RANGITIKEI COUNTY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 186, 7 August 1936, Page 9

RANGITIKEI COUNTY

MEETING OF THE COUNCIL BUSINESS FOR THE MONTH ! The monthly meeting of the Rangi- | tikei County Council was held yesterday, Cr. K. W. Dalrymple presiding. Also present were Crs. A. Stuart, H. A. Belk, J. D. Lilburn, J. Brice, J. McHardy, L. Hammond, A. S. Coleman, W. Doole, the clerk (Mr H. H. Richardson), and the county engineer (Mr S. A. R. Mair). The Petone Borough Council wrote expressing alarm at the growing burden of hospital levies and forwarding a resolution urging the Government to overhaul the incidence and cost of hospital administration. The growing burden was admitted, , but the council could not support in full the resolution. Cr. Stuart said he did not grudge the hospital tax so much as he grudged some of the other taxes. The hospital tax assisted the unfortunates who were ill while the unemployment tax, for instance, I assisted able-bodied men who, in many eases, were too lazy to work. The Waipa County Council wrote j recommending that all heavy motor vehicles be equipped with sealed gov- . ernors so as to automatically restrict | their speed. It was suggested that | at present the high speeds of some i of the lorries were very damaging to I the roads. —The letter was received. I Mr T. H. Ireton wrote asking that I the gate be removed off the road of | access to his property at Upper Ka- i whatau. —The council agreed. Mr W. McD. Findlay wrote apply- I ing for permission to erect a private I, telephone line across the Utiku-Man- I. gaweka main highway.—Granted, subject it meets with the engineer’s approval. The Kiwitea County Council wrote asking for exemption from any lia- . bilities in regard to the Onepuhi ; Bridge on the grounds that the bridge was little used by the Kiwitea ratepayers. It was decided that the Rangitikei . County Council could not agree to : the exemption. It was decided to vote £3 3s to the Taihape Fire Brigade. ; In connection with the proposal to - erect new county offices it was de- 1 tided to proceed immediately with the 1 work on the engineer's block. A com- ’ mittee comprising Crs. Stuart, Brice, 1 Hammond, Coleman, and the chair- ' man were appointed to go into the plans and report at the next county meeting. The sum of £2OOO is pro- 1 vided on the estimates for the work. ' Legal proceedings are to be taken : against owners that allow their stock to wander on the roads. The engineer was instructed to con- 1 fer with the Marton Borough fore/ : man regarding the flooding of the Tu- ’ taenui Stream below the waterworks. ' Cr. Coleman remarked that some years ago the flooding had cost the : ratepayers £4OO and a recurrence : should be avoided. i The treasurer’s statement showed ] that the credit balance after last ; meeting was £519 10s Id, while yes- I terday it had changed to a debit bal-1 ance of £9166 2s 3d. The Wangaehu branch of the[ Women’s Division of the N.Z. Farm- j ers’ Union wrote complaining about the action of the traffic inspector in ■ interrupting ttielr euchre party held in the Public Hall on June 4 last in connection with a breach of the Motor Regulations. Mr. Fowler reported that on the night in question he saw a car parked outside the hall with old number plates on. He saw several men outside the hall and asked them if they knew where the owner of the car could be located. They said inside the hall, so he went inside and merely i asked the owner of the car to come forward. The owner forwarded a satisfactory explanation. I Cr. Brice said that the inspector 1 was doing his duty and his action was justified. The letter was received and the inspector’s explanation accepted. Mr. John Robinson, the Taihape noxious weed inspector, was granted his annual leave of fourteen days. Engineer’s Report The county engineer (Mr. S. A. R. Mair) reported for the month as follows: Rangitoto Riding: Raumai Road has been trimmed with the grader. Protective work on river bank at Parawanui has been completed. A small bridge on Makirikiri Road has been re-decked. Bulls Bridge has been repaired. Further damage has occurred to protective works. Repairs are now in hand. Otakapu Riding: Blockages are being cleared out of drains in the Wangaehu Valley. A corner on Ratana Road has been widened. Side drains have been cut on McLauchlan's Road. Slips have been cleared off Dalvey Hili. McQuarrie’s Hill and Bruce Road have also been cleared of slips. Fair progress has been made with the new culvert on the Turakina Valley Road. Concrete is all in position and approaches are now under construction. Porewa Riding: Metal repairs have

been carried out on Henderson Line and Golding’s Line, and on Fern Flats roads. Warren and Galpin Roads have been trimmed. Considerable annoyance is being given by stock being herded upon roads in the Porewa Riding. Offenders have been warned and future transgressors will be prosecuted. Contractors for the removal of trees on Kakariki Road are making fair progress without inconvenience to traffic.

