PLAINS COUNTY MATTERS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4542, 21 March 1923, Page 4

PLAINS COUNTY MATTERS

FINANCING OF WORKS. SUCCESSFUL WELLINGTON VISIT. The following report was submitted to the Hauraki Plains County Council at its last meeting by the committee, comprising the county chairman and clerk, in respect tp a recent visit to Auckland and Wellington on county matters : — , , Wilson’s Road. —The District Engineer at Auckland said he was anxious to see' this work pushed on, and agreed to assist the Council all he could for that end. He recommended that a cushion of sand about six inches thick be put on the formation before the metalling. He said his Department would, he. thought, be able to supply the sand at a small cost, very roughly about Is 6d per yard. But this amount was not to be taken as a definite estimate, for which the matter would reqiure looking into. He said the whole of the £1509 could 't>e made \ available for the metal. He stated the next step was to have pro- 1 posals for the installing approved by his department. Stop-bank, .Ngararahi Road.—Your committee put before the District Engineer the proposal for making the £6OO vote a free but he said he could not recommend such a proposal, and must oppose it. He stated, further, that if the settlers would undertake a contract for the whole work and accept. £6OO in payment he would agree to that. Netherton Roads Loan. —The matter of the main Paeroa-Netherfon-Turua road was mentioned, and the District Engineer said he was .anxious to see this main road put in order. Your committee suggested that in conjunction with Wilson’s road the metalling of the sections from Puke bridge to Wilson’s Road, Netherton school to the factory bridge, 'and the unmetalled portion near Troughton’s, should be the Council’s immediate objective, and in this the District. Engineer concurred. Ohinewai-Kaihere Road.—The Council’s request that the £4OO voted on the basis of. £2 for £1 for this work should be made a free grant was mentionoed to the District Engineer, who said he could not agree with the request and that, the policy dictating such a request was a wrong one. We took this matter up in Wellington, with the result shown hereafter.

Waitakaruru-Miranda and Stream Roads.—-The question of the outstandingsubsidy hereon wag mentioned to Mr Baker, who had np knowledge of the matter. Details were given hint, and he agreed to look into the matter. This was also dealt with again in Wellington. 18 | While in Auckland your committee took the opportunity to call on Messrs John Burns and Co., Ltd., with re,gard to the supply of rails. We saw Mr Burijs aiifi ascertained that he had on hand some 301 b second-hand rails, which he said were in first-class order, and which he quoted at £9 10s per ton as against about £l4 for new rails, which Were in short supply, with a probably rising market.' We ordered three miles of these rails subject to inspection and approval. He has also some 24'lb rails coming for-; ward in two or three weeks’ time, and if these prove satisfactory on inspec-

tion he will send the Council a further- two miles of 241 b rails., and, failing these being satisfactory, will supply 301 b rails. Your committee was of opinion that it was desirable to secure these rails now, so that the Turua Roads Loan and the Netherton Roads Loan could be pushed on simultaneously and without delay during the winter months. We , recommend that you consider, now the question of trucks for the .tramlines and the haulage thereon.

Your committee next proceeded to Wellington, and arrived there about mid-day. We met Mr T. W. Rhodes, M.P., and went into all the matters in hand with him. Mr Rhodes arranged for us to interview the Hon. Minister of Public Works, the Super-

intendent State Advances Office, anil the Under-Secretary of Internal Affairs. We saw them on Friday.

