HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXII, Issue LXII, 10 June 1912, Page 2

HAWERA COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING

The monthly meeting of the Hawera County Council was held on Saturday. Present: Grs Goodland (chairman). Duirs, Winks, Dunlop and Tarrant! Ci* Murdoch was granted leave of absence. MILITARY TRAINING. A resolution was received from the Palmerston North Chamber of Commerce expressing appreciation of the Minister of Defence in his intention to uphold the compulsory system of tzaining. A motion was carried endorsing the resolution. LEASE OF RAILWAY LAND. The Railway Department forwarded deed and counter part of lease for 21 years of piece ot railway reserve, ' Mokoia, and asking that Council's seal be affixed to each. Cr Duirs said he had interviewed the District Engineer, and had come to an arrangement with reference to securing an additional piece of ground. On the motion of Crs Duirs and Tarrant it was decided to apply for the additional land and to affix the seal of the Council to the present lease. COUNTY ROADS. The Public Works Department forwarded a copy of an Order-in-Council declaring portions of the Rawhitiroa road, in the Eltham County, and the Tongahoe road, in the Hawera County, to be roads in terms of the Public Works Act, 1908. AN UNFORTUNATE CASE. The New Zealand Insurance Co. advised that Mr Andresen, who was run into by a motor car last February on the Normanby road, had no claim against the company or the Council, the accident not having arisen out of and in the course of his work. The Chairman and councillors agreed that this was a hard case, and that, if possible, something should be done for Mr Andresen. Eventually a motion was carried that the Council will grant assistance to the sufferer if it can legally do so, and that the amount of compensation be left with the Chairman and one other member of the Council. GUARD WIRE FENCE. Mr M. J. Goodson was granted permission to erect a guard wire fence on the usual conditions. SOUTH ROAD CROSSING.

The Hawera Borough Council wrote enquiring if the County Council had approached the Railway Department with reference to improving the dangerous crossing on the South road, and intimating that a suggestion had been made that an overhead bridge should be constructed in that particular locality.

Cr Duirs said they all were aware of the dangerous nature of this crossing, and he believed an overhead bridge would meet the difficulty.

Cr Dunlop agreed that the crossing was a danger to the travelling public and that something ought to be done to safeguard the public,

Cr Winks, while agreeing with the other speakers, said the matter was one for the Railway Department to deal with.

Cr Duirs: That is so

The Chairman considered that, while this was so, if the Department could not do it, then in the interests of the safety of the public, the local body might very well take the matter in hand. N

After further discussion it was decided that the Foreman should confer with the Borough Engineer as to the probable cost of the bridge and the deviation of a portion of the road which would be necessary, with a j view to approaching the Department J to do the work. The Chairman said if the Department did not do it, it might be prepared to give, a subsidy. STRATFORD COUNTY RESOLUTION The Stratford County Council for-' warded the following resolution: ' 'That this Council learns with regret that County Councils, which have already received a sum of £50,000 by way of loan from the Government under'the New Zealand Guaranteed Advances Act, will not be advanced any more at present for the construction of roads, and thinks it a wrong policy for any Government in a young country to check Councils from developing their districts by refusing to advance on loan a reasonable sum per annum for building bridges, road formation and metalling." It was decided to enquire into the matter. ROAD LOANS. The Eltham County Council, writing with reference to the Mataiwhetu and Taturi road loans, said as thirds had been pledged in loan proposals, the Council had resolved to remit cheque for the amount paid by the Hawera County Council on account of interest, £60 16s. Bd. Special orders were passed in connection with the Waiti road loan of £300 a- 1 Burns street loan of £250. PO vOMOKO GORGE ROAD. 1 A letter was received from P. H. Saxton, Meremere, drawing attention Ito the bad state of the Pokomoko Gorge road. Replying to a question from, the Chairman, the Foreman said he did not recommend anything being done to I the road, and considered it would be i better if it were closed. Cr Winks said he did not think the road should be closed if it could be kept up with reasonable expense. It was the only connecting link between Meremere and Whakamara for the back country settlers driving stock. It was not a good road for wheel traffic. The Chairman: It is a dangerous road and only fit for stock. He added that he had given instructions to the Foreman to put up notice boards warning people that the road and the j bridge were unsafe. On the motion of Crs Duirs and Tarrant it was decided that th© request could not be entertained. PRINCES STREET EXTENSION. C. W. Allen, Hawera, wrote drawing attention to the bad state of Princes street extension footpath. The Chairman said the matter would be attended to by the Foreman. BEACH SHINGLE. The Minister for Marine advised that the Hawera Borough Council, Hawera County Council, and the Waimate West County Council were the only local bodies authorised to remove shingle or boulders from the foreshore. FOREMAN'S REPORT. Mr Muggeridge reported, inter alia, that the Tongahoe Valley road had become impassable owing to continuous slips, and the only way to keep a track clear, he suggested, was to station a man on the road for the purpose of

clearing off the toes of the slips as they came down. He was scarifying the wheel ruts on the Main South road, using five yards of metal to the chain, making a good even surface so the water could run off. There was sufficient metal on hand to do the work to the toll-gates. The contractor had finished the carting for the Main South Mokoia road, and the new metal had been rolled. About 1500 yards metal had been delivered on the Skeet road. The contractor for Princes street extension and Fantham street had commenced crushing, and would start sending the metal as soon as the weather permitted. Contractors had carted metal free on to the Ohawe road to repair damage caused by carting from the beach.

Cr Dunlop was authorised to report on the Tongahoe Valley road. The other portions of the report were adopted.

A vote of thanks was passed to Mr H. D. Caplen for allowing the Council the use of his room for the meeting. This concluded the business.