INGLEWOOD COUNTY

Taranaki Daily News, 2 October 1929, Page 7

INGLEWOOD COUNTY

REVIEW OF THE FINANCES UPKEEP OF ROADS AND BRIDGES. MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL. The monthly meeting of the Inglewood County Council was held yesterday,, when there were present: Crs. A. Corkill (chairman), R. Stuart, J. Hunter, W. N. Willans, J. Grieve, D. A. Brown; H. R.. Jones, J.:Stachurski and A'. E. Cowley. The clerk (Mr. B. LarSon) submitted a financial statement Showing that the debit balance on October 1 was £9465 16s 4d. On main county roads £lB had been expended, leaving £132 available for expenditure. On main highways £1879 \Jiad been expended, .leaving.£l99l available. In the north riding £298 had been expended, leaving £497 available. In the. south riding .£1437 had - been, expended, leaving■ .£291 available. In. the. east -riding- £B3 had been expended, leaving £365 -■ available. In the west : riding £916 had been expended and £315 was available. The original riding estimate totalled .£3870 and £2734 . had been expended, leaving £1136 available, which with contingencies ( £352) left a total of £l4BB. Of the £21,146 estimated receipts so far £3828 had been received, leaving a balance of £17,318, Estimates, with.. the amount received in parentheses, -were as follow: General ..receipts, £3318 ( £2216); .arrears of rates, £BOO ( £491); subsidies on highways', £2160 (£850); rates for current '.year, £14,868 (£271). The estimated expenditure was £21,146, and so -far £8639 had been expended, leaving £12,51'7 available. CONSULTING -ENGINEER’S REPORT., ■ The consulting .engineer' (Mr. C. F. Dowsett) reported:— The fourth mile of the main highway?, Kaimata to Purahgi, work haslbecn laid off, levels ' taken and -plans completed. The whole distance therefore from Kai-mata-’to the Tariki Road junction is ready for approval. I propose to improve the gradient at the inter-section of the Tariki Road with the Junction Road. Owing to te absence of all marks and positions on the Bedford Road (south of Norfolk Road), considerable work has been required. to prove that the existing formation is on the legal road line. It was necessary to proceed as far as the Derby Road to obtain. reliable information and - thereafter connect with the Norfolk-Bedford Road.- intersection. The result indicates that the present track is within its correct boundaries, but at two points in particular the. fences are encroaching on the road, the. liability being on the, adjoining owners for. readjustment. ~ It is to be regretted that the contractor for the.Wortley Road formation and metal did not lake full advantage of the fine weather during September and put on sufficient strength to complete instead of attempting' the work with very limited transport. The amount of metal put down during the month is approximately 200 cubic yards and the distance to complete about 18 chains. The Bedford-Upland Road formation and metal contractor is a.waiting favourable weather and the opportunity for the engagement of the crusher plant to proceed with the contract. The report was adopted. The matter of a culvert, at Atkinson’s was referred to the engineer. It ■ was resolved that the overseer, examine all the culverts on the Junction Road between Kaimata and Tariki Road and report at the next meeting. OVERSEER’S REPORT. The overseer (Mr, ,G. Barrack) reP °Nori;ii Riding—Kaimata North Road has been scarified, graded, rolled and blinded for a good part of its length. Bristol Rbad has also been scarified in the rough portions from the Maunganui River to Waitui ■ Riniutaiiteka P : I. as received ."'attention, sclirifying and rolling being done'where necessary. Eighteen cubic yards of metal were carted out of the pit at Waitui and 12 yards from the Maunganui depot and spread on a weak, part of the road near Corrigan’s. Metal was also rolled and blinded both here and in front of the hall at Waitui. Blinding has been done on parts of the Lincoln Road.. Loose stones are being raked, oil the Da\is Road and blinding done. South Riding.—Blinding has been done on the Tariki Road and banking up and blinding on the Ratapiko Road. Along with Cr - Willans I inspected the Makara Road leading to Mr. Budge’s farm. One cutting could bo widened to advantage and the spoil used for raising a filling to give a better grade, A gate put across the road by one of the settlers be removed. A few weak parts on the Kaimata South Road will have to ' be strengthened. A weak part on the Mangaotea Road will also receive attention. Water-tabling and blinding have been done from the Maunganui River towards Tariki. Rugby Road is being watertabled and outlets cleared. East Riding.—A small bridge has been temporarily repaired on the Autawa Road, and gravel has been zaked in where necessary. Slips have been cleared ’ off the Otaraoa Road, and blinding will be done as soon as possible. Half of the stringers have arrived for the bridge. A weak portion of the road near Lawrence’s will bo . strengthened A few ninus insignia trees are being planted to fill "aps- in the plantation at Tarata. West Riding—Surrey Road has been water-tabled and- patched. . On Goble s . contract on the Durhaip, Road about 300 cubic yards of boulders have been. cart-.

