KEREPEEHI ROADING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIV, Issue 4619, 31 October 1923, Page 4

KEREPEEHI ROADING.

-——* - MEETING OF RATEPAYERS. < A meeting of the Kerepechi Rate- ’ payers’ Association was held in the ' Kerepeehi Hall on Saturday afternoon to discuss roading matteis. About twenty ratepayers were present. Crs. J. H, .Nicholson and W. Jdadgwick, the County clerk (Mr E. • Walton) and the engineer (Mr J. Hig- ' gins) were present by invitation. The secretary, Mr L. A- W. Bagnall, said that the councillors had been invited to be present to supply informa- 1 tion on various matters, particularly the Pekapeka Road scheme. Cn J. H. Nicholson, the riding member, said that the preliminary work had been done, but the extension of the rating area to include the township sections had caused a hitch and delayed matters. Mr Walton read the following report which was presented to the council by the engineer “ I met tjie settlers on the Pekapeka road to Kerepeehi, in company with Or. Nicholson and Mr Taylor (Land Drainage engineer). The object of the meeting was td discuss proposals for forming road and laying bitumen pavement. The total length of road included in the scheme is approximately four miles. The Lands Department engineer promised to complete the formation from the end of Pekapeka road to Kerepeehi, via Jamieson’s, leaving about 110 chains of new formation to be included in the scheme. The estimates for the work are Forming 110 chains at. 50 /■• per chain, £275; maintaining formation, 320 chains at 5/-, £BO : rolling formation, 320 chains at 3/per chain, £4B; laying metal 12ft. wide, 20 cubic yards, at £lB a chain, £5760 ; laying chips, 2 courses, 31£ cubic yards at 18/- yard, £56 ; bitumen, 2 courses, 1.25 gal. chain, at £6 a chain, £1920 ; rolling metal, 310 chains at 2/6 chain, £360 ; labour on metal and bitumen, 320 chains at 20/£320 ; total, £8809.” From that, said the clerk, there was a credit in the old Nethertpn Roads Loan of £l3OO. The Lands Department had promised to supply him with certain information that would be required for him to form the special rating area. THE ROADING SCHEME. Mr Walton, continuing, said that he had been asked for information concerning a comprehensive scheme of bitumen roads for the whole riding. The engineer had estimated the cost as follows : Kopuarahi-Kerepeehi road from Horahia riding boundary to Innes’ corner, 106 chains by 12ft., £3145 16s ; Wharepoa-Kerepeehi Road from Turua riding boundary to ner, 72 chains by 12 ft., £2041 ; Innes’ corner to Kerepeehi wharf, £2660 13s. The loan required would be £16,700. The question of what area over this would be raised should be discussed. Wtih regard to the question als to how the roads of the riding had been taken over from the Government, Mr Walton read an extract from the N.Z. Gazette, and explained the position in regard to the roads in the township. The council had protested against the Government handing over unmetalled roads, but without avail. Mr H. D. Jamieson pointed put that a certain part of the Kaikahu road had apparently not been handed over to the council. This was the road thT' the department had agreed to grrde. There should be a big subsidy available on this road. The question wa,s, could the council do anything on this road considering that it, was not yet a county road? In reply, Mr Walton said that the whole of the road could be dealt with. Mr Jamieson said that the settlers were of the opinion that) the council had been going ahead with the getting of. the subsidies. Mr Walton said that the loan would have to be carried before the Depart- I ment would consider the question of the subsidy. The loan should be sufficient to do the work without considering subsidies. Mr H. D. Jamieson asked when the settlers could expect something to be done. Mr Walton replied that the difficulty was the defining of the rating areas. It had not been decided whether to put the loan over the whole riding or a special rating area. When this was settled it would be either five or seven weeks before a poll was put. The engineer said that no matter how eager the council had been to have the work commenced they could have done nothing owing to the lack of metal and punts. Now, however, conditions had improved. Mr Jamieson urged that all the roads of the riding .should be laid down in . the same manner, so that the rates collected from one part wou]d not be used on a road in another part of the riding. Mr Walton supported the idea of a scheme for the whole ,of the settled area in preference to small schemes for different roads. Only about half the land in the riding was settled, and in his opinion the council would not agree to the whole riding being rated for the loan, as it would be detrimental to those settlers who later took up land in the unopened area. The rate over the present settled area would be about 3%d or 3V>d in the £. Or. Madgwick also stressed the advantage of the comprehensive scheme so that one part of a riding would not be charged a general rate for the maintenance of water-bound macadam roads in another part of the riding. In reply to Mr Bagnall Mr Walton said that nothing could be done now to bind future councils not to spend general rates from the present settled area on land settled some time in the future. MAIN HIGHWAY ROUTE. Mr Mclntosh said that the engineer had given a report on what roads he considered would be main highways; The county chairman had been appointed to represent the County on the District Council, and he favoured the Netherton-Turua-Pipiroa route. It was up to the Kere-peehi-ites. to see that the. road came

the way the engineer had advised. Mr Bagnall wantd to know would the route of the highways affect the amount of subsidy available. Mr Walton said that the council would welcome information in regard to the route of the highway. Ther-i was no information available yet, but in his opinion the question of subsidies would be greatly affected. Mr Jamieson asked would it be advisable for the meeting to a»k the scheme to be pu.t under way ? After a little discussion Mr Walton suggested that a public meeting of ratepayers be cailled to discuss and formulate a scheme to present to the county council at its next meeting on November 13. The rating area should be settled. Mr G. Mclntosh moved that a public meeting be called to discuss the ma.+ter of a permanent roading scheme for the settled portion of the riding. This was seconded by Mr E. J. Williams and carried unanimously. The meeting closed with a vote of . thanks to Mr Walton, Mr Higgins, and the councillors for being present,