WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21599, 21 March 1932, Page 10

WAIKOUAITI COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Waikouaiti County Council was held on Saturday, and was attended by Crs Preston (in the chair), Laley, Box, Crawford, Briscoe, and M'Callum. INSPECTOR’S REPORT.

The inspector (Mr T. Lang) reported as follows on work done in the various ridings during the month; — Hawksbury Riding.—The whole of the new metal on Stony Peak road has now been blinded, gravel on the lower end of the road raked in, and the road widened where necessary. Water tables have been cleaned out on Quarry road, and a 12inch pipe put in above the quarry, in place of an old culvert. Fifty yards of gravel are required to repair Mill road and NankileTs road. The metalling contract at Nenthorn has been completed. Merton Riding.—The raising of the concrete wall fronting the river at Karitane is nearly completed, but a considerable amount of filling is still required behind the wall. Tlie formation of the footpath on Scarp street is also finished, and the ditch on the Main road has been cleaned out and widened in preparation for the stone and pipe drain. A slip has been cleared on Porteous’s road, and surfacing has been done on Pryde’s and Allan’s roads. The work on Kilgour street it almost finished, clay having been carted' from the cutting near the station to widen the formation. Several portions of the road between Kiatoa and Malloch’s. will require attention before the winter. This road, as far as Lie woolshed. and also the hill below Kiatoa towards Dip Creek, would be a suitable work for the unemployed in widening the rock points and using the schist rock in metalling the road. The unmetalled portion of Apes’s road is about one mile and a-quarter in length, and would require lion vards of metal, which would probably cost about £559 if crushed on the road. „ , Blucskin Riding.—Most of the slips have been cleared from Waitati-Port Chalmers road, and water tables cleaned out and pot-holes filled with metal. A

slip has also been cleared from the lower end of Purakanui road, and water tables cleaned on the upper end of the road. Surfacing work has also been done on Hayward Point road and the metal blinded. The water table is being cleaned out on Double Hill road from the Mam road upwards. The cause of the flooding of private property at this place is a pipe through that property below the outlet ot the culvert, which is too small to carry the water. The trouble at Evansdale is also caused by the pipes at the lower end of the ditch being too small, or being partly blocked by silt. The footbridge at Waitati which was washed out by the flood has been raised into position again and new piles put in at one end. ihree fences have recently been erected on unformed roadlines at Purakanui, but the person responsible has agreed to remove them immediately.

North-East Valley Riding. —The creeks beside Hall road and Reservoir road have been cleaned out, and the stone is being used in widening the road. < ihe lastnamed road is now being widened above the bridge, and the widening will be continned down towards the Main road, ihe upper end of Holmes’s Bush road is being re-formed, and Manson’s ford, which was washed out by the recent floods, has again been put in good order.

Main Highways. Evansdale-Merton (via Seacliff) highway: Water tables have been cleaned out and metal raked in at Seacliff and Karitane. Several small slips have also been cleared. The grader is now working on the road. A large quantity of screenings will be required for this highway before the winter. DunedinWaitati (via Leith Valley) highway: The slips have been cleared from this road, the fords put in passable order, and the subsidence near Ferguson’s Creek filled in and metalled. Preparations are being made for the bridge over Williams s Creek, and in securing the washout above Waitati.

The report was approved. CORRESPONDENCE,

The Public Works Department forwarded a voucher for £398 15s 7d, being subsidy on main highways expenditure. A further voucher for £6 10s 6d in the same connection was also received. _ Advice was received from the Minister of Public Works (Mr J. G. Coates) that all road authorities held by local bodies had been cancelled as from March 4. Received.

The district engineer of the Public Works Department wrote advising that the work of improving the last mile of the Purakanui access road had been completed and that the council would now be responsible for its maintenance. —Received. The Commissioner of Transport (Mr J. W. Hunter) forwarded a copy of the heavy motor regulations for 1932. —Received. The Otago Electric Power Board wrote asking if the council would consider reducing the commission paid for collecting Power Board rates. —It was decided to reply that the county had not charged the full rate allowed last year. The Waitemata County Council wrote asking the Waikouaiti County Council to contribute towards the costs of appealing against the decision in the action between the Waitemata county and the Waitemata Power Board in connection with the removal of electric power poles.—The chairman said it was necessary to have this matter legally settled, as it was quite possible that the Waikouaiti county might find itself in a similar position, —It was decided to grant the sum of £2 towards the cost of an appeal. , 1 The Waikouaiti Borough Council wrote asking the council to carry out repairs on the footpath at the north end of the borough, and offering to pay half the cost. The Borough Council also offered to pay half the cost of lowering the drain pipe from Mr A. Jackson’s property.—lt was agreed to attend to the footpath, and it was decided that the matter of Mr Jackson’s drain did not concern the council. Mr J. Dey wrote asking the council to take steps to prevent the creek at Wai tati overflowing its banks and flooding his property. —Received. Mr J. Agnew (Sawyers’ Bay) wrote stating that he could provide work foi a number of men under the No. 5 scheme clearing gorse on his property.—lt was decided to advise the writer to communicate with the Unemployment Committee at Port Chalmers. FINANCE. Accounts amounting to £2340 7s 5d were passed for payment.