TAR SEALING AT KENNINGTON

Southland Times, Issue 23793, 15 April 1939, Page 5

TAR SEALING AT KENNINGTON

REQUEST MADE BY RATEPAYERS COUNTY COUNCIL TO APPLY FOR GRANT Eight ratepayers at Kennington wrote requesting the Southland County Council at its meeting yesterday to consider having the road running south from the railway crossing at Kennington to Moncur’s corner tar-sealed. “Because of the tremendous amount of traffic on this road, which is the main road from Fortrose, Gorge Road and other places,” the letter added, “the dust muisance is very considerable.”

It was decided to apply for a grant for the work. The under secretary of the Department of Internal Affairs (Mr j. W. Heenan) advised that the question of the continued existence of the BenmoreLimehills river district as v a legally defined district had been brought before the department. “You are probably aware that the board of this district ceased to function some years ago,” he wrote, “but by reason of the provisions of Section 3 of the River Boards Amendment Act, 1913, requiring a petition signed by a majority of the ratepayers of a river district, it has not been possible to take any action towards the abolition of this district.” • It was considered advisable that the district should now be abolished to enable any moneys held by the bank on behalf of the board to be disposed of. It was accordingly proposed to include a clause in the Local Legislation Bill next session for the purpose of abolishing the district.

It was decided to reply stating that the council had no objections to the abolition of the board. Mr A. T. Weir (Menzies Ferry) wrote asking that the newly-formed road between Seaward Downs and Morton Mains be put in order. The request was referred to the engineer and the member for the riding. ROADS AND BRIDGES Reporting for the month the county engineer, (Mr G. R. Milward) stated that in the Waihopai riding, trucks and employees had been engaged in carting clay binding while considerable work had also been done in painting handrails of highway bridges. In the Awarua riding employees had been engaged in taking delivery of contract maintenance gravel. Also a line of posts was erected along Bainfield road ditch as a safety measure for traffic. Wallacetown riding employees and trucks were engaged during the month in various riding work, the main item being the completion of Kennedy road (Otahuti), repairs to Mclntyre’s bridge and the bridge on Dick’s road (Shark’s Tooth) and the painting of highway bridges and so on.

Various routine works were carried out in the Winton riding, the main items being repairs to bridges on Dean’s road. and Otapiri road, redecking the bridge on the Dipton-Hillend road, erecting of manuka scrub as protection from slips on Gill road, painting various highway bridges and repairs to bridges. In the Oreti riding, the gang was employed on patching work at Lowther, cutting back sharp corner on the Dip-ton-Balfour road, erection of guard fence on the Mossburn-Five Rivers highway, painting of hand rails on bridges, repairs and gravelling on McLeod’s road, Eyre Creek. Work in the Hokonui riding consisted of painting of highway bridges, assisting to shift and set up the gravel crushing plant at Lynch’s Pit (Riversdale), repairs to bridges on Glendhu and Terrace roads, repairs to the Waimea bridge, erection of a flood prevention stone wall on the Croydon-Retreat road and repairs to the Waimumu stream bridge on Townley’s road. In the Waikaia riding, employees were

engaged on various works, the main items being repairs to Muddy Creek bridge, Riversdale-Wailraia highway, and the carting of maintenance gravel for patching and repairs to footpaths, Waikaia township, also repairs to the bridge approach on the Pyramid-Wai-paru highway. The main works carried out in the Mataura riding were the construction of the new concrete pipe culvert, Benio road, maintenance on the Kaiwera road and Pukerau district roads, body gravelling on the Whare Range road and maintenance on the Gardness-Kaiwera road.

Riding surfacemen in the Toe Toes riding had been engaged on routine work consisting of patching, maintenance, claying loose gravel, painting highway bridges, taking delivery of gravel and the cleaning of watertables and culverts.

“The weather during March has been very suitable for road construction work,” the report added, “and a great number of the current contracts has been completed. Good progress has been made with roads and bridges constructed by means of Government subsidy votes. At the beginning of the contract season a total of 105 votes appeared on the estimates, disregarding those which the council did not intend to take up. Of this number, 85 have been completed, and most of the subsidy claims have been paid. Fourteen jobs are still in the course of construction and six have not yet been started, these comprising contracts which have not been let or cases where the job has been held up for other reasons. There are not many maintenance contracts in force at the present time, most of the roads and highways having an ample supply of free gravel.” The report was adopted.

The meeting was attended by Crs G. W. Whittingham (chairman), W. M. Norman, L. A. Niederer, G. Wraytt, F. F. Trapski, A. S. McNaught, T. Golden and J. McNeill.