SITE OF BRIDGE ON POURAKINO

Southland Times, Issue 23438, 19 February 1938, Page 12

SITE OF BRIDGE ON POURAKINO

PRESENT POSITION FAVOURED WALLACE COUNTY COUNCIL ADVISED The resident engineer of the Public Works Department (Mr W. G Pearce) advised the Wallace County Council at its meeting that he had made an independent inquiry about the Pourakino bridge and was reporting in favour or the present site. An extract from his report read as follows: “I recommend that the present bridge site be retained, but that the new bridge be located downstream from the existing one, so that the bad alignment at the western approach can be corrected. It is also desirable that improvements in alignment to give better vision be made on the Pourakino Valley road over the section from Carran road to just north of Traill road. This is estimated to cost about £500.” The writer stated that the suggested improvements to the Pourakino road had nothing to do with the bridge, and it was for the council to consider if and when they should be made. There was no doubt that the road had danger points for modem traffic. It was decided to agree to the suggestion about the bridge, the straightening of the road to be gone on with when money was available. There were present: Messrs J. H. Smith (chairman), A. Roy, B. C. Korrell, W. B. Hopcroft, F. J. Linscott, W. J. A. McGregor and D. Teviotdale. The chairman referred to the death of Cr G. W. E. Stroud, and moved a motion of sympathy with the relations, which was carried in the usual manner. In moving that a minute of appreciation be recorded of the services Cr Stroud had given as the member for the Wairio riding, Cr W. J. A. McGregor said he had endeared himself to all. He was a man of high principles, and his death was a distinct loss to the community. The resident engineer of the Public Works Department (Mr W. G. Pearce) advised that the Minister of Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) had approved of the transfer of £2OO, £2 for £l, from Dryden road to Waihoaka road. He asked that satisfactory proposals be submitted so that they could be approved, and allow an immediate start to be made with the work. The matter was held over until a definite reply had .been received from Smith and Company. Mr S. Morris, Pahia, wrote asking that his road be metalled before the winter.

It was decided to inform the writer that a contract had been let for the work.

Mr Gordon Carran, Waipango, asked that the gravelling of his road be completed, as it was a bog hole in winter, he stated, and if his request was not complied with he would place the position before the Minister of Lands. The county engineer was instructed to investigate and report to the next meeting. WORK ON POURAKINO Mr J. M. Sutherland, Waipango, wrote stating that he had interviewed the farmers along the Pourakino river as promised, and three, including himself, were willing to pay their share. One had promised that he would interview Mr Hopcroft, the member for the riding, about the clearing of the river. The majority of the farmers were of the opinion that the Government should not ask them to subsidize the work while going through the scenic reserve, which, he presumed, was Government land. They also thought that the council should subsidize the work, as it would stop the flooding of the road near Traill Bros.’ old mill site. As the settlers had agreed to subsidize the work to the extent of £l2O. it was decided to ask the

Government to pay all costs on the site of the scenic reserve, the settlers to be informed that the council would subsidize their work to the extent of £3O. • Mr H. D. Collie, Otautau, asked that a culvert on the Argyle-Tuatapere main highway in front of,his house should be .lowered. - He stated that he wished to erect a gate on one end •of Chisholm’s road.

Both requests were granted. - Mr Samuel Mclntosh, Fairfax, ap-’ plied for repairs to be made to the road and for a few yards of gravel to be put on two culverts leading to section 6A,- Ringway settlement, Otautau riding. It was decided that the request be referred to the member for the riding and the engineer. Mr T. Cochran, Lillbum, drew the attention of the council to. the culvert on the Lillburn road at his woolshed. One pipe had been undermined and the filling-in had washed down the creek, with the result that the mouth of the creek was now level with the land it ran through, he said, and in flood time the water ran down his paddock. He also stated that a great many of the deck planks on the bridge at his homestead required renewing. It was decided that the county engineer should instruct the surfaceman to do the work.

Lindsay and Dixon, saw millers, Invercargill, asked permission to cart timber by motor-lorries from Blackmount to Clifden and thence to their saw mill at Drummond.

Cr McGregor said the roads were totally unsafe and several of the bridges, notably Taylor’s and the Wairaki, were tbo light for heavy motortraffic. He did not wish to stop them. It was decided to inform applicants that petanission would be granted subject to their strengthening the bridges to the satisfaction of the engineer. Mr R. Robinson, Lumsden, asked that he be given a proper outlet to the main road and requested that a mile of the worst part of the road should be lightly graded and the wheel tracks gravelled before the winter. It was left in the hands of the member for the riding to deal with the matter. DEEPENING OF DITCH Mr J. A. Young, Tuatapere, enclosed a letter from the Minister of Public Works, which stated that a grant of £5O, £1 for £l, had been placed on the supplementary estimates for the purpose of deepening the Papatotara ditch, and that this would be available as soon as the council had submitted satisfactory proposals in the customary way. The writer asked that the council regard this matter as one of extreme urgency. It was decided that the grant be spent on this work, if the settlers agreed to find any money required above this amount. '

The Southland County Council wrote advising that the sum of £l9 had been accepted from the Waimatuku River Board in settlement of its share of the cost of survey and the defining again of the boundaries of the Southland and Wallace counties, and requesting this council to give the River Board the' necessary discharge from further liabilities.

It was decided to agree to the request. The New. Zealand Counties Association wrote asking the council .to give accurate instances of what it considered extravagant expenditure on purely State highways in its area. ENGINEER’S REPORT The engineer (Mr J. G. C. Baker) submitted the following report: “Since last meeting the weather has remained unusually hot and dry, and road surfaces are inclined to be rough, as mentioned at last meeting. About the letter from the Public Works Department referring to the proposed extension of the snagging of the Pourakino river for a length of four miles to improve drainage, Cr Hopcroft saw Mr J. M. Sutherland, who had brought the matter to the department’s notice, and Cr Hopcroft suggested that the five settlers benefitting by the proposed work along this length should themselves find £l2O, so that the £2 for £1 vote offered by the department could be taken up, the settlers’ subsidy to apply only to their own lands and not to scenic reserves, these to be done wholly

at the Government’s cost. Mr Sutherland agreed to see the other settlers on these lines, and would then report to the council. Cr Hopcroft also looked into the drainage complained of by Mr J. T. Guise, Ermedale, and the matter is to be fixed by the end of the month. The metalling of the deviation of the main highway at Round Hill is ndw completed, and as the old road is left open the council now has two roads at this place.” . -