OHURA COUNTY AFFAIRS

Taranaki Daily News, 12 July 1935, Page 10

OHURA COUNTY AFFAIRS

REPAIR OF FLOOD DAMAGE ENGINEER’S REPORT ON WORK. STRIKING OF RATE DEFERRED. Road construction and maintenance, particularly the question of repairing extensive damage caused by the floods, and applications for Government and main highways grants were dealt with at the monthly meeting of the Ohura County Council on Wednesday. The meeting was a lengthy one, commencing at 10 a.m. and ending at 5 p.m. The question of striking the rate was brought up, but in view of the lateness of the meeting and the importance of the matter, it was decided to hold a specialmeeting in a fortnight’s time, when the rate and the financial position of the county generally will be considered. There were present at the meeting • Councillors G. Denison (chairman), F. J. Romayne, A. F. McKenzie, J. Ryan, N. J. B. Dougherty, J. Renner and, O. C. The treasurer, Mr. J. F. MoClenaghan, submitted a financial statement showing that the expenditure from April 1 to July 10 was £5069. The receipts totalled £1165. Subsidies totalling £950 were due. There was now a debit balance of £1438, compared with a credit balance of £1516 on April 1. Rates collected totalled £3BB (Matiere riding £173, Ohura riding £Bl, arrears £134). Riding expenditure, with that for , the corresponding period of last year in parentheses, was:—Matiere £678 (£351), Niho Niho £42 (new riding), Ohura £434 (£232); total, £ll (£583). Work on the main highways during the month ended July 10 had included the clearing of slips on the StratfordTaumarunui highway, on the Paparata Saddle, the Tokirima hill and between the school and the county boundary, reported the engineer (Mr. H. Seerup). Grading and metalling was carried out on the Ohura Road. On the Pio PioTa tu highway slips were cleared. Grading and watertables were attended to on the Ohura Road section. On the Okahu-kura-Ohura highway wa.ertables were opened on the Okahukura Hill and the Toi Toi-Waitewhena section. Metal repairs and grading were carried out at Toi Toi and Niho Niho and metal was raked in between Tuhua and Matiere. On the Tokirima highway slips were cleared on Old’s and Dwyer’s bluffs and between Maraekowhai and Opatu. A retaining wall had oeen erected on Old's Bluff. WORK IN THE RIDINGS. Work in the ridings included the following:— Matiere: Maintenance and repair work, including where necessary the clearing of slips, .zas carried out on the Kura, Ongarue- Matiere, Ongarue - Waimiha, Knight’s, T'apqwahine, Waihaka, Pareketu, Mangapapa East, Mangapapa-Aka-trerewa, Pokoihu, Ohura-Mokau and Mangapapa West roads, Ongarue township and Kahu Street (Matiere township). Owing to wet weather the work of improving access to Matiere cemetery had not been completed. Maintenance metal was ordered for use in the Ongarue, Tuhua, Matiere and Otangiwai district. Niho Niho: Maintenance work was carried out on the Waitangata and Turoto North roads. A wash-out on the Waikaka Road was filled in. The contract for 20 chains of formation on the Prentice Road was satisfactorily completed. Ohura: Maintenance work, including the clearing of slips and the repairing of wash-outs, was carried out on the Tongaporutu, Heao, Kopuha South, Waiora, Turoto, Huia, Turoto South and Tokirima South roads. Additional items on the Public Works Estimates applied for included a 25ft. span bridge over the Mangakahikatea Stream on Knight’s Road and a 40ft.span Mangakara access bridge. On the motion of Crs. Dougherty and Renner the engineer was instructed to have the papa toes removed on the

main Ohura Road near Mr. Goldfinch’s property, the work to be done with relief labour. The county ranger, Mr. G. Box, reported having ranged the Ongarue, Otangiwai, Waikaka, Turoto, Tokirima, Tatu and Waitewhena districts. He . had impounded 11 head of stock. . Councillors expressed the opinion that the present method of ranging was not very satisfactory, Crs. Pleasants, Renner and McKenzie stating that there were complaints from ratepayers in, various parts ’of the district that stock was grazing on the road. Cr; McKenzie said that when avoiding stock that had parked on the road one motorist had run into a ditch. .It was pointed out that at present the ranger was employed for two days each week and the opinion was expressed that in some way it became known when the ranger had completed his two days’ work. Thereafter some of the settlers took advantage of the opportunity to graze the roads. Some discussion took place over the question of making other arrangements, but it was finally decided to continue the present system, the ranger to be instructed to use every endeavour to keep the roads 1 clear. METAL ON WAITANGATA ROAD. Mr. •W. H. Fife waited on the council to ask that half a mile, at the top 'end of Waitaangata Road should be metalled. He estimated the cost at £l9O. He had placed the position before the Public Works Department, which required the backing of the council be- •. fore doing anything. The chairman said that already the council’s application for money to be placed on the Estimates had been cut down by half. He therefore could not see how the council could push tire application, particularly as there were numerous other roads that required metalling to give access to homes. In this case the applicants did not live on the <road in question.

