WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

West Coast Times, Issue 8056, 19 January 1891, Page 4

WESTLAND COUNTY COUNCIL.

The following report! were read at tht last meeting of the Westland County Council: —

COTTNXX BNGIKEBB'S BB7OBT.

Xoad Maintenance.— The various roads in the county with a few exceptions are in middling good order although somewhat rougher than when I last reported. The heavy rainfall dnring the month brought down a few slips and caused some damage by econr, &c., along some of the district roads bat I think the repairs necessary to restore these roads to their usual condition can be done by the regular roadmen. The expenditure on the maintenance of the main road from Dillmans to the Ohristchuroh road has been somewhat greater this month than usual owing to a large hole in the roadway a few chains above Dillmans the filling up of which necessitated a good deal of extra horse and dray work. Evidently the hole was caused by the collapse of an old tunnel whioh passes through under the roadway and the ground being loose caved through to the surface j it will be necessary to keep depositing gravel in this hole from time to time as the filling already in settles down but I expect that the settling will soon cease. Flood Damage Lower Arahura.— During the reoent heavy floods in the Arahura river a very large snag struok the upper end of the piled protective wall along the northern bank above the bridge carrying away 5 or 6 piles And splitting others that are still in their places. There is little doubt that had this enag struck one of the bridge piers the bridge would hare been wrecked. Seeing that there v a likelihood of the river cutting into the bank where the piles have been carried away and doing further damage, I thought it advisable to send two of the roadmen to cut scrub which will be placed with some stone as a temporary protective work along the tack as soon as possible. Mount Greenland Mikonui Track — During Ifhe past month one mile of this track has been cleared and roughly levelled leaving •bout half mile yet to be made to connect trith the Mikonui river bed but as the amount vofcedfpr the track(£l9) has all been expended I have stopped this work until I get further instructions from the Council. The track where it now ends about a mile down the leading spur from the Greenland track would I le of very little advantage to the men prospecting along the Mikonui valley slopes as they would still have to carry their provisions down a very steep spur to reach the river tfais would be avoided if the track was extended to the river which I estimate would cost about £15 or £16 and I recommend that the work be put in hand and completed. I have visited Fox's road at the creek crossing to see what steps (if any) should be taken to prevent the creek water overflowing, the roadway. The bed of the creek in the fiat where the road crosses has been filled up with tailings fora distance of tenehainß below the road owing to the fall in the creek not "being sufficient to carry them off: below this the original creek bed 3ft deep and 10ft wide comparatively free from tailings is to be seen but it is so flat that I doubt whether even if that part of the creek bed which is now blocked with tailings were cleaned out tine fall of the country is sufficient to give enough scour to the oreek to carry off the coarse tailings. I would recommend however, as a trial that a few pounds be expended in clearing the timber and other obstructions to the flow of the stream from the road down to where the oreek bed is free from tailings so as to confine the water to one channel, and the scour thus cauesd might lower the tailings in the vicinity of the road. In addition to the first clearing of the creek bed, I think it will be necessary after eaoh flood (should the channel scour deeper) to clear away the debris whioh may from time to time be bared iq the water way : this repeated a few times may confine the oreek in one channel. As it. is questionable whether the fall of the oreek^ below is sufficient to carry off the tailing^ it p not unlikely that the water in the oreek'

would be again booked up as fresh tailings j •re brought down the oreek from above. I BackCreekßuih. Ibaveduringtnepastmonth ■ taken levels along a leading spur through : the centre of the workings at Back Creek I Bush and have put in pegs giving the levels ' of the wash in Weir and party's prospecting claim. So far as I can learn there are at present ten parties on gold which is con- _ •idered more or less payable, but so far the workings are not sufficiently developed to : enable me to give any opinion aB to the existence of a defined lead on this goldfield. The foot tracks through tbe rush owing in a in a great measure to the recent fine weather are dry and in fairly passable condition but in wefc weather wouldbe very Boft and sloppy. The bridge over Deep Creek on tho Blua Spur-Humphrey's Q-ully road ia in a very unsafe state and should either be closed to heavy traffics or at once rebuilt. I estimtte the coat of the necessary work at somewhere about £85.

OVERSEER BECK'S REPORT.

These is very little to report on this month with the exception of some of the bridges. The main roads are very fair except parts of the Robs road which is, as I reported lasi month very thin in places. I have had Dusk's bridge put in good repair and hare the timber at Deep Creek to patch this bridge with whioh will make it safe for a jear or two. After that it will require a new bridge. The One Mile line, Old Christchuroh road and Deviation road are in passable repair. District Roads. — From town boundary to Humphrey's is in fair order. There is a bridge on this road at Deep creek which is not safe for heavy traffic as most of the timber* are very rotten. The Kanieri lake road is in paesable repair but would be in good order with about a week's work with two men with horse and [dray. The Kokatahi road is in very fair order as far as Lang's farm but requires some good gravel in places between this and the Upper Kokatahi. I have had Borne metal carted on the Mill road which will take about another week to put in good repair. All other roads and tracks are in passable repair. We will have to repair aome of the bush tracks at the rush until a better track is mada as they are very much cub up and there aro several claims on gold.