PATANGATA COUNTY.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XIII, Issue 229, 12 September 1923, Page 5

PATANGATA COUNTY.

FINANCES CRIPPLED. The finances of the Patangata County Council, have been “difficult” for some time and the matter was again before the Council at the monthly meeting held yesterday. The clerk reported that if all cheques were presented the legal limit of £16,000 would be overdrawn by £l2OO. He submitted a statement showing the expenditure in the different ridings and the money available. The chairman pointed out that Government subsidies to the amount of £3BOO were overdue and arrears of rates were sub stantial. A sum of £BOOO was excluded by the Auditor-Genera] in the adjustment of the antecedent liabilities, and that had added to the difficulties of financing, a sum of £4OOO having been paid off the amount. The Council could not go on spending at the rate it had been, but on the other hand a large sum was tied up in the lorries and it would be bad business not to fully use the motors in carting metal. He suggested the possibility of getting legits lation next t session to deal with the £BOOO mentioned.

Or. R. H. White urged’ the need for borrowing money for loan works a little ahead of things. The existing tangle appeared to be largely due to spending from the general fund instead of raising more unded the authorised loan. They should raise more money. Sir George Hunter agreed with the engineer that no more money could be obtained at 4| per cent from the Government. and he added that the A d’Vances Office was against lending further amounts to local bodies. The chairman; We must get money to keep the lorries going. We must have it. Cr. M. Ryan objected to a continu anco of the policy of using the credit balances of certaffi ridings for carrying out work in ridings in debit. It was decided to make application to the Public Trust for a loan of £lO,000 on account of the authorised loan of £209,000 for bridge construction. NEED FOR BRIDGES. The engineer reported to the Patangata County Council yesterday that the Middle road bridge had been completed at a cost of £640. Application had been made io the Hawke’s Bay County for payment of half share. The bridge gang was engaged on two concrete bridges on the Wanstead road. When this was completed work on the Patangata. bridge would be resumed, or two bridges on the Porangahau road towards Lake Station would be started. Borings were being made at the Wallingford bridge to find out the foundation and concrete piles would probably be necessary. Plans and a survey of the site had been made in connection with the Mangakuri bridge, and the cost should not be more than £lOOO. Hardwood for the Porangahau bridge had arrived from Australia. The overseer for the Porangahau riding reported that slow progress was being made on the Mangaorapa bridge. The> Farnam bridge was no longer safe, and should be replaced with steel culverts A list was given of seven bridges that should be renewed, five that should be under-strutted and eight requiring longitudinal decking. The overseer, in emphasising the urgency of the work, stated that some of the timber was forty-eight years old, that the bridges were never built to carry the traffic that had developed, and that there was danger ahead unless something was done. Cr. M. Ryan advocated the constructions of complete . concrete bridges wherever practicable. The engineer remarked that it was a question of whether the maintenance on wooden hridees would exceed the interest on the extra cost, and offered to submit n comparative statement.