HAURAKI PLAIMS COUNTY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXII, Issue 4302, 10 August 1921, Page 4

HAURAKI PLAIMS COUNTY

ENGINEER’S REPORT.

The report submitted, to the Hauraki Plains County Council meeting on Monday by the engineer, Mr R. J. Dillon, read asLfollbws : — Hikutaia Quarry./--.Following on .the visit paid to this quarry by the committee of the Council, the old carrier belt and its supports, have been removed and the hopper is now being cut further into the. hill! by the three men stil'l employed there; The metal in the hopper was sold to the Oainemuri Cpu.Lty Council and placed on their roads, where required, by one of your motor trucks. There is a good deal of excavation to be done in moving the hopper back, but I am confident, .that the work will pay for itself over'and over again. Once the new hopper is cut out of the hillside a start can be made crushing stone again, but unless .the Hikutaia Creek is opened out to .allow the punts to go up it will be impossible to get th-; metal away. Wharepoa Ferry:—A scow .again ran into this ferry a few days ago, and smashed one of the shore winches beyond repair. Traffic was blocked for a few hours until the ropes weie made fast again. The men from the scow assisted in fixing things up temporarily. I am borrowing a winch for .a tiri'.e to replace ,th,e cne broke’’, but the scow owners should be asked to make good the damage done. Ths timber for the np.w tail doors is on the ground, and I will havp 'he doo’-.-, built and fitted in position as early as possible. The Council decided to erquest the owners of scows to pay for the damage done in all cases "where their croft pasted before the ropes were lb we red.

Ditch, Wilson’s Road.—The work u" making the new ditch on Wilson’Road Nrherton, is being pushed ou by the contractors, Johanson Bro: and. should be finished shortly. A few chains from the starting point sard was struck in the bottom, and tbj will, I am afraid, cause the sides of the ditch to fall in somewhat. The old ditch on the other, end of the road may require enlarging and deepening.

Beyond the work done by the surfacemen in their respective ridings, and a few lorry loads of spawls Parted on to jthe Netherton-Paeroa road, things .are practically at a .standstill, and, judging by the present weather, likely io remain so for some time.,

The surfaceman for the Turua riding, E. Biddle, lias resigned that position.

Preparation of Plans, etc.—Little travelling having been attempted during the month, I have been pushing on the preparation of plans and specifications for the works to be undertaken when 'the weather clears. Long hours are being worked. Th.: plans so far being prepared are th;

three formation works .it Tanuna, Wilson’s Road (N’etherton), and the bridge over the Ngarua Stream Kaihere. As the Department requires plans and specifications sent in in 'duplicate, at least three sets of ea A,> . will have to be prepared; this entails a great deal of work, .as we have no printing press or other labour-saving device. As soon as the plans anl specifications mentioned, are completed T will proceed with the prepara-

tion of the specifications for the metalling jobs .to be undertaken in various parts of the County during . the dry weather. ' A new ‘‘thirds” list has’ just com? t.o hand, and if it is at all possible it will be filled in .anti forwarded to the Land Board during the coming mon';’i. Shingle Ordered. —A scow-load of shingle has been ordered for early

delivery at the Wharepoa ferry, as the road leading thereto is breakin up bad'ly. The use of .the grader to let the water off the metalled surface woiild also assist in keeping rhe road.