CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL

Taranaki Daily News, 8 September 1934, Page 17 (Supplement)

CLIFTON COUNTY COUNCIL

URENUI BEACH IROAD WORK ACCESS FOR MOKAU SETTLERS. SUPPORT OF MOKAU CLAIMS. Following a deputation from the Urenui Domain Board to its monthly meeting yesterday the Clifton County Council decided to secure a report from the engineer on the cost of improving the road to the Urenui beach domain. Messrs. S. Topless and H. Managh comprised the deputation. The Domain Board was not permitted to expend its funds outside the domain boundaries, despite the fact that the road was the sole motor access to the domain, said Mr. Topless. The funds were now severely depleted. In 1933, £64 was spent on metalling the road, but the watertables were now wrecked and the surface of the road rutted. The board desired to be treated as ratepayers and not as a domain board. Rates were collected from three properties on ' the road. Mr. Managh said . the road was in a very bad state. The metal had been scoured off the hill and in other places the road was down to the clay. A few loads of metal and fair maintenance would satisfy the board. Tourist traffic brought revenue to the district and the board was the butt for all criticism of the road, over which it had no. jurisdiction. The maximum speed possible on the road in its present state was ten miles, said Mr. Topless. The Public Works Department advised payment of the following amounts:— Highways subsidies, £527 12s 4d; Urenui deviation subsidy, £66 15s and £B5 10s; subsidy on rates, £957 3s 2d; total, £1637 Os 6d. The works committee’s action in accepting W. F. Dowman’s tenders of £384 and £394 for the Bull Creek and Te Reinga bridges was approved. The engineer was authorised to proceed with metalling opposite the Urenui saleyards, provided the Farmers’ Co-op. and Newton King, Ltd., contributed £lO each towards the work. Mr. J. Biggar was appointed roadman at Onaero. The engineer was authorised to purchase a road planer. MOKAU SETTLERS. The Mokau River Settlers’ Association wrote regarding access for ratepayers either in the form of a bridge or a punt across the. Mokau River. The Public Works Department was in favour of a punt, as was the council itself, but the Minister of Public Works had stated that he was strongly of the opinion that as settlers: concerned had no access other than the. river the council should in consideration of the rates collected by it contribute towards the cost. The association asked what the council was prepared to do to help in obtaining stock access.

The council decided to offer to contribute £5O, provided the punt was built of durable timber, the Public Works Department to find the balance. With reference to a resolution from the North Taranaki provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union it was pointed out that there were no bad approaches or bad bends in Clifton county and therefore no action was necessary.

Mr. W. J. Freeth, Pukearuhe, wrote as follows: “Having recently received my rate card I thought I would like to forward your council a letter of congratulation on the very substantial reduction you have been able to make in this respect. For myself I can say it reflects the fine handling of the Clifton county affairs both by councillors and staff, and the amount , is so substantial to be of considerable assistance to the ratepayers in these difficult times." It was agreed to support Mr. R. W. Larsen in his request to the Public Works Department for an access bridge to his property up the Waitara Valley track, provided the council was not responsible for the maintenance. It was decided to support the Okau Settlers’ Association in its requests for the continuation of the metalling of the Tongaporutu-Mangaroa Road and to advise the Minister of Public Works and Mr. W. r J. Polson, M.P., to that effect. The council decided similarly in respect of . the Okau Road. The council decided it had not the funds for metalling the Kakapo Road. ENGINEER REVIEWS WORK.

The engineer (Mr. N. C. Fookes) gave these particulars in his report:— The work of scarifying, re-metalling, re-shaping, gravelling and rolling the entire length of Nikorima Road had been completed. A small amount of work had been attended to on Otaraoa Road, and consisted of clearing slips and repairing the metalled surface on White’s Hill. It was proposed to re-metal and. roll White’s Hill. Improvements to the eastern approach of the Waitara River suspension bridge on Bertrand Road would be put in hand this month.

Tenders had been invited for the construction of the Mangapoua stream bridge on Mataro Road. General maintenance work had been attended to on Ohanga, Onaero, Turangi and Mataro Roads. The grader had operated on Turangi and Ohanga Roads. The contract for the Bull Creek bridge on Piko Road wa_ let to Mr. W. F. Dowman, Urenui. The work would be put in hand as soon as the materials arrived. Several sharp corners on the Kaipikari Road hill had been cut back and generally improved. Gravelling was done on Mangamaeho Road to improve a muddy section. General maintenance work had been attended to. on Kaipikari, Okoke, Kaka, Piko, Mangamaeho, Nopera and Waikaramarama. Roads. A substantial amount of maintenance gravel was required in the Okoke district for patching and re-gravelling, and several of the old pits were being investigated with the idea of getting the metal out as soon as possible. The land and survey plans of the deviation of part of Tupari Road had been completed. The Public Works Department had notified its intention of proceeding with the formation and metalling of Mangahia Road at an early date. All necessary arrangements had been completed by the council. General maintenance work had been attended to on Uruti, Ngatoto and Mangahia Roads. The contract for the Te Reinga stream bridge on Okau Road was let to Mr. Dowinan. The work would be put in hand as soon as materials arrived. The

work on Mohakatino Road had been closed down until the weather improved as the lorries were damaging the road already metalled. Slips had been very numerous in this district, particularly on Mangatoro, Okau and Mangaroa Roads. General maintenance work had been carried out on the Mohakatino, Hutii, Okau, Mangatoro, Kiwi, Mangaong’a and Mangaroa Roads. The work at the Urenui Hill deviation had been considerably retarded owing to wet weather, but was progressing as well as could be expected under existing conditions. Banking, patching and grading had been attended to on the balance of this road as required. On Pukearuhe Road patching, banking, watertabling and grading had been attended to. Portions of Ngatimaru Road were being scarified, strengthened and rolled. The road was now receiving a general straightening, and should be completed at an early date. Inland North Road had been patched, banked, watertabled and graded. There were present Messrs. H. A. Foreman (chairman), F. Sarten, C. H. F-rnitt, E. A. Shaw. G. W. Rogers and J, F. Phillips.