EGMONT COUNTY AFFAIRS

Taranaki Daily News, 10 July 1929, Page 14

EGMONT COUNTY AFFAIRS

MEETING OF COUNCIL ESTIMATES FOR COMING YEAR. STRIKING OF RATES DEFERRED. The monthly meeting of the Egmont County Council was held yesterday, when there were present: Crs. J. Young, E. C.'Holmes, A. J. Lilley, J. S. Toeland, E. A. Collins and J. F. Shepherd. Leave of absence was granted the chairman (Cr. W. C. Green) and Cr. G. Gibeon. Cr. J. Young was voted to, the chair. The engineer (Mr. J. G. Mclvor) reSorted as follows on the work done uring the month ending July 6:— The lower end of Ihaia Road, 49 chains, has been re-metalled and waterbound. The. Mangahume stream bridge has been taken over. The Punehu and Pikitahi hills have been patched. Banking and water-tabling have been attended to. The grader is at work north of Opunake. Water-tables have been cleared and banking done on the Eltham Road. Skeet Road has been patched. The repairs to the Ouri bridge have been completed, except for the removal of the falsework. Draining and wator- | tabling have been done on the Ihaia .Road. ? Oeo Riding.— A further 15 chains at J the upper end of the Patiki Road have been scarified, strengthened and waterbound. The lower end of the road has been patched throughout. Patching has vbeen done on the Kiri, Watino and LPuketapu Roads. Opua, Riding.—The Upper Arawhata ,and Wiremu Roads have been patched, as Fifteen chains of drain on the Kaweora /and nine chains on the Opua Road have been cleaned. The pit on the Opua .Road has been stripped, and with the assistance of settlers heavy repairs will rbe made to the road. The Lower Waijfteika Road has been patched and graded ;and 20 chains of drains cleared. A Rahotu Riding.—Considerable work has again been done on the Kahui Main Road. Thirty chains have been re-metal-led and water-bound, and wet weather necessitated heavy patching and tabling at the lower end. Patching, draining and tabling have been done on the upper /road. The Lower Parihaka Road has been patched throughout, and a little patching done on the Upper Parihaka. Opourapa Road has been patched and '2O chains of drain cleared on the Greg- , ory Road. Draining, patching and water-tabling have been done on the Ngariki. Newall Riding,—About 100 chains of drain have been cleared on Newall Road. On the Stent Road a culvert has been /lowered and drains cleared. Warea Road has been patched and tabled. The small bridge on the Okahu Road (Dirtyman’s Creek) has been patched and a guard 'fence erected. Foremen Pointon and Goodin resigned the end of June. WORKS COMMITTEE REPORT. The works committee reported having discussed main highways estimates for the coming year and decided to sub,mit proposals as follows:— Constructing,—Roads: Oeo deviation (formation), completion of main roads reconstruction ■at Rautini stream and Oeo. Bridges: Oeo stream, Oaoiti stream and Punehu stream bridges. Maintenance (bitumenous sealing).— Main South Road, 5 miles 5 chains from Waitikauri stream to Puniho Road; ElA tham Road, 5 miles 4 chains from Taungatara River to Awatuna; re-metalling and sealing Skeet-Patiki Road, one mile; Ihaia Road, re-metalling and sealing 50 chains and re-shaping and strengtnening, 40 chains; Kahui Road (if declared a secondary highway), re-metal and seal 40 chains; general maintenance, drains, water-tables, bridges, culverts and banking on all highways. The committee inspected. the draining work on the Hitona Road and considered it was generally satisfactory and necessary. The committee recommended that the drain on Dobb : n’s side be also continued as far as the other one.

The committee also inspected the Ngariki Road and recommended.. that Mr. Larsen be allowed to cart timber over the road on condition that he maintains the length above Mr. Wright’s and pays 6d per 100 superficial feet all the year towards the upkeep of the lower portion The grants committee reported that it had been decided to apply lor grants as follows: Upper Ihaia, £5OO free in addition to £250; Kaweora Road, £250 free in addition to work now being done; Stratford Road, £250; Mirikau, amount promised by Minister; Tauru, £5OO free; Hitona, £l5O additional; Kiri Road, £100; Upper Kahui Road, £2OO (£1 for £1)'; Arawhata Road, £240 free additional; Newall Road, £5OO free.

Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, M.P., notified that he was making inquiries in connection with a grant tor a bridge over the Waitotara stream, Parihaka pa, which it was stated the former Minister of Public Works had promised when visiting the district. Mr. Wilkinson also stated that he would use his best endeavours to have the Opua Road opened up as far as the Wiremu Road. Mr. Wilkinson wrote stating that the Minister of Public Works, the Hon. E. A. Ransom, had advised that the Main Highways Board had decided to subsidise the cost of the Oeo deviation on the basis of £3 for £l. The special committee reported having arranged to purchase the necessary land by paying the sum of £BO as compensation, fencing the roadway with a sheep proof fence, paying all costs of transfer, and handing over the present road to the native owner. ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE. The clerk submitted the estimate of expenditure for the ensuing year totalling £16,111, the principal items being: Administration £1759; main highways £1920; secondary highways £567; main roads £900; antecedent liability repayment £810; interest and sinking fund on county loans £7200; new plant and machinery £7OO. Estimated county revenue was £940, namely, heavy traffic fees and licenses £700; rents £140; refunds petrol, etc, £lOO. This left a total of £15,171, which was allocated to the various ridings on a valuation basis as follows: Oeo £4763, Opua £3712, Rahotu ”£3784, Newall £2912. The hospital levy for the year was £lBB6 15s.

The estimates .for the various ridings were as follows: —Oeo: Expenditure £5221 (including proportion of general expenditure £4763); receipts/ £1284; credit balance at March 31, £740, outotanding rates £l6O, Government subsidy £384. leaving a balance of £3937.

Opua: Expenditure £4531 (including debit balance at March 31, £522, .proportion of general expenditure £3722); receipts, £1486 (Government subsidy £262, outstanding rates £966, refunds £257). Rahotu: Expenditure, £6361 (debit balance £2277, proportion of general expenditure £3784); receipts, £1753 (Government £261, outstanding rates £927; refunds £565); balance, £4608. Newall: Expenditure, £3134 (proportion general expenditure £2912); receipts, £729 (credit balance £B2, outstanding rates £423, Government subsidy £224); balance, £2405. Owing to the absence of the chairman and two members of the council it was decided to defer consideration of the estimates and the striking of the rates until Saturday next. Mr. G. H. Hutton, manager of the Bank of New Zealand, notified that his head office had approved of the overdraft limit being £13,493. A committee consisting of Crs. Shepherd and Collins was set up to report on the repairs necessary to put the surfaceman’s residence at Te Kiri in order.

The Public Works Department notified payment to the council’s account of £lB 18s 6d, being subsidy on maintenance work on the Sheet Road. A letter was received from the Mayor of New Plymouth in connection with the advancement of aviation and forwarding copies of resolutions passed at the conference. The resolutions were in the direction of urging the Government to introduce legislation empowering local bodies to make contributions towards acquiring, improving and maintaining aerodromes, and to raise loans for the purpose of acquiring sites for aerodromes, whether outside their area or not. Another resolution was in the direction of forming a committee in North Taranaki comprising local bodies, chambers of commerce and aero clubs for the general purpose of furthering the interests of aviation.