COUNTY YEAR REVIEWED

Taranaki Daily News, 24 May 1934, Page 6

COUNTY YEAR REVIEWED

CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT. SATISFACTORY FINANCIAL STATE. “During the year the efforts of the council have been confined practically to the upkeep and general maintenance of roads and bridges and few new road works have been undertaken,” stated the chairman (Mr. T. R. Anderson) in his report yesterday to the annual meeting of the Stratford County Council. “There is no dqubt that to a certain ektent some of the roads have suffered through want of funds; at the same time the thanks of the council are due to the ifien who have done their best to keep these roads up to as good a standard as possible,” he continued. The metalling of Mangaehu North Road has been completed, and Makahu and Puniwhakau Roads have been connected with metal. The work was carried out by the Public Works Department with unemployed relief labour. On the same road the bridge over the Mangaehu stream has been replaced with an 80-foot truss and a landing span of 25 feet. These works have been a great assistance to the residents. “A mile of Taihore Road was coated with river shingle, and parts of the Salisbury and Croydon Roads were coated with crushed metal, also under the direction of the Public Works Department, all three being subsidised by the adjoining ratepayers, who found sufficient money to defray all charges for transport of metal and machinery costs. “Plans and estimates have been prepared in connection with the renewal of the Patea River bridge on Skinner Road and an application has been forwarded to the Local Government Loans Board for permission to raise the necessary loan. On the Opunake No. 2 Road two rolled steel joist bridges have been erected on concrete abutments; after 36 years’ service these bridges had become unsafe for heavy traffic. It will be necessary to consider the replacement of the bridge on Opunake No.l over the Kapuni stream The re-surfacing of the bitumen-coated roads was completed during the past season. “The pit on the Wawiri Road is now in good working order; the shingle face has improved very much, and a depth or sixteen feet ha? now been opened up for a length of about three chains. The council is fortunate in having a pit of this description, as the Highways Board is demanding a better class of top-dress-ing than was hitherto used on some of the roads in the county. “It is gratifying to find that at the end of the financial year the county finances are in a very satisfactory c°ndition and 1 would like to thank the staff for their loyalty and the assistance they have given; without their co-opera-tion the present results would not have been obtained.”