HAURAKI PLAINS COUNTY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22935, 13 January 1938, Page 16

HAURAKI PLAINS COUNTY

AMALGAMATION QIJESTION ROAD SEALING PROPOSAL [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] NGATEA, "Wednesday The Department of Lands and Survey advised the Hauraki Plains County Council at to-day's meeting that £I6OO was available this year to complete the metalling of Wani Road. Awaiti Block. The money was to be spent in metalling 52 chains at Pukahu Road Junction, £BOO, and resurfacing 200 chains southward, £BOO. The expenditure on this road, stated the drainage engineer, was £4005 so far, and with the 1 additional £I6OO the cost would be approximately £5600. The council provides £I4OO of this amount and has already paid £IOSO. An assurance was asked that the balance of £350 was available when required and the council decided to make the sum available at once. The clerk reported conferring with the clerk of the Piako County Council regarding amalgamation of the two counties. Information and statistics had been collected and the varying effects of amalgamation should it eventuate had been tabulated. As soon as this information was put in concise form a conference between the two bodies would be called. Hauraki Plains had consolidated its loans, whereas Piako had not favoured this procedure, and this aspect of the position had to be closely studied. A committee of the chairman and the engineer, Mr. Hazeldene Barber, was appointed to report on a suggestion for the sealing of all county roads outside of the main highways. Nearly all., these roads have been metalled and if sealing was done maintenance costs would largely disappear. Members asked that the committee treat the proposal as urgent and prepare a schedule of roads, the cost of scaling, and the time it would take to complete the programme. The noxious weeds inspector reported that in the past five weeks 476 farms had been visited in connection with ragwort. The weed was late this year in making an appearance, but the steps taken had been most effective. Most trouble had been met with on Maori sections, whose owners had been negligent in complying with the inspector's orders.