PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXI, Issue 18822, 12 July 1923, Page 5

PATEA COUNTY COUNCIL

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Patea County Council was held on Tuesday. The members present were: Crs. Gibbs -'chairman), Belton. Scown, Alexander, Watkins, McDonald and Back. billing in Ditch.—The secretary of the Waitotara Memorial Committee wrote asking for the filling of about 35ft. of ditch in front of the proposed site for the memorial. —Left in the hands of riding leprescntative and engineer. with power to act. lumber. —Mr F. Train wrote asking that the council agree to timber from near the site bring used for the bridge at the junction of the Upper Waitotara Valley and Rawhitiroa Roads - -Derided to refer matter to Public Works Department. Metal Charger:.—The resident engineer. Public Works Department, <’- vised that the charge for metal at Te era had been reduced to 8s per yard. Samples were produced by the engineer, >ird members agreed that the stone was not so -rood as that received from Belmont.—The chairman said at some future date they might negotiate for some of the Te Wer a metal. Cost of Borings —The Public Works engineer wrote stating that the cost <-f borings for the Waitotara Valley Road (Lower) was £3O, and that there was a further contribution of £2 10s I due from the council. ENGINEER’S REPORT. The engineer reported as follows Main Road and General. —Work throughout the month has been very < onsiderably Impeded by the incessant had weather. The roller and party have been engaged on the re-met ailing of the Manutahi Gorge. This work is now very nearly complete, and when it i= finished work will oe commenced on Scown’s Hill towards Patea. The grader and dray teams have been at work on the side tracks on the Main Road, commencing at Manawapou, -wd are now near Kakaiamea widening the read. Near McCarthy’s, on the Main Read, a culvert is required to drain a water hole, and 1 recommend that this be attended to. I have inspected the Patea bridge recently, and I recommend that ths last two spans on the station side be re-decked at an early date, and that the steel truss be repainted. The total cost of these works I estimate at £270. During the month the list of estimates requested from rhe Public Worxs Department has forwarded. In company with the chairman, we interviewed the resident engineer at Stratford, and we have every reason to believe that a large programme of Government-assisted work can be proceeded with this season. Waverley Riding.—On the Karahaka Road a filling has been made on the seaward side of the Gorge. The bad place between the two bridges has been slipping again. The work of forming Hooper’s Road has been commenced. Arrange- . ments have been made to drain the 1 outlet of the culvert leading from ' Mr Bremer’s property on the Oturi 1 Road. This culvert is badly block- ] ed. and if it cannot be cleared an- ( other one will have to be put in. 1

Moumahaki Riding.—Bad weather has prevented the replacement of the culvert on the Valley Road, near Groves’. A culvert outlet into the Waitotara River near the Waitotara School is causing considerable erosion, and I recommend that this be attended to without delay. Several slips have taken place, one large one on the Lakes length and others near the Weraweraonga Road. Kapara Riding.—l have been unable to make a trip up this riding during the month, but will do so in the near future. The Te Ngaue contract is reported complete (except for maintenance), and very little remains to be done to the Makokaho bridge. The contractor for the latter has requested to be allowed to leave over the balance of the work to be done (mainly painting) for the better weather. I understand fair progress is being made on the river diversion at Taumatatahi, which work is approaching completion. Several slips have occurred in this riding, a particularly bad one (an under-slip) taking place just over the Kaimanuka bridge. An attempt is being made here to cut out a road on a higher level.