TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19257, 22 August 1924, Page 8

TAIERI COUNTY COUNCIL.

ENGINEER’S REPORT. Mr B. B. Coneton (engineer, Taieri Count. Council) reports as follows for tho month •>f August; MAIN HIGHWAYS. Seven men have been employed port time on Main Highway No. 1, repairing and blinding metal and clearing water-tables. All the metal that was stored in heaps at the side of the road has been used, and in addition 67 tons were railed from Logan's Point. The cost of maintenance for tho month was £145 15s 9d. The condition of the road is fairly good. Seven men have also been employed part time on Main Highway No. 2, repairing tho metal and gravel on the Mosgiel to Outratu fcclion, gravelling and clearing water-tables from West Taieri bridge to the church, repairing tin, metal on Maungatua Hill, surfacing, harrowing, and dragging the mountain section of road. The condition of the road on the plain is good, but on the mountain the road is heavy and was for some days under enow. Maintenance material delivered consisted of 27 yards of metal and 224 yards of gravel. The cost of maintenance for the month was £92 7s. I have adopted the system of separately reporting on main highways in order to comply with the request of the Highways Board for a report each month. GOVERNMENT GRANTS. Six men have been employed on the Pukerangi Reefs road, principally at widening the narrow rocky part of road. Tho expenditure on this vote for iho month was £llß 3a 2d. The works carried out in connection with the flood damage repair vote include tho construction of a 42-inch concrete pip© culvert across the Main road at Hopelull, construction of a water opening on M‘Coil's Gully road, and repair and gravelling of Top road, Centre road, and Dry Ridg© road, Strath-Taieri Riding. The total flood damage expenditure to date is £12,107. A contract has been let to Messrs Fleming and Sons for delivery 'if 400 tons r.f metal for repairing the roads of Outram Riding. RIDING ROADS. The grading of Duke’s road has been completed, and the Owhiro Gladfield road has been repaired with gravel. The metal on the Flagstaff and Halfway Bush roads haa been blinded, and part of tlie Silverstream Valley road surfaced. The Green Island to Taieri Mouth road through Kaikorai Riding has been surfaced and the far end of gravel between Kuri Busir and Taieri Mouth graded. The metalling of M’Millan’s road has been completed, and the new metal on the White Swamp road regulated and blinded. The work of grading the streets of AUanton is in progress, and a surfaceman is employed on Leitch’s road from the coast to Jenkins Hill. The entrance way to Mr Stevens e house at Otokia has been attended. In Outram Riding entrance culverts have been, inserted at the manse, Otokia, at Mr Moore s, Momona, and at Mr Hackett’s. In Maungatua Riding the metal oh Mill Creek road has been raked in and rolled., and the new metal on the AUanton to Berwick snd Otokia-Maungatua roads regulated. In Strath-Taieri Riding the Mount Stoker road at M'Auley’a, and the far part of the Moonlight road, have received attention. SILVERSTREAMThe chairman, county clerk;, and engineer conferred with representatives of the Mosgiel Borough Council regarding the breaks in the Silvenstream embankment on Monday, August 4. Mr L. B. Campbell, Public Woraa Engineer, was present. Alternative proposals were discussed for merely refilling tho washouts and tor clearing the stream and forming a new embankment. PLANT. At the request of the chairman of the District Highways Council, Ho. 17, I bring before the council a letter on plant received from the Main Highways Board. The proposal is that such items of plant as road rollers, tar spraying maohimss, etc., might in some cases be pooled by the various counties within a highway district. The board also suggests that it will be in a position to obtain more satisfactory -©suits in buying than could a local body, and invites district, highway councils to state their requirements. The board does not, however, purpose at this early date making any extensive purchases on its own account. In the writer’s opinion that is 'One good thing tho board should do. Take the case of Taieri County, if a road roller anc. scarifier were available for hire the council would at once take advantage of the plant, and' the ratepayers would after a trial insist on manv miles of worn-out macadamised roads being scarified, repaired, and consolidated. Similarly were a tar plant available for Jure, the council would give tarred macadam or tan-sealing a trial. If the roads bo treated stood up well to the traffic, the ratepayers would insist on the improved type of road being adopted for all important thorougufftres' RECOMMENDATIONS, I have the following lOcqmmendationß to make: 1. Moonlight Road.—That half a mile ol watertable be blasted between county hut and Moonlight boundary and the remainder of road be rounded up with the grader. 2. Bold Hill Rood.—'Thai) the road be metalled on the steep pinches between Moonlight rood and top of hill at Attadale and be graded from Attadale to Shingle Lee road. 3. Centre Road, Strath-Taieri.—That Centre road lie graded from Wandlo Creek to county boundary at Rook and Pillar. 4. Deep Stream Riding Roads.—That School road, Rooklands to Shannon road, and Young’s road from red gate to David Peat’s old place be graded. 5. Bast'Taieri. —That 150 yards of gravel bo run out on Centre road, East Taieri, to fill the potholes from Kirkland's to Mosgiel Borough. 6. Silver Htre’.m Valley Road.—That tho gravelled portion of road from Mr Genre's crib to the Silverstream be .repaired. Also that the manuka be cut back at some of the bends on this road. 7. Outram-Berwick Road.—That the shoulders bo ploughed and graded off the OutramBeiwicfc road from Berwick HiU to Woodside, and the clay roads scraped ’ with tb© grader. 8. Kaikorai Riding.—That 60 yards of maintenance metal be run out on the Kaikorai Valley road, and 120 yards on the Green Island to Kaikorai Mouth road.