POHANGINA COUNTY.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 43, 20 January 1936, Page 10

POHANGINA COUNTY.

MEETING OF COUNCIL. REPORT ON ROADS. The first meeting of the present calendar year of the Pohangina County Council was held at the county offices at Pohangina on Saturday. {Those present were Crs S. J. Strahan (chairman), M. Arbon, J. Mackenzie, J. Tr Montgomery, V. McKay, and W. Howell. Leave of absence was granted Cr T. E. Craiue. correspondence. Mr D. O’Driscoll, Ivimbolton, wrote "saying he wished to have erected about 20 cliains of fencing on the road line leading from London’s bridge to Ridge Road. The present fence, which was below the road line, required i e-erec-tion and when that was done it should be erected on the road line for convenience in maintenance. —The subject was left in the hands of the engineer for his attention. Mr J. G. Cobbe, Feilding, wrote thanking the council for an expression of congratulation following ' Ins reelection to Parliament. The writer stated that his services would be availaide to the council and ho hoped that it would never hesitate to take advantage of them. The Ivairanga County Council forwarded a cheque for £lO4 11s 3d as the council’s share of heavy traffic fees. Notice of the transfer of section 51, block 5, Pohangina Survey District, from E. J. Rutherford’s trustees to Mrs G. G. Wingate was received. TRAFFIC CONTROL. The Public Works Department asked for an urgent reply as to proposals placed before the council recently regarding the co-ordination of traffic inspection in tiie district. The clerk reported that lie had advised that a meeting of representatives of tiie county councils concerned had been arranged to discuss the matter. . Tiie chairman outlined tiie proposals previously made. i Cr Howell: We have a group here now. , » The chairman: If they were all working as well as our group there would be no need for tiiis proposal. Cr McKay: All the same, 1 think this is a step in the right direction. You see many regulations being broken, and if people know that the road traffic is being fully controlled there will be more notice taken of the regulations. I have, seen vehicles running about that have not been re-registered. We have a good inspector now, but the change would bring about more uniformity. , Cr Howell: Still, at present we have a certain amount of control, and if the Highways Board takes over the inspection we may lose that. Cr. McKay moved that the council reply that there was complete satisfaction with the present inspector’s services, but in view of the proposal for national control of the roads as against local control the council had supported the suggestion. Cr. Mackenzie seconded the motion, which was carried without dissent. ENGINEER’S REPORT.

The engineer’s report; (presented by Mr D. Watson) was as follows: “Awahou riding: Two hundred yards o£ fine gravel were carted and spread on No. 439 highway. This' road received more frequent trimming up with the grader during the holidays; 65 yards of gravel were put out on Awahou South Road.. A washout on Ball’s track was repaired. Coal Creek riding: A small amount of repair gravel was put out on London s Ford and Ridge Roads. No. 53 highway was trimmed up and gravel raked in with the grader. Mangaone riding: Metal repairing and grading of the highways were attended to. The permanent roadmen in the riding were engaged most of their time cutting back the prolific growth of fern and other rubbish. Mangapikopiko riding • The grader was run over Marton Block Road, and Nos. 53 and' 439 main highways. Watertable work and the usual road maintenance has been attended to by the surfacemen. Pohangina riding: One'hundred and sixteen yards of gravel were carted and spread on Pohangina galley Road above the township. Gravel on No. 78 highway was raked in with the grader. The approaches to the new concrete .bridge on Line were built up, but will receive attention by wav of metalling and willow planting. ‘ Tamaki riding: A start i§

being made to protect the road on Piri Piri Hill by building a concrete culvert, and earth retaining wall, as the old timber work has been washed out, leaving the road at a very abrupt bend unsafe for traffic. Two hundred yards of gravel were carted and spread on No. 439 highway. Umutoi riding :' A good quantity of fine gravel was carted from under Piri Piri bridge and conveniently stacked for future use. A start has been made with the motor trucks to cart crushed metal'to repair Norsewood Road, also to cart pit gravel to improve Hill Road. The old timber bridge on Mt. Richards Road was removed, and the filling and approaches, which were sufficiently built to carry the., traffic during the holidays, are finished. Patching and cleaning of watertables at Table Elat has been attended to.” El NANCE STATEMENT.

The clerk (Mr A. E. Orgias) reported that credits at the Bank of New Zealand were as follow :—Cemetery account, £95 18s 7d; loan account, £556 11s lOd; plant account. £76 12s od. The county fund account was in debit £l6lO 3s Id which, when due accounts had been paid, would he £3169 15s Bd. There was £1731 due from the Main Highways Board and there was £792 in hand, making a total of £2523. The Mt. Richards bridge account was £207 7s 8d in debit and the Te Awa culvert account £124 10s Id in debit.

GENERAL MASTERS. It was decided that the 10 per cent, penalty on unpaid rates should become operative on February 24. It was reported that there was-, a subsidence of the road for about four chains near the lake at Coal Creek on Makoura Road. It was decided that the engineer fill up the subsidence for (lie present and report to the -next meeting upon proposals for the more permanent repairing of that portion of the road.

Special orders were confirmed for the raising of redemption loans in'respect of the following loans:—Awahou, £1450; Tamaki. £650, and Mangapikopilco, £350. The necessary resolutions for the striking of special rates and authorising the signing of debentures and the pledging of a special rate were also passed. After a round-table discussion . it was decided that Ci's Howell and Montgomery should go into the matter of providing accommodation for council employees in Pohangina. It was suggested that a small house should he built which would he sufficient for several single men. The provision of further improvements to the cemetery at Pohangina was discussed briefly and- Crs Howell find Montgomery are to co-operate with the engineer in having concrete gateposts erected and a substantial gate erected with a smaller one beside it. Other footpaths are also to be laid down.

The council decided to make a grant of £5 to Mr A. Montgomery, who had left the employ of the council after about eight years’ service. The engineer said that Mr Montgomery had-been a particularly good workman and very conscientious, being a most. valuable man to have attached to the council’s staff.