Wtih the Hon. Minister of Public Works we discussed the following matters :— Stop-bank, Ngararahi Road. —The proposal as stated in your engineer s letter was put before the Minister. After the matter was discussed the assistant Under-Secretary recommended that the £6OO be made free and the sand given provided the settlers would undertake to complete the whole of the work as mentioned in the assistant engineer’s scheme. The next step in this matter is to confer with the District Engineer. > Turua Roads Loan.—Your committee outlined the matter to the Hon. Minister, and stated that it was the first attempt to make bitumen roads on the Plains. We asked him to recognise the principle by granting a subsidy of £1 for £4. He said the request was a reasonable one, and more modest than was usual. He pointed out that it was not usual to give a subsidy on this class of ptoposal, but said there was not much in that. The assistant Under-Secretary recommended that the matter receive consideration when the next Estimates were being compiled, Kaiheie-Ohinewai Road. —This matter was fully discussed,, and was received favourably. The secretary recommended that "the District Engineer be instructed to go into the matter with Mr T. Hill, who had made an offer to the' Department, if Mr Hill would do £6OO of work for the £4OO subsidy, then the matter should be made free. Pipiroa Bridge.—AVe inquired as to this work and ascertained that the plans will not be completed until the end of the present month. The Secretary recommended that as the Department had designed the bridge it should be responsible for the construction if financial arrangements could be made with the county. He stated that those arrangements should be that the county find £1 fof £1 up to £12,000 and bear the whole of . any excess thereof. Waitakaruru-Miranda and Stream Roads.—The matter of the old subsidy whs discussed at some length. The recommendation in this case was that the balance of subsidy be pai,d after the exact amount had been determined by the Departriient. ______ Your committee, in company wit.i Mr Rhodes, next attended on the Superintendent of the State Advances Office and discussed the amount of money available for this county. We ascertained that the housing loan money was available at once (this has since been received) ;/ also that the Board would entertain applications up to £5OOO for the year ending’ March 31, 1923, and for a further £5OOO for the year ending March 31, 1924. I> will be necessary to apportion this money, and your committee recommends a? follows :-r£5OOO to March 31, 1923 : £3ooo’ for Turua Roads Loan; £350 for Waitakaruru Roads Supplementary'Loam; £1650 for Netherton Roads Loan. £5OOO to March 31, 1924 : £2OOO for Netherton Roads Loan. The applications for the first year should go in at once, and for the next year as soon after the first of April as the money is actually required, (or the Board will not entertain loans not needed at once. ' ‘ • > ' We next interviewed the assistant Under-Secre.tary of Internal Affairs in regard to the following matters: — z Hikutaia Quarry.—The consent of the Governor-General has now been obtained and the proclamation gazetted authorising the Council to complete the purchase of Hikutaia quarry by raising a loan by special order. The Under-Secretary informed us that the 'money could be borrowed, from the State Advances Office, but since our return he has written stating that he was in error in thinking this,land on a perusal of the section it is clear that it, cannot be done. It will be necessary to approach some lending institution for the purpose. i Tahuna Secession. —We discussed this matter and ascertained that the proclamation will be z issued this month so as to come into operation on April 1, 1923. Riding Boundaries! Adjustment.—

This also will be given effect to on. April 1, 1923. The Department was only waiting the necessary certificate from the Chief Surveyor, Auckland. This has since been received and sent on tp Wellington. Finally, we interviewed the heafl office of the Bank of New Zealand, and after several interviews the general manager agreed to \ find the money for the Turua Roads Loan on the same terms as the Machinery Loan, namely, per cent. This rate your committee considered reasonable _Jn view of the comparatively small area and valuation. We had, of course, made previous inquiries elsewhere. The Public Trustee’s rate of interest was 6 per cent. The Australian Mutual Provident Society would not entertain any further lodns for about a year, and would not, even receive the application now for an advance at a furthei* date as the society was already committed to the extend of one million pounds, no doubt because the rate of interest was 5% per cent. We also received quotations at 5% per cent. - from two sharebrokers, but we thought that, other things being equal, we should deal through the Council’s bank. We recommend the Council to take up £lO,OOO of tfijs loan for either September or October next. Tn conclusion we wish to place on record pur appreciation of the courtesy with which we were received at each of the offices mentioned above, and in particular to thank Mr T. ( W. Rhodes, M.P., for his kindness and help, which were so freely given and were invaluable while in Wellington.