TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18464, 27 January 1922, Page 6

TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL

ENGINEER’S REPORT. , Tho county engineer reports as follows for the month of January:—"The contract for the gravelling of Riccarton road from the Silveratream to Wylie’s Crossing has been completed. One Hundred chains of the road received a coat of gravel, eight yards to the chain. After tho recent rains this was well rolled and a surfaceman has been instructed to keep tho material regulated until consolidated. A contract was let to Mr Dickson lor the supply of two double teams for grading in the Outram and Mo.unga.tua Ridings at tho rate of 5s per hour, and the work of rounding up the clay roads was started, this week. Tenders have been called for the repair of tho gravel on the Brighton road, 100 , yards at Kaikorai lagoon, I<a» yards from! the lagoon to Brighton, and 100' yards from Brighton to Bell’s. This shou*«i he sufficient to fill all the potholes which have developed on this section of the road. “Tho quarry squad has worked on the Clarks to county boundary road, blasting out tho water-tables at the rocky parts of the road between Clark’s and Deep Stream. A total length of 58 chains of water-table baa been blasted, and a record kept of tho drilling' shows that 1600 lineal feet had to be bored. Tho quarry foreman is arranging for the supply of teams locally and having the clay portions of the hills rounded up with the Junior grader as the surfacing of the road proceeds. Next week the men will shift, on to the Suttcn faces -and remove tho rooky bars from the road there. Another grader team is working in the Hindcm district, and is at present employed on tho Outram-Hindon road between M‘Donald’s road and the post office. “Other works carried out by day labour include the surfacing of the Longxidge road, North Taieri, surfacing of the Fernhill road, Kaikorai Riding, blinding of the Main South road, removal of high sides from tbs AUanton to Momona rood, the surfacing of the Kowhai Spur road, and the repair with gravel of ‘he Strath-Taieri roads round about Middlemarch. Both sides of Miller’s road, Maungatua, have been tested for gravel, and I am of opinion that sufficient material is in eight to gravel the whole of tho road. The farmers are to supply the teams for grading the road, and os soon as they are ready the work will he started and the gravelling of the road then proceeded with. ‘The heavy rains of January 14 and 15 flooded the Waipori River, which overflowed its banks and caused some damage to the reads in the Berwick district. Oansicferable damage was also done to the roads up the Silverstream Valley, the gravel being scoured from the formation and the fords filled with large boulders. The hill roads throughout the country suffered more or less damage, and although there were no washouts, many of the roads were scoured, and it will take some months to overtake the surfacing of these roads. It is quite obvious that the policy of slackening off the maintenance during dry seasons is not wise, as the roads that were well surfaced or recently graded suffered little or no damage, but those where the formation was rutted or the water-tables neglected were badly cut up, and it will cost more to repair than, it would have cost to mainain. “ I recommend that a third surfaceman bo engaged for Strath-Taieri Riding. There are two men at present employed, but the mileage of roads is too great for them to attend, and now that the Moonlight road is a- schedule road, and the finances of the riding are square, I think it advisable to revert to tho former system of working with three men, as many of tho hill and back roads require attention. I recommend also that o. casual hand be engaged for three months to attend the roads round about Brighton. The regular surfaceman will bn employed for the next two months on the Coast road, and will not be .able to overtake tho surfacing of Brighton streets and the roads on that side of the hill. “Complaints have been road© to mb regarding, the removal of some of the permanent bands from their beats to augment the quarry squad. T do not think (his can be avoided, as only the best of the countrv men are suited for the arduous work, and I have not been able to find other men accustomed to hammer and drill work who are wiUrty t° camp out on tho mountain roads.”