NO. 13 HIGHWAYS COUNCIL

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24905, 19 June 1946, Page 3

NO. 13 HIGHWAYS COUNCIL

CONSTRUCTION WORK HAMPERED

RECOMMENDATION OF SUBSIDIES

Construction work in the last year had been hampered by- the difficulty in obtaining materials, stated the chairman (Mr E. F. Evans) in his report to the meeting of the No. 13 District Highways Council held yesterday. Manpower was also a very serious problem, he said. The great amount of work for carpenters, particularly, made work in the country difficult to perform, and there had been delays on some works. For example, work on the Weka creek bridge had been seriously impeded by the lack of carpenters. The funds available had been increased from £85,000 to approximately £lOO,OOO. The coming year woulcL probably see a great deal more traffie on the highways, and maintenance work would therefore increase also. Every assistance should be given to traffic in its passage along the highway and the minimum which had been forced on everybody by war conditions would no Idnger be adequate. Such matters as centre-line marking, sight-posts on bad corners, and growths on roadsides which obscured the view, would have to receive attention. In the past, both the department and the counties had lacked plant for repair work and sealed roads had deteriorated. The cost of work at the present time was very high, and if proper maintenance would add one or two years of life to pavements, it would prove economical to the board and the local bodies. Among work done during the year had been the erection of the Deadman river bridge, the completion of the Aniseed stream bridge, the sealing of eight miles of the KaikouraKahautara road, and seven miles 28 chains of the Hurunui-Domett road, and work on the Weka creek bridge had been commenced. When the estimates were under discussion. Mr Evans said he would like to make it clear that the allocations did not include any item . including possible flood damage. Unfortunately, it had been found necessary to prune some of the items, and very little provision had been made for new works.

The Main Highways Board subsidies recommended, with the amounts sought. by local bodies, were as .follows: Counties i Amuri. £22,648 (£30,823); Cheviot, £3322 (£5197): Kaikoura, £3067 (£11,517); Waipara, £9137 (£10.538). State highways (Pic-ton-Christchurch): £53,280 (£74,180). Main highways (Reefton-Hanmer Junction): £lO.BOO (£19,700). Signposting, £56 (£56).