WAIMATE WEST COUNTY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 9 October 1925, Page 10

WAIMATE WEST COUNTY.

BUSINESS OF THE MONTH

THE MANAIA RAILWAY.

COMPENSATION FOR GOOD ROADS

The monthly meeting of the Waimate West County’ Council was held at Manaia yesterday, when there were present Councillors E. Long (chair), J. F. Stevenson, J. S McKay, J. Leslie, W. H. Le Fleming, F. Mourie, and A. Ga rni in. MAN AIA RAIL W AY.

The letter from the Prime Minister to Mr Hawken (previously published) regarding the petition signed by 459 residents urging the completion of the Mariaia railway, was read. The Prime Minister intimated that the representations had been noted, but that the position was 'that the completion of the railway was purely a business proposition, and if the Department could obtain a guarantee that the railway would obtain all the transport business of the district, then he would be quite willing to reconsider the whoie question. The chairman: “I would like to use strong words. Nowhere in any part of the world would it be possible to give a guarantee that ‘all the transport’ would go over the line.” Mr. Mourie: “We could not guarantee that a»il our own transport business would go to the Department, let alone anyone else’s. For some reason of his own a man might want to put some goods aboard a lorry.” Cr. Stevenson said that the Prime Minister’s letter was only meant fignr. atively. The chairman remarked that it was never said publicly or privately that the produce' of the district would not go on the railway. It had only been said that the people of the district wanted the railway, and if it would pay them to put their produce on it they would do so. He believed that in a short time it would pay them. UNFAIR TREATM ENT.

Cr. McKay said that some time ago the council made a protest to the Government that they- 'were not being treated fairly in the matter of compensation for the good roads they had laid down. Other counties were now getting assistance flora the Highways Hoard in the laying down of thenroads, and counties that had lieen making a'good thing out of toLl-gates were now getting compensation for the abolition of the gates. The c-hairman remarked that the granting of compensation to counties which had had toll-gates, and the ignoring of those counties that had laid down good - roads out of loan money and not out of toll-gate revenue was one of the most unjust things that had been done in connection with the Highways Board. He wanted it to be understood, however, that he was not condemning those counties that were being given compensation in lieu of toll-gates. On the contrary, he thought that it was right that they should get something, but a. county such as Waimate West, that had not imposed toll-gates on the people, should also get compensation. Just because thev did not have toll-gates they got nothing. No man could say that such treatment was fair. *‘l am not against any other county; 1 sav good luck to them,” commented the chairman. , , t ~ Cr. Stevenson said that undoubtedly the council had a just claim, and undoubtedly other councils that adopted toll-gates were justified in doing so on account of the heavy expenditure incurred in maintaining the particu nr roads Waimate West had been fortunate enough to be-able to borrow their motiev at the right time, but nevertheless it had been a fairly heavy drain on the reserves of the land-owners oi the district. Cr. Stevenson said lie had seen that the Automobile Association were objecting to the administration of the highways funds, and pointing out that as they were subscribing they should have a. say in the administration of the funds. Cr. Stevenson said that although their efforts had been unsuccessful in the past, they should approach the Highways Board again. He thought thev would have a very fair chance of getting some redress for the huge amount of money that the council had been wise enough to spend, and so.help the Highways Board. The chairman: “Ye only want to get our just share.” Cr. Stevenson pointed out that the centres that had not pursued a progressive nolicy had been getting a direct subiidy. Surelv those who had ! aid down their roads at 75 per cent, under present-day cost were deserving of recognition. The chairman: “The Minister has to'd us that we have a good case, and the Highways Council sympathises with us.” On the motion of Crs. McKay and Mourie. it was decided to bring the matter again before the Highways Board. THE LAST BIG BRIDGE.

The engineer reported that the erection of the new bridge over the Kapuni River, on the Main South Road, had been completed, and the bridge was now ready to be opened for traffic.

