WORK IN MATAMATA COUNTY.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 82, 16 May 1918, Page 1

WORK IN MATAMATA COUNTY.

r< Engineer’s Report. The engineer, Mr F. Shannon, e submitted his monthly report, to i- the Matamata County council, o • for May as follows : 5 , In the Putaruru riding Strong r completed Rollett’s road, and r then proceeded to the Ngatirif Okohiriki road, on which he has s made fair progress. .He would - do better if more labor was availir able; 1 hope to be able to put on tr another gang during the month. 2 I have again put the spare grader into commission. In accordance t with instructions from last meet- , ing re Mr W. Barnett’s offer to ) metal a piece of road at Waotu, I f arranged with him to carry out t the work in terms of his offer, r and good progress has been made. i In regard to your instructions re i opening up the road through the 1 bush giving access to Irwin’s, I ) started Phillips with other ) Natives to clear the bush and i they have made fair progress. ) Rodgers and Harwood’s gang have s made good progress with the t metalling on the Waotu to Putai ruru road F In the Patetere riding, Thom- . son with the county teams • stopped work on the Rotorua > road until after the winter. They : are now at work on the Tirau to ■ Cambridge road carting metal : from the quarry at the Willow i bridge. This quarry has opened > up very well and is now the best > gravel pit in the county. Middlei ton has made good progress with his contracts. The Waiomo , gravelling contract has been completed including the hills and flat at the Okoroire hot springs ; also two pieces of sanding near the Okoroire station ; also a contract for sanding held over from last year near Totman’s road. Contract No. 14, metalling from Miller’s pit has been completed in a satisfactory manner, also the hollow near Bain’s has been metalled from the same pit, and the sanding at the Hinuera station completed. Middleton has now started his sanding contract on the Cambridge to Hinuera road. With regard to the deputation who waited on the council last meeting in regard to the Hinuera-Buckland road, 4 in company with the chairman and Crs Banks and Pohlen, I inspected those roads. The Buckland road we decided it was not advisable to break up until after the winter, light surface work to be done in the mean time. With regard to the sanding requiring to be done, we told the settlers that owing to the shortage of labor the only chance of getting the work done was for them to turn out and do it. This they agreed to and lost no time in getting to work. Mr Harding and his neighbors are to be commended for the energetic manner in which they took up the work and it through. About equal * portions were in the Patetere and Matamata ridings. In the Matamata riding Mahood could not complete his sanding • contract at Waharoa, the road being too soft to cart on after the rain. I shifted him over to Okauia, where he has put gravel and sand on the worst places in that locality, and he is now doing some repairs with the. grader on the Tui road. O’Neal has been engaged in surface work and puting in culverts during the month. Mackin has moved back to the Patere riding, and has been engaged in surface work on Nathan’s read, and putting in culverts and clearing drains at Dawson’s and Begg’s at Okauia. d instructed him then to shift to , Hinuera. In company with the chairman I inspected Litchfield’s drains. I propose to take some levels before deciding what is best to be done. Kutz has been engaged in surface work, and cut some of the trees at the Okoroire Springs hill. He will clear the balance after the metalling works are completed. Complaints are still being made regarding the trees overshadowing the road near Miller’s place on the Te Poi to Hinuera road. Simpson and Jones have not made any further progress with their contract during the month, chiefly through shortage of benzine. I interviewed Mr C. C. Neal in regard to the purchase of some of his flat, but he absolutely refused to sell any of it; he is prepared

to give the council an option over the metal for the sum of 2d per cubic yard. I inspected the road between Okoroire and Putaruru. It is a bit rough in places and there are several ruts on the hill. I propose to send the grader to fix it up when the metalling on the Tirau-Cambridge road is completed. In regard to the Tapapa ram, Weeks tells me that he has got the clearing done. lam going to inspect it and take some levels to ascertain if it is possible to lift the water from the creek to the top of the bill with the present ram. Considerable profitable discussion arose out of the report which was adopted. It was decided that the riding member and engineer interview Mr C. C. Neal regarding acquiring metal from his property.