EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL

Taranaki Daily News, 10 June 1931, Page 16

EGMONT COUNTY COUNCIL

WORK. DURING THE MONTH DOG TAXATION DEFAULTERS. HEAVY VEHICLE REGULATIONS.

The monthly meeting of the Egraont County Council was attended yesterday by Crs. W. C. Green (chairman), R. C. Watson, J. F. Shepherd, E. A. Collins, J. S. Tosland, A. J. Lilley, E. G. Holmes, J. Young and G. Gibson. The engineer, Mr. J. G. Mclvor, reported on the month’s operations as follows:—Shoulders have been graded from Oaonui to Opunake on the Main South, Road. The Punehu hill has been scarified, re-formed and water-bound. Water-tables have been cleared and pit metal banking done where necessary. On the Eltham Road water-tables have been cleared and shoulders made up with pit metal. A little grading has been done. Skeet Road drains have been cleared and asphalt banked. On the Ihaia Road 84 yards of pit metal was used, to build up the edges of the road where it had. broken up. A little coldpatching has been done. Oeo Riding.—Sixty chains of the Watino Road have been scarified and rerolled and the Puketapu Road, has been done throughout. Patching and blindin<r have been done on the Patiki, Kiri and Watino Roads, and drains cleared on the Puketapu Road. Opa Riding.—Three hundred and twenty-four yards of boulders and three hundred and sixty-six yards of pit metal were crushed for the Upper Arawhata Road, 45 chains 'of road being metalled, making a total of two miles of new work. Twenty-eight chains of drain have been cleared and some patchinn- done. The crushing plant has now been shifted to the Upper Kina Road. A little patching was done on the Namu and Wiremu Roads, and grading on the Lower Kina, Opua and Upper Waiteika Roads. Rahotu Riding.—On the Kahui Main Road a sharp curve has been eased considerably, ' water-tables cleared and pc telling done. Blinding, patching and water-tabling have been done on the Okahu and Upper Kahui, and drains cleared on the Ngariki Road. Manihi, Turn, Witiora and Ngariki Roads have been trimmed with the grader. Newall Riding.—Patching and watertabling have been done on Warea, Ruakere and Mirikau Roads. The Ruakere pit has bene fenced. The lower end of the Bayly Road has been formed and is being surfaced with beach Shingle and pit metal. A further 50 chains of the Newall Road has been metalled. Wet weather is interfering with the work. The Rahotu office and shed have been repaired and electric light installed iu the office. Riding members have all made their annual tour of inspection. APPOINTMENT OF INSPECTORS. The Director-General of Health wrote requesting that as an economy measure local authorities, excepting those of the cities and larger towns, refrain from appointing their own sanitary inspectors without first consulting the Department of Health in order that the interests of contiguous local authorities might be considered and an endeavour made to conserve geographic grouping that would ensure econo .'J y. “Giving to lessened expenditure on sanitary installations the duties of sanitary inspectors will have to be lightened, and it .-is considered that if the widest possible use is made of the services of existing inspectors there will be no need for new appointments for some time,” wrote the Director. “Medical officers of health are to confer with local authorities to review the duties performed and the districts served by each inspector in order to lessen travelling and other costs and make the fullest use of their services.” The registrar of motor vehicles wrote stating that it had come under notice that in many cases motor vehicles owned by local authorities were being licensed under exemption numbers although the vehicles were not being used “exclusively” in connection with the maintenance rnd construction of roads. It had been found that applications for that class of plate had actually been made in respect of vehicles used by traffic inspectors, dog tax collectors and other officials. “It ?s important to note,” the letter stated, “that exemption from payment of annual license fees may not legally be claimed in respect of a vehicle used both for road work and for general local body or private purposes.” The registrar also pointed out that despite the fact that local authorities were not entitled to claim refunds of duty on any motor spirits consumed in motor vehicles in respect of which annual license fees had been paid in terms of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1924, claims had not only been made on motor spirits consumed in vehicles owned by local authorities and used for purposes other than road work, but also on spirits used in privately-owued cars used by engineers and others in supervising road work.

The engineer stated that the county’s car was registered in the ordinary way, but their other vehicles were exempt. The Main Highways Board wrote stating that it was unable to approve of the council’s application for a £0 for £1 subsidy towards the cost of sealing the Ihaia Road.

KNOWLEDGE OF TRAFFIC RULES.

The Transport Department wrote enclosing a draft of the heavy .motor vehicle regulations with which it is proposed to replace the regulations of 1927. The four chief amendments concerned. tyres, classification of roads, speeds anil, identification discs. In solidtyred vehicles it was proposed, to increase the minimum thickness of rubber in non-pneumatic. It was also intended to give a 50 per cent, increase all through the scale so far as gross weights were concerned, to the multi-axled, type of heavy motor vehicles. For two-axled vehicles on fifth-class roads it was proposed to increase the gross weight from 2| to 3 tons. All classified, roads were to be identified by regulation classification signs. It was felt that considerable alterations could be made in increasing speeds without causing road damage. Each heavy motor vehicle is to carry an identification disc attached to the number plate to indicate to which class the vehicle belonged. It was hoped this regulation would assist traffic officers in enforcing weight and speed restrictions.

It was pointed out that the name of Inspector Pickering had been omitted from the list of testing officers under the motor drivers’ regulations, and it was decided to draw the attention of the authorities to the omission.

