WAIMEA COUNTY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 12 January 1940, Page 6

WAIMEA COUNTY

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL WORK IN THE RIDINGS ATTENTION TO BRIDGES AND ROADS The monthly meeting of the Waimea County Council held to-day was attended by Councillors J. Corder (chairman), R. Teece, L. A. Higgins, E. Harrison Jones, J. Murcott, G. Manson, J. Pugh and W. Martin. Councillor H. Everett was excused from attendance owing to ill health, •nd the chairman expressed sympathy with the absent member and wished him a speedy recovery to good health. A motion of sympathy was passed to Mrs Kelling in the death of Mr P. H. Kelling who was a county dayman. Total expenditure on roads, 193940, to Bth December, was shown as follows: Wangamoa, £143 8s Id; Stoke, £IOB 14s 4d; Appleby, £599 Os lid; Wai-iti, £689 9s; Motupiko, £477 19s 8d; Wangapeka, £1145 15s 4d; Dovedale, £759 9s sd; Motueka, £B4l 18s 7d; Moutere, £1077 14s lOd; total, £5813 10s 2d. Total expenditure on main highways, 1939-40, to Bth December, was as follows: Stoke, £176 16s Id; Appleby, £l7l 7s 7d; Wai-iti, £358 2s 6d; Motupiko, £938 Is 8d; Wangapeka, £176 8s lOd; Dovedale, £699 16s 8d; Motueka, £444 19s 9d; Moutere, £902 19s 7d; Appleby-Jubilee main highway survey, £324 0s 6d; total, £4192 4s 2d. TENDERS The following tenders were accepted:— Papa stream bridge: Mr E. D. Wilson. £731 13s. Gravelling Motueka west bank road: P. N. Tomlinson, 5s per yard. The tenders for filling of the Waimea West road were held over in the meantime. ENGINEER’S REPORT REPAIR OF FLOOD DAMAGE The County Engineer (Mr W. Bullivant) reported as follows: WANGAMOA RIDING Flood damage on the Maitai Valley and Brown’s Valley roads has been repaired. Unemployment scheme workers are engaged at Wakapuaka and on the Maitai Valley road. STOKE RIDING The gravelling contract on the Stoke back road and various by-roads has been completed. The construction of a concrete apron to the invert of the Enner Glen bridge and the installation of wire mattresses to the outfall necessitated by flood damage, has been completed. Complaints have been received with reference to the discharge of water along the Stoke back ditches fronting the properties of Mr W. Ching, Miss Ching, Mr Allan Ching and Mr Bert Ching. Some of the ditches are badly overgrown with grass and watercress, It is understood, however, that they are cleaned out annually in the autumn. A large willow stump and wire fence on Mr Greenslade’s boundary below a bridge outfall form a definite obstruction to the flow of water.

POORMAN’S VALLEY STREAM The committee appointed by the council again inspected the Poorman’s Valley road and stream on 13th December. It is suggested that the stream bed be cleared out with a bulldozer for the distance of approximately six chains in the Mental Hospital property, and 17 chains in the Bisley estate property for an approximate width of 20 feet and a depth of 3 feet, the property owners to contribute £2O each and the council £3O. The Bisley estate agree to the suggestion and it is expected that the Hospital authorities will co-operate. The stream bed from Mrs Barr’s property up to the tunnel should also be cleared of trees which are obstructing the stream and causing it to deviate on to the road. APPLEBY RIDING The gravelling contract on Coleman’s road is in hand. Tenders have been called for the raising of the Waimea West road. Repairs to flood damage on the Aniseed Valley and Serpentine roads are in hand. Flood damage repairs to Nieman’s bridge and approaches have been completed. Pearl creek ford on the Rabbit Island road has been badly washed out, and repairs have not yet been carried out. WAI-ITI RIDINA All casual labour having been placed at the disposal of farmers flood damage repair work on the roads has been held up. It is not proposed to attempt any protection work to the serious erosion m the Wairoa river bank below Mr Kerr s on the Wairoa gorge road as it is hoped that it will be dealt with by the Public Works Department in carrymg out prospective work for the protection of Brightwater from further flooding above the power house. The councii committee inspected the access road to Mr J. T. Evans on 15th December. Mr Evans is without any frontage to a formed road, the junction of his private road with the public road having been washed away, and he now has only temporary trespass access through Mr Hanron s property. It was decided that reasonable access could be obtained by purchasing a strip of land from Mr Hanron, giving access to Mr Evans’ property at his private road below Mr Hanron s pine plantation from the public road opposite Mr W. H. Baigent’s house, a distance of approximately 13 chains. The estimated cost of the formation is £l5O. LEE VALLEY BRIDGE CLOSED Three of the understruts to the Lee Valley bridge having decayed it became necessary to close the bridge to vehicular traffic on Bth January. Arrangements have been made to obtain timber and repairs will be carried out as soon as it is delivered. MOTUPIKO RIDING The gravelling contract on the Ko-rere-Tophouse main highway is in hand. Two relief workers are engaged at Belgrove. Grading and general work has been carried out. WANGAPEKA RIDING Tenders have been invited for the construction of Papa creek bridge on the Sherry road. Flood damage repairs are in hand on the Baton saddle and Kaka-Glenhope road. DART RIVER BRIDGE A further inspection has been made of the Dart river bridge. The bridge over the main channel consists of three 30 feet spans on crate piers and timber

