CLIFTON COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 January 1924, Page 8

CLIFTON COUNTY.

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. . THE ENGINEER’S REPORT. The Clifton County Council met yesterday. Present: Crs. R. H. Pigott (chairman), F. W. Matthews, T. E. Astwood, €. H. Barnitt, S. J. Sutton, and J. Wallace. Leave of absence was granted CT. H. A. Foreman. The county engineer (Mr. C. W. Dowsett) reported inter alia: Tikorangi Riding.—The metalling at Jury’s hill will shortly be completed. The boulder contract., has also progressed considerably. The matter of improving the hills on the Tikorangi Road will shortly be put in hand. The grader is under repairs, and when in order the Otaroao Road will be improved from the county boundary northwards. Various roads have been blinded and banked, and the usual maintenance and repairs have received attention.

Waihi Riding.—Various sections of the Main Road have been blinded with gravel, and the usual maintenance and repairs have received attention. Qnaero bridge :_The work is proceeding satisfactorily. The walls surmounting the piles are all constructed and the timber and shuttering for the three spans have now been practically completed, and concreting the main ribs will shortly be commenced. Turangi Road: I propose laying off a further section for metalling, connecting up with the Main Road, and calling tenders to close at next meeting. If time permits I propose laying off the road giving access to the Onaero beach.

Ngatimaru Riding.—l hope to lay off during this month the portions of the Matau South Road to Ibe widened and improved, and attend to various matters in this district. The bridge carpenter is engaged repairing the Matau township bridges, and the usual maintenance and repairs have been attended io

•Urenui Riding.—Various portions of the Main Road have been blinded and improved with quartz gravel. On the Piko Road a re-start was made with the metalling contracts, but wet weather and the holidays prevented ■much progress being made. A further 83 chains have been laid off and plans end specifications have been prepared And will be forwarded for approval. Upon completion of this section the metal will be continuous to the Tin Whare hill. Very little progress has been made with the boulder contract at the pah, and the same remarks may apply to the Pukeeruhe boulder contract.

Uruti Riding.—The work of improving the surface of metal north of Uruti is progressing, and completion is expected during the current month. On the Uruti Road a start was made with the earthwork preparatory to metalling, but progress was hindered with the broken weather. In view of the Public Wofks Department allowing the council to operate in their pit (Ratcliffe’s) I suggest that' metal to be obtained from Jones’ pit he transfer/ed to the (Government pit. and that tenders be called, closing at an early date, for spawling 1500 yards of boulders. It was decided to call alternative i-tenders for 2000 yards of metal from either pit, to be delivered on the crusher site at Uruti.

Mokau Riding.—The plans submitted for improving the Parininihi tunnel and Coast Road bridges have been approvi ed. and I am endeavouring to procure labour to proceed with the work. The roadman appointed to Kotare arrives Chis week, and will proceed forthwith to his destination. I have applied to the Grown requesting a site for a roadman’s Tfttage at Kotare, and in the meantime all timber and material will be -prepared in Waitara and forwarded to the site ready for erection. In regard to the renovation of the Parininihi tunnel, the engineer recommended that the floor be lowered instead of being Handed. This would cheaper and reduce maintenance cost. It is hoped to proceed with the •work at once. The report was adopted. A PROPOSED DEVIATION. Tn reference to the request made by ».(-t tiers of the Piko Road to deviate and form- the Piko Road through to Connect with the Junction Road, the district engineer of the Public Works Department (Mr. T. M. Ball) asked for i information concerning the locality of I the proposed deviation, length of road | t j be formed, estimate of cost, grades, i’distances, etc., to enable him to report i on the work. The chairman said the proposed deviation, which went through rough country, was a work of some magnitude. and a great deal of work was entailed in obtaining the information desired. To connect with the Junction *Rcad the deviation would have to pass through some of the Inglewood County Council’s territory, and the consent of that bodv would* have to be obtained. •H< did not know if they were favourable to the work being carried out. The matter was referred to the engineer to confer with the district engineer of the Public Works Department.

UPKEEP OF MAIN ROADS. 1 The engineer submitted information 'required by the council of the Main IHighways Board, in which it was re-k-ommen’ded that the Main North and Mimi-Mokau roads be declared main ‘highways. Particulars of the present *.tate of the roads, bridges and culverts were given. The length of main road formed was 45 miles, of which 33 miles ihad been surfaced. The average cost of maintenance for the last three years •for Waitara-Uruti section (20 miles •only) was £3004 for roads and £5230 for bridges. The estimated cost of bringing maintenance up to reasonable standard was £6OO a mile. The aver<age daily vehicular traffic taken at the Waihi toll-gate was 57 vehicles. The maintenance cost between Waitara •borough and Uruti only was £l5O a •mile per annum and £2Ol a mile per 'annum for bridges, making a total of • £4ll a mile of road per annum on the Waitara-Uruti section. USE OF GOVERNMENT PIT. Concerning the proposal to call tenders for quarrying metal at the Government pit. Cr. Barnitt considered it was a great mistake to quarry metal from the Government pit when it could be obtained cheaper from Jones’ pit. Mr. Dowsett suggested that tenders be called for 1500 yards, and the tenderers could get the metal from either pit, so long as it was delivered at the crusher sites. This was agreed to. and it was further decided that the amount of metal be increased to 2000 yards. PARININIHI TUNNEL. Tn referring to the proposed improve- , jjxents to the Parininihi tunnel, the en-

gineer said thal he had been unsuccessful in his endeavours to procure labour to proceed with the work. He considered it would be better to lower the tunnel, as little work would be required for maintenance, and it would be a cheaper job. Further, he was sure that the lowering of the floor would eliminate all the trouble that they had had with the entrance and the floor of the tunnel. Hp therefore proposed that the district engineer be communicated with and requested to examine the tunnel and give his opinion. GENERAL. Mr. F. C. Jones, of Kotare, wrote to the effect that the settlers of that district were anxious to ascertain which road reserve was to be utilised foi the surfaceman’s cottage and paddock. It was pointed out that many oi/the road reserves were originally intended to go into the adjoining sections, and some were of importance to settlers for the successful working of their farms, such as fords, water fot stock, and holding paddocks. It was recommended that the members of the council, appointed to go into the matter should interview the settler £ before coming to any decision.—The matter was held over. The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Co., Stratford, wrote asking for permission to obtain Sandstone from the pit on the Junction Road, above Mr. W. F. Dowman’s place.—Permission was granted, euhject to leaving the road in good order. A letter was received from the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. J. G. Coates) stating that the request for metalling a portion of the Okau Road by the Government would be given every consideration. A circular was received from the Secretary of Labour calling attention to a special meeting to ibe held durihg the month for the purpose of deciding on v.hat working day of the week the statutory half-holiday for shops in the district should be observed.—lt was considered that it was not necessary to hold a meeting, as one had never yet been called before. The engineer was appointed inspector under the Taranaki counties’ joint bylaws. The Public Works Department forwarded a Gazette notice declaring that 1 the South Matau Road deviation, in the Ngatimaru survey district, had been oroclaimed a Government road, and that {he old Matau South Road, which gave access to an education reserve in block VI., had been closed.

Regarding the deviation at Garland’s bend, on the Piko Road, the chairman, Cr. Sutton and the engineer were appointed to inspect the spot and discuss the matter.