OTOROHANGA COUNTY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 56, Issue 4043, 4 May 1938, Page 12

OTOROHANGA COUNTY

a MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL. T S fr 7 (Our Resident Representative.) e k The ordinary monthly meeting of - Otorohanga County Council was held t yesterday, when there were present: e Crs W. B. Biuck (chairman), F- Potts, ) H. C. Grierson, W. Thomson, V. W. e Simms, ,P. T. Crowley, and R. S. M. □ Dymore-Brown. Messrs S. J. Forn tescue (clerk) and G- Jackson (en--2 gineer) also attended the meeting. MANGAORONGO DRAINAGE AREA. ..The special order declaring the Mangaorongo riding a special drainage district was confirmed FINANCIAL STATEMENT. In submitting the financial statement relative to the ridings to 31st March, 1938, the clerk pointed out that there had been a considerable in- , crease in expenditure in all ridings ( except Te Rau-a-Moa, compared with , the previous year. • Apart from the increase in cost of wages and material, there had been a greater mileage to maintain, and a number of roads had been more or less reconditioned; a greater expenditure, also, had been undertaken on repairs to bridges. The present position of the various ridings is as follows compared with the position shown at this period of 1937 in parentheses Honikiwi, credit £163 16s 4d (£4BO 8s lOd); Mangaorongo, £1961 14s 5d (£2371 15s 2d); To Rau-a-Moa, £574 Us 6(1 (£291 8s sd); Waipa, £544 2s 6d £3Bl 19s 6d); and Wharepapa, £175 15s (£516 7s 6d). The expenditure from the riding funds in 1937, with that of 1938 in parentheses. was: Honikiwi, £682 3s lOd (£lOll 12s 8d); Mangaorongo, £738 Ils 4d (£l6BO 15s); Te Rau-a-Moa £752 15s 3d (£787 10s 6d); Waipa, £502 Is (£544 2s 6d); Wharepapa £BB4 5s 9d (£ll5l 10s). CARTAGE OF TIMBER. Council decided to sign the contract between the Council and Messrs Smyth and Boryer, sawmillers. Arohena (in the Wharepapa riding), regarding cartage of timber over the county roads. NEW PLANT. ft was decided to instruct the engineer to obtain quotations for new plant for scooping shingle from the river-bed-

i PIRONGIA-KAWHIA HIGHWAY. The Auckland Automobile Association advised that Pirongia-Kawhia highway had again fallen into a very bad state of disrepair. The section complained of was within the Otorchanga county. The Association asked the Council to furnish a report for submission to its next meeting, with a further report concerning the prospect of having this road permanently surfaced.—Agreed to. RAGWORT CONTROL. t'he Minister of Agriculture, Hon. W. Lee Marlin, advised the Council by telegram that the ragwort eradication scheme could be continued, but on the understanding that 50 per cent for material, etc., be retained as ■ general average for working. TENDER ACCEPTED. The tender of Mr W. Knight, of £2372 16s, for the erection of a new bridge over the Mangati stream (in Te Rau-a-Moa riding), was accept-OTOROHANGA-HONIKIWI HIGHWAY. The Public Works Department advised that the Highways Board had agreed to make a free grant of £3OOO to the Council for the purpose of cutting back corners on this route. The grant was made on condition that proposals for the work were submitted for approval, so as to ensure that the best results were obtained from the expenditure- The county enginer is at present busy preparing estimates with a view to starting operations as soon as possible. NOXIOUS WEEDS INSPECTOR. The Council’s noxious weeds inspec■r, Mr Noel Smith, reported on control measures for ragwort and other weeds, and furnished suggestions for eradication of the w’eeds. The inspector stated that there was a definite improvement in weed control within the county during the past year, although it had been an exceptionual season for blackberry growth. It was resolved that the chairman I'tend the conference at Ngaruawahia called by the Raglan County Council to consider more efficient control of ragwort. MISCELLANEOUS. The engineer was instructed to have the county property on the Waipa River Road fenced, and the building thereon securely locked. The Council decided to apply to the Local Government Loan.; Board for £lOOO for the Mangaorongo drainage area.