EGMONT COUNTY.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 April 1926, Page 10

EGMONT COUNTY.

PAST MONTH’S OPERATIONS. REPORT OF ENGINEER. MEETING OF THE COUNCIL. The meeting of the Egmont County Council was held at Opunake yesterday. Present: Crs. W. C. Green (chairman), J. A. Pettigrew, T. H. H. Sinclair, E. A. Collins, G. Gibson, J. S. Tosland. H. Donald, J. Hickey junr., and Jas. Young. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. F. Al. C’orkill) reported as follows: Main Roads Reconstruction.—On the Ngariki Road to Oaoiti riding section, three weeks’ delay' was occasioned by the breakdown of the old crusher. A new erusher was installed and started work at the beginning of April. Only 16 chains were metalled and grouted on this section. On the Opua to Opunake section good progress was made, 54 chains being completed. The total work for the month was 70 chains, making 381 chains under this contract, and 485 chains (6 miles 5 chains) for the financial year. Signboards provided by the South Taranaki Automobile Association have been elected throughout the Alain South Road.

Bridges.—The Eltham Road culvert has been completed and opened to traffic. Good progress is being made on the foundations of the Mangahume bridge (Eltham Road), though a fresh on March 24 carried away all the timbering of the centre excavation. A new centrifugal pump was required to keep up with the works. The commencement of the Pungaereere (Rahotu Road) and Waiau (Wiremu Road) bridges still await financial arrangements. Ihaia Road Sealing.—The second coat has been put on the whole of the 129 chains previously- sealed. A further ten chains has be'en given a first coat, and this work is going on.

Maintenance.—The main roads have been patched throughout. Seven culverts on the Main Road, in the Rahotu riding, have been replaced by new pipes. All these were blocked, and were responsible for flooding of the road in the past. Work on the underpinning of the Teikaparua bridge is going on slowly. The construction of the invert to the Koteoteo culvert is well ahead.

Newall Riding.—Five pipe culverts were laid on the Psora Road, but will require further work when the road is formed. Bayly Road was patched.

Rahotu Riding.—The men have been employed continuously on the Opourapa Road, carrying on with the pit metalling H. Munro has started on his boulder contract No. 474 at the Parihaka Road.

Opua Riding.—Patching has been done on the Arayrhata. Namn and Onua roads, and draining on the Ihaia. Oeo Riding.—Sixty--eight, and a half chains were re-metalled on the Watino Road, but this work will still require seme attention, as water was very- scarce during most of the period of the work. The crushing plant went to the Upper Oeo Road on March 26, and the remetalling there is going ahead. This road requires a considerably greater thickness of metal than was allowed for when the metal was got out, and I recommend that the quantity be increased by at least 200 cubic yards while the plant is on the job. Some draining has been done on the Oeo and Nopera roads. The report was adopted. MAIN HIGHWAYS. Mr. T. AL Ball (chairman) notified that a meeting of the District HighwayCouncil would be held at an early date to cousid r any recommendations regarding the declaration of public highways as main highways. <’n the motion of Crs. Collins and Young, it was decided to request the Highways Council to give consideration t<> the application placed before it by the council last year, particularly in reference to a portion of the Skeet Road and the Pa tiki and Watino roads. HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES. The secretary- of the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association (Mr. W. J; Tristram) notified that the next meeting would be held on May 28, before which date the council should forward its decision in regard to heavy- traffic fees 101 1926-27.> The suggestion that bitumen should be purchased in bulk on behalf of all the councils concerned had also been considered, and he would be pleasod to learn what quantity- the council was likely- to require for next season, so that the matter might be dealt with at the next meeting. The chairman thought a better basis of allocation would be on the rate collected instead of on the mileage basis. There were some counties with a very big mileage of main roads which onlystruck a low rate, yet they- received niore than Egmont County, which collected and spent in road construction a heavier rate. Fifty per cent, on the mileage and 50 per cent, on the rate collected would be a better basis than : 50 per cent, tin the mileage and 50 per ( cent, on the capital value.

The clerk stated that the intention of . the Act was that it should be allocated solely on a mileage basis. Cr. Tosland thought the matter should be brought before the Counties’ Associa- I tion. It was pointed out that it was a matter that effected each particular high- i way’s group only, and that the No. 7 , group had agreed to the basis of alloca- I tion for next year. It was finally decided that the chair- ! nran and the clerk should go into the ■ i matter of the incidence of the levy- on j : the two schemes as suggested and re- I I port to the council at its next meeting. I The question of the supply- of bitu- j men was held over till next meeting,i when there will be a new council in office. Mr. F. W. Furkert, Engineer-in-Chief I and Under-Secretary of the Public ! Works Department, asked to be notified | as to whether the council was receiving I the returns as required by the motor- I lorry regulations regularly. It was also ! notified that aftyr April 1 local author- i Sties would lie expected to allocate the - proceeds of heavy traffic license fees i on the user basis. The clerk stated that the returns ‘ xi ere coining forward. The Eltham town clerk (Mr. W. I Waters) forwarded notification as to the apportionment of motor-lorry license ■ fees, showing that £224 4s had been collected within the county, which was entitled to a total of £515 16s. The balance of £291 12s would be paid by < the Opunake Town Board. ' i HIGHWAYS SUBSIDIES. J The Public Works Office, Stratford, ! J notified payment to the council’s account <

