COUNTY ENGINEER'S REPORT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3134, 10 March 1909, Page 3

COUNTY ENGINEER'S REPORT.

The County Engineer (Mr IJ. MeLachlnn) reported to the County Council yesterday as follows: — Te Whiti Riding. Weraiti Road. —Contract No. 168, building two bridges, G5 and 24 feet spans.—The construction of th n smal!er o briuge was allowed to stand over until drier weather condition?, to allow the contractor facility for putting down the piers. As the old structure is becoming unsafe for heavy traffic, and the dry season is towards a close, I have sent the contractor final notice that unless his work is proceeded with within seven days his contract will be terminated. Masterton-Waimata Road. The ; construction of duplicate culverts, | to relieve flood waters on Percy Brcs. i frontage, is being proceeded with. ] Rangitumau Riding. Wangaehu Road. —Contract No. 184, metalling, etc., 40 chains of road and 20 chains extra, was completed on the 12th ultimo, and the work will be taken off the contractor's hands when duly maintained. Metal repairs to the extent of about 200 cubic yards are being made to the weaker portions of the northern end uf this section oi roar', which will practically exhaust the metal supply in this locality. Contract No. 145, 92 chains of metalling which has been under maintenance for the past month, is reported by the contractor t« be ready for taking over by the Council. I shall inspect the work , forthwith. A contract for 140 cubic yards of metal for repairs to the Kaka-irru Road has been let to J. Clark,\also | 9 chains of metalling on the Kaikutu Road. Surface repairs, by day labour, are being effected to Dorset's Road. Wainuioru Riding. Masterton-Waimata Road. Contract No. 188 delivering 1,340 cubic yards of meta!. Good progress is j being made with this contract; the J more difficult portion of the metal I on the northern end has been obBrancepeth Road. —Contract No. 189, delivering 910 cubic yards of metal for repairs. The contractors are novv on the ground preparing to commence work. J Blairlogie Road. Contract No. 187, 710 cubic yards of metal for repairs. The above has been delivered, but has been quite inade-' quate to cover the weaker portions of the road. I have, therefore, deemed it urgent while the contractor was <->n the ground to extend the repairs some 200 odd cubic yards. —The Engineer's action was I approved.

j Blairlogie-East Coast Road. —Contract No. 180 (LarndG), 31 chains of metalling. This work has been I very satisfactorily carried out by thu | contractor, J. Curry, together with jll chains of extras. As instructed ; by the Council, I have let (he Wai- ; hora unmetalled length to J. Curry, i who has undertaken to perform the ! work at 3s per cubic yard. | Homewoo j-Kaiwhata Road. —Con- ; tract No. 191, 51 chains of forma- • tion. As no satisfactory tenders were received fot the above contract, I havn ordered the timber for the culverts to be delivered on the ground. A contractor is visiting the giound with the object of giving a price for the earthwork separately. Weraiti-Brancepeth Road.—Contract No. 182, 126 chains of metalling. Fair progress was being made . with the work on my visit of inspection on 2nct inst. There was yet 40 chains to complete. Contract No. 181, 148 chains of metalling with crushed limestone. ' Some 650 cubic yards of metal is reported by the contractor delivered on ; the road. The quality of the stone holds good; the delivery of the material on the ground is slow and irregular.

J Alfredton Riding. | Alfredton-Weber Road.—Contract ! No. 186, 2 miles of metalling. The | contractor is now maKing better pro--1 grese, having nearly doubled his hauling power this month. ; Contract No. 185, delivering 965 cubic yards of metal for repairs. The whole of the metal from Harding's pit was delivered last week, and the contractor is now hauling from the I Te Hoe Stream. I Mount Baker Road.—Contract No. I 81, 103 chains of metalling (L and ' G). The contractors finished delivering the metal on 4th instant, ar.d are : responsible for a month's mainten- ; ance from that date. The quality of | metal supplied has been, on the j whole, fairly good. I Moroa-Hinernoa Road.—Contract i ; No. 179, building a bridge. On my visit of inspection on the 26th ultimo the work was within two or three days of completion, and it has since been reported complete by the contractor. YVaihoki Road. —Contract No. 183, 45 chains of metalling with burnt papa. The contractor has kilns burnt, and is now ready to begin carting operations. Castle Hill Road.—Contract No. 190, budding a 71 feet span bridge over the Taueru River, was let on the 23rd ultimo to C. E. Daniel!, who is making am effort to get the material on the ground this n>onth. Contract No. 171,19 chains of formation, etc. The work was started on the 18th ultimo, and good progress has been made. In oraer to make tiie | road negotiable for heavy traffic, it ! has been necessary to spend £5 or £6 in opening up the wafer-tables. An- ; ticipating the timber traflic, I deemed t this wo. I; urgent, and have put it in ' hand. i Saunders Road (accrued thirds), a culvert 2 feet by 2 feet by 34 feet, has been constructed at a washout, and another culvert, destroyed by fire, replaced. Repairs- are being effected to the outlets of tunnels. Two bridges on the Hutewai Road, in a somewhat delapidateri state, may be rendered safer for light traffic, by an additional two inches decking. There are thirds available for the work.—Suggestion adopted. Alfredton-Weber Road.—Rakanui section (£IOO grant). The improvements in connection with the expenditure of Government grant are being carried on, and the necessary timber for the construction of culverts has , been ordered-