ROADS AND BRIDGES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21983, 14 December 1934, Page 17

ROADS AND BRIDGES

HATJKAKI PLAINS COtJNTIY PROBLEMS OF FINANCE DECISIONS OF THE COUNCIL [RY TELEGRAPH—OWN CORRESPONDENT] NGATEA. Thursday . The Hauraki Plains County Council at its meeting to-day received a letter from the chairman of the No. 2 District Highways Council to the effect that he could not accede to the County Council's application for a ££ to £1 subsidy on the construction of the Maukoro Canal Bridge at Waitakaruru, as £2 for £1 had been definitely laid down as the subsidy for such new bridges. The clerk reported Orchard East Road had been declared a main highway as from November 15. He had seen the district engineer of the, Public Works Department with reference to a subsidy of £3 to £1 for sealing The council decided to start sealing a length of two miles of the road next autumn.

The estimate for the proposed bridge over the Kaihere Stream had proved <|o be double that on which the council had been working and the report and plan had been submitted to the Public Works Department, which recommended that one span of 40ft. and one of 15ft. should be sufficient. The engineer's , report stated that the total cost of the bridge was estimated at £BSO. The matter was referred to the. chairman, the riding member and the Public Work's engineer to visit the site to see if it was possible to construct a cheaper bridge. The clerk referred to the purchase of metal supplies for the balance of the year. There was little margin in the riding accounts and it would be inconvenient to anticipate next year's revenue in the purchase, of metal supplies. The clerk pointed out that grading costs on the metalled highway were ruinous. The council decided that the clerk prepare a report and obtain an estimate for sealing the balance of the main highway, and also a suggestion of ways of financing the work. A deputation from the Ngatea Women's Institute, the Women's Division of the Farmers Union, the Plunket Society and the Ngatea School Committee asked for the construction of a ladies' rest room at Ngatea. The council decided to make a donation of £2O, the free use of a section of land and a septic tank, the societies to provide supervision.