MATAMATA COUNTY.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17916, 11 January 1930, Page 7

MATAMATA COUNTY.

MEETING OF COUNCIL. THE MONTH’S BUSINESS. A special and the ordinary meeting of the Matamata County Council was held' at Tirau on Friday, when those present were Councillors J. W. Anderson ('chairman), Allen, Bruce, Dee, Moir, Morris, Nlckle, Wilson, M. E. Fitzgerald (engineer), and Barton (•clerk). At the special meeting the statutory half-holiday was fixed as Wednesday for the County.

The special order authorising, the loan for the Luck at Last Road was confirmed.

Mamaku Bush Road.

At the ordinary meeting a telegram Was received from the Minister of Transport, notifying that lie had approved of the -re-classification of the Mamaku Bush Road as fourth-class for pneumatic tyred vehicles and fifth-class for solid tyred vehicles. The ‘classification: Is to toe again reviewed after Easter.,, A further communication stated that the reclassification took'effect immediately. The Rotorua Bus Company notified its intention to use the road for fourton traffic from December 27. l " Mr Anderson stated that it appeared, as if the Minister had come to a decision very quickly. He understood from what had been said that the matter, would receive serious consideration and an arrangement would be made to suit all interested! parties. Cr Allen thought the council bad treated the ,Rotorua Bus Company very fairly. He believed the whole position had ’ resulted from political pull and considered a’ strong protest should toe submitted. '

■ 'Cr Anderson believed the Transport Act was bringing the transport problem back under political influence,' and several councillors deplored this tendency. Cr Bruce asked if the Minister had power to reclassify any road and) was assured this was so. The clerk had written to the Minister asking that certain county roads should be- re-classifled from 4th to sth class roads. This was necessary to protect these roads from heavy traffic, confining the same to the Main Highways. It was that an emphatic protest be forwarded to the Minister. Copies of the resolution are to be sent to the Auckland Automobile Association and the Farmers’ Union. •■■■ .

Traffic Inspectors. No. 2 District Main Highways Council intimated ' that th.e. board would pay a subsidy of £1 for £i _on approved joint scheme, for the salaries of additional traffic inspectors;—Matter to stand in abeyance, in the meantime. White’s Road. Mr G. N. Cochran wrote asking for this road to toe regraded, as it was in - a very toad state at present. Left to the riding member and engineer to deal with. ' : Dust Nuisance. Mr, Frank Rose, Tiivt’i, complained of the dust nuisance in the township. There.was no stock route, and; mobs of sheep and'cattle were driven: along the main highway, which, he stated, carried more traffic than any road in the county. This dust caused great depreciation in valuable stocks carried toy the business people, and was a great source of annoyance.-—The Highwavs Board engineer had informed the writer that the council could apply to have this piece of road bitumenlsed at any time,., and he felt that the residents in the locality had suffered long enough. Cr. Anderson said he had explained to Mr Rose that the council was waiting to do the whole job, including the overhead bridge. The engineer expressed his intention of doing a certain amount of tarring in the. township, which would abate the nuisance considerably. Lichfield Domain.

Mr, A. Vincent, chairman of , the Lichfield Domain Board, had received a demand for rates due on Domain land. This land was let at £3 a year, and the demand to 17s sd. He:hoped .the council would be able to relieve his board by a remission of the rates. —-A reply is to be sent that if the lessee is not responsible for the rates they will be remitted. Cambridge Pound.

It was left in the hands of Grs; Bruce and Niokle. to make arrangements with the Cambridge Borough Council as to what amount should foe contributed towards the borough poundkeeper’s salary, andf what portions of the 'county should be included in his district.

Three-Axle Motor Vehicles. A circular letter was received from the Minister of Transport in regard to this subject. He pointed out that Section 164 of the Public Works Act restricted the gross weight , of any motor vehicle to 10 tons and! the load to 6 tons, but' Section 165 made an exception in case of 6-wheeled motor vehicles, the loading ol’ which was restricted to 9 tons with a combined 'load weight, of 15 tons. Technical officers advised that the Distribution of weight was approximately 2§ tons on the front axle, 3 J tons on the middle, and 4 tons on- the rear axle. Regarding road damage, local authorities meed, have no fear in regard to the six-wheeled : type of machine. The foregoing applied to roads which were .not classified, or classified in the first class under the motor regulations.' So far as the ‘Classified roads were 'concerned, the weight limits fixed by the classification would apply but it was the intention to have •amending legislation introduced permitting both rigid and articulated sixwheeled machines to use a classified road, even if the gross weight exceeded the‘classification limit to a specified degree. The support of the council was sought.—Members of the council expressed their disapproval of the proposed .legislation. Engineer’s Report.

The engineer, Mr M. E. Fitzgerald, reported that the continuance of wet weather ■ had delayed work and put a heavy strain on the maintenance work during the holiday period. Essential maintenance men and plant,were kept at work continuously through the holidays, but most of the special works were stopped for various reasons. Eighty, chains of metalling on BrunskiU’s road had been completed; also 1288 chains on Muirhead’s road; Oliver’s road, 87 -chains; together with a working surface on the main Whitehall road of 220 chains. _ Traffic tallies had been taken on main highways at Mamaku, Kalmai, and Tokoroa, and showed that on Mamaku 'Car traffic had increased by. over 20 per cent, over last year’s figures, the heaviest day showing 402 ears between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Service car traffic had doubled on this road since last year, with an average of 20 trips per day, and in addition some four or five buses used the road daily. On the Kaimai there was an average of 90 cars per day, which was double the last jears

.(Continued in next column.)

figures, and a few buses made the trip from Tauranga . Service, car traffic had fkllen slightly. Traffic through ‘Tokoroa was practically' the same as last year. The tallies, extended over a period of two. weeks. Owing' to .the, reclassification of the Mamaku Bush road the present method of road maintenance and the present allocation of money from the Main Highways Board would not meet the new conditions, and definite directions as to iiow to proceed were awaited from the board, which had been consulted on the matter.