HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 9 May 1925, Page 7

HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. At the ordinary meeting of the Hawera County Council, held to-day, there were present C'rs J. B. Murdoch (chair), R. B. Douglas, C. J. Hawken, G. Williams, A. La room, 13. C. Lysnght, E. A. Washer and T. Walsh. The County Clerk (Mr J. W. Harding) was in attendance. - r LEVEL CROSSINGS. A return of railway level crossings on the main highways in the county was asked for by the Highways Board, also proposals for elimination, with approximate cost, condition of visibility, and number of accidents.

The clerk reported that his reply had been to send a rough plan of the railnay crossing on Main South roacl adjacent to Hawern on the AueklandWellington, via Taranaki, main highway, j lie said it was considered Letter to put in -a subway, as an overhead bridge would take an enormous amount of spoil for filling, and this was not obtainable there. It is a very dangerous crossing, and visibility is very bad as trains come out of a deep cutting. He advised that there hacl been several accidents o.f recent years—one man crippled, another killed, and a car smashed up. The approximate cost of a subway would be £3500. He also enclosed locality plan of crossing at Mokoia' which runs over a level road, and it would be better to form and metal the old Main South road. As there is a bridge over the railway on this road 86ft long and 13ft tvide, the present grade on unmetalled road would be 1 in 17. There wquld he 26 chains to form and metal, and costs were estimated ns follow: Formation £2OO, 'metal £BOO, bitumen £l9l. shingle £Bl. pipes £25. labour £75; total £1372. * The chairman said that the local bodies should accept no liability, and that the railway should put in over or sub-structures. MOTOR LORRY REGULATIONS. Suggestions Yvere received from the Town Clerk,'Haivera, in regard to o\’ercommg trouble of returns of distance traversed by county lorries in various areas. He suggested: (1) That each local authority furnish exact length of road or street in its district used for through traffic; (2) that Yvhen collected by him all should be supplied Yvith details; (3) that each authority supply this information to all holders of licenses, and that distances so arrived at shall be the basis for filling up prescribed returns., Where alteroaatrve routes exist, respective lengths of same should be supplied, and 'certain other lengths, should be given for more local services, such as HaYvera to Okaiarva, or to Ivaponga. Where a county-lies’on both sides, of a borough or torvn district, lengths going north and south shall be given separatley, also separate lengths giving north and south to centre of each borough and town district should be gi\ T en so as to provide for lorries not going right- through. The Public Works Department ad-Y-ised that a supply of forms and discs ns indicated by lorry regulations would be sent forward. It Yvas added that the regulations did not apply to the 'Cr.own and could not therefore affect motor lorries owned by GoY r .ernment departments.

GENERAL. The Okaiawa School Committee asked for improvements to footpath and entrance to the school. The chairman said the Council had attended to this work annually, but it had got behind because the man in that area bad been away. It was agreed that the work -should be done,, the Council doing the labour and the committee finding the pipes. FOREMAN’S REPORT. The laying of the metal on the Mata,ngara Road is now completed, and it is' now being napped, rolled and blinded. This will be finished during the. coming week. All the metal has been delivered on Mason Street, and this will be rolled and blinded as soon as the roller is available. The repairs on the T&ngalioe bridge are now completed, and the bridge carpenter will commence on the, Mungamunga bridge as soon as the timber comes: to hand. A temporary bridge will have to be constructed in the meantime to allow the traffic an outlet. The Nponan Hill has been refaeed with gravel from Lauder’s pit where it was required, and the napjnng of the stones will be undertaken as soon as possible. The portion of the Palmer Road that- was: authorised to be metalled with shingle has been delivered, and the napping is now being done. Re that portion of the Manawapou Road that a deputation waited on the Council .about —it is not a car road in wet weather, and it would cost about £450 to metal it. The Ngawhine Road loan work is now finished and the roller is available for work on Arthur, Mason and Denby roads. The scarifying and laying of new metal on the flanks of the Main South Road from the borough boundary to the top of Tongahoe Hill is going on satisfactorily, and should be finished in about, ten clays’ time. The low-lying place on the Onewhni Road has been metalled; the quantity used was 100 yards, and it cost. 12s a yard. The portion of the Lysaght. Road that Mr Tidswell asked to he metalled would be very slippery in wet weather, as the grade in places would be one. in twelve to metal. This portion would cost £35. Mr Tidswell has offered to do the work of delivering and spreading gravel for 6s -per yard. MANAWAPOU ROAD. Messrs W. A. Quin, L. Kavanagh and Murphy waited on the council in regard to the matter of work on the road to enable them to get through in the winter, when the road was in a specially bad condition. Mr W. A- Quin drew attention to the -very bad state of the road, which carried a very large amount of traffic. The road was narrow, and lorries cut it up badly. Mr Murphy said that he hoped the road . would. be widened.

The chairman said the council were carting out. a lot from Waukino, and it would be necessary to put it in order. The road Yvould be put into order this winter, especially as the county had to use it for its own work. PROPOSED OHAWE TELEPHONE. A request was received from the Telegraph Department that the council make up an estimated deficiency on the proposed erection of a telephone to Ohawe beach. The chairman said he coidd not understand why the Post and Telegraph Department should ask the .county to guarantee an amount for a telephone used by a community such as Ohawe, and that they should get the people using the telephone to bear the expense. It was resolved that the council could, not entertain the proposal. DENBY ROAD. Mr H. M. Lee, contractor for sand, etc., for Hospital Board from Waihi beach, suggested that he would finish the part of Den by road uncompleted—about- 12 chains —and allow payment to stand over until December. He would also guarantee to keep the road in order. He added that a large number of people from tmvn used the road. The chairman said that already £333 had been spent out of their estimate of £4OO, and that £2OO would be required to complete the work. Tq do this would require more money than was aY'ailable. Cr Washer said he had been down, and found the metal laid right to the last dairy farmer’s gate. He would not approve, the completion. It was decided that at present the council could not entertain the proposal to continue the metalling right to the end of the road.