STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 144147, 17 July 1913, Page 8

STRATFORD COUNTY COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting, of the Stratford County Council was held on Wednesday, Councillor Wrn. Hathaway (chairman) presiding. There were also present; Councillors. J. Christoffol, TA. Anderson, J. Smith, ,W. Rogers, J. Young, E. Walter and W. H. Were. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer (Mr. E. C. Robinson) reported that the roadman’s cottage, Manaia Road, was well in hand and was progressing steadily. The building of the concrete culvert, Beacdnsfield Hoad, was being pushed ahead, and would be out of hand shortly, when a start would bo made with a similar culvert on Ahuroa Road West. The shell-rock supply contract at Tututawa was still a long way from being finished. Dewing the mouth about half-a-mile of South Mountain Road had been scarified and refaced ; the Beacon Road had been rcrollod, also the Pembroke Road. The roller was now being sent to Radnor Road to complete the rolling of new metal there. Ho regretted not being able to send the roller to York Road to complete there, as the Te Pope Bridge, until repairs could be made, was unsafe for its transit. The York Road metal would, however, be blinded with gravel and rolled as soon as possible. When the Radnor Road length was completed he was sending the roller on to East Road until the metal was broken in South Riding and ready for re-tnemg some lengths of the main road, which would be in about a fortnight's time. The engineer asked for authority to put in hand the following works;—(l) The re-decking and general repair of Kahowu and Te Pope bridges on the Mountain Road. (With a thorough overhaul he hoped to make these structures last some years longer.), (2) The gravelling of new engine-shod and approach thereto. (3) The renewal of a large culvert (in uipes) on the Mohakau Road at Huiroa.” (The culvert in question took the outfall from the main road drain.) (4) The renewal or substitution of a smvll bridge on Oru Road with large pipes. (5) The renewal of stringer bridge on Wingrove Road opposite Mr. N. Brown’s with hardwood. The re-dcoking of Kaliowu and Te Popo bridges was authorised, and the other matters mentioned were held over owing to present lack of funds.

FOREMEN’S REPORTS. North Riding (West). —About £8 had been spent on the removal of earth from a bank in Tween’s Circus, Midhirst, for banking metal on Mountain Road south of Radnor Road, hut more work was required to be done. An old wooden culvert had been replaced with 15 9in. pipes. Mr. G. Meads offered about 15 to 20 cubic yards of stone free if the council would have same broken and put on Denbigh Road above Derby Road.—The offer was accepted. North Riding (East).— Nearly all the month had been spent in patching roads, and as they were breaking up a little owing to the showery -weather the work would have to be continued. South Riding.—Fourteen 9in. pipes had been put in, and a small bridge redecked on Skinner Road. Fillings had been widened and fences repaired on Lower Finncrty Road, and a portion of Mountain Road had been rolled and scarified. East Riding (Toko).—All -the roads were in fair order, except Standisb Road, which was breaking up badly. Maintenance metal was getting scarce. The Waiwiri and Beaconsfield Roads had been thoroughly watertabled, and general maintenance carried out on the various roads.—The riding councillors reported that tho Standish Road was in very bad order indeed. It was particularly bad in one place where the water in the drain was level with tho road, and Mrs. Hodgkinson will bo requested to clear tho creek, which is ell her property, from growth. East Riding (Douglas).—The roads in this riding were *in very fair order. Patching and general road-work had occupied most of the time. Thirty-three 9in. pipes had been put in on tho Mangaotuku Road. A 3ft. pipe culvert had been put in on the Makuri Road and the necessary drains dug. East Riding (Huiroa).—General roadwork and drain cleaning had been done during the month. Repairs to Tunupo Road Suspension Bridge were to be commenced forthwith. West Riding.—The roads were in ft'd order except Hastings Road Sou-ii, which had broken up badly. The new filling on Cardiff Road urgently required fencing. Mr. C. Loforth left the cottage at Cardiff on June 30.—Tho matters wore left in the engineer’s hands. Mangaehu Riding.—Cleaning watertables and clearing slips on the various roads had required most of the foreman’s time. A culvert on the Taihoro Road would bs repaired in a few days. The decking of tho Mangaehu and Purn stream bridges near Puuiwhakau had been repaired. Tho Puniwhakau Road

was cutting up badly, but the installed roads were in fair order. .

CORRESPONDENCE. MANGA ROAD. The Undcr-Secrotary for Public Works wrote in reference to the Council’s request for a grant of £2O to remove slips on Manga Road, saying that the Resident Road Engineer had reported on tbo application and had found that it apparently referred to work that was carried out practically eighteen months ago, at the end of 1911. At that time the council claimed £ls for clearing slips, and the department paid the amount asked for. “It now appears that the claim for £2O for clearing slips relates to the same section of road, continued the Under-Secretary. ’ 1 in a case where a road is being handed over to a local body, and, during the progress of formalities necessary to the handing over, slips come down, the department does not altogether object to making a certain allowance to _ clear such slips, but in this case, as it appears that the original construction was carried out over eighteen mouths ago, and the road vested in your council, the Minister regrets he cannot favourably entertain your application.”—Councillor Young moved that tbe matter be referred back to tlio department, tbe council not being in possession of any records vesting the portion of the Manga Road where the slips occurred in tbo council. It was pointed out that ratepayers in the county had never used the road. Tho motion was carried.

THE METAL SUPPLY. Only one tender was in order for the supply of 6000 cubic yards of crushed metal on tracks at Sentry Hill, but the price was considered too high and the tender was declined. A committee consisting of the chairman, engineer, and the East Riding members was set up to endeavour to make arrangements for the supply of metal, GENERAL. Councillor Walter the council to apply for sections 4,5, 6, and 16, block 3, Huiroa, for a roadman’s cottage. Application will be made to the Land Board accordingly. Notice of motion was given to declare St. John’s wort a noxious weed in the county. . , , , . The engineer was instructed to attend to the growth of blackberry on the Autawa and Douglas Roads. The fencing of a. silt pit on the lower Pembroke Road will be attended to. The next meeting of the council will be held on August 13, because the customary date, the third "Wednesday (August 20) clashes with tho Counties Conference, which begins at Wellington on August 19. The passing for payment of accounts amounting to £3903 concluded the business.