WAIMEA COUNTY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXI, 10 September 1937, Page 6

WAIMEA COUNTY

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL WORK ON ROADS AND BRIDGES The monthly meeting of the Waimea County Council to-day was attended by Councillors J. Corder (chairman), R. Tecce. 11. Everett, L. A. Higgins, F. W. Gibbs, J. Murcott, G. Manson, L. •* Palmer, and L. Baigent. Bank balances as at 3 p.m. on Thursday, 9th September, were as follows: Dr. £ s. d. Waimea County Fund Ac. 10C0 16 4 Cr. Bridges Loan, 1929 Ac. ... 1673 16 1 Contractors’ Deposit Ac. ... 294 1 0 Land Fund Ac 205 15 6 Road Sealing Loan Ac. 1935 2253 19 11 Total expenditure on main roads 1937-38 to the end of the August meeting:— General, £37 18s Gd; wire netting, £2BB Is 3d; Wangamoa, £l4 ss; Stoke, £lO5 16s 3d: Appleby, £lO3 6s 9d: Waiili. £152 18s 3d; Motupiko, £l7O 12s 1 Od: Wangapeka, £348 18s 3d; Dovedale, £341 9s (id; Motueka, £363 12s 3d: Moutere, £263 15s lOd. Total, £2190 14s lOd. Total expenditure on main highways 1937-38 to the end of the August meeting:— Stoke, £lB 4s 3d: Appleby, £76 5s sd; Wai-iti, £451 9s Id; Motupiko. £5lO 5s 3d; Wangapeka, £561 13s sd; Dovedale, £576 2s’ lid; Motueka, £321 2s' Id; Moutere, £903 6s 3d. Total, £3418 8s Bd. State highways, £990 14s 9d. Grand total, £4408 14s 9d. LEE VALLEY BRIDGE

In answer to questions by the chairman concerning the possible use the Lee Valley bridge by.traffic of 6h ions, the County Engineer (Mr W. Bullivant) explained that two years ago decayed timbers had been renewed, and the bridge made as safe as possible, and he did not know how it could now be strengthened further, as the structure was a very old one. Its life might be four or five years or longer, but there would be a risk in allowing heavy traffic to use the bridge. The cost of a new bridge would be not less than £2OOO, but the figure would possibly be nearer £3OOO. COUNTIES’ CONFERENCE

The chairman. Councillor Corder, gave a comprehensive review of the business at the Counties’ Association Conference. A motion of thanks was passed to him for his services and for his report. ENGINEER’S REPORT

The Engineer (Mr W. Bullivant) reported for the month as follows: Wangamoa Riding.—General maintenance work has been carried out on the by-roads. The contractors have commenced excavation work at the Pole Ford bridge site. Patching has been done on Dodson’s Valley. A small bridge on Todd's Bush road has been repaired. Timber has been ordered for the renewal of a bridge on Cable Bay road. Patch gravelling wil be done on the Glen road shortly. Stoke Riding.—General maintenance work has been carried out Appleby Riding.—Gravelling on the Waimea West road is in hand. An inspection has been made of Murcott's road and work to the extent of £3 authorised. Some patch gravelling has been done on Aniseed Valley and Serpentine road.

In view of the fact that arrangements have been made with the lessee of the A.ppleby Domain to provide settlers with access to the river bed through his gate on the river bank, the construction of an access road to the river bed has not been proceeded with. Wai-iti Riding.—Grading has been done on the Wakefield-Woodstoek Main Highway. Pig Valley-Wairon .Gorge road and the 88 Valley road has ! been cut out. Several culverts on the 188 Valley road have been lengthened, 'and a pipe culvert installed; ditches and watertables have, been opened out and timber has been ordered to replace a small bridge near Palmer’s. A bridge at the foot of Hunt’s Hill is so badly choked with gravel that it has practically ceased to function as a bridge during floods, and a large proportion of the water crosses the road. The stream bed below the bridge is badly overgrown with large willows. A small cut has been put in by the j pettier below the bridge, but I am extremely doubtful if this will improve the position. On the Pigeon Valley-Stanley Brook | jroad a decayed wooden bridge near j J. Palmer’s has been renewed. Cul- ! verts have been put in on the Wairoa ! Gorge road and patch gravelling has j been done on various by-roads. j Motupiko Riding.—The tender of N.; H. Tomlinson at 4s 3d per cubic yard ; for gravelling on the Motueka-Kohatu [ main highway in Stanley Brook was : accepted on 23rd August by the com-j mittee appointed. Repair work has; been done on Forest Creek road j Decking has been delivered for Stanley i Brook bridge on the Stanley BrookThorpe road. A further examination ; of the stringers and understructure of this bridge is now being carried out. j A survey has been made of the ditch , below the splash crossing on the Upper Stanlej' Brook road where it was pro-; posed to install a pipe culvert. This watercourse is very nearly level for 13 ' chains and then falls over a terrace. : The installation of pipes on the road- j way would necessitate a cut of 2 feet! 6 inches at the outfall of the ditch 1 over the terrace, and the grading of i the ditch up to the culvert outlet. Esti-; mated cost of a twin 3 inch pipe cul- i vert is £7B. Timber has been delivered for Eatwell’s footbridge.

