PLAINS COUNTY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 47, Issue 2668, 10 September 1937, Page 5

PLAINS COUNTY

PROGRESS OF METALLING OUTPUT FROM QUARRY REPORT BY THE ENGINEER. The Hauraki Plains County Council’s engineer, Mr E. “Hazledine-Barber, reported to the council on. Wednesday that 1742 yards of metal had been supplied and delivered on the highways and roads during August. All metal sections of the highways had had constant grading. Paterson’s bridge on the NgateaWaharoa highway collapsed, and had been replaced with a .rimu deck and stringers on a sill; this was not a permanent job but should last a number of years while other bridges were being replaced. A 4 ft. culvert had been put in at the intersection of NgateaTurua and Orongo-Netherton main highways; the old bridge had not yet been removed. The bitumen on all sealed sections had been patched, but it still required attention.

Sealing at Kopu Bridge.

Approval of the specification and plans for the reconstruction and sealing of the Orongo-Netherton highway and Pipiroa-Coromandel highway from the existing bitumen to Kopu bridge had been received subject to amendments. These had been made and tenders called for the work.

Other roads were all being graded in rotation. Metal was being applied as fast as possible. A 5 ft. culvert had been put in on Mahuta road to replace a small bridge. Turua town roads had been metalled and some road drains cleaned. Wharepoa road was being metalled, but unless the sides of the road were cleared of earth thrown out of the drains it could not be brought into a fit state of repair. In places clay was protruding three feet on to the metal.

He had seen Mr Taylor and he suggested (although the full amount of metal had been applied) applying for sufficient money to give the first 21 miles of Wani. road a further coat of metal at the rate of 5 cubic yards per chain. This would necessitate the council finding £2OOO. Break in Water Supply. West Water Supply: A bad leak had been mended on the main at Waitakaruru. The main on Canal road was being tested for either a break or block as no water reached the far end. A gate had been erected at the water supply reserve at Waitakaruru. As soon as the work on the Canal road main was complete, a start would be made on cleaning the settling chamber at the headworks.

The output of the North road quarry for the month was 16755 cubic yards of crushed metal, making the total since operations commenced (four months), 5200 cubic yards. A total of 1138 cubic yards actually was placed on the county roads during the month. The quarry started working a straight double shift (16 hours) on August 30. During the few days it had been in operation results had been disappointing, but weather conditions certainly had been unfavourable. The bunkhouse was not yet completed, although some men were now living there.