County Engineer's Report

Horowhenua Chronicle, 9 April 1914, Page 2

County Engineer's Report

Following is the County Engineer's report, submitted to Horowhenua County Council to-day, concerning- the various ridings in the Horowhenua OouHry:— Te Tlie largo cement pipe culvert across the Main road in the Paetawa swamp lias laid, and all the drains m- Mini, around there have been clea nV-'v^ut. T have called (ciifjcic tor metalling the main road '+V<>ai the Waikanae to the Otaki V.i-idge; also for the Te Waka road on the Tc Horo end. Tho tenders are due to-day. As soon as this work is going it will bo necessary to put the metalling of the district roads round Te Horo in hand. A ..good deal of metal will be required this year, as very little was done last year. The Waikanao Beach road is also 'jotting in a bad way, and will have to be metalled.

Mr G. Y. Preston Thomas has 201 over the road difficulty by purchasing a strip of land from his neighbour, Mr Griffith. All he expects from us now is an approach from the Waihonnga road to our boundary. This means a good big filling, but it shoxjld not be very expensive,, as the stuff will be got very handy. Otaki Riding.

1 have- got the timber and piledriving gear on the ground for the bridge on the Te Roto road. When £ saw it was necessary to pile it 1 knew it was no use calling tenders, therefore T sent on the order for the timber. I expect to get the bridge finished in about a week. I have had some metal patching done on tho south end of the Main road, but I think it will be well to '■all tenders for the principal requirements. The tenders to be in at next meeting' of the council. This applies to the south end, the north end I propose to fix up with i-rnshed metal. Wirokino Riding. The formation and metalling lutliorised on the Koputaroa-Fox-ton road is finished, I presume, for the year. I also got the roads about there put in order, and if there is no extra traffic it should not be necessary to rail more metal to Koputaroa this season. I have just started the crusher at Ohau. I propose crushing from eleven to twelve hundred vards before moving from there. [ would also like to crush about four hundred yards at most •onvenieut place for repairing the Main road through Iliakara's reserve. I have got the worst boles filled m the Levm-Foxton road, but it vill be at least necessary to get from 500 to TOO yards more to keep the road passable for another year. I propose having Renders mi for that at next meeting of the ■ •ouncil. Tokomaru Riding. Maintenance metal tenders for both ends of this riding are called lor, and arc due to-day. The whole of the grant and loan money for the Mangaore road and track has been expended, and there is now 95 chains of a 12-feet road and three miles thirteen ■ •ha ins of a six-feet track I have seen the assistant road '.■ngineer (Mr Nathan) in reference io the exchange of roads at tho Heights, as requested by Mr John Meach, and he is quite willing that the exchange should be made if all she interested owners are agreeable. I would suggest that }• .Beach be informed that if he .<<t Ihe consent of all the interest γ-iI owners in writing he be at lib:

<o go on with, the survey of the deviation.

I am getting a wa.Bh-house fixed up at the surfaceman's house at Tokoniaru. The surfaceman put up the Avails himself years ago, ;iud he and his family have been making shift with it for years, and as it is our property, and only costing- seven pounds, I thought it was only a fair thing to finish it when 1 was asked. Mr Alfred Seifert's Company, mlio purchased the Shannon Land and Timber Company's lauds, propose shortly to road and subdivide fcho property for disposal, :md doubtless the council will have i<> take over and maintain the loads when they ore made. I should be glad if a committee of, say, the members for the riding and the chairman, with myself, were appointed to examine and report on the location of the roads, etc., before they are made. There is no doubt we are in good hands; in fact, in the hands of people who will meet us in any reasonable way: but as it is going to be a big thing for the Tokomoru riding, T should be glad of a committee to share with me the responsibility. Tho contractor for the Makerua road has made a start. I am afraid, as it is so late in the season, (hero will not be much done. During the month of March there were two cases of infantile paralysis near Levin (a mother and her infant child) and o?)o at Fox ton road. Shannon.