MANAWATU COUNTY

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 89, 13 March 1935, Page 5

MANAWATU COUNTY

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. The monthly meeting of the Manawatu County Council was Jielcl at Sandon yesterday, Cr. W. E. Barber presiding. Also present were Crs. A. N. Morcom, J. Boyce, D. W. Reid, W. E. Pearce, J. H. Perrett and J. F. McKelvie. CORRESPONDENCE. From the Minister of Finance acknowledging the council’s resolution j in regard to tile ' effort being made to j reduce interest rates and thanking it for its support.—Received. ! From the Main Highways Board j asking the council to take action in I regard to the classification of main highways for the purposes of restricting permissible loading.—Referred to the traffic inspector for a report. From tlie Manawatu Automobile Association, drawing the council’s attention to the danger which exists at the Kopane bridge on the Rongotea-Long-bui'n highway owing to the steep grades of the approaches affecting the visibility. The'association asked that the approaches on the Manawatu countv side he widened. —It was decided to reply stating that the matter would be given attention, the council, resolving that its position in the request was that with a new bridge at the site a matter of the near future j it would be futile to carry out expen- 1 sivo work which would he useless when the new bridge was erected. | From Mr J. S. Beaumont, Bainesse, I 1 protesting against the council’s deci-j sion that all gorse on roadsides had to ‘ be cut by the property owners adjoin- * ing the roads, claiming that the ruling of the council was a hardship.—De-. cid-ed that the gorse was to he cut back at least three feet off the road,: the engineer also to interview the. writer in regard to the matter. I TREASURER’S STATEMENT. j j The treasurer (Mr A. K. Drew) re-! ported that the county fund account as ; i at March 9 stood at a debit of £4531 19s lid. The imprest account show-j |ecl a credit of £75 and the main high-! ' ways loan account a credit of £10,351 j 19s Gd. Various amounts due to the, ! council amounted to £3470 11s 9d, and the receipt of rates since the last meet- ! i,m had been £6990 2s od. Licenses Iliad brought in £43 6s and miscellai neons revenue a further £2703 19s Id, | making a total revenue and expected ! revenue for tlie month of £973i is 6d. RATE POSITION. j I Dealing with the rates levied for the year 1934-35, amounting to £li,397 ' 17 S 9d , the report stated the amount collected up to March 1 was £14,179 16s 2d, leaving £2176 19s Gd outstanding. This represented a col-, lection of 86.69 per cent, of the total, against 80.03 per cent, for the prey>oils year and 78.08 per cent, for 193233. * Before the financial year ended it was expected that the rate collection wduld be extended to 90 per cent, ot j tlie total struck—Adopted, the chair-j man commenting that the council’s financial position and also that ot the rate collections was greatly improved. TRAMWAY REPORT. The chief items of traffic on the l tramway during February were as folj j ow . —\Vool, 172 bales ; metal, lt'J cubic yards; minerals, SSJ tons; manlure. 26-J- tons; merchandise, 14 tons; I eggs, 72 crates; sheep.. 23 trucks. The I accounts showed a debit balance oi I Os 5d for the month. —Adopted. RATE ROLL. The following alterations to the county rate roll were authorised : V . Monrad to R. A. Wilson, lot 16, section 205-8-361, blk. 11. Te Kawa; G. H. Wilson to G. li. 0. Wilson, pt. sees. 67, 68, and 69, lot 1 on D.l . 10667, township of Sanson; G. H. Wilson to Q. O. Wilson, pt. secs. 9<, 98, township of Sanson ; S. R. 1 • Tayloi and M. L. Taylor to G. Macrae pt. sec. 346, township of Carnarvon, lot i on D.P. No. 5349; James Wilson to I D. P. Christensen, pt. sec. 346, township of Carnarvon, lot 2 D.P. 5349; | est' of M. O’Reilly to N. O’Reilly and j F. W. J. Oakley, sec. 153 on plan 268 i Foxton. j ENGINEER’S REPORT. I Air H. V. Bond, county engineer, !reported as follows on the month’s'

; work : , , . , ! Main Highways. Maintenance I patching has been carried out with pit j metal; willows have been cut and fen-

nel has been grubbed on the Wliirokino Road. Drains have been cleared on the Himatangi-Foxton Road. Surface patching has been undertaken, drains have been cleaned and one bridge has been repaired on the.Hima-tangi-Suuson Road. Metal shouldcis have been graded in to the bitumen on the Sanson-Bulls Road. The final seal coat is now being commenced on the Flimatangi-Rangiotu Road. Drams have been cleaned on the FoxtonShannon, Rongotca-Longburn, SansonAwaliuri and Stewart’s Line Roads. One cutting lias been widened on the Tangimoana Rond and metal patching | has been carried out. All steel gudj ers, etc., on the two bridges on tho Fei'lding-Awaluiri Road have been I scraped and painted, and all general ! maintenance work on those structuies ! lias been brought up-to-date. Culverts and drains have also been cleaned on this road. Tho Rangiotu-Rimgotea Road is being dressed with surface metal. All metal surfaced highways have beon graded in their order ot urgency. Tenders have beon called 1 for tho construction of the two con- ■ crete bridges on the Sanson-Bulls 1 Road. The construction of the two ’ temporary traffic bridges is now being ' proceeded with in readiness for dismantling the present structures. Flic ; plans and specifications for the construction and scaling of the Foxton 'racecourse deviation and the hall-nine I of main highway through the Rongotea ’ township, together with those for the i resufacing of portion of the Sanson'|Mt. Stewart highway, are in the hands I I of the Main Highways Board for apj proval. ■ I County Roads and Bridges.—Repairs 11 have been made to the deck of one ■i bridge on Cemetery Road. Wat-ertables ; and culverts have been cleaned on ■ Rakelum Road and Lee’s Line. The ; contract for Boness Road bridge is pro- , i grossing satisfactorily. The decking is i.now being proceeded with. It is exjpected that tho approaches will he 'completed early next week and the ; bridge will be open for traffic by the ' 125t1i of the month. A new concrete ; I pipe culvert has been put in on Rowe’s Line and shoulders have been built 'I where a washout occurred. One bridge '' has been repaired on Banks-AYaitofii ; i Road and drains have been cleaned on :; Penny’s Lino. Surface metal has been spread rn Whale Line and Taikorea | Rond west. Surface metal has been ’; spread on Tompkin’s Line and drains land culverts have been cleaned on I j Kaimatarau Road and Tompkin’s Line, j One wooden culvert has been repaired on Fyke’s Road. Pit metal has been 1 spread on Downs Road and surface '! patching has been undertaken on Kcl--j low’s Line. Drains on Ivnri Knri Road i j have been cleaned out. General mainI j tenance work has been ca-rried out on 0, Sea bury Avenue and drains have been i cleaned on No. 2 and No. 6 Lines. All 4 metalled county roads have been grad'jed in their order of urgency. '! General. —The roadman’s cottage at I I Marotiri has been repaired and rede--1 j corated. The county office buildings j have been repainted. The crushing plant at the Rangitikei River has been | j working for mirt of the month and 4 451 ciih. yaids of metal have been [delivered. One building permit has j been issued. Noxious weed notices ! I have been sent to occupiers of pro- ' j porty, with fair results. In some cases I where noxious weeds arc not being at- ' tended to the offenders will he taken * to Court. | The report was adopted.