OTOROHANGA COUNTY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4221, 8 December 1939, Page 7

OTOROHANGA COUNTY

ENGINEER’S REPORT. ADQPTED BY THE COUNCIL. The following report on the month’s work, submitted by the county engineer, MV B. McKenzie, was adopted at Tuesday’s meeting of the Otorohanga County Council:— Since commencing duties with the Council I have inspected more or less superficially, some 200 miles of road, including main highways. Many of the roads, which are badly rutted and pot-holed, are in urgent need of heavy grading, and in some cases require prior scarifying to bring them to even moderately good shape and surface. The lack of regular heavy grading is particularly noticeable in the hilly sections, which also require much more attention to water-tables than they now receive to protect the metalled surfaces from damage by heavy rains. On 30th October the bridge on the Rangiatea Road collapsed under a truck loaded with posts. The road was closed to through traffic for two days while repairs were effected. Legal proceedings are being taken against the truck-owner for exceeding the road classification and heavy traffic license. [The possibility of similar damage to other bridges, and the present difficulty of obtaining the materials necessary for quick repairs, Indicate the desirability of obtaining now adequate stores of commonly-used sizes of timber, so that a minimum of inconvenience is caused to the public. , CONTRACTS. Owaikura road metalling: The contract for work on this road is finished except for trimming up of watertables and shoulders and grading of metal surfaces. The cutting back of a corner and widening of a filling at the junction of Owaikura and the 6to-rohanga-Pirongia main highway will greatly improve the junction for traffic southward bound from Owaikura Road, but this work is outside the contract. Pinny’s Access Road: The only tender, that of Messrs Pinny and Sutherland, of £4B Bs, for formation and culverting, was accepted, and the work is nearing completion. Tenders have been called for the metalling of this road, and are before the Council. Tahaia Bush Road: Good progress has been made with Die job, which should be completed shortly. Wfaverley Road Metalling: This job is being treated as an extension of last season’s contract, and is progressing satisfactorily. Barber’s Road Metalling: Authority to proceed with this work has not yet been received. PUBLIC WORKS GRANTS. Addison’s Access: The Public Works Department has advised that a grant of £135, free, for formation and culverting, and £45, £2 for £l, for metalling, on Addison’s Access Road, has been approved by the Minister. The Council’s contribution would thus be £22 10s, towards which £2O is offered by Mr W. A. Lee, leaving Honikiwl to find a sum of £2 10s. When our share has been deposited in the public account the Public Wbrks Department will carry out the work in conjunction with construction work On the State highway. SUB-DIVISION OF LAND. Considerable confusion and delay are apparently occasioned by the existing method of submitting subdivision plans for the Council’s approval. In order to avoid this as much as possible, and to save the Council time and the applicant unnecessary expense, I recommend that the Council adopt the procedure outlined as follows: 1. Proposals for sub-divisions will not be considered by the Council until the applicant has given the county engineer opportunity of inspecting the ground in company with his surveyor or other representative who can point out the proposed location of roads and reserves, and until the proposed lay-out is to the approval of the engineer. 2. A copy of the plans is to be provided for the Council’s records. Plans involving proposed new roads shall show levels, grades, and alignments as required by section 116 of the Public Works Act. 3. New roads shall be hard-surfaced to the engineer’s approval. Such material as may be available will usually be approved for this purpose. 4. It is suggested that any person wishing to cut up land first invite the county engineer to examine the proposal before finalising the drawings and pegging, while in cases where it is desired to reduce sizes of sections or widths of frontages or roads ample time should be allowed for submission to the Council for its ruling. HENDERSON BLOCK ROAD. As requested by the Council, the Lands and Survey Department has consented to continue the road as a road reserve without formation from the north end of the formed road to the adjoining section boundary for a continuation to Mangaorongo Road, if and when this is necessary. At the same time an area will be surveyed at the south junction to allow for the future deviation and improvement 01 the junction with the OtorohangaMaihiihi Road. . , The other objections raised have already been dealt with by the Department. I therefore recommend that the Council’s consent be given to the taking, for road purposes, of land shown on the plan submitted by the Lands and Survey Department, but that the Council decline to undertake maintenance of this road until the property is paying the same rates that a private owner would have to pay. JOHNSON’S SUB-DIVISION. Correspondence from the Public Works Department, the Native Land

Court, J. F, Trapski, and the Lands and Deeds Office is before the Council in connection wjth the above subdivision. HONIKIWI MAIN HIGHWAY. In connection with the request from Te Rau-a-Moa School Committee for the Council’s opinion as to the safety of the above road for the carriage of school children by bus, I have inspected the road and have applied to the Main Highways Board for a further grant of £3OO for improving the surface of the road between Otorohanga gnd Te Raumauku corner. Temporary improvements to the Mangamahoe bridge will be carried out soon, but the construction of a new bridge cannot be postponed indefinitely. Provision for doing this work during the next financial year should be made.