WHANGAMOMONA COUNTY

Taranaki Daily News, 17 July 1929, Page 4

WHANGAMOMONA COUNTY

WORK OF .MONTH REVIEWED MONTHLY MEETING OE COUNCIL. MOK I RESERVE DIFFICULTY. The monthly meeting of the Whangamomona County Council was held on Monday, when there were present: Crs. N. C. Cleland (chairman), J. Law, G. Gower, N. P. Ford, W. J. Rawlinson, B. Newstroski and E. B. Roberton. Mr. AV. J. Polson, M.P. for Stratford, forwarded notification to the efiect that after obtaining reports from the department and the State Forest Service, the Minister of Lands had definitely turned down the request made by a deputation at Whangamomona that the Moki timber reserve should be opened up, on the grounds that it was impracticable. S Cr. Law said no reasons were given.

The chairman said that was only one of the many requests that had been turned down. It was comparatively easy country, but the unfortunate part was that the council had to maintain three miles of road passing through it in order to get to a settler. He recognised it was being held up on account of the timber, but he thought it would be many years before conditions would alter to permit of the milling and handling of the timber. There was about 10,000,000 feet of timber. The block of about 4000 acres was divided into 400 or 500-acre sections.

Cr. Law said the reserve was keeping settlement back, and he suggested that a resolution should be passed regretting the refusal by the department to open up the country and pressing on the member for the district the importance of having the land opened up in view of the fact, that all efforts to dispose of the milling rights had failed and that it was isolating other settlers and making it more difficult for them to faim their sections. Indeed, it had a retarding effect on the settlement of the whole district. The chairman said the milling rights had been sold once, but after payment of a considerable sum the purchaser was released. , The resolution suggested was passed and will be forwarded to Mr. Polson. RAILWAY CROSSINGS. The railway district engineer, _ Wanganui, forwarded a copy of a circular Tetter pointing out that the motor regulations placed the responsibility of erectin" the St. Andrew’s Cross railway signs on° the local body, whether the railway was public or private. The letter also forwarded particulars of the distances, etc., at which the signs were to be erected and the manner in which they were to be equipped with information placards. Members considered the warning signs would serve their purpose better if they were actually on the by-road instead of being placed some distance along the main road. The chairman said there were only three or four crossings in which the council was interested and it was decided to make investigations with a view to seeing if the warnings complied with the regulations.

HEAVY TRAFFIC BY-LAWS. Mr. D. E. L. Rose, honorary secretary of* the Whangamomona branch of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, forwarded a copy of a resolution expressing the opinion that the council should bring into operation the by-law governing heavy traffic, thereby prohibiting heavy lorry traffic on the clay roads m the county during the winter months. The clerk stated that the regulations provided for a limit of the load in fourth class roads to 2j tons. That would apply all the year round. Cr. Law said the Public Works Department was tearing up one of the Cr. Rawlinson thought the council should make every effort to check the damage. There was a regulation whereby any extraordinary damage done to a road had to be paid for by those who did the damage. ' It was stated that the council had no by-laws but worked under the motor Te Cr! a Gower thought that if the council

had by-laws they would result in a lot of the heavy carting being carried out in the summer instead of in the winter. There should certainly be some by-law governing the matter. A number of settlers were doing their utmost to keep a road in good order and perhaps one of two by heavy carting in the winter would ruin the road.

