OTOROHANGA COUNTY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 76, Issue 6513, 12 May 1948, Page 7

OTOROHANGA COUNTY

WORKS PROGRAMME ENGINEER REPORTS TO MEETING OF COUNCILLORS Mr B. McKenzie, engineer to the Otorohanga County Council, reported at Monday’s meeting of Councillors that during April maintenance work carried out on the County’s roads comprised the repairing of 1515 cubic yards of read, and an equivalent amount of grading work- Repaired roads in each riding were as follows (number of roads given in parentheses) :—Honikiwi riding, 109 cubic yds (3); Mangaorongo, 83 (5); Te Rau-a-Moa, 773 (8); Waipa, 35 (1); Wharepapa, 515 (4). At Collinson Smith’s gravel pit, 295 cubic yards of shingle was scooped for Otorohanga-Pirongia road, 280 c. yards for Ouruwhero main highway; 140 c. yards for Turitea, and 40 c. yards for Owairaka. The engineer further reported that, a new award for drivers which camo into force in March last has now been issued. It rules that overtime be paid for at the rate of time and a half for the first three hours, and double time thereafter. The hourly rates of pay for drivers in the Council’s employ are now: —Vans, 3s 41d; trucks, 3s 6d; graders, 3s 9d; scoops, 3s 9d. Cr R. H. Wynyard inquired as to the progress of work on Ourtrwhero road (Honikiwi Riding). “We could do with more money to spend on it,” ; commented the engineer, “the £lOO set aside for this work has been spent!’* The chairman commented favourably on the' work that had been done on the road mentioned; and the riding member, Cr Grierson, said that no more money could be spent on i£ at present. Cr Grierson asked if the culvert in the access to Kio Kio Railway Station had been completed; the engineer assuring him that it was now only a matter of adding metal as the area dries out. About a further £2O would have to be spent there. Sealing Programme Commenting on the question of having roads declared main highways, for sealing, the chairman, Mr J. L. Wallis, remarked that it was almost impossible to-day to undertake a sealing programme. Cr Wynyard: Much reconstruction would also be necessary and loan money would be necessary for this, in addition to sealing expenditure. In discussing subsidies, the chairman said the Waikato nolicy was to push on with their highways rather than State highways over which the Highways Board had no control. For main highways a 3 to 1 grant was made for maintenance work, and slightly more for initial construction work. Cr Grierson: Is the road to Waitomo to be pushed through as a main highway ? The chairman, in response to this query, enumerated a few of the priorities which would take precedence over the Waitomo road declaration. “This year the Council will be fortunate to get • Pirongia and one other road so declared,” he essayed.