Speaking on the subject of the new regulations for drivers’ licenses, Cr. Tosland considered a lot of unnecessary questions were asked. He said that much stricter attention should be given to an applicant's knowledge of traffic rules. It was not the bad driver who was the biggest menace but the good driver who did not observe the rules of the road. He suggested that there should be travelling inspectors to pull up offenders. They would have to get

the dangerous people off the roads to ensure the safety of otheis. Or. Collins said that the practice of cutting corners, was astounding. ERECTION OF DANGER SIGNS. The Taranaki Automobile Association offered to again undertake the erection of danger signs as well as direction signs, the cost of the former Signs to be’ borne by the local body, while the cost of erection would be borne by the association. . The chairman said the offer was a f rood one and it was resolved that it any further signs were required the engineer be authorised to take advantage of the offer. , Cr. Tosland remarked that the county’s roads were well supplied with signs and there were not many places where signs were required. He had tiavclled 1000 miles over the North Inland and Egmont County had the best and safest roads he had seen. The matter of arranging for the season’s supply of bitumen was left m the hands of the engineer. Messrs. Nicholson, Bennett and Kilk bv enclosed documents for signature relative to the taking of land for the road deviation at Oco. The chairman and Cr. Collins were authorised to sign the documents. . The engineer was authorised to confer with Mr. J. T. Lineham, headmaster of Rahotu school, who wrote asking it it would be possible to hire a tarsprayer to the committee for the purpose of tar-sealing the playground. Cr. Tosland said they would be prepared to help in every way possible. The ranker reported, tha/t there weie about 70 dogs, mostly sporting, which were still unregistered., and he desired the council's direction iu the matter of prosecuting owners. It was resolved that the chairman and ranger confer in such cases with a view to prosecuting defaulters. The dog tax collector said h. had registered. 672 dogs. It was. resolved to hold a special meeting next month to adopt the new by-laws and conform with the formal requirements. Authority was given for the Maiteika Road factory to lay a 12-inch dram across the road at the tactoiy. The chairman’s action in instructing the clerk to. renew insurances was confirmed.

ANOTHER WAGE CUT PROPOSED.

The question of wages was discussed at length when Cr. Tosland moved that the wages of the staff be reduced by 2J per cent. He said he regretted very much the necessity for having to move such a motion, but they had to face the economic position of the county, and as a local body they had to adjust expenditure to revenue. The chairman opposed the idea of reducing the man at the top. No doubt Cr. Tosland had moved the motion with o-ood intentions, but he believed that it had not been carefully thought out. He could not see that it was fair to impose a further cut of.2| per cent, in its present form. It might be necessary later to review the matter. He suggested that Cr. Tosland defer the motion tiL a later date. This Cr. Tosland agreed to do, the matter to be taken up with the engineer in the meantime. The works committee recommended that the following Public Works Department votes be applied for; Hitona Road ( £2 for £1) £100; Mirikau (£1 for £1) £340; Newall Road (£1 for £1) £1000; Opuuake-Stratford Road (free) £650; Ihaia Road (free) £1280; Puniho Road (£2 for £1) £800; Upper Pariliaka Road (free) £500; Upper Arawhata Road (free) £1980; Kaweora Road (free) £3178. It was also recommended that the main high wavs estimates be as follows: Main South Road, two to three miles surface sealing and general maintenance, £1500; Eltham Road, general maintenance, £300; Skeet Road, sealing 40 chains and general, £300; Ihaia Road, general, £120; Kahui Road, sealing coat on 60 chains and general mamtenance, £300; Auroa and Puniho Roads, £3OO. , , It was further recommended that the Punehu, Otahi, and Okahu bridges be placed on the main highways estimates. It was recommended that the chairman, clerk and engineer meet the Opunake Towu Board to discuss the question of the renewal of the Otahi stream bridge. In regard to expenditure on by-roads it was recommended that the council strike a rate to keep expenditure on by-roads to the following limits:— Oeo Riding. —Roads £5OO, plant £220, total £720. Opua. —Roads £6OO, plant £220, total ‘£B2o. Rahotu.—Roads £5OO, plant £220, total £720. Newall.—Roads £450, plant £220, total £670. Main roads and highways. —Roads £l5OO, plant £lBO, total £l6BO. Totals.—Roads £3550, plant £lO6O, grand total £4610. The works committee’s report was adopted. With regard to a request by Mr. Armstrong to place a drain acioss the road at his property at Pungarehu it was decided to reply that the council could not entertain the proposal unless the applicant was prepared to subsidise the work. It was decided to draw the attention o' the Eltham County Council to the necessity for improving- the approach at the corner of Auroa and Eltham roads, a boundary road. The engineer pointed out that unemployment work was now making very heavy calls on his time and he was unable to keep pace with his ordinary work. He suggested that his assistant, Mr. Donnelly, devote two or three days a week to the work so as to relieve him of much of the routine work. The chairman said that the bridge plans must be given preference. This work must be pushed on as it was far more important and would give employment to more men. Cr. Tcsland suggested that perhaps some of the other bpdies receiving unemployed labour would make some contribution towards the cost. It was finally resolved to notify the unemployment committee that Mr. Mclvor would not be able to devote the same time to the work as in the past and that Mr. Donnelly’s services be offered instead. . . The legal aspects of bringing the alteration of ridings into effect on April 1, 1932, were reported on by Messrs. Nicholson, Bennett and Kirkby, and instructions were given to the ■ clerk _to proceed with, the necessary formalities.