MARTON.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 17125, 29 October 1917, Page 4

MARTON.

Mr Sydney Mair. County Engineer, has advised his Council that he sent the grader out to trim up Whareroa Road, preparatory to gravelling. a satisfactory tender had been received from Mr A. McCallum for the work. Owing to the dearth of labour, progress of county works has been considerably retarded. A contract has been let to Mr W. Moore for forming aud gravelling 48 chains on the Rata-Rewa road, subject to the final approval of plans by the Roads Department. The State Advances Office has provisionally approved of a loan of £1000 for Otaihaps and BairdV roads. Mr E. Newman. M.P., Las forwarded to the Rangitikei Council a, amendment to the Public Reserves and Domains Act, to enable a section to be leased for building purposes at Kpitiata Domain, near the mouth of the Turakina River.

Marton chemists, Messrs Ingle Bros tind W. McCully, have been" allowed to charge 27s 6d per bushel for poisoned grain supplied from Ist August last. In view of the increased area put down m wheat this year, it is anticipated that a large quantity of poisoned gram will be used, it bp.incr considered the most effective method of dealing with tho small bird nuisance.

The roads generally are in fair order, bub the heavy gales prevailing lately have swept them ver.v bare of binding, and it will be necessary to put un way and grit at- once to save them irom breaking up.The grader has been working during the past mouth on the roads below Bulls.. It has been some years since the grader did much work down there, and the quantity of metal it has collected from the outer edge of the rdads will save a lot oi: new metal that otherwise would have been required this auturan. This work has left the roads very loose and rough, so Mr Thorns, Road inspector, sent down the roller to roil the worst portions. In the course of his report to tile County Council on Saturday, Mr Thorns (Road Inspector) wrote as follows: — In company with the chair-man and settlers interested I'inspected the site c* the proposed bridge over the Tutaenul stream on the C^uarantine road, asked lor by Mr W. Doughty and others. Tho Slto on tne present road-line is a verj' bad one for a bridge to h& built above the flood level; but a reinforced concrete low level bridge could be blrilt. It would cost considerably more than a bridge above the flood level if erected on the site of Mr Tricker's present stock bridge, and the road diverted for a distance of about six chains. I estimate the cost of erecting a reinforced

concrete Jow-level bridge on the present road line at £320. The estimated ?? st,,° f ,wldeulllS and strengthening Mr lneker'.s stock bridge, £16U; forming' and eulverting deviation, £36 14s • teneing 'deviation, £10 10s; metalline - aeviataon, £21 12s; total, £218 lbs. Ine work of- cutting a creek diversion m Mrs Howard's, near Greatford is nearly completed. When finished and j a set of largo pipes put in it will Ido away with the necessity of renevrImg three small bridges, "and should j save about £140 and make a better road.

Ihe work of taking off points ana widening on the Makohau and Turaluna, Valley, roads is in progress, and when completed will improve the roads considerably. Mr Collier has agreed to pay half the cost of metalling on the. Ruatangata road, and a little later wil probably find the teams for this work. We have just received a plan from ixessrs Baggost and Phillips, shawm* the boundaries of their property at Wangaehu over which it is proposed to raise a loan of £225 for erecting a bridge and forming and metalling part of tho road leading to their: property I saw Mr Wood, and he agreed to all low five acres of his property to be included in the Special Hating District for this work.

Men are now engaged forming ' «h* road deviation near Mr Schultze on tij« Makirikiri road. Alfparties now agree to the loan tar metalling on Williamson road. If the Council decide to go on -with this loan it will be necessai-y to send to the Survey Department for a plan of the subdivision of the Williamson Tstate., a« 1 have not sufficient data here to compile a correct plan for the Special Rating District. -' '

Cr. P. R. Brice Having asked for - an estimate of the cost of laying about ' two chains of pipe and erecting - a water-trough at Marfcon Junction; the estimate has been given at £15 10s 6d