abutments. Deep holes have been scoured under the two end spans and the right bank abutment undermined. The first pier from the right bank has been undermined and twisted towards ihe right bank allowing the first two hpans to drop. A deep gut has developed in the stream from its junction with the Wangapeka up through the fordway that was in use before the construction of the bridge, and there is every possibility of this gut continuing upstream to the bridge site. A fordway is now in use between the gut and the bridge. Repairs to the bridge could be effected on the lines of the original construction, but would, not ensure that the bridge would survive subsequent floods. The estimated cost of repairs and protection work would be £162, but the engineer was unable to recommend the council to adopt that course. The estimated cost of a suspension bridge footbridge would be £lB5, plus approximately £lO per annum expenditure on the fordway. The estimated cost of a light traffic bridge was £IOOO. The transfer of Maisey’s road gravelling grant to Slippery road has been approved. Settlers’ subscriptions are to hand, specifications have been submitted and tenders will be invited when monetary authority is received.

DOVEDALE RIDING Cement has been delivered for the access fordway on the road reserve crossing the Dove river. The contract for the Ngatimoti packing shed culvert is in hand. Tenders have been invited for gravelling on the Motueka river west bank road from the Peninsula bridge turn off to the Pearse -bridge. MOTUEKA RIDING Work on the Chamberlain street bridge contract is proceeding satisfactorily. Work on the Motueka Wharf road is nearing completion. Roads which were damaged by floods have been opened to traffic, but completion of repair work is held up owing to the available labour being required by farmers. Riwaka roads have been graded. A fire occurred in the middle of the Alexander Bluffs bridge, last Saturday, and several decking planks had holes burnt in them, but the main timbers were not damaged. Work on the Rocky river-Shaggery road widening has been held up as casual labour is required for seasonal work. MOUTERE RIDING Construction of the Rosedale Hill creek culvert is nearing completion. Work on widening and banking the corner at the junction of Mapua Wharf road and the Appleby-Jubilee main highway is in hand. The formation of the road widening of a corner on the hill near C. D. C. Eggers, Sunrise Valley, has been completed. The footbridge on Wilson’s road has been repaired. Some gravelling has been done lon Harley’s road. Grading and further ! gravelling ha*, beeiv authorised. GENERAL Eradication of ragwort in the Motueka river was commenced on the 3rd January, three men being employed. Assistance to farmers with unemployed relief labour for the repair of flood damage has been carried out during the month. Work has been, completed on seven farms, and on nineteen farms work is in hand, and the work appears likely to extend over a further two months. ARISING FROM REPORT It was decided that providing the Mental Hospital authorities agree to the proposal, the work of deepening Poorman’s Valley creek be proceeded with. The Public Works Department is to be asked to expedite its reply to the county’s letter concerning the proposed river protection work at Brightwater above the power station and the council also wishes to know the details of the proposed protection near Mr Evans’s property. It was decided to hold over for a month the question of an access road to Mr J. H. Evans’s property pending the receipt of further information from the Public Works Department. It was resolved to apply to the Public Works Department for a £2 for £1 grant for a footbridge over the Dart river. Application is to be made to the Main Highways Board for authority for the county ranger to operate on State highways. DOG LICENSES The council decided that the dog license fees for the year be fixed at 2s 6d for working dogs and 7s 6d for sporting and other dogs each plus Is for the hydatid preventive medicine. An amendment that the fee for non-working dogs be 10s was defeated. Councillor Pugh commented that the fee for sporting and other dogs should be 10s as “there were too many halfbred mongrels in the county.” The State Advances Corporation forwarded particulars regarding the Rural Housing Act. The matter was deferred for consideration. CORRESPONDENCE The Local Government Loans Board, Wellington, forwarded a copy of a resolution passed by the Board at a meeting held on 13th December, 1939, namely: “That the Local Government Loans Board hereby approves pursuant to section 47 of the Finance Act, 1929, of the use by the Waimea County Council of the unexpended balance of £2245 10s 5d of the Road Sealing Loan, 1935, of £12,000, for the purpose of carrying out sealing works on the undermentioned roads—(a) Umukuri road, 1 mile 20 chains; (b) Wakefield streets, 37 chains; (c) Appleby-Jubilee bridge main highway and Mapua wharf road in the vicinity of the Mapua school, 40 chains; (d) Motueka wharf mam highway, 64 chains; (e) Mo-tueka-Kohatu main highway, Tapawera, 20 chains; (f) Brightwater-Wai-mea West road, 21 chains.” The Public Works Department, Nelson, advised that the Minister has approved of a subsidy of £Bo—£2 for £l—for the metalling of Slippery road, provided work on Maisey’s road is deferred until after 31st March. 1940. The Public Works Department, Nelson, wrote regarding the flooding of Waimea river on 30th November, 1939, and repairs to E. H. Challies’ and A. M. Russ’s stop banks. It was decided to adopt the Department’s suggestion that the work be done by the farmers on the basis of the usual subsidy of £2 for £l. The Department of Internal Affairs Wellington, stated that it has been decided to postpone for one month the date on which the registration for dogs normally would be required to be renewed in the ensuing registration year.