Wangaehu Riding: A bad washout on Makohau Road has been repaired. Many fresh slips have occurred on Turakina Valley Road, Whareroa and [Ohaumoku Roads. These are being 'cleared. Bad places on Mangahoe [Road have been fascined and wash|outs repaired. A large culvert on [Ohaumoku Road has been repaired. The ways and means to metal Ohaumoku Road have been discussed with I the settlers interested, but so fiar no | finality has been reached.

I Rangatira Riding: Mt. Curl Road •at Waring’s is being widened. Slips 'have been cleared off Polgreen’s Hill. 1 Flood in the Rangitikei River has done i further damage to old protective works above Onepuhi Bridge. Repairs are to be put in hand immediately. (The deviation at the top of Polgreen’s (Hill has been fenced. Leedstown Road I has been repaired. Otairi Riding: Continuous wet weather has caused numerous slips on the Turakina Valley, Kei Kei, Pukekoa and Watershed Roads. These have been removed, but continue to come down with every fresh rain. A new pipe culvert has been put in on [Weston’s Hill. The bridge over Kei I Kei Gorge on Vinegar Hill highway has been repaired. Awarua Riding: Roads have again slipped very badly during the month. Repairs are in hand, and all have been opened for traffic. Metal repairs have been carried out on the main highway from Ohingaiti to Taihape, and on Torere, Moawhango Valley, Taoroa and Omatane Roads, also on Rangitane Road. Reconstruction work between Mangaweka and Utiku has been hampered by wet weather. Much of the new work has been damaged by slips and washouts. Tekapua Riding: All the principal roads in this riding have been blocked by slips. These are being cleared with all available men. Metal repairs have been carried out on Koeka, Okaka, Turakina Valley, Otaihape Vail**’, Whaka Roads and Murray’s Track Highway. The Public Works Department are laying down a camp for 15 men at the foot of Majuba Hill, Turakina Valley Road, to commence metalling Mangamahoe Road from PukeIroa. It is proposed to quarry the I metal from the bed of the Turakina ißiver and crush it. A gang of men I have commenced cutting firewood for [papa burning on the Koeka end of | the road, but as the owners of bush lin many cases are only allowing unsuitable timbers to be taken for firewood, this work may have to cease. This is unfortunate, as there is no other available metal for this part of the road. As it is necessary to establish a roadman at Mangaone, I propose to build a cottage for a married man on our reserve close to the junction. Erewhon Riding: I have inspected the washout on the Taihape-Napier I Road at Moawhango. Proposals are being prepared for building a culvert by cutting into the papa and covering | with concrete. Metal repairs have been carried out on Moawhango Valley, Oturaei and Tikirere Roads, and the Wainui-Moawhango Main Highway. Points are being widened on Matawhero Road.

Ruanui Riding: Grisson’s Road has been repaired and two old culverts renewed with pipes. Slips have been removed off many roads. Metal repairs have been carried out on Wararuhi Road. Two overhead bridges at Mataroa have been re-decked. Main Highway Reconstruction: Turakina-Marton. —Wet weather has considerably delayed this work. Formation and base course metalling is practically completed from Marton to Gower’s Hill. As there is insufficient metal in Kinlock’s pit to complete the work, arrangements have been made to open a pit in Briant’s on Bruce’s Road.

i Crushing Plants: The Kakariki .'plant has worked steadily during the i month suppling railway ballast, coni Crete metal and chips. The plant is in good order. The recent flood in I the Rangitikei River did considerable [damage to protective work on the far (bank. Repairs have been carried out. I Pipeworks have been kept going [steadily building up stocks which were [very low. The Utiku plant is working I' full time, and is still unable to keep up to demand as many roads in the north end need metal for repairs. I have obtained suitable easements from • owners for the pipe line for a supply |of water to the works, but so fax have not been able to satisfactorily let out the work. The xoi'.tractor has satisfactorily completed the cottage for the foreman in charge of the pit. Carpenter Foreman: The cr/mcil now has ntcr.t 30 workers’ cottages and much rjotine repair work and painting, etc. is required from time to time. The isolated and intermittent nature of the work makes it both hard to get suitable men-to carry it out and expensive when done. I suggest a good carpenter foreman be appointed to do this work as required and also bridge repairs, and construction ot small concrete bridges and culverts, etc. There is more than enough of these works to keep a good man fully employed.