Mr. Fife said he visited the property every day. He was anxious to get fertiliser on to the farm. -There were people living on the road. He suggested the work might be carried out with loan money. The chairman was not inclined to regard the work as more urgent than the claims already put in.

Cr. Romayne pointed out that the application for that grant Was one of the items that had had to be cut out. Ten other items had to be deleted also. In view of the fact that other more urgent applications for grants had had to be deleted, the council regretted that it was unable to make any provision for. metalling the road at present, but it was agreed to give the matter consideration next year. Resolutions passe' at the last meeting of the Otangiwai Ratepayers Association were forwarded by the secretary, Mr. T. B. R. Julian. The first resolution asked the council to use its utmost endeavours to have the Okahukura hill metalled and stressed the necessity of commencing the. work’from the Matiere end of the flat and metalling as far as available monej would allow, thus ensuring an outlet for the settlers to the Tuhua railway station. It was decided to reply that the council was doing its utmost in the direction requested. The next resolution ask°d if tire council were still endeavouring to have the Ohura-Mokau Road declared a secondary highway.—The council decided to reply that it was moving in the direction indicated. The council was also asked to remove the dangerous corner on Mr. Fullerton Smith’s hill, using available unemployed men or other ’ •eans. ’ > The engineer said it would not be a very costly job. It was decided to inform the association that the work would be done. The last resolution drew the council’s attention to the scarcity of metal on many parts of the Ohura-Mokau Road, between Matiere and Bennett’s Hill, and asked that patching be done.—lt was de-’ cided to reply that the road was in good order. Mr. Hempsall waited on the council to ask permission to cart coal from the Waitewhena Road to Ohura.—lt was decided that the royalty should be Is per ton flat rate. In reply to his request for a load of metal to. be placed,on the path leading

to the Tokirima post office, Mr. D. F. McLeod, Opatu,. will be informed that the council has no power to spend money on private property. Messrs. H. L. McMillan, S. Knight and L. H. Knight asked that steps be taken to replace the Mangakahikatea Stream bridge on Knight’s Road with a wider' structure than the proposed Bft. bridge, as it would be very difficult for them to take their agricultural implements across such a bridge. They asked that there be at least a 10ft. roadway. The chairman did no- consider the expense of building a wider bridge was warranted. He had some farm machinery that he could not get along the main highway without putting it on a special truck or sledge. Cr. Renner considered that if possible the bridge should be. built the same width as the bridge it was to replace. The engineer said the extra cost would be £75. Cr. McKenzie pointed out that a new bridge on the Tokirima secondary highway was built only 8 feet wide. Mr. R. Voyce,' nanager of the'Seccombe Estate, Ongaruhe, wrote asking the council to give access to the property as the bridge had collapsed. He pointed out, also, that another bridge was in danger of collapsing. The -engineer was authorised to place a 3ft. pipe culvert where the bridge had collapsed. It was decided to reply that the second bridge was on private property. Mr. R. H. Sinclair, headmaster of the Matiere school, asked for the provision of metal to give the school children dry access. Cr. Renner pointed out that the access had been spoiled during the making of the footpath in the Matiere township. The council decided to have the matter attended to. It was decided to inform the inspector of factories that the council could not undertake to permit its staff to assist in the inspection, of buildings to which alterations were being made under the subsidy scheme. The railway district engineer, Ohakune, notified that, the maintenance of the roadway : part of the Okahukura combined road and railway bridge over the Ongarue River was the joint responsibility of the Ohura and Taumarunui county councils. The chairman and county clerk were authdrised to attend the New Zealand County Councils’ Conference at Wellington next month. The district engineer, Mr. L. May, notified that the Main Highways Board had agreed to a reduction (from £lB to £l5 a mile) in the rate of the council’s contribution towards the maintenance of the Tangitu-Taumarunui section of the Te Kuiti-Bulls main highway. Owing to various deviations, the length in the county had been reduced to 17§ miles.