ed out ready for crushing. . Crushing was finished in Susan’s pit on the Lepper Road about the middle of the month. Altogether 962 cubic yards were crushed. Two° hundred and eighty yards were dumped for maintenance on various roads, and 682 cubic yards spread, rolled and blinded on the Hursthouse and Lepper roads. The total cost was £262 5s Hd. ' . , The Anderson crusher was shifted to the Waiwakaiho depot to crush metal for the lower end of the Egmont South Road. This contract is almost completed. The Rotary crusher will then be set up . at the Lepper-Carrington depot to crush metal for the upper end of the road. Patching with gravel has been done from Tarata towards Purangi. Small slips have been cleared. Dangerous corners oh the Purangi Saddle are being removed to allow of a better view. Slips have been, cleared off the Tarata. ZigZag and blinding with sandstone is being done. Gravel is being carted out of the Tai'ata pit for patching. Parts of the road towards Kaimata are getting very rough -and want attention. The ranger reported that he had found the roads lair-ly free from wandering stock. Four head were seized but were released by their owners. Action will ' have to be taken against some settlers on the Bristol Road for failing to. cut blackberries. There had been no trouble with lorries an the side roads. : Numerous motorists had. been asked to show their driving license. Less trouble had been experienced regarding sledging on . the roads. Cr. Jones said that the- Junction Road was getting very rough and he would like to know what the council intended to do ..with it. He considered that even if the council could not "afford to strengthen the road it’might arrange to have sections of it scarified and rolled. — It was decided to instruct the overseer to effect repairs where most necessary between Kaimata and the Zig-Zag. If was resolved to lease a small portion of the reserve af the Ngatoro to W. Dowman at a nominal rental of Is per year, he to fence -the section and eradicate noxious weeds. " Cr. Jones asked that a report be submitted at the next meeting showing the actual cost of manufacturing the pipes at the county depot; MAIN HIGHWAYS MATTERS. The Main Highways Board wrote Approving of payment of £l9l on a £2 for £1 subsidy basis for maintenance of the highway between V/aiongona and Waipuku streams. Mr. P. Keller the Highways Board’s representative, notified that there appeared to be a general impression among local bodies, based on statements appearing in the Press, that the Main Highways Board would have funds available to the extent of over £209,000 more than was anticipated when the usual allocations for the current estimates were made known. He had therefore asked the board to state the position and liad received advice that there would be no increase in the amount available to the board ‘ for construction purposes. The board regretted that it would be unable to make an alteration in the amounts which had been tentatively approved for the current year’s’ operations. The clerk stated that the council’s share was very little more than the amount that it had - been estimated would'be required for maintenance. The Highways Board notified approval of expenditure of £1127 5s on a £3 for. £1 subsidy basis for work on the Egmont Road between Egmont Village and the radius line, a distance of 5| miles, . the total cost of which was £1495. Mr. P. Keller wrote in regard to the proposal to seal 305 chains of the Junc- . tion Road that the board was unable to make funds available to subsidise 'the work at the present time. He also advised that authorisations this year [ amounted to £505 17s 4d, made up of [ £ll9 15s recently authorised and £386 2s 4d as the balance held at April 1. That would subsidise an expenditure of £758 16s 6d, which was the amount of the council’s estimate for ordinary maintenance. He also stated that £l5OO was being made available for authorisation, L so that a further. sum of £994 2s 8d I might bo authorised if "required. OTARAOA ROAD. In connection with a letter from the Inglewood council-asking payment for x,lls, the average cost of 7i chains ’ of metal on the Otaraoa Road alleged to have been laid down on the Clifton side of the county boundary, the Clifton county clerk replied that according to the record schedule of the description of the boundaries between Clifton and ’ Inglewood counties, as shown in the ' Gazette of March 9. 1922, the .portion of road appeared to be entirely within the Inglewood county. If, he added, the council would compare the boundary line as shown in the Gazette with the map he : thought it would be. found that' the Clifton council was under no liability for a refund in respect to the cost of that portion of the unmetalled road as claimed by the council. c The chairman considered the Clifton County Council was taking a rather harsh view of the matter, and on his motion it was resolved to wait on the Clifton council at its next meeting. Cr. J. Grieve pointed out that the ratepayers were paying 6d in the £1 rates on that metalling and could not afford to pay for 7| chains in another county. Mr. L. W. Lovell, secretary of the Nor*h Committee of the Egmont National Park Board, wrote asking permission to cut down several small trees at the top of Egmont Road which were a danger to the new lodge erected at the mountain gate. The trees were small and of no value, but it was feared that if left standing a gale might bring them down on the building.—The chairman considered the request a reasonable one and it was unanimously granted. Mr. M. Nolan applied for permission to ; shift his boundary fence out to the. side i of the road for 15 chains. He pointed out that his boundary fence had been

destroyed by fern fires and he was anxious to keep it clear. —Permission was granted. In reply to the council’s request the Inglewood Borough Council notified that the water supply to Nicholls’ pit would be disconnected and no further charge made unless notification- was received that the water was being used again. A refund of £5, the curent year’s fee, would be made. Mrs. V. Pittams wrote asking that the portion of Makara Road in front of her property at Ratapiko be graded and metalled as soon as possible. At presen' they had to leave their car threequarters of a mile away and she objected to paying £23 to £25 per annum rates on roads like that.—lt was resolved to reply that it would be necessary for-the settlers concerned to raised a special loan. It was decided to purchase a 30cwt. truck, providing- that satisfactory ar-rangements-can be made for the disposal of the present plant..