OTOROHANGA COUNTY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 55, Issue 3939, 13 August 1937, Page 5

OTOROHANGA COUNTY

ENGINEER’S REPORT. WORK OF THE MONTH. The following report by Mr G. Jackson, county engineer, was dealt with at the monthly meeting of the Otorohanga County Council on Tuesday:— Maintenance costs of the several metalled roads within the County have not been materially reduced since last meeting. Although weather conditions have improved somewhat, the seasonal increased spring traffic has commenced with consequent wear and tear. The increased speed of heavy motor vehicles is reflected in the cost of upkeep of roads, while on some roads it is not possible to cope with the corrupations with 6J ton loads travelling at 30 to 35 miles per hour. The regulations permit 30 miles per hour, and drivers often make a practice of exceeding the limit a litle. Of contracts still in hand, Tauraroa Road and Gallagher Road metalling are proceeding slowly, and the new culvert and filling at 12 miles on Honikiwi main highway is practically completed. WAIKERIA BRIDGE. The old Waikeria bridge on Wharepuhunga main highway is gradually subsiding and a further appeal has been made for authority to proceed with the new bridge, but no authority has yet been issued. Since the inception of the State highways the Main Highways Board has become very conservative with its funds so far as main highways are concerned. The chairman ’ and myself attended a meeting at Hamilton at the invitation of the acting Minister of Public Works to finalise allocation of men under the scheme by which four months’ work is provided on full time subsidised by the Employment Department at the rate of £4 per week per man. It was explained that funds available would only allow 100 men for the Waikato district, including Otorohanga County, and it was ultimately decided to allocate 12 men for taking off corners in the .Paewhenua district and 12 men for the Otorolianga Domain. Twelve local men have been started on the Domain, but no men are available for Paewhenua because the Native Department has been granted first call upon all natives unemployed, and as a consequence the men who have just completed the Paewhenua drainage must go over to the Native Department if they desire further relief work. RAGWORT CONTROL. I would ask the Council to give this matter serious consideration. The farmers are not taking advantage of the generous assistance offered by the Department of Agriculture, and practically no applications are being receiv ed for men and material.

We have ample supplies of lime, sodium and labour, but are unable to make use of all the labour that is available. We have been filling in time on vacant Crown farms, but are practically at the end of this work. The statutory notice to clear has been advertised, and it is now competent to enter upon any land and clean it up and sue the occupier for recovery of the cost.

PROSECUTIONS FOR NEGLECT. If the Council desires this method to be carried out it will be necessary to authorise a very considerable expenditure from the county fund account, and it is very doubtful if all the money that could be expended would be recovered.

The only other course open is to prosecute those occupiers of land who neglect to clear ragwort, but be cause of the law’s delay and paucity of fines, prosecutions are likely to cause a lot of irritation without much benefit.

Ragwort prosecutions can only be heard before a magistrate, and usually the Magistrate’s Court is held at Otorohanga at bi-monthly intervals. Experience shows that a, magistrate usually adjourns a case until next court day, and ultimately inflicts a fine of 10s. The whole process extends over four months.

Pursuant to your instructions, applications have been invited for the position of noxious weeds inspector, and if you decide to make an appointment it will be necessary to create a fund upon which to work. SUCCESS OF SCHEME IMPERILLED. Unless the farmers come forward and employ the gangs the scheme must break down. The Agricultural Department supplies labour with 20 per cent added to meet cost of material, but there are other costs for transport, and the Council’s contribution ol Is per day. therefore, if operations are limited to Crown and native lands, the result will be all going out and nothing coming in. Farmers whom I haye appealed to have explained that they would like to have the farm cleared up, but are not in a position to pay the deposit which is demanded, and do not seem disposed to give orders on their dairy company. Others pointed out that they have not been able yet to pay for the work that was done last year. The position is ■ complicated, and I would ask for specific instructions as to what amount of the county funds may be expended on: (1) Compulsory entry upon private lands; (2) clearing ragwort from native lands. Vacant Crown farms are not many, and the money supplied by the Department of Agriculture will suffice* in those cases. PAEWHENUA DRAINAGE. The Public Works Department has completed the Paewhenua drainage works, and the men have been paid off and the camps are being removed. The Council must now consider the matter of maintenance of the drains. It might not be satisfactory if the Council relied upon each farmer to maintain considerable lengths of drains through Crown lands. I respectfully suggest that the hotter course would be to collect a drainage rate and pay each farmer for work done. If this course were decided upon the land would have to be classified, with three areas, A. B. and C., and the rate struck accordingly. The classification could be done by your own staff. SCHOOL BUS ROUTES. As a result of representations that have been made, the sum of £1215 has been made available on a £3 for £1 basis for taking off dangerous points

on those parts of the main highways which are also school bus routes, but so far nothing has been provided for roads that are not main highways. Most of the dangerous corners on school bus routes are not on main highways, and the Mangaorongo main highway is the only road likely to benefit. If the Council so desires some money may be spent on the old Te Kuitl Road, but such expenditure is not warranted by the traffic. MAIN HIGHWAYS. The No. 2 District Council met in Auckland on July Ist to consider the allocation of money for main highwyas construction and maintenance for the current year in No. 2 group. This was the first meeting following the declaration of State highways, and it was very evident that the State highways will have first call on the funds, and the main highways will be a secondary consideration. The allocation for State highways was £495,652, and apparently the District Council has no say in this allocation. The allocation for tho main highways was £510,000, and the applications exceed £2800,000. These applications were reduced to £648,000, and then recommended to the Board. This Council's application was £7,223, and it was cut down to £4,856 by omitting the item Mangalti bridge £2667, and putting in £3OO on account. The effect of this will be that money for this job will only be forthcoming if the Board finds that revenue is In excess ot expenditure as the year advances. The applications for new main highways amounted to 211 miles, and the Council decided to cut out all roads that had not previously been submitted. The effect of this it that the application for Oamaru and Kaimango Roads cannot go forward. SUBDIVISIONS. A subdivision of part of Otorohanga IB 2A, comprising two building lots, is submitted by Mr E. W. Holmes, which I recommend for your approval. Mr A. Williamson, of Mangaorongo, seeks permission to enclose a portion of Mangaorongo-Te Kawa Road in reerecting his boundary fence. The portion of road adjoins the Mangaorongo stream bridge, where the width of road exceeds one chain. I recommend that this permission be granted. KIO KIO DRAINAGE. Mr Alderson has issued a summons against the Council to show cause why it did not issue notice to Rogers Bros, to clear the drain through their property. Messrs Rogers Bros, have been notified that the Council does rot intend to defend the action, and they have decided to defend the actionton their own account, and have engaged Mr Swarbrick, of Te Awamutu, to appear for them. The case is set down for August 17th at Otorohanga. The County solicitor advises that the Council should quash the whole trouble by striking a drainage maintenance rate over the Kio Kio drainage area, and maintaining the drain. Such action would end the dispute and would result in the several parties paying the cost of maintaining the drain according to the amount of benefit derived from it.