KIWITEA COUNTY

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 145, 22 June 1939, Page 2

KIWITEA COUNTY

Meeting of the Council The Kiwitea County Council met at Kimbolton yesterday, Cr. L. T. McLean (chairman) presiding. There were also present Crs. D. Couper, W. G. Clapham, A. S. D’Ath, D. Stent, J. H. Williamson, A. E. Shannon and F. E. Tappin. Leave of absence was granted Cr. W. P. Page. Correspondence. The following correspondence was dealt with:—• From the Treasury advising payment of flues collected in the Magistrate’s Court, Feilding during the quarter ended 31/3/39 amounting to £l6 19s 2d. — Received. From the clerk, Rangitikei Licensing District, forwarding certificate authorising the issue of renewals of publicans’ licenses in the county.—Received. From the Royal Human Society of New Zealand, thanking the council for the donation of £2 2s to tho funds of the society.—Received. From the town clerk, Feilding, advising that the local district committee, of which the chairman of this council is a member, has been asked to supply a survey return of the facilities in the district for the purpose of incorporation in the national survey in terms of The Physical Welfare and Recreation Act, 1937, and forwarding form for completion.—Referred to the county clerk for attention. From the town clerk, Feildiiig, forwarding copy of minutes of a meeting of representatives of local bodies comprising Zone E in connection with, the Centennial celebrations, and drawing the council’s attention to clauses 4 and 5 regarding provincial memorial and administration expenses and the proposed Mount Stewart memorial.— Deferred. From the council’s consulting engineers, advising that application forms in duplicate had been lodged with the Public Works Department for the declaration of the following roads as main highways:—(l) Ohingaiti-Pemberton (including Otara bridge); (2) Main South from Oroua bridge to Rangiwahia.—Received. From Mr. H. Sweet, drawing the council’s attention to the condition of the Lagoon Road. —Referred to overseer. From Mr. D. Ramsay and others, applying for permission to erect a private telephone line along the OhingaitiPemberton Road.—Agreed to under the asual conditions. From Mr. C. M. Richardson, requesting permission to open tho Beaconsfield Valley Road in order to lay water pipes on to his property.—Referred to the overseer for action. County Finances. The county finances were reported on as follows:—County fund account, dbt., £2136 4s lid; employees’ accommodation account, cr., £323 5s Id; Kimbolton Cemetery account, cr., £2 I7s 7tT; land fund account, cr., £l4B 16s; Rangiwahia Cemetery account, cr., £l3 2s 2d; "Waituna Cemetery account, cr., £lO 7s 9d. Rate Collections. The position regarding rate payments was reported on as follows—General rates: Outstanding April 1, 1939, £74 8s 8d; paid, £25 12s 6d; outstanding to date, £4B 16s 2d. Special rates: Outstanding April 1, 1939, £79 8s lid; paid, £l9 12s 2d; outstanding to date, £59 16s 9d. Arrears (two years).—General rates: Outstanding April 1, 1939, £lls 12s sd; paid, £4 9s Id; outstanding to date, £lll 3s 4d. Specials, £lO2 13s 7d; paid, £1; outstanding to date, £lOl 13s 7d. Overseer’s Report. The county overseer, Mr. J. Hallinan, reported as follows: Main Highways. No. 52 Main Highway: The highway was graded once in this period from Kimbolton to Mangoira Road. A new culvert has been put in where the highway was breaking away and the road widening is in progress at this place. The grading of this highway from Kimbolton to the county boundary at Mangaweka was in progress. The roadmen have attended to culverts, watertables and overhanging scrub and broken trees have been removed after the snow fall of last week; slips have been removed on the Mangaweka end of the highway and general maintenance work carried out.

No. 53 main highway: This highway was graded from No. 52 main highway to the county boundary. Tho roadmen have cut the overhanging trees well back on this highway since the snowstorm; culverts and drains have been attended to on tho full length of this highway.

No. 377 main highway: This highway was graded and the roadmen have been employed cleaning out culverts, watertables and drains over the full length. No. 553 main highway: This highway was graded twice during the period. Roads Other than Main Highways

Cheltenham Riding: Repairs have been done by the roadman from Kimbolton to one of the bridges and culvert at the foot of the Devil’s Elbow Hill on the Beaconsfield Valley road; pot-holes were also filled in on this road. Kiwitea Riding: Tho roadman from Kimbolton has been over the roads in this riding twice in this period, attending to culverts and filling in potholes. Ongo Riding: The grader has teen employed in grading Williamson’s Road west, Wilson’s Road, Benson’s Road and Cheltenham Cross Road, and was now employed on the Waituna Valley Road and will be worked through to the Kiwitea-Tapuae Road into the Peep-o’-Day Riding to Shannon’s woolshed. Extra help has been given the roadmen in this riding with the grader, as the cutting has been heavy and a fair amount of forking off has been done on all the roads graded. Waituna Riding: The roads in this riding require grading after the dry weather and steps were being taken to have this done. The roadmen have attended to the culverts, drains and potholes in this period. Kimbolton Riding: Tho roads in this riding are in fair order, the roadmen have been employed on general maintenance works in this period attending to culverts, drains and filling in potholes. Peep-o’-Day Riding: The roadmen have been employed in the riding on general maintenance work. The

roadman at Pakihikura has been over his length in the wet weather, raking in potholes and cleaning water tables, when the contractor for YVaipuru Road could not work. Tho roads on the western side of the riding all require grading before any new metal is put on them. Every effort will be made to grade most of the roads before any new metal is put on them in this riding, as they are very much out of shape. Pakihikura Riding: The contractor for the Mangarere Road has completed his contract and the road is in good order, the roadmen have been employed adding a small portion of clay to the surface of the new metal to bind it up; this has been completed and the road only requires traffic to set it up.

Tho contractor for the reconstruction and metalling of Waipuru Road will complete his contract this week if the weather keeps fine; the top course metal being put on is Rangitikei River metal, and this will give the road a good finished surface and be a satisfactory job. Both the contractors have worked hard to get the contracts completed. The graders have been employed on Mangamako Road re-shaping and grading from Waipuru Road to the Otara Road. The truck and three men have been employed on Otara Road from the Rangitikei bridge to Mangamako Road, carting pit metal, shifting slips on the Otara hill and carting clay to bind up the loose metal on the full length of the road. They are now employed on tho Mangamako Road from Otara Road to Marshall’s Road. This section of the road will require a lair amount of work on it, as tho surface is very rough in places and is not fit to grade as it is. Rangiwahia Riding: The roadmen have cut the scrub and fern well back on tho Wharo Road right throifgh from No. 52 highway to Marshall’s Road. The ISin. culvert a few chains in from the No. 52 highway has been put in order, new pipes ave been put in to replace broken pipes and the big drain cleaned out. Culverts and water-tables in the riding have been attended to, slips on Main South Road in the Oroua Gorge have been removed, and loose metal raked in on corners, and pot-holes have been filled. A start will be made on Whare Road Hill section as soon as the weather permits; the work has been set out, and labour has been engaged for the works to be put in hand. The work required to be done at the Rangiwahia store has been completed and is an improvement to the footpath and th'e road.

Hautapu Riding: General maintenance works have been done by tho roadmen in tho riding. A new 9in. pipe culvert has been put in on the Aoputa Road, slips have been removed on Bonner’s Hill and Green’s Road and at the Mangawoka bluff, lower Kawatau Road. The workmen had to work on Saturday and Sunday, the 10th and 11th of this month, to keep the road open for traffic.