EGMONT COUNTY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 9 March 1927, Page 2

EGMONT COUNTY.

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL. The monthly meeting of the Egmont Council was held at Opunake on lues day, there being present: Crs. W . U. Green (chair), J. Young J. Hickey iunr A. J Lilley, G. Gibson. A. E. Collins J. T. Shepherd, R. C. Watson, and J.' Tosland junr. Notifications were received from the Public Works Department that £oJO had been forwarded to the county fund in respect to the Lepperton JunctionHa wera via Opunake Watino Road section, and £6OO Is in respect to the Mangahume bridge (£331 3s /d) and Parihaka Settlement Wataroa Road (£268 17s sd). In connection with the proposed special loan for forming and metalling about two miles of the Upper Puniho Road it was decided, on the motion lof Or Lilley, to take the necessary steps to raise the loan. The chairman thought that the money would be difficult “to obtain, but it was the duty of the council to do its best The loan was a join one witli Taranaki Oonivtj Council, which had the matter in hand The poundkeeper (Mr. H. Wiltshire) reported having impounded 113 head of stock during the month. The circular from the Post and "eleoraph Department with regard to underground petrol tanks and the department’s right to lay underground telephone lines was considered, and it was decided to co-operate with the department in the matter. . A letter addressed to the chairman was received from the assistant Public Trustee, stating that his attention had been called to a report in a New J lymoutli newspaper of the meeting of the council, in which he was stated to have said that the council had been assured that an advance of £IOOO would be forthcoming from the 1 üblic Trust office on account of the Okahu Road special loan, but that the office had subsequently not carried out its undertaking. The council’s application for the loan bad been entertained on December 10, and the letter conveying the decision indicated that the application would be submitted to the Investment- Board for decision, but- gave no assurance whatever that the loan would be oranted. At the chairman s recent interview with an officer of the Public Trust office in Wellington he agreed that the report was incorrect, and undertook to have it rectified. He would be glad if the chairman would arrange for the necessary correction to appear at an early date, a s the existing report was a serious reflection on the conduct of the Public Tiust ° The chairman stated that as a result of a visit to Wellington by himself and Cr Young, he thought that they would now be able to get the money from the Public Trust office. The chairman stated that he thought there hadl been a misunderstanding somewhere, for which he. did- not want to blame anyone. Perhaps he had not made ihim-self understood- clearly, and he did not think that the newspaper reporters had heard (him rightly. He had s-aid! that the council had been negotiating for a year for the money, which had been promised and then the application was turned down. _ When -He had said this he was referring to an outside body, and not the 1 übfie Trust Office, which was approached after the other body liad> turned the council down. The Public Trust Office had referred the application to the investment Board, which had refused it. Crs Collins, Tosland, and Lilley all stated that they had formed the same impression from the remarks ‘as the reporter. * The chairman stated that the council’s previous dealings with the Public Trust Office gave every indication that the loan- would lie taken up The council’s relations with the Public Trust. Office had always been harmonious, and he did not want it to go out that he had said anything reflecting on that office. ENGINEER’S REPORT.

Main Roads Reconstruction.— Apartfrom the sealing of 4* drains of the waferbound work left over at Oanui last season no further work has been done under contract 494. There remains to be done only the second coat on about two miles of the Eltham Road. Contract No. 508— (Warea). (39. - chains have been metalled and grouted and 89) chains have been sealed. The total length metalled aiid grouted under this contract is. 2$ miles and there is still li miles to be done. Contract No. 510. —(Te Kiri). 78 chains have been metalled and grouted. The total amount done under this contract as three miles and one mile remains to be done. . Bridges.—Punehu bridge (OpuntakeSt rat ford Road). Excavations for two foundations have been completed and one is concreted up to final level. The approach fillings are in hand. Manaia. bridge (Wireniu Road). The girders are being placed. Pungaereere bridge (Main South Road). Work has been started. ... Maintenance.—The mam roads have been blinded and patched. The grader has been used on the Main South Road through the Oeo, Rahotu, and NewaH Ridings. 86 chains have been scarified and replaced near Warea and one near Te Kiri. The second sealing coat (bitumen) has been put on the 60 chains between the Ouri and Nopera Roads. Oeo Riding.—Blinding has been done on the P'atiki and Watino Roads 1 and the Upper Oeo has been patched. Opua Riding.—The Upper Arawhata, Nauru, Opua, Upper Kina, Lower Waiteika, Wiremu and Iliiaia have been patched and draining has been done on the latter. The bare -piece of tar work on tihe Lkana (about half a 'male) has. been patched with bitumen. Rahotu Riding.—The Lower _ Parihaka has been patched and work is still being done- there. 15 -chains have been scarified and rolled. The Upper liahui and Puhina. have been patched and 19 chains have been scarified iand rolled on the Opo-urapa, The contract on the Upper Kahui has been completed, hut a great (leal .still -remains to -be done before it will be accepted. Newa.l-1 Riding.—The Ruakere, Mir.ikau, Warea., Stent, Burgess, Lower Newall, Bayly, Harrington and Koke-ua Roads, have all had attention. OENERAL.

The Stent Road contract, lias been taken over. The formation on the Qkaliu Road is -almost completed and the metalling has been started. The report was adopted and the engineer was authorised to submit a -list of applications for grants which it was desired should he placed -on the Public Works Estimates.

Tlxe matter of the supply of metal on the Turu Road ivas left to the chairman, engineer, and Cr. Gibson to deal with.

It was decided to include the forming and metalling on the Arawhata Road in next year’s estimates. It was decided to lift £SOOO of the bridge loan, and it wa s stated that this would probably be all that was needed for twelve months. The clerk submitted a statement of 1 the council’s finance, which showed that, with the exercise of care they would be able to live within their income this year. It was resolved to take steps to collect outstanding rates, of which there were £4190 9s.