STATEMENT OF POSITION

Taranaki Daily News, 2 June 1934, Page 16 (Supplement)

STATEMENT OF POSITION

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL CHAIRMAN REVIEWS YEAR. SOUND FINANCIAL STATE. Owing to the financial stringency no re-grading or reconstruction work had been undertaken on the highways under the council’s control, stated the chairman, Mr. H. A. Foreman in his annual report to the Clifton County Council yesterday. However, over a mile of the main road at Waitoitoi had been sealed with bitumen. The council had also been successful in negotiations with the Main Highways Board and the Unemployment Board in establishing a relief camp at Urenui for the purpose of carrying out the re-grading and deviation of the Urenui hill and several other bad comers between the township and the Urenui River bridge. Improvements had also been made to bad comers on the Onaero hill. It was anticipated that the Urenui work would be completed by the end of the year. The maintenance of main highways under the' council’s jurisdiction had been kept at a comparatively good standard, the principal work consisting of bitumen patching, re-metalling, re-gravelling, building up shoulders with clay and metal, and rolling and grading in addition to the routine maintenance.

During the year a considerable amount of work had been carried out on county roads and bridges, the more important works being as follow: Construction of Makino stream bridge, 91ft; formation of Kaipikari Road, 43 chains; start made reforming and metalling five miles Moki Road; reforming and metalling 90 chains Ohanga Road; building of Waiau stream culvert, 34ft length, sin by sin reinforced concrete; metalling 30 chains Turangi Road; reforming and metalling 60 chains Waihi Road; completion 5J miles reforming and metalling Otaraoa Road; completion 4J miles reforming and metalling Mataro Road; completion 5J miles reforming and metalling Mangatoro Road; completion 31 miles of 7-1 mile stretch for reforming and metalling on Mohakatino Road. The maintenance of all county roads and bridges had been efficiently carried out and the users of the roads had at all times been assured of reasonably good surfaces. Slips on backblock roads had given a considerable amount of trouble during the year and on a number of roads were likely to give trouble for a number of years, particularly with those recently formed. All the county plant had been in use during the’ past year and had given satisfactory service. The machines had been kept in first-class order and repair. The county cottages had been kept in good order and painting and repairs had been carried out on the Tikorangi, Urenui and Onaero cottages. _ , ■ Having purchased the old Waitara post office for new offices, the county carried out extensive alterations and repairs and ■now possessed a convenient chamber fpr the transaction of business. The chairman paid a tribute to the help given the county by the staff. “Two years ago,” he said, “the salary of the county clerk was cut. Mr. Vaughan is now earning much less than other county clerks in Taranaki and I suggest that the time has come to restore the cut.” . The finances of the council were ’■in a particularly sound state, said the chairman, and the credit balance at March ol was £3119, compared with £2134 at the end of the previous financial year, an increase of approximately £l5OO. The rid* ing.accounts were generally much healthier. The Mokau riding account had a debit balance of £Bl6, compared with the last debit balance of £1374. The Uruti riding account had a credit balance of £153, a falling-off from the previous year’s credit balance of £425. This was mainly due to the re-coating of the Uruti Road, the cost of which had been about £5OO. There would be no recurring cost this year. The Urenui riding had a credit balance of £1835, compared with £957 for the previous year. In the Tikorangi riding, the credit balance had increased from £3O to £717, £540 having been paid during the year by the Public Works Department for ••zork carried out on the Otaraoa Road. The Waihi riding’s debit balance was £124, a reduction having been made from the £670 debit at the end of the previous year. The chairman, in conclusion, thanked members of the council and the staff for their loyal support of him during the year. In congratulating the chairman on his work, Cr. C. H. Bamitt said the roads of the county were better now than for years past. It was possible to ride along the back roads of the county for nine months of the year, a far different state of affairs from a few years ago. Mr. Foreman was re-elected chairman, his honorarium being fixed at £75.