COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 14 August 1929, Page 5

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION.

PATE A COUNCIL MEETS. At the ordinary meeting of the Pate a County Council yesterday, C’r. W. G. Belton presided, and there were also present: Ors. J. Lupton, R. J. Watt, A.. J. Gibbs. R. S. Scown, J. Peat, W. Back, C. Johnston and W. H. Watkins. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer leported for the month as follows : Main Road and General. —During the month the councils' requirement® for cons! ruction and maintenance on the main highways have been submitted to the Highways j*oard. The total amount of funds available for expenditure will be very considerably iessi than formerly. The steam roller has udorgone annuiaSi inspection and been repaired where necessary. The 11 chains of metalltin g authorised at last meeting on the shoit’iders near Hakaramea. water hole hiais been carried out. Otoia West. —The length i on the Kakaramea, Road between the towns’]] ip and the station has been scarified and is being metalled as metal comes to hand. Metal has also been coming to hand at Ba-l’i Road, and has -been carted out and spread near Pukerata creek. The work of rivet-ting the batter on Mr Palmer’s property on the Alton Gorge is in hand. Otoia East.—The lull on Bremer’s Road lias been sanded and sura fee work carried out on the Nicholson Road., The Lower- Ivaharoa Road has been scarified and re-metalled ‘along a portion of its 'length.

Waver lev Riding.—A new culvent lias been put in on the Oturi. Road. The railing on the Kohi Bridge which had been broken clown has been reorected in new timber. Considerable erosion has taken place on the I\anahake Road bv the Whenuakum river near the site of the proposed new bridge. Repair work on the Werewereonga track ha® been carried out. . Moumahaki Riding.—Two trucks of metal have been carted out land .spread on the Block VIII. hill. On the Waikato 'length a three-foot concrete culvert put in last, month as a temporary measure would hardly prove large enough, and 1 would recommend building a box bridge on his site at an approximate. cost of £SO. The slip infer the Werewereonga. bridge has carried away further up stream. A temporary road lias been made, but the council will have to consider the question of a more permanent road at this place. I have .surveyed this scheme. It will a’so he necessary to lengthen the Werewereonga bridge. I have had this place inspected bv the Public Works Department An engineering survey lias been made of [flock IV, (Tattle Saddle). and also the ridge (Puao Road) for metalting. The outfall to the drain near Waitotai'ai School is also now caving in from the top and in order to make a secure ioh hero it will he necessary to nut in about 40 feet of steed piping and fi'il over the pine and plant with wiflows. Kapara Riding.—There is no special work to report. “ Numerous slips have come chiwn and have been cleared bv the limited labour available. It is proposed to proceed with the engineering survey for widening work on the Mann Vn.'lc.v Rond, commencing next. week.

GENERAL. The Whenuakura Dairy Company was given permission to erect a dump on the roadside near Kohi, the work to lie done to the satisfaction ot the engineer. The engineer reported that repairs to the main road bridge over the Patea River had been completed. I t was resolved to appoint Air G . \\ . King, county engineer, to be an inspector of motor vehicles under the Act. The engineer was authoitiised to have the repairs asked for on the Upper Tamil aha Road done as soon as P°s-j jj-j. reply to the AVaitotara County Council, .it was agreed that the Patea Council contribute up to £l5O towards the formation of the Parikano Hill and the Valley Road. BACIvRLOCK ROADS. Writing from Nuikuiliaui (AV aver ley), a ratepayer drew attention to the deplorable state of the only means of entrance —the road to Nnkulhau from Waverley. He. said it was a disgrace^to Taranaki and lie hoped the council would not “pass this mutter over as a- usual ‘cocky’ growl.” He said lie. had been over roads good, bad u.nd indifferentand could! honestly say that nowhere had ho found “such good- land and a miserable means of access.” He said that on a strip of road 12 in Lies in length there was only one man with a pick, shovel and wheelbarrow, and he considered that at least the man should have a horse and dray. Or. Watkins said he knew the position and last year the council lupl spent £217, while only £lB5 had been received in rates. He considered the council was treating these people very fairly, and that he could not see why the council should spend more money on the road. It was decided to advise the writer of the letter that the council had spent £32 more than the total of rates received, but that later it would send the grader along sot that the road could he done. A settler writing from Opaltu isaicl that the River Road was getting in a had condition. He suggested that the Ball Road track bo opened and the A 1 all)on Road- be -abandoned, except as a .stock outlet.

It was resolved to reply that all available funds had been spent on the Alaihen ltoad to the best advantage and

limit- the council had no know ledge of him as a ratepayer. OTAUTO ROAD. Messrs Dwyer, Hills and Hughes, from Otauto Road, waited on the council asking for" work to he done on the had portions of the road. In reply to the chairman, the petitioners said they would 1 agree to a separate rate of half a penny wlridh, it was estimated, would bring in about £S3. The clerk said the work would serve eight settlers. The cost of the work, said the engineer, would he £IBO, and therefore the riding would need to find £97. After consideration it was agreed that if the settlers concerned in the road would pay a half-penny. per £1 on the capital value the council would find the balance.