STRATFORD COUNTY WORK

Taranaki Daily News, 22 June 1931, Page 3

STRATFORD COUNTY WORK

ANNUAL REPORT OF CHAIRMANS MR. T. R. ANDERSON RE-ELECTED. As his year of - office had expired, the chairman of the Stratford County Council, Mr. T. R. Anderson, at the meeting <•£ the council on Saturday reviewed the .work of the council for the past. year. Mr. Anderson was rc-elccted chairman. His report was: —• “The total receipts for the year amounted to £42,682 and the expenditure to £42,049. The county fund account at March 31 showed a. credit balance, of £632. The total amount of rates levied, for the year including generaj, bridge, special interest rate and special rates amounted to £24,147 of which £20,485 was collected, leaving a balance of £366*2 outstanding. “During the year £6281 17s lOd was ceivcd from the Highways Board by way of subsidy. The amount was made up as fellows: Mountain Road, £1435 Ohura Road, £1763; Opunake Road, £800;’ , Manaia Road, £133 9s 9d; Beaconsfield Road, £244 15s 2d; Toko Road, £1365 4a lid; Pembroke Road, £540. “In Government grants £2786 I.ls 9d was reecived during the year, made up as follows: —Kapuni bridge £l7B 18s sd, Ma-ngaebu stream bridge £745 7s sd, Douglas North £7S4 10s 6d, Puteore £IOG 13s, Mohakau £922 5s 3d, Brookes Road £4B 12s 2d. “During the year £365 13s 3d was spent on relief of unemployment under scheme No, 5. ■ ■ “Practically no new works have been done in the north riding during the ' past year. All roads have been satisfactorily maintained and the riding balance has - worked out in favour of • the riding. ■ “The largest individual work done in the south riding was the building up of < the bitumen edges of the south Mountain. Road. This was a very necessary work* and has effected a great improvement. All roads have had their sharte of maintenance. The sum of. £2lOO was raised on account of the south riding loan but was not received until after March 3L> This amount was owing to the riding ac-. count. The financial position of this riding is satisfactory now that the loan money has been refunded. “In the east riding comparatively little new work has been, done for the year, the metalling-of Mohakau Road rep resenting the largest job. undertaken. The y bitumen edges have been built up and coated between Douglas and Toko. -For one and a half miles Toko Road has been refaeed with shell rock and it is ■ in» tended .during the coming season to seal i it. It has been necessary to raise £3OOO of the east riding loan. Practically £2OOO of thia amount is owing to the riding account and the balance will ba available for work during the year. The financial, position of the riding will be sound when the' adjustment of loan monies has been made. ■ 1 WORK IN WEST RIDING. “In the west riding the sides of the bitumen on Opunake Road No. 1 have ■been made up and grouted. The roads generally are in very fair order. It is hoped during the coming season to im-. prove Manaia Road. As the greater ppr-> tions' of the bitumen sealed roads have! not beqn reeoated for six years a fair-t ly heavy programme of bitumen work! will have to be undertaken in the north* south, east and west rjdings. An amount of £2BOO was raised on account of the west riding loan. This amount was owing to the riding account -which had advanced the money for the various works. The financial position of this> riding is now, satisfactory. "All roads have been maintained in! the Mangaehu riding as well as could be expected but Mangaotuku and Mangaehu; Roads are due • for ,a refacing of metaL The original coat laid *26 years ago plus a limited amount of maintenance! metal is all that is carrying the traffic, A loan has been sanctioned by the Local Bodies Loans Board to do this and the, work necessary on Ohura Road between Douglas and Strathmore. The council unfortunately was not able to raise the money at the rate of interest .stipu-. lated/by the board, and the work equid; not be undertaken or even started. The financial position of the riding is, I regret to state, in a very unsatisfactory, position and is likely to remain so until loans are available for necessary, works which could not be undertaken. •’ out of revenue. It may be said that wliile this would represent an increase in special rates for three or four years there would be no increase as compared with the present rates as so many of the old loans are being paid off each year. “I regret to state that the settlers in the Ngatimaru riding have still to put up with clay roads. ’ Every effort has been made by the council to get everything in order for metalling at least some | miles. Unfortunately this riding as far as loans are concerned is in the same position as the Mangaehu riding; the rate of interest fixed ■ has held up the metalling work. The syin- . pathy of the council is certainly with the settlers in having to face the clay road proposition for another, winter. They can rest assured that every effort wilt be made' to metal ..some; tions of the road next season.” REDUCTION IN WAGES. 1 . A general reduction in staff wages had been made, Mr. Anderson said, and he had to thank the /staff for the way f in which the cuts had'been accepted. His thanks were also due to the engineer, (Mr. J. W. Spence), the clerk (Mr. C. J. Campbell), the office staff and the cotin. - , cillors for their whole-hearted co-opera - , tion and assistance. . Mr. W. H. Were said he - had much pleasure in proposing that Mr. Anderson be re-elected. The relationship between the chairman and the councillors had always been of an amicable natur® and many a knotty problem had ( been disposed of amicably, chiefly through the instrumentality of the chairman. The annual report showed that the business of the council had been well looked after, said Mr. J. T. Belcher in seconding the motion. There were no other nominations, Mr. Anderson being elected unopposed. : • Mr. L. Buhh'thanked, the chairman for the keen interest lie. had. taken in the welfare of the backblocks ridings. Mr. Anderson’s impartial attitude had been of great assistance, especially in smoothing over various difficulties that had arisen, said Mr. H. C. Taylor. Mr. -W. Vickers said the chairman was “one of those men who was a born leader 1 of local bodies” and - no matter what business had cropped up the- chairman had had a pretty fair ■ knowledge of it, while no riding or por- • tion of a riding could claim that-,* its interests had been neglected. The chairman’s methods in conducting meetings of the council had invariably conduced : to fair and sound decisions being reached. ■ ’ ■: • Mr. R. Mounsey also referred to the cliainnan’s sympathetic attitude towards matters pertaining to the backblocks ridings.