HAWERA COUNTY

Hawera Star, Volume LIII, 4 November 1933, Page 9

HAWERA COUNTY

WORK OF ADMINISTRATION

COUNCIL’S MONTHLY MEETING

Members of the Hawera County Council present at the monthly meeting to-day were Crs J. B. Murdoch (chairman), T. A. Winks, W. Rothery, J. Lander,'A. G. Larcom, E. A. Washer and T. I. Crocker. Leave of absence was granted to Cr A. E. Death. The engineer (Mr A, Muggeridge) reported on the month’s work as follows: The Ohangai Road between the Turuturu Road mid the Tawhiti Road hasi had a sealing coat of tar applied, also a portion of Mason Road has been tarred. The Whenuku Road is being sealed with tar at the present time, but there is not enough tar to see this; job through and road; oil will have to be used to finish this and the Matahgara Road if this class; of work is gone on with. The hill on the Fairfield Road has been metalled and a coat of bitumen applied and is now in (rood order. One of the Thornycroft trucks has been converted to pneumatic: tyres' and it seems a satisfactory job. As it mil) came to hand to-day we have had no trial of it yet. Shingle has l been delivered' to the following roads in readiness for sealing purposes : Main South Mokoia, Meremere, Skeet, Tempskey Allen, Ohangai and Ahiapaijfa Roadis. The teams are working on the beach procuring shingle at the present time and there is a good quantity available. The chairman' of the Normanby Town Board was interviewed re the Ohangai Road, and unemployed were put on t( form it where required. There are two fillings on this road with wooden culverts which are rotten, and arrangements were made to have these re placed with concrete pipes. The deep ditch along the side Of the footpath going to the hospital has been covered over with concrete slabs and filled with earth.

The ranger (Mr O. B. Baker) reported that eight cows and two horses had been found wandering, one hack and two cows being impounded. Seven settlers were interviewed in regard to noxious weeds and others had been instructed to cut back hedges. The Commissioner of Unemployment (Mr. G. C. Godfrey) advised that Labour Day was a holiday for unemployed meii, and where they were set down to work on that day they were .paid as though they had worked. An) worker who would stand down on that day should not be paid, even if in other respects he appeared eligible This advice, it was considered, might be useful for the future. He wrote also to state that the chairman of tlie counncil had raised' a point in respect of gazetted liolidaj’s, during the visit of Mr. Jesse]) to- Hawera;, suggesting that relief worker,-, who received holiday concessions given by the board' should bo required tc mil'ke up such time lii reply he ad vised tiiat, under the existing arrangements, no relief worker suffered am monetary loss in respect of a gazetted holiday and the board was not justified in changing its present policy. The engineer ill his report stated that as there was no public work; grant for the Noonan bridge, all the material had been ordered. Iron girders 40 feet long had been obtained and this would be very much cheapen than a truss bridge. This work would be started next week.

The chairman reported that the en gineer had consulted him in regard t< getting a steel girder for the bridgi instead of a railway truss. It wa; found to shit the work very well am. was a quick way of erection. He had instructed the engineer to procure one, and his action was confirmed b> the council

The secretary of the- Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association advised that the next quarterly meeting would be hold on Monday, November 27.

A statement of accounts of the Ha wera Hospital Board was received, showing that the Hawera county levy for 1932-33 was £2187 13s, and giving various statistics for the year to March 31 last. The total of patients admitted for the year was 1.007, and the cost per occupied bed was 11s Id per day.

The clerk reported on the financial position as follows: Rates collected. £267; licenses, £97 18s; relief workers. £427; Eltham county, £168; petrol tax. £9O. The bank overdraft, after accounts had been paid, would be £9883 13s Bd, and he stated that the position actually was better than at the same time in 1932. Qr. Lander referred to the question of repairs on the Waiwiri Road, near Ohangai, and said he would not advise the expenditure of much money, but would ask for a reasonable amount ol work to.be done. He said that if the wheel tracks were metalled this would suffice. The matter was left in the hands of the riding members and the engineer,'with power to'act.