EGMONT COUNTY

Opunake Times, 12 June 1931, Page 3

EGMONT COUNTY

MELTING OF COUNCIL. REPORTS FOR THE MONTH. The monthly meeting of the Egmont County Council was held at Opunake on Tuesday when there were present: Councillors W. C. Green (chairman), R. C. Watson, J. F. Shepherd, E. A. Collins, G. Hibson, J. S. Tosland, A.

J. Lilloy, E. G. Holmes and J. Young. The monthly report of the engineer • (Mr. J. G. McTvor) read as follows: — ’ Shoulders have been graded from Oaonui to Opunake. The Punehu hill has been scarified, reformed and waterbound. Watertables have been cleaned and pit metal banking done where necessary. Eltham Road: W atertables have been cleared and shoulders made up with pit metal; a little grading has been done. Skeot Road: Drains have been cleared and asphalt banked. On the lhaia Road 84 yards of pit metal were used to build up the edges of the road where it had broken up. A little cold-patching has been done. In the Oeo Riding (30 chains of the Watino Road have been scarified and rerolled and the Puketapu Road has been done throughout. Patching and blinding have been done on the Pa tiki, Kiri and Watino Roads, and drains cleared on the Puketapu Road. In the Opua Riding. 324 yards of boulder and 366 yards of pit metal were crushed for the Upper Arawhata Road, 45 chains of road being metalled, making a total of some two miles of new work. Twenty-eight chains of drain have been tf cleared and some patching done. The crushing plant has now been shifted to the Upper Kina Road. A little patching was done on the Namu and Wiremu Roads, and grading on the Lower Kina, Opua, and Upper Waiteika Roads. In the Rahotu Riding, on the Kahui Main Road, a sharp curve has been eased considerably, water tables cleared and patching done. Blinding patching and watcrtabling have been done on the Okahu and Upper Kahui and drains cleared on the Ngariki Road. Manihi, Turn, Witiora and Ngariki Roads have been trimmed with the grader. In the Ncwall Riding patching and watcrtabling have been done on Warea, Ruakero and Mirikau Roads. The Ruakero pit has been fenced. The lower end of the Bayly Road has been formed and is being surfaced with beach shingle and pit metal. A further 50 chains of the Newall Road has been metalled and a little metalling done on the Mirikau Road. Wet weather is interfering with the work on both these roads. The Ra-

hotu office and shed have been repaired, and electric light installed in the office. Hiding members have all made their annual tour of inspection.” The ranger (Mr. W. Weaver) reported that he had seized nine horses, 15 cows, three bulls, 13 weaners and nine working bullocks. He had to date registered 672 dogs. Public Works’ Votes. A report of the works committee recommended that application be made the following Public Works’ votes: Road (£2 for £1), £100; Alirikau Road (£ for £), £340; Newall Road (£ for £), £1000; Opunake-Strat-ford Road (free), £650; lhaia Road (free), £1280; Puniho Road (£2 for £1) £800; Upper Parihaka Road (free; £500; Upper Arawhata Road (free), £1080; Kawheora Road (free) £3178. It was also recommended that the Main Highways estimate be as follow; Main South Road, two to three miles surface sealing and general maintenance, £1500; Eltham Road, general maintenance, £300; Skeet Road, sealing 40 chains and general, £300; lhaia Road, general, £120; Kahui Road, sealing coat on 60 chains and general maintenance, £300; Auroa and Puniho Roads, £3OO. It was also recommended that the Punohu, Otahi, and Okahu bridges be placed on the Main Highways’ estimates. In connection with the renewal of the Otahi stream bridge, it was recommended that the chairman, clerk and engineer meet the Opunake Town Hoard to discuss the question. In rqgard to the expenditure on byroads, the report further recommended that the council strike a rate to keep the expenditure on by-roads to the following limits Roads. Plant. Tl.

adopted. Privileges Abused. The Registrar of Motor Vehicles notified that it had come under notice that in many cases motor vehicles - owned by local authorities wore being licensed under exemption numbers, although the vehicles were not being used exclusively in connection with the maintenance and construction of roads It had been found that applications for the class of plate in question had been made in respect of vehicles used by traffic inspectors, dog-tax collectors and other officials. It was important to note, continued the circular, that exemption from payment of annual license fees could not legally be made in respect of a vehicle used both, for road work and for general local body and private purposes. - The circular also pointed out that despite the fact that local authorities were not entitled to claim refunds of duty on any motor spirits consumed in vehicles in respect of which annual license fees have been paid in terms of ijjie Motor Vehicles Act, 1921, claims had not only been made on spirit used in vehicles owned by local and used for other purposes other than road work, but also on spirits used in privately owned cais used by engineers and others in supervising road work. General. Application for the renewal of his slaughterhouse license was received from E. A. Poole, of Opunake.—Renewal was granted. In connection with the taking of land for the Oeo deviation certain

documents were forwarded. The chairman and Cr. Collins were authorised to sign the documents. The Rahotu School committee wrote stating that as it wished to tar seal a portion of the playground, using unemployed labour under No. 5 scheme, the hire of a tar-sprayer was sought. The engineer said that the council did not possess the sprayer which would answer the committee’s purpose. —Ho was authorised to assist the committee in any way possible. The county ranger notified that 70 dogs were unregistered. He sought prosecution. The ranger and the chairman are to confer on the matter. Mr. S. Armstrong, of Rungarehu, requested that a drain be carried across the road at his property, it was decided to notify that the council could not entertain the idea at present, unless the applicant was prepared to subsidise the work. It was also decided to notify the Eltham County Council of the necessity of improving the approach at the corner of the Auroa and Eltham roads, this being a boundary load. Communication was received from the Department of Health urging that, in order to lessen the cost of maintoning a sanitary inspector, local bodies, excepting those of the cities and the larger towns, should refrain from appointing their sanitary inspectors until the department was notified. Several contiguous local bodies were contributing jointly to the department of health for the services of a health inspector. On the notification being received, every endeavour would be made to conserve geographic grouping which would mean economy. The Public Works Department notified in reference to the County Council's application for a subsidy of £5 for £1 towards the cost of sealing the lhaia Road, that it was unable to approve the application. The application was made on the occasion of the- recent visit to Opunake by the Main Highways’ Board.

£ £ £ Oeo Riding 500 220 720 Opua Riding 600 220 820 Raliotu Riding .... 500 220 720 NewalJ Riding .... 450 220 670 Main Roads and Highways 1500 180 1680 £3550 £1060 £4010 The works’ committee report was