MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL

Manawatu Times, Volume LV, Issue 7241, 12 June 1930, Page 10

MANAWATU COUNTY COUNCIL

Financial & Road Making Operations EXPENDITURE NEARLY £109,000 •

Annual Reports At the annual meeting of the Manawatu County Council at Sanson on Tuesday, comprehensive reviews of both the financial and road construction and maintenance activities were submitted, the details of which arc given below. The financial statement revealed that the county’s expenditure for tho past year was very little short of £IOO.OOO, nearly £42,000 of which was loan money. The Financial Review

This amount is naturally less than in the previous year, as a number of roads were under construction. ‘The reduction amounted to £1592 13/4. “The amount expended out of the main highways loan account for construction works was as follows: SansonAwahuri (subsidy £3 for £1), £15,868 16/4; Foxton-Himatangi (subsidy £2 for £1), £4661 1/2; Himatangi-Eaugiotu (subsidy £3 for £1), £19,425 16/5; general charges, £269 0/11; engineering expenses (surveying, etc.), £SOO 16/S; total, £40,735 6/6. The amount of subsidy payable from tho Main Highways Board on these works was £29,578 7/1. Owing to the increased subsidy obtained for construction works up to the present time the council has been able to keep its portion of the expenditure within the limits set aside for each road under the original loan proposals.

Tho following is the financial review read by the chairman (Cr. W. E. Barber) : '“Over all accounts for the year just ended (excepting loan accounts) Ihc total receipts amounted to £52,163 5/9 and the expenditure to £52,722 .14/1, showing a small debit balance of £550 S/4. In all tho loan accounts the total expenditure amounted to £41,523 S/5, which was found by way of loan moneys and Highways Board subsidies. The total county expenditure for the year therefore was £94,546 2/6. “The total collected over all rates nnd arrears was £17,554 3/9. the rebate allowed for payment within 30 days amounted to £l7l 12/10. The estimates have been framed for rating purposes on the same basis as last year. The Government subsidy on the rates amounted to £2500.. The fees collected for hotel licenses, licenses under bylaws, motor drivers’ licenses, _ heavy ■traffic licenses, dog tax, building permits, fines, etc., amounted to £I23S 1/7, £l2 le-ss than last year. The chief items under tho heading of miscellaneous receipts were as follow: Sale of metal, £5201 3/9; sale of sundries, grass seed cutting rights, etc., £451 6/3; hire of plant, £1125 19/6; ten per cent, pensilty on rates, £lO6 IS/9; rent of cottages and reserves, £235 3/3; refunds for work done, etc., “The total amount expended on main .highways maintenance for the past year was £7421 5/4, and the subsidy received to March 31 was £4671 lv/U-

“Owing to the increased amount required from revenue for general purposes (approximately £500), the amount available for riding purposes was less than estimated. This had a resultanteffect on the riding balances at the end of the year, but cvQn so, with reasonable care, all ridings should be able to get through the current year’s programme without getting into serious difficulty. In the Sandon riding tho year started with a debit balance of £72 7/1 and finished with a debit of £lO4 2/6, an increase of £3l 15/5. The estimated amount available for the current year is £639 11/1, and the engineer’s estimated expenditure is £SS3 16/-, leaving an estimated debit balance of £4B 7/5. Tho Mount Stewart riding improved, its position and the debit"at the end of the year was only £54 12/3, although the estimated balance was £9B. Tho estimated amount available for the current year is £430 4/S, and the expenditure £424 19/-, which will leave a debit balance of £49 6/7 at the end of the year. The Waitohi riding also reduced its debit bal ancc, which at the end of the year was only £S 10/-. Tho estimated amount available for expenditure for the current. year is £571 17/5 and the expenditure £550, leaving a credit balance of

