EGMONT COUNTY AFFAIRS

Taranaki Daily News, 13 November 1929, Page 16

EGMONT COUNTY AFFAIRS

WORK ON ROADS & BRIDGES MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL. ENGINEER REVIEWS ACTIVITIES.

The meeting of the Egmont County Council was held yesterday when there were present Cra. W. C. Green (chairman), J. Young, E. G. Holmes, A. J. Lilley, J. S. Tosland, A. E. Collins, J. F. Shepherd and R. C. Watson. Leave of absence was granted Cr. Gibson. The ■ county engineer (Mr, J. G. McIv.or) reported as follows for the month ending November 9:— The gap of 11 chains at the Rautini stream has been grouted and sealed. The contractors have made a start with the sealing coat from Puniho south, but broken weather has delayed the work, about 2} miles being completed. The Puneliu hill has been heavily patched and blinded. Banking and water-tabling have been done and shoulders graded from Kahotu to Pihama. Asphalt has been gritted where necessary. Two hundred square yards of footpath and the kerb channel at Kahotu have been . laid. A little banking has been done and water-tables trimmed on Eltham Road. Sixteen chains of drains have been cleared and shoulders graded from the- Main South Road to Taungatara. Eleven chains of drain have been cleared on Skeet Road and the road graded and blinded. On the Ihaia Road , metal portions have been patched and blinded. A little coldpatching has . been done to the edges of the asphalt. Oeo Riding.—Thirty chains of the Watino Road from, the Main. South Road have been metalled and waterbound, using 270 cubic ya ds of metal. Patiki and Nopera roads have been graded and blinded. Water-tables have been cleaned on the Oeo and Opunake roads. On the Kiri Road eight chains of drain were cleaned and a culvert lengthened. Titahi Road has been graded. Opua Riding—Upper and Lower Kina and Waiteika roads have been graded. Spoil on_ the Hitona Road has been spread and formed up for 20 chains, as far as the drains are completed. A few chains’ of the Lower Waiteika is being metalled with crushed pit metal. Draining and patching has been done on the Kaweora Road.

Rahotu Riding.—The whole of the Ngariki Road has been put in fair order, and the portion above Wright’s handed over to the sawmiller for surface maintenance. One hundred and eighty-five cubic yards of pit' metal was used for this work. Manila, Kahui and Rahotu roads have been patched and blinded, the roller being used for the work. Newall Riding.—Seventeen chains of the'Paora Road were metalled, using 192 cubic yards of pit metal. Abojit 20 chains "of tlih road remain to be done. On the Pungarehu Road a'bout ten chains have been scarified, shaped up and rolled and patching done. Newall Road has been patched and 17 chains of drains cleared on the Mirakau Road.

The Ngariki Road job (Magee’s) has been completed. The Tauru Road draining is nearly finished, 30 chains oi drains being dug, one 12in. culvert placed and an existing culvert lowered. Oeo bridge plans arc complete and proposals are nearly ready for approval by the Main Highways Board. Proposals have been completed for about 70 chains of formation on the Upper Arawhata Road, and Oaoiti bridge plans are well in hand. The report was adopted. As soon as plans, of the Oeo bridge are approved tenders will be called for the work. '

! HEAVY TRAFFIC FEES. The Opunake Town Board submitted a statement of heavy license traffic fees collected from June 1 to August 31, The total amount was £126 10s 9d, of which the Egmont County Council’s share would be £5O 4s 3d. The clerk stated that one contractor had since paid his heavy license fees, but even allowing for that the amount was below last year. The chairman considered some of the lorries must be paying considerably below the fee for the class to which they belonged. Some of the lorries were carrying 5-ton loads. The engineer was instructed to check all heavy traffic vehicles using the roads. z Cr. Tosland took exception to the action of the Opunake Town Board in deducting its year’s quota from the first quarters receipts. The chairman, engineer and clerk were authorised to meet the town board and go into the matter. The county ranger (Mr. F. Williams) reported that a few head of cattle and horses had been found wandering on the, roads, the total for the month of October being 47. Stock had been impounded in the Okato and Opunake pounds and he had ten cases pending for next Court day. Cr. Tosland considered the ranger

