' ’ . . NOXIOUS WEEDS. At a .special meeting held at the conclusion, of the ordinary business, it was decided to have the following added t,o the list of noxious weeds within the county : Blackberry, Caleforniah thistle, fennel, foxglove, wing thistle and Canadian thistle. The Jeler-k renorted that gorse. ragwort, ox-eye daisv, penny royal and bur,do eh hiad .previously been declared noxious weeds.