TOWN DISTRICT AFFAIRS.

Putaruru Press, Volume V, Issue 175, 10 March 1927, Page 4

TOWN DISTRICT AFFAIRS.

n COUNTY ENGINEER’S VISIT. |l •u it r Educational Discussion. n J e The keen interest taken in the government of the town by meme bers of the Putaruru Town Board was e exemplified by the decision to invite | Mr - M - E - Fitzgerald, the Matamata - county engineer, to meet member ® for an informal disucsslon on local n body matters. The meeting was held on Monday, when the following commissioners were present : Messrs. 4 G. G. Griffiths (chairman), H. W. t Lindsay, J. C. Tomalin, C. C. Neil, A. -E. Barr Brown and K .McDermott, k In his opening remarks, Mr. Fitzgerald stated that he had heard state- ;- ments to the effect that they (the county) were well rid of us (ratepayfs ers in the town district). This was i- contrary to fact and did not cover !- the situation. The county had in fact >t i urged the formation of the board, or ® at least a special rating area, and g *Eis was the reason. A county council e was primarily responsible for through d traffic and when it came to improvt frontages it was essential that these matters be dealt with locally. It became a question of whether e members of the county, the nearest - of which was six miles away, should j. dictate in regard to these matters. It y was obvious that it should not be so, ™ ;, as such a member could not possibly know the requirements or interpret s the feelings of a closely settled coraf xc-unily some distance away. It was 3 essential then that a special rating area be formed—with or without local government. They had chosen e the latter form and he felt since they f had done the right thing. Until the -. board got fully on its feet the t county was still carrying on, though <1 the riding member did not asjc for v . money to be spent within the town 3 area, the hint now coming from the 0 chairman of the board. 0 In trying to estimate their requires ments the board should envisage a s policy of 'good roads, drainage and I water supply, even if the two latter J were some years off. The three j were interwoven, and it was 'almost impossible to outline a progressive - policy until they visualised 'the fown as it would be some years ahead. To this end it was essential that the permanent levels be obtained as soon as t possible and this had now been put ■ b hand. The importance of, perman- , out levels could be realised by refer- . , once tc Glen Scotia road. He un- ; cer.tood that this road had been inspected with a view to being im- | proved, but the board had wisely decided tc do nothing till arrangements lad been made to drain the water . away. Had a map of permanent levels been on hand, the board could have told at a glance which way the water s’ ould be taken, and how much fall there was in ary given distance. In reagrd to earthworks, the. speaker advised the easing of grades on certain streets, but held there was no need to do the job as thoroughly as Kensington street had been done. Touching on road work, Mr. Fitzgerald confirmed the view of the board that rhyolite foundation with a shingle covering would make good roads for the side streets. Without country formation work a suitable foundation could be laid 10 feet wide by 6 inches deep for just over £SOO per mile on a rough estimate. Replying to questions, the speaker said that as far as possible the traffic of a street should be envisaged for a number of years ahead. It was uneconomical to metal a greater width than was necessary. Twenty-five feet allowed for three vehicles to pass abreast, and that should meet all re- i quirements for some considerable time in the main streets. For the side streets, grass borders planted with trees were economical and looked well. He preferred this to centre plots. The main idea behind everything that was done was to look ahead and try to imagine requirements a number of years in advance so that no work would need to be done over again. He strongly advised the adoption of a comprehensive scheme, though it might not be advisable to lift all the loan money at once. The proposal could be spread over a number of years. • At the conclusion of question time Mr. Fitzgerald was accorded a hearty vote of thanks on the motion of the chairman, who urged the necessity of harmonious relations with the County Council. Mr. Fitzgerald replied in suitable terms and stated that there was no need for otb': than happy relations m what was after ail but business dealings which were to the mutual ' advantage of both bodies.