WAIMEA COUNTY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 10 January 1936, Page 2

WAIMEA COUNTY

COUNCIL’S MONTHLY MEETING WORK ON BRIDGES AND ROADS ENGINEER’S REVIEW FOR DECEAIBER The monthly meeting of the Waimea County Council held to-day was attended by Councillors J. Corder (chairman), R. Teece, 11. Everett, L. A. Higgins, F. W. Gibbs, J. Alurcott, G. Alanson, L. Al. Palmer, and L. Baigeut. Bank balances as at 5 p.m. on Thursday, 9th January, were as follows: Cr. £ s. d. Waimea County Fund Ac. . 600 6 7 Land Fund Ac 232 5 0 Bridges and Plant Loan Ac. 793 18 10 Bridge and Plant Loan Ac. 793 18 10 Contractors’ Deposits Ac. . 670 15 6 Total expenditure on main roads 193536 to the end of the December meeting was as follows :—• General, £59 2s lOd; wire netting, £42 0s 8d ; Wangarnoa, £ll9 7s; Stoke, £2 14s lOd; Appleby, £129 8s 6d; Waiiti, £215 5s CJ ; Motupiko, £llß 13s 2d ; Wangapeka, £2Bl 10s 6d; Dovedale, £341 8s 7d; Motueka, £274 11s lid; Aloutere, £287 3s 8d ; total, £1971 7s 2d. Total expenditure on the main highways 1935-36 to the end of the December meeting was:— Wangarnoa, £1968 14s 6d ; Stoke, £152 7s IdAppleby, £2236 9s 4d; Wai-iti, £942 12s 6d; Motupiko, £1221 19s 9d; Wangapeka, £763 16s 3d; Dovedale, £425 6s sd; Alotueka, £2612 13s 7d; Aloutere, £IOB6 9s lid; total, £12,010 9s 4d. Accounts amounting to £2SO4 were passed for payment. WORK INTHE RIDINGS THE ENGINEER’S REPORT The County Engineer (Air W. Buliivant) reported as follows: — Wangarnoa Riding: Grading has been done on the main highway during the holiday period. Pipes have been delivered Jor replacing a culvert on Brown's road, and timber for patching the Ilira footbridge. Relief workers are engaged on Gentle Annie’s hill and on the Alaitai Valley road. v Stoke Riding : Gravelling has ■ been done on Quarantine road, and is now being carried out oh the Stoke back road. Some patching has been done on tlie road off Champion road. Appleby Riding: Gravelling has been done "on Bell’s road, and patching on various by-roads in the Hope district. Unemployed relief work is being continued on the Aniseed Valley road. The second tenderer for the O’Connor’s creek bridge not being willing to com-' plete the contract at the price at which it was offered to him, permission has been received from the Alain Highways Board to complete the work by day labour piovided that the amount of the board’s subsidy does not exceed the amount due under the original contract price. Work on the bridge has now been put in hand. Portions of the bituminous sealing between the Three Brothers corner and Appleby bridge have been blinded with crusher dust. As the settlers are unable at present to co-operate with the Council in widening the ditch along the road reserve between Alessrs Hunter’s and Gibbs’ properties from tho culvert at Giil’s road junction to Shirtliff’s swamp, the engineer was unable to recommend the Council to put that work in hand this year. Wai-iti Riding: The Nelson-Westport main highway is being maintained by the contractor under the bituminous surfacing contract. The Plant Alix plant has now been erected at the Brightwater bridge, and providing weather conditions are favourable, surfacing work should he put in hand shortly. The expeditious carrying out of preliminary work and the erection of plant since the date the contract was let is very satisfactory. A iittle gravelling has been done on the Lee Valley road. Relief workers are engaged on widening work in Wairoa gorge. Debris has been cleared away from the pier at Arnold’s footbridge. Arrow street, Wakefield, has been reformed to full width between the footpaths. Work on Taylor’s creek bridge contract has been completed with the exception of approaches. Unemployed are engaged on the Pig Valley road deviation. Motupiko Riding: The tender of Alessrs Steer and Christian, of £282 15s, for the construction of Clay house creek culvert, Quail valley, was accepted by the committee and work has been commenced. . Gravel patching has been done on Trass Valley road. The entrance gate at the Wai-iti Domain lias been moved back, and a little more filling to the approach is needed. Wangapeka Riding: The tender of Alessrs Steer and Christian, of £493 ss, for the construction of Tui School culvert, on the Tadmor-Glenhope road, was accepted by the committee. A high flood in the Wangapeka river just before Christmas caused one of the stone crate piers of the new bridge to subside and the bridge has been closed to heavy traffic. Repairs will be put in hand shortly. Tenders have been invited for gravelling on the Tadmor-Glenhope road and close on the 25th January. A bridge on the Tadmor saddle which was damaged by fire is being replaced by a 3 foot diameter pipe culvert, and it may he possible to utilise the small rolled steel joists from-this bridge for a new bridge oil Hewett’s road which has been requested by settlers. Truss work on the Tadmor bridge has been completed, and the removal of stringers and decking is in hand. The motor bridge at Rakau has been temporarily repaired. Dovedale Riding: Work on the Peninsular bridge was commenced on the 6th January. A suspension bridge over the Baton river near .Bromell’s has been closed to traffic. Repairs will bo carried out when an inspection lias been made and timber is available. In connection with tho request of the Ngatimoti Farmers’ Union for the improvement of tho Herring stream footbridge, an inspection has been made, but the bridge, which is liable to wash away in floods, appears to he all that is warranted under the circumstances. It is hoped to erect a traffic bridge next year at both the Herring stream and the Little Pokororo as the renewal of bridges closed during the depression is now nearing completion. In reference to the request for widening on T. Brereton’s corner;’ the corner was widened some time ago, and although visibility is bad the road is of reasonable width, and cannotbe widened further without the acquiring of land. The levelling of the parking ground near the Ngatimoti Hall has been authorised if the manuka stumps are removed. Alotueka Riding: Proposals for improvements to the Otuwhero Inlet footbridge, Sandy Bay, and for metalling the. Maraliau road have been approved by the Public Works Department, and the work will ho put in hand immediately. Pipes have been sent over to extend and complete the temporary culvert on the Kaiteriteri road. Proposals for the Riwaka forks bridge have been approved by the Public Works Department, and tenders will be called for the work this month. Various roads in Riwaka have been

