County Engineer's Report

Horowhenua Chronicle, 13 May 1916, Page 2

County Engineer's Report

lno county Jkngineurs repbrt subiuiti.eu to tne Council to-day, on the loatis thioiighuut tne county rend as follows:— Te Horo .Riding. J hre main road in the southern end of this riding is in very fair ordor, but 1 cannot say as much for the northern end, as the piece from the To Horo railway station to the Otaki bridge is getting very rough and mu«t got attention soon. Tho district roads most in need ol attention are the Te Waka road, the road across tho swamp in tlie i'ahiko estate, the Te Horo Beach road; all the other roads aru not (w bad and could wait a little. Rather sow progress is being mad*) with the extension of the Otaki Gorge road; the contractors compiain that tlie.v cannot got men, aim I beliovo there is something in it as there are not many about at present. The cuunciUjis who visited the Otaki Gorge road w ill, 1 expect, have something to say about their experiences. I >aw no change in the big bluff since seeing it before, a month or two ago. When up the Gorge Councillor Lattey authorised some extra metalling tor the worst places. The surfaceman reports that this is done. Tlie cleaning of tTie i'ahiko drains at the outlets are done. I w ill try to get the other portions put in hand at once.

Otaki Ridung. 1 lit' main road in the northern ..lid of tins riding is , n a ba<] way. j. have boon getting the worst of the ' ; "' 4S in, but the greater part of it requires a coat 01 metal over all; not a heavy olio, but about live yards to the eliain. I inspected the South Manakau rondi.in company with the councillor for the riding and I must confess that 1 could not find out what there is to make suoH a noise about, but the councillors will tell their own stor.v. 1 may sa.y that- there is ample provision for this road in the year's estimates. I will try and got the deviation of the \\ aikawa Bench road put in hand as soon as Mr Drake's crops are out of the way. The approaches to. the o verb ridge are now finished «]> but the fencing. We JKvo only about two and a half chains to do and I intended 1 to put in jarroli posts but I cannot get them as there is no jarrah in Wellington and will not be any until the end of July, Totara is hardly worth while putting in ag the first mob oi cattle that crosses may break off the posts. I tTiink it will be as well to let it stand over. Them is stiil no word, about the pipes to enable the road to the cemetery to go

WiroJiino Hiding. ■Nothing is doing in this riding but lay ing broken metal. i agreed to foi ego tlie teams to enable us to get a reasonable tender for broken ine/tal. liicre is now about eightwork.

have got the groynes in the river at Muhunoa; I think ithey will do thiir work, but tin/til we get a flood. I will not be a'ble to teil. The set/tlerß at lvoputaroa are in a great way. about getting some maintenance metal. I have called tenders for carting it from the trucks and I have made arrangements about filling it. I have got one or two petty contracts in hand.

the A r,what a road ill anticipation o the loan which is guaranteed. Ido not think any metalling will be done before the spring but the work we ire now doing will dry up the road much quicker than if it waa left over to the spring.

Tokomaru Riding. There is some maintenance metal I now being a;:id on the main road, north of Shannon. I have called! tenders for tii.- year's supplies, at Tokomaru and will do the same for the Shannon entl at next meeting, but it is no use rushing contractors with too much work all at once ; there is not too man/ o' them. I wo*ld like to get the widening of Matipo street, Tokomaru, dione before laying the maintenance metal. It is a very dangerous piece of road to meet a motor lorry on as it is onilv at out fourteen feet wide and from one to two twt high; there in about 25 chains of it. lam getting the footpaths formed in the most populous parts of Tokomaru. 1 suppose the next thing that will be needed will be tar and sand.