PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXII, Issue LXXII, 10 July 1917, Page 2

PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING

The usual monthly meeting of the J Council was heid yesterday, when there were present: Crs Belton (chair- j man), Symes, Greager, Hurley, Taylor, i Gibbs, and C. Dickie. An apology for j absence was received Trom the county chairman, Mr G. V. Pearce, M.P. BALL ROAD EXTENSION. A communication was received from the Public Works Department, stating that the Department could not undertake to continue the maintenance of bridle tracks until such time as they were widened into dray roads. There were numerous bridle tracks all over the Dominion that would not be widened into dray roads for years to come, hence it was unlikely that the width of this particular track would be increased in the near future. All roads and tracks in the county were county roads directly they were formed unless specially declared to be Government roads, and the proclamation in the Gazette was merely to formally notify they Council that it should be responsible for the maintenance of this track in the future.—Cr Gibbs pointed out that this piece of road was really the connecting link between Patea East and Patea West.—The letter was received. GENERAL. A circular letter from South Taranaki Automobile Association, suggesting that the Council should enforce the conditions of the Act throughout the territory' under its jurisdiction ; in regard to compelling drivers of vehicles to carry proper lights after J dark. The letter was received. The Belmont Quarry Co. notified the Council that they would be able to s**Dplv up to pcssiblv 30 tons of fine shingle per week. In consequence of the Railway Department deciding to charge them a rental of £50 a year, although they put the siding in at 1 their own expense, they would be obliged to charge one penny per ton more on all metal supplied.—The chairman said that metal was being put out at certain places in the'^county, but there was an 'nsufficiency ol small shingle, and as the Beltrcnt Company could not supply enough'he suggested that the engineer should make enquiries immediately for supplies from Wangaehu. The engineer estimated that he would require at least a thousand yards, in addition to the amoun* that the Belmont Co. could supply.— It was resolved that enquiries be made at once for a supply from Wangaehu. IMr H. B. Cave was elected unopposed for the Waitotara-Moumahaki riding in place of Cr Spicer, resigned. ENGINEER'S REPORT. The engineer reported as follows: — Main South Road.—Metalling: No metalling has been carried out for the month, the roller being engaged in

scarifying and rolling the roads below \Yaveriey town. , Pankhurst is in , charge, W. Mills and Peters being \ ! with him. The rougher portions of the road below AVaveney are completed, , and the length north of the town will | now be overnauled. Several days' work | scarifying and rolling in the Waverley [town has been done by this gang, the < I charge being fixed at 52s for the roller | driver and extra man, any other labor I ordinary rates. Metal has been arriving steadily all the time, three teams being engaged—Ruddicks (2) and the I Council (1) being at work. Ruddicks' teams have now finished, and I expect to handle the balance of the metal at the station with our own teams, Both of which are now on the work. A total of 615 tons was received for the month. About 90 tons of screenings have been received at this station since April, and as at least 300 yards will be required for the work near Waverley I consider it advisable to order shingle from Wangaehu at once for next season's tar work. Correspondence is to hand re screenings from Belmont . Quarry Co. General repairs have been j carried out on the Main road by the I surfacemen^and the Whenuakura cutting is beins widened as time permits. The Patea m*ldge and also the Whenuakura both hold a lot of water, and I would ask authority to obtain sufficient Belmont screenings to give both bridges a coat of tar macadam when the weather permits. The chips could be mixed at the first opportunity and allowed to season, and put on with a camber to throw the water off. The Patea bridge has been very dirty for foot traffic "lately, but has now been swept.—Authority given as requested. Patea West District.—The grader team has been engaged in improving the grades on the Lower Taumaha road and in trimming up where required, but owing to the continued wet weather 1^ have put the grader aside for the wihier, and the team is now carting out metal at Waverley. A day's work was done on the Sandbridge road to improve a steep cutting. Messrs Hamilton and Geary supplied grazing for the grader team free of coat. Wheeler has been working with the grader, and will now clean up the road from the Manawapou bridge to the 'boundary, _ which is in bad order. W. Amon resigned his position as surfaceman on the BaTT road and Patea West district, and so far I have not replaced him. S. Amon has been working on the Ball road, and Hunter, Wilson's and Manutahi roads as required, which are all in fair order. The contract at Tripe's cutting is progressing, very little being done for the month. The Cliffora road contract is not yet complete^ tvs weather not being favorable for work on this road. No work has been done on Owen's road for the montn, the road being too wet. Patea West District—Early last month repairs were commenced to Pearce's road and Wilson road, a small quantity of patching metal being obtained from the shingle pit in- Mr A. Pearce's; a team was supplied by him, but owing to showery weather this work was abandoned. Wilcox and S. Anion improved the cuttings at the upper end of Wilson road, but more work is required to make this satisfactory. Complaints have been received concerning a number of pigs being allowed to ream at large on the Kaiwaiti road damaging the road. I inspected this road, and though the damage so far is small requested the j owner to keep the pigs in. Repairs ; are necessary o*a this road as soon as labor is available. Patea East District —The surfacemen have carried out necessary repairs to