Five days’ work has been done on the Old Tcphouse road. It is proposed to invite tenders during the month for the construction of the Motupiko Creek bridge, Tophouse. The Motueka-Kohatu main highway, i Kohatu to Tapawera. has been cut out j with the grader and Rabbit Gully road has been graded. Wangapeka Riding.—Gravelling has been done on the Baton Saddle and Wangapeka Plains road. The Tapawera-Tadmor road has been j cut out with the grader, and the Tad-1 mor-Glenhope road and various by- j roads have been graded. The Lamb Valley bridge has been ! | completed and the renewal of decking j and stringers in the Korere bridge is j now in hand. A deviation over the j river bed and temporary bridge is I available for traffic during the day. j Protection work to erosion of the left I bank of the Motupiko river above the i Korere Bridge has been authorised. A survey has been made at the Korere ' Bluffs. The estimated cost of cutting ' back the bluffs to give a 24 feet roadv. ay and the provision of a railway rail j fence at the edge of the river as pro-

tection against erosion is £llsO. The widening of the road involves 3000 cubic yards of cutting, the spoil to be dumped behind the iron rail fence, properly fascined with willows and manuKa scrub. This work or work of a similar nature will be urgently required within the next year or 18 months, and I would recommend application to the Main Highways Board for a subsidy. Dovedale Riding.—The installation of a twin three foot pipe culvert near Eyles’, on the Wakeficld-Woodstock main highway has been completed. The Rosedale, Ngatimoti, Orinoco and Lloyd's Valley roads have been cut out, and the Motueka river west bank road graded. One day’s gravelling with the track has been authorised on the Pearce river road. The contractor will put in temporary bridges at the Little Pokororo and Herring stream as soon as he can get the timber. Work has been completed on the Pokororo bridge. One day’s gravelling with truck has been done between Price's and Lublow’s on the Baton Valley road. A further day’s work has been authorised between Lublow’s and Taylor’s ford. Inspections have been made and work authorised on the Tableland and Graham tracks. A survey has been made of the Clarke road and specifications for formation and gravelling have been forwarded to the Public Works Department for approval. Timber has been ordered for the removal of a small bridge near Heath’s on the Graham road.

Motueka Riding.—Three weeks’ gravelling with the county truck has been done on the by-roads in Riwaka, and the Umukuri road is being completed this week. Five men under the Unemployment Scheme No. 5 are engaged in Riwaka. Grading has been done on the Rocky River-Shaggery road. Tenders have been invited for the construction of Chapman’s Creek bridge, and one tender has been received. An inspection has been made of the Riwaka north branch road, and four days’ gravelling has been done with the county truck on the formed portion. A letter was received at the last meeting from the secretary of the Scenic Reserve Baord asking for improved access to the scenic reserve. The present access from the main highway at the foot of the Takaka Hill consists of a distance of formed road after which the road reserve continues along the bank of the river, and vehicular traffic takes a trespass track for about 16 chains across a settler’s paddock to junction with th« road reserve at a ford in the stream. From the ford a foot track continues foi a few chains into the reserve. Moutere Riding.—The employment of seven men at Mapua and four men in the Upper Moutere under Scheme No. 13, has been approved by the Labour Department. Application was also made for men at Tasman, but I am advised that no men are available. Single men may not be employed under this scheme. The men at Mapua are engaged in the formation of the footpath along the Mapua main road, and the Upper Moutere men on the Neudorf hill. Some gravelling has been done on the Main Highway at Tasman, and on Dominion and Central Moutere roads. Timber has been delivered for the renewal of a small bridge on Sunrise Valley road and for ■ repairs to Price’s bridge. Neudorf road. The footbridge near Holmes’ on Dominion road, has been renewed. A new top has been placed on a bridge on Mahana school road. The footbridge on Wilson’s road has been repaired. Timber has been ordered for renewal of a bridge near E. C. Bensemann’s, on Dominion road. Culverts have been installed on the Neudorf Hill and a 24inch diameter pipe culvert on Permain's road.