of £2422 Is 10d, being a subsidy on reconstruction work between Rahotu and Arawhata Road, on the Lepperton June-tion-Hawera, via Opunake, main highway. Payments were also notified by the Public Works Department of £132 3s on account of the Pungareero bridge, Rahotu Road; £2OO on account of Kahui Road; £2OO on account of Taikapurua bridge, Warea Road; £49 18s lOd on account of Arawhata Road; and £34 IGs Gd on account of flood damage, Awatuna-Opunake Road. Mr. T. M. Ball notified that in connection with the difficulty which had been occasioned that year in meeting claims in full as rendered by local authorities for maintenance of main highways, an arrangement had been made whereby the audit office was prepared to allow as a set off for the current year, such amount of overdraft as was proved to have been incurred against monies due and recoverable as subsidies for the Government on March 31 in connection with main highways expenditure. All claims held over on March 31 would be discharged as soon as possible. POSITION OF LOANS.

In connection with the road reconstruction loan of £45,000, which had been remitted by the Public Trustee, the finance committee recommended that £30,000 be placed on fixed deposit with the Bank of New Zealand, £15,000 for twelve months. £lO,OOO for six months, and £5OOO for three months.

In connection with the Ihaia supplementary loan of £5OO, the superintend ent of the Advances Department notified that the precedent consent of the Gov-ernor-General was now being applied for.

Mr. T. M. Ball, district engineer, notified approval.of the plans and specifications for the proposed expenditure of the grant of £lOO on the Wiremu Road, Arawhata to Ngariki. A petition was received signed by seventeen ratepayers consenting to the levying of a special rate of 8-15 d in the £1 in connection with the proposed loan of £lOOO for draining, clearing, forming and metalling the Okahu Road between the Newall and Kahui roads. In connection with the Okahu Rond loan, the superintendent of the State Advances Department notified that on receipt of the necessary special orders, etc., the council’s request for permission to pay 6 per cent, interest would be considered. THE PUNIHO ROAD CULVERT. The Taranaki County Council notified that the tender of Messrs. Gibson and Eustace at £250 for the construction of the Punilio dulvert had been accepted, pending the council’s approval. The tender was only £lO above the estimated cost, and it was presumed the council would pay the half cost. WAIAU BRIDGE. Messrs. J. S. Tosland ami J. Hickey junr.. the committee set up to interview Messrs. O’Sullivan and Wann regarding the purchase of land required for the Waiau bridge, on thd Wiremu Road, reported that Mr. Wann was so anxious to have the bridge that he was . prepared to waive all monetary consideration, but he agreed to accept £5 and any portion of the old road site on his side of the river as full compensation. Mr. O’Sullivan’s land presented a different aspect, as the land required traversed his best small paddock, and also his young plantation. A new fence was also required, and another reerected. Compensating Mr. O’Sullivan on a fair basis would mean an expenditure of- £26 ss, and they therefore recommended the payment of £3l 5.3, which would be more satisfactory, than taking the land under the Public Works Act. The report was adopted subject to the approval of the trustee. NGARIKI ROAD DEPUTATION. A deputation representative of the Ngariki Road settlers, comprising Messrs. M. Hill, N. C. Morgan, L. Billing and W. Wright asked that three sections of the road, aggregating threequarters of a mile, should be attended to. They stated that they understood the road below the crusher site was to be left in good order. The chairman stated that the road the council was carting, over was to be left in good order. In reply to Cr. Collins, Mr. Hill said that the settlers were prepared to assist as far as possible. They wore, moreover, prepared to give the stone from the Okahu River free of royalty.

! The chairman promised the deputa- . tion sympathetic treatment, and on his . motion the matter was referred to the engineer, who stated tliat the material I could be got out, but it would be two months before the plant would be available. He pointed out that the plant now on the road was under the control of the main road contractors. TENDERS ACCEPTED. Tenders were accepted as follows: Crushing and carting 500 yards of boulder stone, Lower Waiteaka Road, H. Munro. Gs Gd per yard; purchase and removal of bridge over the Teikapurua River, Warea Road, E. Aylward, £ll. GENERAL. | The Taranaki Local Bodies' Association forwarded copy of its solicitor’s opinion to the effect that the provisions ■in the joint by-laws referring to dangerous goods had been negatived by subI sequent legislation. The new law pro- | vided that before a local authority could enforce by-laws relating to dangerous | goods it must be licensed by the Gov- : ernor-Gencral in the first instance. The poundkeeper (11. Wiltshire) re- | ported having visited various roads and I having seized 2 bulls, 47 bullocks, 8 cows, 2 calves and 19 horses, i Mr. A. Callender, Opua Road, asked I tliat the drains at the side of the road should be cleared out. Cr. Tosland also | [referred to the damage done to the! Arawhata Road drains by firewood cart- j ing. The question of drains was referred to the engineer.