County Council.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6485, 30 September 1892, Page 2

County Council.

The regular meeting of tho County Council was held this afterriiftm. Present — Crs Gray (Chairman), Tuoheyi' King, Hepburn, and Orr. Mr J. B. Heyward, of the Treasury Departmont, notified that tho loan of L2OOO for the Tauwhareparae block road construction \v;\s now availiible. Messrs Fitzgerald Bros., Tolago, drew the attention of the Council by letter to the bad state of the Mangatokerau road, the late rains having washed away a chain and a-half of tho road, and it is now unsafe for traffic. They offered to assist the Council in putting the road in repair. Mr Warren stated that Messrs Fitzgerald Bros had hitherto repaired the road themselves, and had been refunded from sums accruing from land funds. — Cr Gray thought as it was not a county road, the Council was not called upon to undertake the work. Cr Touhey considered that the amount, of funds now in hand L 7 108 should be handed over to Fitzgeralds towards the repairs to the rend This was agreed to. Mr St Leger, of Tiniroto, wrote drawing the attention of tho Council to slips on a branch road, asking that same be cleared, also that a culvert be erected on the roud. The Clerk stated that the Council had ! about LlO in hand of land fund, and this sum might be expended on the work without encroaching on the funds of the Council. — Mr King pointed out to tho Council that Mr St Leger was not contributing anything to the special loan that was raised for the Kaikora road, as he is on the other side of the rivor. — It was decided to have the Overseer's report before any money is spent on this work. Mr C. Westrupp complained that tho Maoris had fenced off the road lending to Tnlago Bay south side, thus compelling travellers to use the road over th».culvert, the approach to which was in bad repair. — The Overseer stated the approach had been repaired, and was now passable. Mr VV. F. Hale wrote drawing the attention of the Council to the bad state of the main road through the Tologa township. It was a matter of surprise to the residents that the work proposed by Captain WiiVer had not been undertaken. — The Overseer reported that the road complained of was one which was very seldom used. — Letter received. Mr D. Kirkpatrick complained to the Council of damage being dono to his property by defective County drains. The writer suggested the Council deepen the big drain to carry off the surplus water. — Cr King stated that the work was in Quinn's contract, and he had not been able to clean it out as it it had never been empty. — Tho contractor was to be notified that the work would have to be done as early as possible. A letter was read from Egmont similar to that received by the Borough Council, asking the Council's co-operation in erecting a monument to the late Sir Harry Atkinson. — The letter and subscription list was allowed to lie on the table. — Cr Gray thought the matter might be left in the hands of the Chairman. Mr Clunie wrote complaining of the bad state of the road from the Wairoa boundary to the bottom of the hill at Tn Reinga. The overseer stated that the work of repairing this road was now in hand, and being gone on with. Cr Gray reported that at a meeting with the Borough Council committee re the formation of a public library, he had I stated to the meeting that the Council hid not sufficient funds in hand to keep the roads in repair. Ho thought the Council would not be justified iv making [ a grant of L2s.— Mr Touhey thought it ! was certainly a Borough affair. Members were of opinion that it was no great hardship for anyone using the Library to pay 12s 6d per annum for the privilege. The Committee was to be written to declining to make any grant. The following report by Capt. Winter was read : — Srii,— l have the honor to acknowledge receipt of your letter of date, and in reply to furnish the following report, accompanied with a plan showing the blocks of land through which the proposed road passes, also an alternative route. The partly surveyed road to connect the Tauwhareparae block with the coast, branches from the Arakihi road at about seven and three-quarter miles from Tologa Bay, passes tlu'Qugh a portion of the Tak,a,

pau block, crossing the Mangaheia river and following the left bank of the said river through the Mangaheia No. 2 and Marunga blocks for about three miles, it then crosses and recrosses the river five times in one and a-half miles, thence through the Takapau block for three and a-half miles in heavy bush and very broken country, with gradients varying from 1 in thirty to 1 in 10, to the top of the main ridge or watershed, then following the ridge through pumice country twelve and three-quarter miles to Tauwhareparae j block, being a total distance of twenty-one and a-half miles. _ i The principal objection to this line of road is having to cross the Mangaheia river six times, three of which are bad, with heavy block cuttings at each ; and the heavy side and block cuttings which will be necessary in the 3^ miles (B to C) rising to the ridge. Owing to the number of small creeks and gullies which have to be crossed and the razor-back ridges in the 3h miles, the road, in order to give moderately fair turns, will have to be formed in places to a width of 20 and 40 feet, which, being in rock, will be very expensive, and I am of opinion that owing to the steep vertical inclination of the ground, the road will be continually slipping. After rising to the top of the ridge, the road (12J miles) is laid off in the only suitable place for miles round with no gradient steeper than 1 in 14, and easy of formation. • You will observe l»y reference to the map that the road crosses the Ormond-Waiapu inland road, instead of following that line. This is owing to its being unsuitable for a road. This is the portion of the inland road, I have previously reported to your Council, would require to be deviated before formation was undertaken. The new surveyed line will therefore form a portion of the main trunk line in the future. The road, as laid off from A to C, is not, , in my opinion, the best line for a trunk road, which this will undoubtedly be in the ' near future. The best line, in my opinion, is through I the Takapau block, owned by J. McFarlane, Esq. , up what is known as Cooper's Spur, I connecting with present surveyed road on i top of ridge at C ; it will be about 1^ miles shorter with very easy gradients, no en- ' ginearing difficulties, good standing ground, little or no bush, only one small stream to cross, and cost of construction much about the same as the present proposed line, and cost of maintenance less The only advantage the present proposed line has is that there are about 8£ miles of comparatively flat country to travel, as against easy gradients of from 1 in ;)0 to 1 in 14j. To the cost of formation of road through the Takapau block has to be added to the expense of survey ami engineering, say £125, and the purchase of 65 acres of land at say £8 per acre £a2O, the time for taking roads through this block having lapsed. My estimate given to. the settlers interested in forming the Tauwhareparae road was £3500, and I have no reason for altering my opinion. The amount applied for is, I understand, £2000, which is inadequate for the purpose. The Clerk was instructed to notify the several ratepayers in the special district of the opinion expressed by Capt. Winter, before going to any further expense in connection with the work.