County Council

Northland Age, Volume 5, Issue 4, 25 October 1935, Page 8

County Council

At the meeting of the County Council held in the Council Chambers, Kaitaia, last Friday, there were present Crs. W. Vickers (chairman), C. J. E. Barriball, J. N. Berghan, F. Holder, L. J. Matthews, W. J. Steed, H. H. Thompson and R. T. Wrathall. The business was dealt with expeditiously, and though four deputations waited on the Council during the day’s proceedings, the end of the agenda paper was reached shortly after three in the afternoon. The following is an abstract of the business transacted :

The Council agreed to the appointment of a group traffic inspector for the four Northern counties, operating on main highways, the Highways Board to contribute two-thirds of the cost.

The remaining portion of the Orua

iti road across the flat is to be raised above flood level.

The Council is to act as Domain Board for an area of ten acres at Ahipara. The resolutions passed by the Waitomo County Council urging the Government to make a special grant covering uncollectable native rates if the matter could not be dealt with this session, was endorsed. Mr. H. Gunson’s application for permission to erect a bowser on the Kaingaroa road opposite his residence was granted. Mr. Hazel was granted permission to put water pipes across road in front of his residence.

Permission was granted to Mr. G. Adamson to put a water pipe under roadway at Taipa.

No objection is to be raised to the Native Department metalling and otherwise improving road leading from Roma road to section 68, block

IX, Ahipara survey district, also the road from Awaroa river to section D No. 9, block XI, Whangape survey district.

The property owners of property in Fryers road are to be interviewed in reference to taking and closing road, sections 21, 31 and 32. The Public Works Department is to be asked to have removal of slips on the Kohumaru and Honeymoon Valley roads put on similar conditions as Takahue-Herekino road.

The Registrar of the Native Land Court is to be written to in reference to a road access to Mr. Ike Reed’s and Mr. Marino Lunjevich’s properties. Consideration of restoration of salary cuts was deferred until the January meeting.

Permission was granted to the Hospital Board to hang the memorial tablet to Dr. Trimnell in the Council Chambers.

It was decided to make application for a special grant of £l5O for expenditure on the Rangiputa access read.

In answer to a request by the Commissioner of Crown Lands that the Council arrange for its poundkeeper to impound cattle straying on Crown lands at Waihopo, it was decided to reply that the Council could not undertake the duty of impounding straying cattle on Crown lands. Tenders The following tenders were dealt with : Delivery of 1360 c.yds. Paranui shale to Peria-Oruru-Mangonui road— Christensen and Larkins £420 5/ (accepted), S. A. Christensen £422 11/8. Supply and delivery 780 c.yds. of Ahipara shale to Pukepoto road—C. P. Shortland £215 (accepted), Christensen and Larkins £242 10/, -Josip Eiceg £254 10/, Urlich and Walsh £256 3/4, C. S. Masters £266 15/, J. Curreen £306 5/. Supply and delivery 400 c.yds. Ahipara shale, Wainui Junction - Ahipara highway —J. Erceg £BS (accepted), Christensen and Larkins £B7 10/, Urlich and Walsh £9O, C. R. Shortland £9l 5/, S. C. Masters £95, J. Curreen £97 10/. There was only one tender for concrete culvert at Oruaiti creek, and it was held over for consideration.

Licensing Landing Grounds The Auckland Aero Club wrote stating that the landing ground referred to in a former communication was Mr. J. Morrison’s property at Pukepoto. If Coopers beach could be also licensed it would be a boon to the district as numbers of passengers and tourists had been taken up there by air. The clerk, Mr. C. McKinnon, explained that the Controller of Civil Aviation had already been written to making application for licenses of landing grounds for light aircraft at Mr. Morrison’s farm at Pukepoto and at Coopers beach. Traffic Inspector’s Report Mr. A. F. MacKenzie, traffic inspector, reported that 65 heavy traffic licenses had been collected for the quarter ending November 30. He had taken action against a number of Maoris for failing to register their dogs and they were fined 5/- and costs. A number of cattle had been impounded during the month, most of them being from the west coast for trespassing on the marram grass. Engineer’s Report The county engineer, Mr. R. R. Torrie, reported that the contractor for Kawakawa corner formation had made a start with the work and it was hoped to have the culvert built before the filling reached that point. Highways. Generally the surface of highways in the county' was in good order, but a closer inspection would reveal the fact that in many places the thickness of metal was very much reduced from its original depth, and where this was not good this was apparent in the tendency to excessive pot holes. He proposed during this year’s surfacing operations to have tests made of the thickness of metal at various points so that a better idea may be obtained as to future requirements. Proposals for the raising of the road at Fisher’s bridge had been submitted to the Highways Board for approval. It was proposed to carry out the filling and metalling during the summer, leaving the bridge to be erected next financial year. By-Roads. By-roads had suffered considerably from the elements, and from overloading of lorries carrying non-essentials. Some of the roads metalled last summer had been subjected to very heavy carting and the result was in some cases practically the total destruction of the new metal where foundations were weak. He would strongly recommend the Council to keep the loading on by-roads strictly to the classification, if not in the summer months then particularly during the winter months.

He had taken levels on the AwanuiWaipapakauri road opposite the dairy company’s property and found it was quite practical to drain the road from the small culvert by the dairy company’s entrance to the two-foot culvert at Spains road junction. If any alteration was to be made he would recommend the new drain be carried along to Spains road eu’vert on the eastern side of the highway.