graded and patched, and the Rocky river-Shaggery road and the AlotuekaKohatu main highway graded. Widening work near the Brooklyn Domain is nearing completion, and a culvert lias been installed near the Umukuri school.

Aloutere Riding: The gravelling contract on the Appleby-Jubilee bridge main highway has been completed, and gravelling on the R-ichmond-Collingwood main highway from the Aloutere Hill to the township is in hand. The necessary work to repair the fordway on Rose’s road has been authorised. Grading has been done on the Neu-clorf-Rosedale road, and further notices for the removal of noxious weeds have been served. Stoke Water Supply: Following a conference between the Nelson City Council, Richmond Borough Council, Tahunanui Town Board and Waimea County Council held on 11th December, a joint deputation from the local authorities proceeded to Wellington and waited on the Minister of Employment, requesting assistance in the installation of the district water supply scheme. The report was adopted. STOKE WATER SUPPLY The engineer reported as follows on the conference of local bodies regarding the water supply. “Following a conference between the Nelson City Council, Richmond Borough Council, Tahunanui Town Board and Waiinea County Council held on lltli December, a joint deputation from the local authorities proceeded to Wellington and waited on the Minister of Employment, requesting assistance in the installation of the district water supply scheme.” The chairman reported that the deputation went to Wellington and waited on the Afinister of Employment. The Alinister was sympathetic with the request for a subs id}’ on the labour employed equal to half the cost of the scheme. The Minister gave no definite reply, but he was sympathetic with the request and said that as so much was to be spent on labour the request should be given favourable consideration. The chairman stated that if a substantial subsidy could he obtained it would put the Boding scheme supply within the reach of the outer .districts with a loan which would entail a rate of Id, and it was reasonable to expect that such a loan proposal would be carried. If the Unemployment Board could not provide the subsidy it would probably mean that the Nelson City Council would go On with its Alaitai scheme, which would exclude Stoke, Richmond and Taliananui from the scheme. Tlie local bodies were now awaiting a reply from tlie Minister. TRAFFIC INSPECTOR’S REPORT The County Traffic Inspector (Mr J. T. Brough) reported as follows: The total number of drivers licenses issued to date number 2059, 52 additional ones being issued in December. Quite a number of last minute applications were received for drivers’ tests, during the holidays. In regard to heavy traffic licenses the approach of the busy season was responsible for the relicensing of the dormant vehicles. Safety lines and notices have. been painted on the bitumen surface at the bends and corners and also at the railway crossings at Jenkins Hill, and these have been favourably commented on by visiting motorists.