should notify owners of cattle immediately he drove straying stock into their paddocks. Or. Lilley said the ranger had asked for some paddock to be provided near Rahotu where he could impound stock, as there was no pound nearer than Opunako or Oka to. The chairman was authorised to endeavour to make some arrangement for a holding paddock at Rahotu. Notification was received from the executive of the New Zealand Counties’ Association to the effect that it was proposed to publish a model set of by-laws which, if adopted by each county council, would be universal, thus reducing ambiguity and assuring easy understanding to all ratepayers and the public generally. It was expected that the cost if sufficient county councils joined in would be £lO, or even less. Cr. Tosland considered it was very desirable that there should be uniform by-laws, and no doubt the matter would be discussed by the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association. The chairman said there was no question that the by-laws required revising, particularly in regard to the speed of motor cars through villages and round corners. With the present limit of 12 miles per hour through villages it would take about four hours to drive to Hawera. Every day the regulations were being broken and motorists were liable to prosecution. He had brought the matter up on several occasions but it was felt that it was not advisable to take any action until the by-laws were completely reviewed. If they could get the universal by-laws at the moderate cost stated that would be much cheaper than the cost of revising their own by-laws. It was resolved to approve of the universal by-laws.

GOVERNMENT GRANTS. Mr. C. A, Wilkinson, M.P., forwarded a letter from the Hon. E. A. Ransom, Minister of Public Works, stating that arrangements had been made for work to be commenced on Opua Road early in November. He had .also authorised the construction of a further section of Kaweora Road in order to provide further employment for men who had been working on that road and on Wiremu Road. In a covering letter Mr. Wilkinson asked that the council facilitate .matters. He trusted the council would do everything to help roads covered by Public Works votes so that votes passed by Parliament should be used and the works completed. By last year’s Public Works statement it would be seen that the figures were: 1928-29, voted £12,945, spent £7311; 1929-30, yoted £15,127. The Opunake post office, he said, should be able to advise regarding men available.

The chairman said there appeared to be a tremendous amount of money (£15,000) available, but -that included work done by the Government on the Wiremu Road, together with the bridges. The council generally received between £2OOO and £3OOO. Some of the money had already been expended by the council in advance against the grant.

The clerk said the council had made arrangements to expend all its allocation, but the Government included in the £15,000 all the money that had been expended on relief work, bridges, etc. Mr. Wilkinson forwarded a copy of a letter from Mr. Ransom stating that ho would look fully into the matter of subsidising a special loan of £5OO for the purpose of forming and metalling portions of Newall Road between the Main and Warea roads. The Minister also stated that he would look fully into the matter of providing a Government subsidy of £BOO (£2 for £1) on a special loan of £-100 to be raised by the settlers on the Egmont county side of the Puniho Road (upper) for the purpose of forming and metalling portions of the road.

It was reported that £5OO had been placed on the estimates for the Newall Road.

A petition signed by .15 ratepayers of the Newall Road was submitted asking the council to take the necessary steps to raise a loan of £5OO on the Newall Road.

In connection with proposed relief works the Public Works Department asked for information regarding standard and relief works at present being done.

The district engineer (Mr. P. Keller) notified that the question of doing the necessary formation and draining on the Upper Arawhata Road was being considered in connection with relief work. Although a definite promise could not be given that the work would be done, he asked that plans should be prepared as that in itself would be of considerable assistance in the event of there being an opportunity of carrying out the work. The Public Works Department notified payment to the council’s account of £B2 Is 4d on account of the Heimama stream bridge.

NGARIKI ROAD DRAINS. Mr. A. E. Williams, Ngariki Road, waited on the council and asked that it should give attention to the drains on his frontage. He pointed out that the council had three outlets from the drain into his property. As nothing had been done by the county to the drain for the past 20 years thirty-five chains of drain were affected. He was also speaking on behalf of the settler on the opposite side of the road. The chairman said he had always held it was the duty of the county to clear drains where they had been made for road purposes, but the council had introduced the principle that the settlers should contribute to the cost. • Cr. Collins considered attention to drains was one of the most important works of the road men.

The engineer was authorised to clear the drains. The necessity for erecting a protection fence at the Okahu River, where there was a danger to cattle driven along the road, was referred to the engineer. The chairman and Cr. J. S. Tosland were appointed to represent the council at the meeting of the Taranaki Local Bodies Association, The engineer was authorised to round the corners at the Waiteake and Mataikahawau roads. It was resolved to draw up an agreement between the council and Mr. Erni, sawmiller, regarding the maintenance of the Ngariki Road. Cr. Young drew attention to the need for backing up the bitumen at the sides of the roads. The chairman questioned if the grader had done the work anticipated. He considered the injudicious use of the grader had been responsible for. the dust blowing away from the side of the roads and so causing the bitumen to break away. The engineer held that the grader was doing good work in taking off shoulders. The most serious problem councils now had to face, said Cr. Collins, was to preserve the roads that had already been put down, and that could be done only by protecting the shoulders. The. engineer stated, this was beinjj dona. ’