COUNTY ROADS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1818, 26 July 1906, Page 3

COUNTY ROADS.

DEPUTATION TO HON. J. CARROLL A.deputation of the Co k Ooonty Council mat the Hon, J. .Carroll yesterday to place before him tho damage d -no to the roads by tho reoent fljods, end to aek for Government aid. The members presant ■were: Captain Tuckar (in the chair), Ore Harding, Matthews, Carmichael, W, D. S. .Maodonald, and F. Lysrar. The Chairman, in explaining the Council’s podtion, referred to the works in progress prior to the flood, the carrying out of which was quite sufficient to tax the Oouooil’s resources. The new mißfortuno wbioh had come upon them was beyond their ability to cope with Too Council's overdraft was £IO,OOO, aod they were now op to JC 10,433. They were really living from hand to month. The Chairman then road tho following report : “ With reforences to damages from fl ,ods od couDty roads, I brg to append herewith an approximate estimate of the amount which will bo required to put the roads in the same order as they were io formerly. Bat by far the heaviest and moat serious damage has ooourred at Te Karaka cutting at the eastern end. This catting has for many years been subjaot ta more or lebs erosion f om flood water and been the cause of considerable anxiety and expense, while endeavoriog to protect the road at this point. The last flood has completely out out about 4 chains, and threatens another 3 obaius (which is almost oartain to go shortly, as the direotion of the river cuerrnt is beiog gradually diverted towards it from the opposite baok being out away) A temporary track has been run from A to B (sketch herowith), and may probably fall in at any time and eomp’etcly block all traffio by this road from Motu to Wbatatutu. An alternative line to the township is available when the livar is low via Rangatira It is therefore certain uotil some schema is adoptad to get over the difficulty that traffij by this road most be suspended for three or four months, and possibly loDger. I have therefo o inspeoii-d the old road over tho hill from Scjt.’a to Wa kobu bridg’. Toe noithern portion, about 1£ pc'les, is available for whail traffio to the “ waterfall," bui the southern por.ijD, about 2$ miles, it barely passable for horses, aod at tbe Vine of my visit, during heavy raio, was for chains at a time practica'ly a mountain torrent, owmg to the want of culvertiDg a:d proper fa mation. This could be put in repair for wheel traffio for £463, which wcu'd bo available when tbe winter season was ovrr, but not before, owirg to consid,table filling being necessary and rendering tho roads Eoft for wheels. On rderrirg to tho rough skemb which I have hjrriedly preparid, you will s:e that (reverting again to tho Karaka oubtiog) portion A to B. 4 chain’, is entirely gooo, 1 aviDg a perpondioular faoe of about 30 f-;et o( silty g-ound Portion A to C, 3or 4 chains, may probably go shortly, and ibo bank will tvrniualiy take tbe lino m irked —| from C towards D, It is unoertain whether p'pa exists between D md B, It not, tbs sugg'sted now road at this point would be out into by tlrods. Borings of this would have to be takon Length of probable now road, about 30 obaius, wiih one bridge, say BOfb, approximate cost—forming and bridging £650, rmta'liDg £l3O. land and severance say £100; total £930. Should it be found

that no papa exists at the road lovel between D and B, I think it wou ; d be possible in tbe event of erosion to out further into the hill or adept other means of protootion at this point. To beep on tho present general lino of road, I know oi only t«o methods—Fustiy, to ereot retaining wall, which is in my opinion impracticab'e, as no visible foundation is nr a labia at a reasonable depth to bui d iff, and would cost, oven if practicable, something like £l6 per foot, if of coos orete. The alternative would be to bridge throe gaps, firs! A to B at a cos! of £1320, aod afterwords wheD nec'S ary A to 0, * a cost of £I2OO. It is therefore apparent that every c-ffoit should be made to divert the lino of rond to a higher lovel and to a safe foundation. Considerable diffiiultirs occur in tbo matter, firs ly, from tbe general contour and nature of tbo ground, seoondly, from liver ecouriog, thirdly, from tho position of tho railway tunnel at its ingress a .d exit, all of wbioh tend to render a safe road d ffiouls and expensive to ooostruot I have as yet only made a cursory inspection of tho ground under unfavorable oiroumstanoos as to woather, rto., and would therefore ask considerable jaticudo to alter tbo uaefermentioned to-.

£3848 0 0 Mr Carroll : Whit u youc rovooue ? The Chairman : It is the amount of tho overdraft, and we oai not go beyond it. Mr Carroll: Of c.urae it will be moro next year ? The Chairman : Ii is not available now. It will not te obtain iblo until March 31st next. Unfortunately wo cannot mortgage our expectations. Mr Carroll: You are Dot rated up to the full limit. Tho ChairmaD : No, not to the utmost lirni*. If we attempted to rate to the extent of 3J we would all be drstroyed. We dt,ra not do it. We have eiightly increased the rates of last year, The oleik said t' at the new valuation would not aff ot the revenue until April next.

Mr Carroll said tho facts were very distressing, but the misfortune was unavoidable. Ho wou ddo his utmost to get rel ef to the amount mentioned in the sohcdule, but it struck him in reading over tbe items that some of the smaller things might have been left out. The Karaka cutting was a matter of importance, and should be attended to, although he did not know how they were goiog to g t over it in the future. He asked if it was intended to prooeed with tbe works at once if the money were voted The engineer replied that bo did not intend that the mon y should bo fiittorcd away. He wou'd h -.vo the woik3 put on a sound footing, and would try and have everything done inside of throe months. Mr Carroli : Your proposal is to take ibo road at a high-r grade than the Karaka tonnd ? The Eog'neer : Y that is what I propose.