The chairman said that in pursuance of the council’s policy to replace wooden bridges with concrete ones, the new bridge over the Kapnni had been built in permanent material. This bridge was the last of the permanent replacements over rivers in the county, and there now remained only, bridges and culverts over streams. The engineer said that the work had been done very cheaply, the total cost 'icing between £ISOO and £I6OO. The estimated cost had been £2200. Photographs of the Kaupokonui, Otakeho and Kapuni bridges, .all firsto itss concrete structures erected by the council during, the past two years, were handed around the council table bv the engineer. ENGINEER'S REPORT.

The engineer, Mr J. A. Hansen, reported that during the past month he had crushed about 240 yards of metal and related and tar-grouted 30 chains qf the Skeet Road. The grade on one o ; the hills on Skeet Road had also be?n reduced and a filling raised. \1 orlt .with the crusher had been suspended, owing to the jaw stock breaking. A new part should be on band any_ day now. Tar-patching had been carried out on the Main South, Itama, Skeet, and Manaia Roads. A start had been made in building the llama lload bridge, which work should be finished this week. The Kapuni bridge, on the Main South (load, was now ready to be opened For traffic. Two concrete pipe culverts had been lengthened and the fillings widened on the Upper Oeo Road. A new pipe culvert had also been put in on the Skeet lload. Metal patching had been carried out on the Oeo, Skeet, Rowan, Glenn and fnaha roads.—-The report was adopted. GENERAL. A committee consisting of the chairman, engineer and Crs. Mourie and Stevenson was set up. with power to act, in the purchase of a tractor. The engineer mentioned that other councils

which had such machines considered them indispensable. Mr J. W. Snowdon, Inaha, wrote thanking the council for the use of the council chamber for the holding of some of the meetings of the Manaia branch of the Workers’ Educational Association. The chairman reported that he and the engineer had interviewed Mr Ball in connection with main highways matters, and they had found that it was necessary to classify roads according to the weight of vehicles that traversed them. The engineer 'suggested that the Manaia, Sheet, Main South and Normanby roads (from Manaia road to county boundary) should be classified as first-clasS highways, the Auroa and Taikatu as second class, and the Rowan, Mangawhero, Glenn and Rama roads as third class. Councillors were in accord with the suggestion, but it was left to a committee consisting of the chairman, clerk and engineer to come to a definite decision regarding the classification of roads. The chairman and Crs Gamlin and Le- Fleming were appointed a committee to go into the matter of the obligations of parties concerned in the roading of a proposed subdivision of land. Cr Stevenson drew the council’s attention to the fact that natives who had been subdividing land had been running right-of-ways half a chain wide into their holdings. It would be. just as well to make sure that such right-of-ways could not be pushed on to the" council and dedicated as roads. “We don’t want them,” added Cr Stevenson. The chairman pointed out that roads were required by law to be not less than a chain in width. The State Advances Office notified that the loan of £IOOO for the Rama road drainage work had been remitted. The chairman reported that the Public Works Department had done a certain amount of work on the Normanby road, but no doubt the council would have to do 6ome further work. Work on Mudford’s road was held up on account of the wet weather. Concerning a ratepayer’s complaint regarding his treatment at the Hawera Hospital, Cr McKay said that the medical superintendent had explained that the patient would have been Xrayed at once had he gone into the hospital immediately, which he was not willing to do. Further, as the patient, and not his doctor, had telephoned, the hospital, it was thought that the matter was not seriously urgent. There was apparently a misunderstanding over the telephone conversation. The council accepted the explanation as satisfactory. The Main Highways Board advised that the board’s contributions' to main highways works in the Waimate West County wouldi he £llOO for the Kapuni bridge on the Main South road, £BB for the concrete culvert at Oeo, £lO5 on the road from Oeo do Inaha, and £220 on the Sheet- road to the Neill road. The chairman eaidi that the amount of £220 for the Skeet road was a mistake. and the hoard had agreed to pay £330, as the widening of the road was held to he construction and not maintenance, and the council was therefore entitled to half the coat. Th© matter of seeing that the mistake was rectified was left to the chairman and engineer.