The chairman said the whole question of by-laws was now being dealt with by the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association and it was resolved to reply accordingly. GOVERNMENT GRANTS. The chairman reported that with Crs. Law and Gower he had interviewed Mr. P. Keller, district engineer, in connection with the amounts of Government grants to be placed on the estimates. In view of the heavy burdens the settlers were meeting in the way of rates, etc., it was decided to ask for metalling grants on a £3 for £l. subsidy’ basis as follows: —Kohuratahi Road, £6000; Putikituna Road, £1125; Mangare Road, £1125. Regarding bridges it was understood that the construction of the bridges over the Mangapapa stream and also° over the Arnold stream on the Whangamomona Road had been authorised. They had also asked for the Miro stream bridge on the Whangamomona Road and two bridges on the Kohuratahi Road. In regard to the suspension bridge over the Tangarakau on "the Kohuratahi Road it was understood that it was proposed to inspect the bridge with a view either to renewing or repairing it. The erection of the Tirohanga bridge would be held over till next year. The chairman said that as the results of representations made it was hoped the council’s share of the cost of metalling the Kohuratahi Road would be foiuid by the Ministers of Public Works and of Lands. The council’s greatest difficulty would be in finding the money for the Putikituna and Mangare Roads. He noticed, however, that as the result of the efforts of Messrs. S. G. Smith and C. A. Wilkinson, M’s.P., the Taranaki County Council had secured, some small loans from the State Advances Department, and it was resolved to place the matter bef re Mr. Polson to ascertain whether the council could secure the money from that department. Cr. Gower said that with the security offering on the Putikituna Road it should°be possible to dispose of the debentures in Stratford. - The chairman reported that ■with Crs. Gower and Haw he had inspected the Marangai Road. Last year the council had expended over £lO9 on the load and could easily spend another £lOO. The road had not recovered from the flood of 1924. The rates accruing to the road were about £OO per annum, and it would cost more to put the road in repair than they could ever hope to get from rates. The valuation had been lowered so much that it had practically disappeared. The committee thought it would be better to apply to the Government for. a sum sufficient to put the road in good repair and then possibly they might maintain it from the rates. It was resolved that the member for the district be anproached with a view to providing sufficient money to put the road in order. In the course of discussion it was stated that it was a ease of maintaining five miles of saddle to give access to two settlers.

RATE FOR THE YEAR. The question of the rate to be struck for the ensuing year was discussed. The clerk stated that the riding balances as at March 31 were as follow: —Strathmore. credit £B9B 10s 6d; Pohokura, credit £57 19s; Central, debit £-2724 4s 4d; Tahora, credit' £325 15s 7d. 'l he rates struck last year were:—Strathmore bd, estimated to produce £llO5 13s 6d; Pohokura Bd, estimated to produce 19s 4d; Central 9Jd, estimated to produce £1507 14s 9d; Tahora 7d, estimated to produce £1398 13s 9d. As compared with the previous year Strathmore had improved its position by £l9O, Pohokura riding by £4O and Central by £076, while Tahora had gone back oy £139 Cr. Ford considered the rate in the Strathmore' riding could be reduced by 4d, representing £9O, and the other councillors agreed. It was, however, held that the position of the other ridin"S did not warrant any reduction. Notice was accordingly given by councillors of intention to move at the next meeting that the rate for the be struck as follows:—Strathmore, 5Jd; Pohokura, 8d; Central, 9Jd; Tahora, id.

RIDING BUSINESS. The action of Cr. Ford in engaging labour to repair a culvert on. the Mangaehu Road was approved. Authority was given to procure 14 9-iuch pipes for the Strathmore riding. Cr. Law reported that a huge slip had come down on the Marco Road for’ a distance of about ten chains. .As the surfaceman had estimated that it would take him a month to clear it he had engaged assistance. The chairman said that a bluff 100 feet high had come down, probably as the result of the earthquake. Cr. Law reported that the lower end of the Marco Road was in a bad state. Cr. Roberton drew attention to the state of a bridge on the Moki Road — The matter was left in the hands of tne riding members. _ A. K. Schinkel, surfaceman at Kohuratahi, wrote approving of the proposal that surfacemen work 8J hours a day tor live days and “knock off’ at noon on Saturday. „ . The secretary said the majority of the surfacemen favoured the idea, and it was unanimously agreed to adopt those hours as from July 22 The bank balance showed credits as follows: Strathmore riding bridge fund, £l4 16s: Central riding bridge fund, £BB 3s sd; road-making Memory loan, £1275 4s 3d; county fund, £1770 las 6d, thirds, £l2OO 7s 3d. . A committee comprising tne chanman, Crs. Law and Ford was set up to see to the disposal of the horses, drays etc. The council discussed the question of the purchase of a tractor and giadei, and Ft was decided to defer further consideiation pending investigation. The nuortior, of J’S it the man roads was deterred Until it was known whether the Whangamomona Road would be declared a secondaiy h ’lt'wms decided to impose the 10 per cent, penalty on all rates unpaid after July 31.