the roads in this district, and some metal has been laid on the upper end of the present metalling near Mr Hurley's residence, as the road at this point is very bad. Two sections of this road below the Matuku road will require claying next spring and shingling. I understand that good shingle can be obtained from Mr Gower's property at a reasonable cost, probably at one-third the cost of broken stone*. A filling is being put in on the Otauto road, as the road was very boggy at this point, Wills (2) and Brooks doing the work. I have received an-offer to do the work near Broughton's at Is 6d per yard, but do not recommend going on with the work at this price at this time of year, as clay work is better done in the spring. Waitotara-Mournahaki District—No work has been done on the shellrock > contract since last meeting, 112 yards being put out for the month of JTune, : making a total of 552 "on the contract. : The work of carting out papa is progressing, 198 yards being put out on . the Puao hill (Booth's), tliis completing the work. I propose to cart out I some papa on to the upper end of the first cutting on Block IX., Hensen road^ which is of red clay formation and boggy. The papa for the road above the Ngutuwera Post Office will now be continued. I should like the metal over the Waitotara station road authorised, as the Waverley supply will probably be to hand before next meeting, and I could arrange to dump the Station road metal at Waitotara, and so ease the teams while the screenings are arriving at the course.Waverley Riding District—During the above period I went over the bullr , of the roads in the Kohi, Wairoa, Okutuku, and' Whenuakura-Waitotora ! road districts, and have made arrange- ' ments to carry on with the present surfaceman. I was unable to get over the Motoroa district or the back roads of the Wairoa district, but generally speaking these roads are ire good order for this time of year. The contractor is making good progress with the Kohi bridge, and I have instructed the surfaceman to proceed with the filling at once. The bridge oyer the Wairoa, stream below Waverley is in very bad order and requires repairs-; the stringers being completely gone at one end. As the period of the year is unsuitable for new work in these roads I propose to report more fully on them at a later date. Waverley Riding District—ln connection with the merging of the various Road Boa*rds in the district the following plant becomes the property of the Council: Two road graders, one wheel scoop, one road plough, a number of pipes in the different districts, and a supply of light iron rails and trolley at the Kohi. The men employed in the road districts are as, follows: A. Gillard and J. Cox, Wairoa; V. Soland, Kohi; J. W. Sinclair, Okutuku; F. Gillighan, Motoroa; andl M. Bradley, Whenuakura-Waitotara. General Matters —In reference to the i supply of horse feed, as reported last meeting five tons of local chaff' was obtained near Waverley at £7 peirtQ_. Since that date, in addition.to 21 sacks of oats obtained from Marton, a consignment of 100 sacks of" good feed oats has been supplied from Christchurch at 4s l£d f.o.b. Lyttelton, sacks in. * A further supply of chaff is now on order from Blenheim at £6 per ton f.0.b., sacks in, Picton. In regard to the sacks, which are accumulating, I. would ask instructions re same, as ' I understand that the Freezing Works ' will take an?,* quantity at 6d each, and this seems the best way of disposing of them, as they are likely to go astray ' ' (Continued on Page 3.)

(Continued from page 2.) if held too long. , Arrangements have been made during the month to clip trace high all the horses now working on the roads. This is, I think, very necessary at this time of year; cost 7s 6d each horse. The report was adopted. ESTIMATES FOR COMING YEAR. The engineer submitted the following estimates for the coming year:— General Account. Main Road —Maintenance main road, £500. Metalling: Waverley to Whenuakura, £2000; Waitotara to Waverley, (Walkiug-ton's-Alexander's) £400; Patea to Whenuakura (Symes' frontage), £200; Patea to Ball road, above waiter. | hole and near borough boundary, £400; Ball road to Manawapou (Manawapou I and Manutahi, less expended on stone), £800; total, £3800. Waitotara Valley road (maintenance, 7 miles), £200; engineer's salary and expenses, £500; tai*sealing existing tar work, £1000. Total on main road, £6000. Otoia Riding, Patea West District — Maintenance district roads, £400. Metalling: Ball road, Hurlevville, £400; Main road to Alton, £200; Tripe's cutting, metal, £120; Manutahi road, Tonks', £100; Hamilton road, £150; Station (road, £50; total, £1420. j Patea East District—Maintenance ! district roads, £250. Metalling: Factory to end metal, £200; Shields' to j Gower's, £300; Lower Opaku road, £60; Nicholson's bridge, £10O; claying vari- • ous roads, Otauto, Gower's, Low*r j Opaku, £140. Total, Otoia Riding, !,£2470. Waitotara - Moumahaki District— Maintenance and repairs, £500. Metalling: Waitotara station road, £500; Valley road, £200; State Farm road, £100; culverts and bridges, £200; earthworks and grading, £100. Total, £1600. Waverley District—Maintenance and repairs, £800; metalling roads in the vicinity of Waverley, £600; culverts and bridges, £200. Total Waverley Riding, £3200. Kapara Riding—Maintenance, less thirds, £700; repairs to bridges, £200; culverts, £150; sanding, £200; hut for Rangitatau, £80; improvements to i houses, £20. Total Kapara Riding, ' £1350. [The tstimates were adopted with one or |t\vo amendments. Waitotara to Waverley, £400, was increased t« 1 £1000, in order to complete some of the worst portions of the road near Mr. j Venry's place. The item £100 for the I State Farm road was reduced to £50.] ! Cr. Greager mentioned '^gain the contribution that Kapara had to make towards the main road, which, under all the circumstances, he considered altogether too heavy. Ho moved that the Council make a grant of £250 out ' of the main road contributions to the Kapara Riding. ! The chairman seconded the motion i pro forma, but he considered it on wrong lines, and he would rather that Cr. Greager had moved for a committee to go into the whole question of main- | tenanoe of roads. The Waitotara-Mou- | rnahaki district had to carry the whole I of Kapara traffic and got no contribuj tion for it. and Kapara's (traffic in j wool and stock was greater than the ! whole of the Waitotara-Moumahaki. j They carried 1200 bales of wool'over 12 S or 13 miles of road through the Wai- | totarn-Moumahaki district in addition ! to ,'tho seven miles maintained by the Council. He had a great deal of sympathy with Kapara, but the position wa/; a difficult one. and whilst acknow. : lodging an injustice the passing of such a motion as this would be giving a kind of favor to one district that may . be expected but not granted to another. After some discussion Cr. Greager ] agreed to withdraw his motion in the | meantime.