TARANAKI COUNTY

Taranaki Daily News, 6 November 1934, Page 2

TARANAKI COUNTY

MAINTENANCE OF ROADS MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL. GOOD FINANCIAL POSITION.

Maintenance of the roads formed the principal business discussed at the monthly meeting of the Taranaki County Council yesterday, and a satisfactory financial position was disclosed. There were present Crs. S- Vickers (chairman), W. Hall, W. Cartwright, L. G. Andrews, R. Wood and W. Thomas. The county overseer, Mr. G. Mackie, reported that during the month of October the plant and staff had carted 2437 yards metal, 70 yards chips, 1768 yards shingle, a total of 2081 yards, from Saunders Road, Okahu Road, Railway, Plymouth Road, Hellier’s, Jordan’s and Rothery’s pits and the Fitzroy quarries to the Oxford-Saunders and Lepperton Junction-Hawera highways, Upper Oxford, Carrington, Puniho, Kelly, Manutahi, Devon, Richmond, Corbett, Upper Mangorei, Te Arei, Brown, Egmont, Pheeney, Carrington and Lower Mangorei Roads and the pipe depot. The bridge carpenter had been engaged on the machinery shed at depot and attending to bridges. Six nine-inch, four 12-inch, two 24-inch and two 36-inch pipes and four concrete posts had been made. Blinding and watertabling had been done on all Mangorei riding roads. Metal patching had been done pn the Mangprei, Hurworth and Carrington Roads. A set of pipes had been laid at the comer of Hill and Albert Roads and a set on the Maude Road. The sharp bend near the bridge on Hill Road had been cut back. The Upper and Lpwer Mangorei Roads had been surfaced with shingle where required. Loose stones had been raked upon Albert Road and used on the rough part at the top end of the road. The grader had been run over the Lower Mangorei and Carrington Roads. The filling at Cassell Hill had been' built up and fenced. The New Plymouth-Kaimata highway had been patched with emoleum, shoulders of bitumen banked and watertables and culverts attended to. A set of pipes had been lifted and relaid on the Hursthouse Road near the factory in th? Waitara riding. A bad corner on the Ackworth Road had been filled in and widened. Blinding and watertabling had been done on all roads and metal patching on the Te Arei, Kelly, Corbett, Richmond, Waitara, Brown and Paraite Roads. The grader had been run over the Smart, Egmont, Henwood, Manutahi, Upland, Hursthouse and King Roads. The Mountain Road had been patched with emoleum and asphalt banked. The Devon Road side tracks had been patched, watertables and culverts attended to and asphalt patched. The Mangoraka and Waiongpna bridges hgd the decking attended to. Metalling was being done on a bad portion of the Egmpnt Road,'the ruston roller being engaged. A new fence had been erected on Smart Road. A gang of unemployed men were engaged quarrying and breaking metal in the railway pit as relief work.

Blinding and watertabling had been done on the Hurford, Beach, Barrett, Elliot and Frankley Roads in the Omata riding. The clay portions of the Veale, Barrett and Old Omata Roads had been attended to. The Pheeney Road had been surfaced where required with shingle. The grader had been run over the Veale, Frankley, Elliot, and Cowling Roads. Patching with emoleum had been done on the Barrett, Hurford, Ngamotu and Main South Roads. Surfacing with Cringle hu4 bgen done on the Oxford-Saunders, Upper Oxford, 'Carrington and Puniho Roads in the Okato riding. A set of pipes had been laid at the entrance to a property on the Puniho Road. Silt and clay'blinding had been done on the Upper and Lower Pitone, Dover, Leith, Perth and Hempton Roads, and metal patching on the Lower Puniho and Kpmene Roads. Watertabling had been attended to on the Upper Pitone, Dover and Carrington Roads. The harvos roller was engaged on the Upper Carrington Road scarifying, forming and rolling. The grader had been run over the Oxford-Saunders, Upper - Oxford, Carrington, Ahu Ahu, Greenwood and Lower Timaru Roads. The Kaihihi bridge on the Oxford-Saunders Road had the d.ckmg repaired. The Main South Road had been patched with colas, shoulders of bitumen banked, watertables and culverts attended to. The shingle pits on the Saunders and Okahu Roads had been fenced.