£l3 7/5. Eongotca riding commenced tho year with a debit of £293 3/3 and finished up by reducing tho amount to £135 19/7. The amount available for the current year will be £784 19/1 and tho expenditure £670, leaving a debit balanco of £2l 0/6. Carnarvon riding was tho only one that started the year with a credit balance, but finished up showing a debit of £3O 4/10. Tho amount expended in the riding was approximately £SO more than the estimate. For tho ensuing year the estimated amount available will bo £682 1/7 and tho expenditure £079 12/-, leaving a debit balance of £27 15/3. Tho amount of contribution from the riding funds for Tangimoana road is £142. Kawa Kawa riding reduced, its debit balance from £420 to £345. The expenditure was slightly in excess of tho engineer’s estimate. For tho ensuing year tho estimated amount available is £S37 18/S and the disbursements £664. On these figures the debit balance should be reduced to £l7l 11/7. Awahou commenced the year with a debit balance of £llO 6/- and finished up showing a debit of £39 4/10. The estimated amount available for riding purposes is £7BO 14/10 and the expenditure,. including £333 for Shannon road and £ll3 for Beach road, is £BO4 15/-, leaving a debit balance of £63 5/-. The advisory committco which acts for the ratepayers of tho Oroua Downs drainage district estimates the requirements for the year at £l3O. A drainage rate ot 11-lQd. in the £1 will require to be struck over the special area to moot this expenditure. The total amount of the hospital levy assessed for the current year is £2957 4/6, an increase of £53 7/3 on last year. As there is a credit balance in tiro hospital rate account sufficient to meet this increase, there will bo no need to increase the rate. “The tramway receipts from all sources were £11,893 '5/11 and the expenditure was £10,795 16/10, showing a credit balanco ot' £1097 9/1 for the year’s working. Tho tram hauled a total of 33,200 cubic yards of metal during this period the greater part of this being construction metal for the Foxton-Himatangi-Rangiotu road. For the ensuing year the receipts are estimated at £SOOO and the expenditure at £4500, showing a credit of £SOO. “Tho total metal supplied by- the council from various sources during tho year was 35,717 cubic yards, and the I whole operations from a financial aspect shoe/ a credit balance of £SI2 8/10, which has been placed to the credit of the plant account. “The advisability of the council having its own mechanical workshop and staff was very much in evidence during the operations of tho past year. On several occasions when breakdowns occurred with machines in use on construction works it was possible with our own staff to effect repairs and have the machines on the job again in a very

short time. The saving in cost:, waste time and inconvenience was a big consideration.’’ Roacl Construction and Maintenance In his annual report, which was taken in conjunction with tho financial review, the county engineer (Mr. H. V. Bond) detailed operations in connection with tho main highways improvement schemes.

“ Sanson-Awahuri main highway: Tho hot mix bituminous paving of threo and three-quarter miles of this road lias boon completed, a length of two miles 69 chains of the work being carried out during the year, making a total of hot mix work of 3J miles on tho section between Sanson township and the Eongotca road on Mt. Stewart. Tho remaining three miles between tho top of Mt. Stewart and Awahuri bridge was maintained until February 19 last, when a contract for sealing by the thrcc-coat method of two miles 20 chains was let, which has since been completed, leaving only 60 chains on the eastern side of Mt. Stewart unsealed out of a total of six miles 60 chains. The contractor’s maintenance period for tho hot mix work expires on November 5 next, and for the thrcccoat scaling work in March, 1931. The metal for the hot mix work was procured mostly from the Oroua river at Awahuri, with a little of certain sizes from the Bangitikci river crushing plant. The whole of tho metal for the three-coat work was supplied from the Bangitikci river crushing plant. “Foxton-Himatangi No. 1 main highway: The re-construction of tho five miles of this section of road was completed in June last, two miles of which was carried out during this year. Heavy maintenance has since been carried out on this road and the surface has been kept in fairly good order by the spreading of fine metal. Grading has been carried out three times a week.

