ROADING WORK IN COUNTY

Southland Times, Issue 23816, 13 May 1939, Page 5

ROADING WORK IN COUNTY

WEATHER REASONABLY GOOD IN APRIL

GRAVEL PLANTS TO BE PUT INTO OPERATION SOON “The weather during April was reasonably good for road construction and maintenance, and the season’s contracts are now either completed or almost completed,” stated the report of the engineer (Mr G. R. Milward) presented to a meeting of the Southland County Council yesterday. “From now on a great deal of the loose maintenance will be absorbed into the roads and most of the gravel plants will be put into operation soon.” In the Waihopai riding the outer gang and truck were engaged in patching highways and general maintenance work and the inner gang carried out patching and installation of culverts, according to the engineer’s report. The graders were employed on general work I and claying and gravelling on Bay View I road was completed. The Awarua riding gang carried out general maintenance work and the following contracts were completed:— University Endowment road; Glencoe district roads; Lorne-Hedgehope highway, Swain’s deviation; Bainfield ditch contract. About 80 per cent, of the maintenance work on the WoodstockDacre districts roads was carried out and also about 50 per cent, of the Woodlands north district roads contract. The work accomplished in the Wallacetown riding included lowering of culverts, repairing bridges, patching roads and highways generally. The contractor made good progress with the Oreti river bridge, Bay road, and the contract for ditching from the Waikiwi railway station-to West Plains road was completed.. The contract for gravelling on the Otahuti-Wrights Bush road was let recently, but’ it had not yet been started.

The Winton riding surfacing gang was engaged on various works, including filling and widening a bridge apnroach, redecking and repairing bridges. The Sinclair road and Browns contracts were in force during the month, about 60 per cent, of the work being completed. The Oreti riding surfacing gang was engaged in carrying out general patching and maintenance on various roads, in addition to cleaning water tables. The Parawa deviation contract was completed, with the exception of some extras to the culverts. Other contracts which were in force during the month, but which were not completed were:— Eyre creek road, erection of stopbank; Lintley-Josephville road construction and gravelling; Parawa-Nokomai road, Job’s Ford bridge. The contract for fencing on the Lintley-Josephville road was completed, but was not passed. In the Hokonui riding the gang was engaged in repairing bridges, lengthening culverts and general repair work. The only contract in force was the one for maintenance in the Riversdale district, which was just begun. Patching and maintenance work formed part of the work carried out by the Waikaia riding gang. Only one contract was in force, that for Kennedy road, Wendon Valley. This was let only recently, and was not begun during the month.

The Mataura riding gang was engaged during the month in maintenance work, constructing culverts, repairing a bridge and so on. The following contracts were in force, but they were not completed during the month: Turnbull road, Waikaka; Otama Flat road, Otama creek culvert. The Turnbull road contract was completed, but was not passed. In the Toetoes riding general maintenance and* patching work was carried

out. The following contracts were completed; Stout road, Glenham, re-forming and metalling; Quarry Hills-Waikawa roads, maintenance; Biggar road, construction and metalling; McKinnon road, metalling. Work was also carried out in the following contracts:—Ken-nington-Waikawa highway, road raising at Waimahaka; Jack’s Hill road, cuttings and fillings, and metalling; Fortrose township, delivery of dump gravel. The engineer reported that arrangements had been made to construct a temporary bridge over O’Meara’s Channel, Kennedy road, Otahuti, with county labour and used material. The importance of the access did not warrant a concrete bridge in the meantime.

HEAVY TRAFFIC LICENCES The secretary of the Southland provincial executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union wrote about heavy traffic licence fees on farmers’ lorries. Some time ago he ’wrote about this matter, stated the letter, and forwarded to the council a copy of a letter received from the Dominion secretary in which he stated that he had been informed that the matter of imposing fees on farmers’ lorries was left to the discretion of the rating authority. A copy of the council’s comments on the letter was sent to the Dominion secretary, who replied as follows: “I have to state that I got in touch with the Commissioner of Transport (Mr G. L. Laurenson) about this matter and he states that there has been no amendment to the Heavy Traffic Regulations and the farmers are still liable under them.” The department’s traffic inspectors had been told not to take any cases against farmers for running their own lorries and carrying their own goods without heavy traffic licences unless the council instructed the traffic inspectors to take such action. It was decided to reply stating that the council could not grant exemption under the present regulations governing heavy traffic. “At a meeting of the Southland provincial executive of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union some time ago, the Oteramika branch complained about the cost to farmers of clearing ditches on the roadline adjacent to their property,” said a letter from the secretary of the executive. The general complaint seemed to arise from the fact that they were called upon to clear ditches that might have been constructed by the local rating authority for carrying water from one natural channel to another to save the necessity of twp culverts. It was decided that he should write to the council for a clearer definition of the obligation of farmers to clear ditches on roadlines.

It was decided to reply stating that the farmers were responsible where the ditches were used for land drainage and that the council cleaned ditches only when the roads would benefit.

DONATION OF £lO It was decided to give a donation of £lO to the Forest Hill Scenic Board. A report on the construction of the central saleyards at Gore was submitted by the engineer, who said that the condition of the yards was reasonably satisfactory with the exception of some work which had still to be done. Portion of the sheep pens had been concreted and portion had been paved with bricks. All the cattle pens had been concreted with the exception of a big receiving pen, the floor of which had been dressed with coarse gravel. The following recommendations by the engineer were adopted:—An adequate water supply to be provided; a catch-water channel to be constructed on the east side of the yards; a written agreement to be provided by the adjoining owners through whose property the outlet passes from the pens. There were present: Messrs G. W. Whittingham (chairman), J. Dennis, F, F. Trapski, J. McNeil, T. Golden, A. S. McNaught, L. A. Niederer and G. Wraytt.