INSPECTOR’S REPORT. The county inspector, Mr. R. Area, reported that hi? time had been occupied with general inspection duties. He had found a few head of cattle at large on occasions. The corners on the South and Junction Roads had been painted. Fees totalling £22 12s 3d (heavy traffic £lB 18s 3d, drivers’ licenses £3 10s and driving fees 4s) had been collected. A considerable amount of firewood carting was being carried out on the Carrington Road. The county clerk, Mr. R. O. Ellis, submitted a statement showing that there was a credit balance of £1233 9s 4d, as compared with £989 9s lid in October, 1933. The position pf the riding accounts was as follows: Mangorei, > expended £2155 17s Bd, available £742 8s sd; Waitara, £2160 Is Bd, £4364 4s 3d; Omata, £1758 19s 7d, £751 8s 7d; Okato, £1776 Ils Bd, £2624 5s 6d. The chairman reported that it had been arranged that levels should be taken to see if any alteration could be effected to a drain at Hillsborough, Mr. Stanley to find the necessary pipes if the fall could be obtained. The chairman also stated that a conference had been held with members of the Egmont County Council on the Puniho Road about the maintenance of that boundary road. It had been agreed that the expenditure this year should be kept down to £4OO. Cr. Thomas drew attention to the state of the Upper Timaru Road, which needed repair. It was decided to send the grader to round up a street leading to the' Catholic Church at Okato. The overseer submitted an estimate of the cost of. lowering a culvert at Oakura and it was decided that, subject to the consent of Mr. G. H. Bell, the culvert be lowered provided Mr. J. B. Marsh finds £4,16s in cash and labour, Application is to be made to the Omata Co-operative Dairy Company for half the cost of forming a turning on the Surrey Hills Road. The estimate of the cost of metalling on Carthew Road, Mangorei Road, is to be forwarded to Mr. G. Staples.

It was decided that the Mahoetuki Road be inspected, that the Paraite Road be rolled, that the chairman and Waitara riding councillors confer with Mr. R. Townsend relative to Townsend Road metalling and that Waitara riding councillors confer with Mr. W. Pratt regarding the lease of land. Tenders are to be called for 1800 .yards of metal for metalling the Manutahi Road. Riding councillors are to confer with pit owners, about royalty. It was resolved to write Mr. Laurent and congratulate him on the manner in which he had met the council. Mr. W. H. Huggett. New Plymouth borough electrical engineer, applied foipermission to erect a fence across Heta Road, where it crossed the Boundary of the borough property, and this was granted. Hon. J. G Coates, Minister of Transport, in acknowledging, through Mr. S.

G. Smith, M.P. ( the council's resolution about transport regulations, stated that the question was engaging the careful consideration of the Government and the Transport Co-ordination Board. A comprehensive investigation into the question of motor taxation generally had been commenced and the Counties’ Associar tion had accepted the .board’s invitation to submit representations on behalf of county, councils. Mr. H. W. Uncles applied for permission to cut posts and firewood on - the Carrington Road on a royalty basis. It was resolved that , in the meantime no permit be granted to cut timber on Carrington Road.

SAXTON ROAD CULVERT. Mr. H. Crompton-Smith, secretary of the Huatoki Settlers’ Association, asked the council to inspect a ’culyert on Saxton Rpqd with a view to having it It was causing the water to back up on to a section leased by Mr. Brown. If the pipes were lowered Mr. Liley, occupier of the section on the lower side, would lower the drain on his side. The request.was referred tq the chairman and Cr. Ward. Messrs. Sladden and Rainier forwarded plans and specifications for proposed drainage work on the upper portion of the Hill Road. The pjans were approved and tenders will be invited for the construction of drain. •. Messrs. Collett and Company, Ltd., applied for permission to encroach on the road when erecting a fence on the Upper Carrington Road. The application was referred to the chairman, Cr. Wood and the overseer. ~ Bentham Bros, made a similar application for a fence on the Kirehau Road, Koru. This was referred to the chairman and Cr. Thomas. Mr. H. E. Wqlshe, Surveyor-General, notified that it was proposed to proclaim as a public road a portion, of the Road. It was decided that the council did not favour the proclamation of the road, unless the roadway was formed, culverted and metalled as required under the Act. Mr. C. J. Sears, Oxford Road, Okato, Wrote offering 10s per annum for a piece of ground about one-third of an acre encroaching on the Oxford RoadThe offer was accepted. Accounts amounting to £3298 3s lid were passed for payment.