HOROWHENUA AFFAIRS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 9869, 15 January 1918, Page 2

HOROWHENUA AFFAIRS

ENGINEER 'S SEPOET,

The engineer (Mr J. Malcolm) reported as follows at the meeting of the • Horowhenua County Council: ■ Te Hord Riding— has been done for the Month. Holidays and. harvesting have taken Up all the time. The main road on the north and south end is now Very good. A piece in the middle has broken up rather badly with the dry weather, but the ram may nx it up again. In inspected the Gorge rood on \Vednesday, and it is now very good. I have never seen it so good loefore. ~ , . ■ Pahiko Drains—They are all very fair, with the exception of six or seven chains belonging to . MrO Darkness, and 1 expect that will be done by now, as I was advised on Tuesday that someone was attending to it. The approaches to the overbridge are not yet completed. The contractor wrote me a week ago promising that he would be at work on Tuesday ' morning, and would then do all that I wanted. I was, however, on tho job on Wednesday there was no appearance of anyone. The cleaning of the llautere and Te Horo water-races is now being attended te. Otaki Riding—The principal works going on in. this riding for the month has been the’Kuhn water-race extension. This is now practically finished as far as the contract is concerned, but I regret to say the supply is to be altogether inadequate, judging by our experience of last week. The rain came along and saved the'situation, but not (before we had found the shortage of the supply. 1 am now convinced that a storage reservoir will have to *bo provided before they will have a supply that they will be able to depend on. The dam need not be very expensive, as there is a splendid place on Mr SCholea’s land where a million gallons might be stored, I think, very cheaply. The netting for the protection of Blair’s ford is on the ground,, hut nothing can be done without the drays, I expect to get them soon, when the work will bo done.

Wirokino Riding All the roads in the riding are in fair order, but the Foxton one, and I have not been able to do anything to it. As soon as the teams return from Tokomarn this will be the first job. Since the holidays I have been getting the new roads round this district, that is to say, the Kawiu, McLeavey, and Tararua rolled. I would much like you to see the improvement that the rolling has made. Instead of heaps of new metal they are now good motor roads. X took the levels of the Soldo stream as directed, and I find there will be ,no difficulty in lowering the level of the water at the saddle to allow for proper gates, the water te be lowered 2it 6m. The height inside can then be determined by tho gateL I estimate the cost at £3OO.

Tokomaru Riding The stonocrusher is still grinding away in Shannon, but X think we will be able to remove to Tokomaru about the middle of next; with reasonable luck a fortnight there should do for this time.