STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL

Taranaki Daily News, 23 December 1929, Page 20

STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL

COUNCILS MONTHLY MEETING. PROGRESS OF ROAD WORK. The monthly meeting of the Stratford County Council was held on Saturday, those present being: Messrs. T. R. Anderson (chairman), H. C. Taylor, J. C. Best, L. Bunn, J. T. Belcher, R. Mounsey, W. H. Were, T. T. Murray, W. Vickers and S. Pitt.

The engineer (Mr. J. W. Spence) reported: — North Riding.—A coat of road oil has been placed on the refaced portion of the Pembroke Road and some of the worst parts of the' Mountain Road have been repaired on the edges. A short length of Denmark Terrace cut out rather badly and has been refaced with crushed metal. It has been found necessary to heavily patch the Ackland and Croydon Roa*ds. Further quantities of shingle from the Ackland Road shingle pit have been distributed on the Beaconsfield Road. The grader has been run over the metalled portion of the Rutland and the York Roads. Seven deck planks on the Patea bridge, Barclay Road, have been renewed. South Riding.—General maintenance work has been carried out on the Climie, Sole, Pukengahu, Robson, Cheal, Skinner No. 1 and Skinner South Roads. The grader has been run over the latter, also Brooks Road. The cutting on the Urn Road has been lowered three feet, the spoil therefrom being used near the foot to improve the grade, the balance of this road as far as the swamp has been run- over with the grader and rounded up. The bitumen surface of the Mountain Road has, where necessary, been patched. Forty chains of the Skinner North Road have received a second coat of road oil. East Riding (Toko).— Twenty chains of the Skinner Road between the Ohura Road and the Patea bridge have been coated with road oil. One hundred and twenty-seven chains of the Wawiri Road have been coated with bitumen. Sixty-five chains of the new road have been blinded, with fines from the'shingle pit, and the portions of the Ohura and Beaconsfield Roads which showed signs of bleeding have been reblinded with shingle. The former road has, where necessary, been patched. Water; tabling, metal patching and clay blinding have been done on Toko No. 1 and 2, Makuri and New Roads. East Riding repair work in the way of metal patching, .watertabling, clay blinding and culvert cleaning has been done on the Ohura-Mangaehu, Mangatoki, Douglas South, Crown and Oruru Roads. A washout on the first named road has been made up and several small slips on the saddle have been removed. The upper portion of the Douglas South Road has been coated with fines from the shingle pit. East Riding (Huiroa).—The drag log has been run over the Mohakau Road. Papa has been used to make up the low portions, the watertables have been cleaned on the Douglas North and South, and a few small slips have been cleared away. The grass edges on the Makuri Road have been trimmed off, the metal banked and the watertables cleaned. West Riding. —The formation on the Cardiff Road has been widened and formed up and the following roads have been metal patched: Palmer North, Rowan, Opunake No. 2, Hastings and Waingongoro. The levels in connection with the deviation on the latter road have been taken and the plan prepared but this work can hardly be put in hand till settled weather sets in, as about two ' feet of filling will be required to secure a satisfactory grade on part of the present metal. Thirtyseven chains of the Ronald Road have been metalled, linking up between the Opunake and Finnerty Roads, the greater portion of the boulders required being obtained by day labour. The necessary shingle has been crushed aud carted to the site, the Kapuni stream. Palmer Road, to be- used in connection with the erection of the bridge. Further quantities of shingle have been put through the crusher, the metal obtained to be used for repair work on side-tracks. The chips and sand screenings will be used in blinding the road oif coat to be placed on the ‘ recently refaced portion of the Duthie Road. The bitumen surfaces where showing si"ns of bleeding have been reblinded. Fading. —Assistance has been given in completing the erection of what is known as Ure’s bridge, Puni.whakau Road. A considerable amount of material has been required to make up the approaches and this bridge is now open for traffic. The old bridge has been removed. A number ot slips have come down on the Puniwhakau Road and have been cleared away. Arrangements have been made to have the slips on the Manga Road cleared away. During the recent wet weather another slip of fairly large proportions came down, completely blocking the road. Metal patching and watertable cleanin'* have been done on the Mangaehu Main Road. The decking on . the Puniwhakau bridge has been repaired, and notices have been placed on Gatton’s bridge iu connection with the unsafe condition of this bridge. The watertables have been cleaned and the willows cut on the Mangaotuku Rgad. Repairs have been effected on the Mangaehu South Road. A slip on the Tauwharenikau Road has been cleared away. Ngatimaru Riding.—ln parts the sides of the Matau North Road have been ploughed, the grader and drag log beino- used in rounding up the formation. 0 The watertables, culvert inlets and outlets have been cleaned. The drag log has been run over the Junction Road. In repairing a washout a set of IS-inch concrete pipes was put in to replace an old culvert. The watertables on this road have been attended to, as have been those on the Mangaoapa and Matau South Roads. The ranger (Mr. S. J. Cuff) reported that there had been little stock on the roads. Poundage amounting to £3 Ils had been collected on 45 head. All | broom had been removed from the roadi sides. There had been IS first applications for - drivers’ licenses, the total to date being 1270. . Four settlers at Taurakawa advised that they had about a mile of dray road to complete to their homesteads. They had been informed by the Public Works Department that a grant of £6OO had been made to complete the work. They wished the council to do its best -to put the work through as soon as possible. At their own expense they were prepared to keep the road in repair for five years. The council will undertake the supervision of the work, providing it be done by contract. The council endorsed the Taranaki Local Bodies’ Association’s resolution that the local bodies of No. 1 Highways

District agree to contribute 5 per cent, of the cost of the elimination of the level crossing at Waitara, o- t of heavy traffic fees, the cost of the work not to exceed £4OOO. Councillor Pitt said the Stratford County should be next in line to be assisted with the elimination of a level crossing. In his opinion the crossing was a highly dangerous one and the county had had many requests from the travelling public to have the crossing made safe. On his motion it was decided to draw the attention of the Local Bodies’ Association, to the dangerous nature of the crossing and to urge that when the elimination of any more level crossings in Taranaki was being considered the claims of the Waipuku crossing should be given priority. The Inglewood County Council wrote saying that a petition to raise a loan signed bv Messrs. W. Skidgewell and M° A. Hamblyn, of the Stratford County, and Karalus, of the Inglewood County, for the formation and metalling of the Salisbury Road was submitted to the Inglewood Council, which favoured the proposal and submitted it to the Stratford Council for consideration.

Counsellor Pitt, stated that the council might be favourable to the proposal if a Government subsidy of £2 for £1 would be granted. There was little chance of securing a subsidy this year, said the engineer. The engineer and the clerk were instructed to draft a reply to the Inglewood council explaining the Stratford council’s attitude. A request to have slips and fallen trees cleared and a bridge repaired on the Waitara Valley track was received from Mr. V. Larsen, Uruti. —It was decided to authorise the writer to do the work and the council agreed to contribute £5 towards the cost. ; The tender of Mr. G. Kehely was accepted for the metalling of a mile and a-quarter of the Nortli : -Pouglas Read.