“Himataugi-Eangiotu main highway: The whole of the re-construction of tho 71 miles of this road has been carried out and completed during this year. With the acute angles that were in the old formation taken out, together with a general straightening, widening and grading, this road presents a very different appearance and affords very much greater comfort to the travelling public. The whole of the above work from Foxton to Kangiotu was carried out by the county staff and actually cost £SOO below the estimate. With the above two roads rc-constructcd a very serious problem presents itself in the shape of maintenance costs. Very intensive maintenance is necessary to keep tlicso roads in shape and to protect the foundation work which has been so costly to complete. Every effort should bo in ado to secure a suitable subsidy from tho Highways Board to enable the county to carry out the bitu-

minous paving or sealing of the whole of this 12J- miles of road during the summer months of 1930-31, when the foundation work will bo sufficiently consolidated. “Maintenance: The three miles of scaling on the Bulls-Sanson road has stood well and has cost only a few pounds to maintain. A top-dressing coat of bitumen is to bo applied almost immediately. The maintenance of the hot mix work on tho Sanson-Awahuri road is still in tho hands of the paving contractors. All other gravelled main highways have been maintained aucl most of thorn improved owing to an extra grader being available. The main highway between Himalaugi and Sanson is in bad shape, but it is impossible to improve it until construction improvements arc carried out. Tho actual expenditure on maintenance of highways has boon £1592 .15/4 less than last year, the reasons for which are that the 124 miles of road from Foxton to Bangiotu, which takes a great amount of traffic, has been under construction for a period ot' the, year, thereby relieving the maintenance account. Secondly, 6j: miles of the San-son-Awaliuri road has been re-construct-cd and scaled, thereby requiring maintenance for a part of the year only. It must be noted, however, that the ncwlyconstructed Foxton-Himatangi-Bangiotu road will require very heavy maintenance during the coming year, or until such time as paving or. sealing is undertaken on this length The ever-in-creasing motor traffic demands more intensive maintenance, and very much greater maintenance charges must be anticipated in the coming year. “Bridges: All main bridges, with tho exception of the new Shannon bridge, have received minor repairs, and tho Oroua river bridge is now due for rcdccking. The material from the old Shannon bridge was loaded on to trucks at Shannon and dispatched to Alutio. where the bridge is being rebuilt. Two small bridges on Bulls road will have to lie replaced with concrete structures during the coming year. Plans ar6 being prepared for tho re-coustruction of two small bridges on. the HimatangiSauson highway. Protective works have been carried out where required. “Ridings: All riding roads and bridges have been maintained in a fairly satisfactory state and improved as finances allowed. Extra grading has had a very beneficial effect on most roads. Several wooden culverts in each riding have been replaced with concrete pipes where necessary. A further length of approximately 50 chains of formation work lias been carried out on Taikorea road. A short length lias been formed and metalled on Whale line, and approximately 30 chains of formation work has been carried out on Flaxmoro road, in the Carnarvon riding.. The finances of the Kawa Kawa riding have been somewhat relieved by the de-

claration of the Main Drain road as a main county road. Tho level of this road has been raised about two feet for a distance of 04 chains and the surface metal has boon widened to 18 feet. This work was carried out under tho unemployment scheme and was subsidised by the Government to the extent of £1 for £l. Most riding bridges have been repaired and painted. A number of traffic signs have boon repaired and erected during tho year. “Metal: the whole of the foundation metal for the reconstruction work was quarried in the Terraco End pit by tho council’s staff. A steady supply was maintained of approximately 200 cubic yards a day. The total output for the period of working during the year was 23,992 cubic yards. The line top-dressing metal was supplied mainly from tho Bangitikci river crushing plant, and the remainder from the Manawatu river at Tialcitahuna. The total amount of metal from all sources used on main highways, and county roads during the year was as follows: Terraco End pit metal, 23,992 cubic yards; Ohakea Terraco pit, 900 cubic yards; Bangitikci river crusher, 10,825 cubic yards; metal from other sources, 3600 cubic yards; total, 39,517 cubic yards. ’ ’