MANUKAU COUNTY COUNCIL.

Franklin Times, Volume 9, Issue 736, 2 June 1922, Page 2

MANUKAU COUNTY COUNCIL.

ANNUAL MEETING. CR BELL RE-ELECTED CHAIRMAN The annual meeting of the Manukau County Council was held on Wednesday .last, when Cr A. D. Bell was re-elected chairman. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT. The chairman gave a review of the year’s working, and inter alia his report stated : The Papatoetoe Town Board residents are again considering the formation of a Borough, with extended boundaries, and as this is a .matter concerning County ratepayers, the Council is watching the proceedings with a view to preventing undue hardship being imposed on owners of farming bind adjoining the present Town Board area. A slight alteration in the boundaries between the Mangere Riding and the Borough of Otahuhu has taken place, two properties having been excluded from the Borough and placed in the Mange re Riding. The County road making plant has been augmented by the purchase of an up-to-date crusher and elevator, and a steam engine to drive same was purchased on very reasonable terms second-handi. This new plant was installed at Mangere to assist in carrying out the road improvement works .as economically as possible, permanent hoppers having also been erected to facilitate the workv The older crushing plant has been installed at the new quarry at East Tamaki,, and is, I believe, turning out a very satisfactory output. New road works have been placed in hand during the year,, and Campbell stream, Parish line, and creamery bridges in Wairoa Riding, and Cemetery bridge, Turanga Riding, have been completed in reinforced concrete.

In the Papatoetoe Riding several old bridges are to be renewed by reinforced concrete structures and the money to be raised under the B-idges Renewal Loan sanctioned by the ratepayers some time ago. The steps to procure the money cannot, however, be completed until the estimates for the bridges are got out. Redoubt Road me'talftiig has been partly carried out,, unfavourable weather preventing the completion of the work.

At Mangere the loan money granted by the State Advances Office (£IB,OOO out of the total authorised, £30„000) has been nearly all' expended on a distance of Jess than three miles of road. Out of the £17.500 spend, about £IOSO was expended on machinery, and there are assets in bitumen and metal worth about £1750. The commencement of the work last season was delayed through the lateness in getting the crushing machinerv installed at the

quarryj. Steps have been taken fto arrange for the proceeding with the Wiri Station Road metalling, and Maraetap Road contracts. The ratepayers from Ness Valley to Kawa Kav/.i Bay are also hr ranging .for a loan of £IOOO for metalling and the Overs settlers intend to follow suit at an early date.

A deputation from Whitford settlers has been before the Council asking for a "oad to be opened, connecting Whitford by direct route to Papatoetoe, but owing to the Council not being satisfied as to the exact lay out of the route and cost and future maintenace of the proposed road,, the proposition has not come to anything definite so for.

Dealing w'th the proposed electrification of the County, or portions thereof, the Auckland. Electric Power Board has been duly constituted, and has commenced operations. Unfortunately the County and adjacent local authorities have failed to secure representation on the Board. Judging bv the returns of the various booths in connection with the Power Board election, it is apparent that we have very little hope of getting a representative on the Board under the existing system of election. It is pasily seen that the city, and closely populated areas,, have a very much stronger vote than the outside districts, even although ratepayer only are on the electors’ ro’l. Until such time as the district under the Power Board’s jurisdiction is divided into wards, we. can on’jv look to the present Board members for a square deal.

Main road control and .maintae-Hice 's still in ’its dark stagesi. T l,p n>*onosals of the Hon. Minister of Public Works relative Hereto, apparently met wUh very little aup oval during last Pnri’a'ientary session, but it is to be breed that th« forthcoming conference between the Minister and inters led local nuthorit'es will help to -volve a method., o ■ svs-

tern satisfactory to all concerned. According to newspaper reports a start has already been made by the Government on the deviations at Rangiriri. There is a notice of motion before the Council, whereby a change of policy is suggested with regard to our main County roads maintenance. This is worthy of deep consideration. It is proposed that all roads in the County which are now looked upon as “main rodas., rr shall be maintained out of one central fund, and all Ridings shall contribute thereto. When tiie County was first formed, it was agreed to keep each district entirely separate from another,, and so far this has been done under the Riding account system. Changes have taken place, however. 3inc? that decision was made, inasmuch that the ydioie County has contributed to the purchase of extensive plant and machinery, and it "is found that, as far as main roads are concerned,, it is better to have them classified by themselves and maintained as one. If uniformity is to be obtained. However, the advantages and disadvantages must be carefully considered before the suggestion is adopted.