Mr Carroll said the matter was a serious oae for the Ceunc Vaod they had his full sympathy and assistance He would do all in his power to relieve them. If he had it in hie power to give thepa the money there and thon he would do it with a light heart. Too Chairman : That is what we want. Or Lyenar put in a strong plea on behalf of the Road Board--, which, like the Council, were in a very bad position. Their roads were gone, and they were left to face a very heavy expenditure. Even the loan moneys obtained by the Hacgaroa and Te Aroha Boards were epont, and the woik done had been brought to □ought. He did not know what was to become of the Boirds. ConoludiDg his remarks, Mr Lysnar said that the amount the distriot required from the Government was more like £12,000 than £4OOO. The Waimata Road Board was also in as bad a position as the Boards which he had previously mentioned. The requirements of the back blocks settlers should not be neglected. The Chairman said the Oouaeil had had very little time to prepare the schedule, and had only inolndfd the portions of the distriot under their jurisdiction. Or Lysnar thought it was as wall to put the truth before Mr Carroll, aud let him know the exaot position. Mr Carroll said that when the report from the Read Department was to hand the works of the Road Boards would be included in the sobedule. Or Matthews referred to the groat injury done to the roads by the recent flood and the urgent need for assistance. It wa9 not the buiinesa of the Council to minimise the losses. They should say fairly what injury bad boon done, and a-k tbe Government to help them, for the reason that in the past they hal always helped tbemßelvts, Mr Carroll: We all reoogn : so fib a duties and obligations oast upon us, but it is a question as to whether our sipply of medic'no is adrquate. Or MoDoniH, of the Motu, said that his riding had be:n pirhaps tho heaviest sufferer. They had borrowed nearly £BO,OOO, and yet their lords woro inflCo33Bihlo. The Couuoil had to maintain roads for the wbo'o of the Uratawa pettier?. The settlers ho represented ware heavily rated, and in mauyoisos had to pay as muoh as £3 a ton for thair goods. CrLjsiar: That is the broad tyres. Cr McD. n .Id : No, that is for goods by pack horses. | Di oussion fo'lowod on the methods of looal government und whether the Road Boards would not bo better off if tlry were directly uuler tho control of tho Council. Tho Chairman spoke in favor of tho Rosd Board system. He did not see that a body of men should be drpiivtd of the right to ra'e thomselvos to m,ke roads. Cr Matthews rather favored the abolition of Read Boards if tho County Councils waro givoD enlarged powers. From rn economical point of view tho works should bo better accomplished under the Council. Ia conclusion, the Chairman again urged upon Mr Carroll tho importanoi of the works scheduled, and expressed the hope that the Council would receive aid oommsnsurate with tho misfortune beforo them.

A vote of thanks to Mr Carroll ter' mina'od tbo proceedings.

posed tine, wbioh might etatt from tho p os, lit rood over tho exit of tho tuunel and gradually lire, sty, 1 in 15, above old road Iffio to D, Ibonoo again paosing over tho tunnel about 1J chains from i 'gross and keeping tho side contour of the hill, oross tho creek at E, thonoo fo'lowing the siding on tho south side of tho railway, and oventually cross tho lino on tho flat at about F and on to tho old roadway. Tho lime at my disposal has net permitted mo to make tho necessary surveys to lay before your Counoil a dofinito eohomo, but os I was aware that you wore to moot Ibo Hon. J. Carroll this morning, it was dosirablo that all available information should bo beforo you.”

JC s d j Mangapapa to Waihiroro ... 30 0 0 Wauunta ... 150 0 0 t . Wairon road to MoLooghlin’ >... 10 0 0 g Oeotle A'inio ... 30 0 0 . Aral to Pakirikiri ... 20 0 0 h Wairoa Junction to Bilbain's 0 and Paiutahi ... 20 0 0 Lavanbam road and bridge .. 28 0 0 ’ M.-karika to WaeroDga-a hika 50 0 0 Oa to Kaitaratahi .. 15 0 0 Scott’s outting, road gone for 1J ohaios ... .. 80 0 0 To To Karaka ... .. 15 0 0 Iviraka to Waikobu bridgo .. 960 0 0 Waikohu bridgo tj Waipaoa. .. 70 0 0 To Poututu .. 150 0 0 Ivangatira ford . 20 0 0 Inland Waiapu .180 0 0 Back stock took . 60 0 0 Wainui to Tutapouri ... . 40 0 0 Waiomoko to Tolago ... . 60 0 0 To Maogatuna... . 60 0 0 Pouawa road 40 0 0 Panikau read 40 0 0 Arakihi road 100 0 0 TauwbaroparaetoLowdon Hills 250 0 0 Motu read from Poutufca 400 0 0 ’ AIuriwai-Mahia aod Mororo ... 10 0 0 Tokonui-Arai 100 0 0 f Ngatapa'Wharekopae 80 0 0 * Gisborne-Wairoa-T.niroto ... 220 0 0 P Oieariog outlet drains filled P with silt 200 0 0 b[ 3548 0 0 ‘ h Repairs to bridgo approaobes, eto., whore 6oou od 300 0 0 “ £3848 0 0 .¥

E mixes. ■£ s d Wbataupoko ... 80 0 0 Waimata 240 0 0 Palutabi 160 0 0 Arai 190 0 0 Waikobu 2033 0 0 Tolago 510 0 0 HaDgsroa 220 0 0 Gisborne 165 0 0 3518 0 0 B idg?s socored at banks and approaches d.magfd — Whan k jpae, Waimalu, Toiago 300 0 0