NETHERTON ROADING.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4794, 31 December 1924, Page 3

NETHERTON ROADING.

SCHEME BEFORE RATEPAYERS. MATTER AGAIN DEFERRED. A meeting of ratepayers of the Netherton riding wsa "called by the Ratepayers’ Association and held in the hall on Saturday evening, 19th inst. Mr T. Vowles presided, and Cr. Hare and the county engineer, Mr F. Basham, were present by invitation. In opening the meeting Mr Vowles said that a deputation of Awaiti settlers had waited upon him and aske I that a meeting be called to discuss a riding loading scheme. The meeting had been called, but no Awaiti settlers were present.

On being called upon to outline a scheme Air Basham said that he had drawn up estimates for a scheme that would give, every settler a metalled road. The main highway would be bitum-n sealed and built up to the standard required to secure a £ for £ suosidy. The other roads would be given sufficient metal to earn a subsidy from the Public Works Department, and this would form a suitable base siiould it be decided at any time to complete the metalling and spray with bitumen. The scheme had been kept down to bring it within the means of the ratepayers, and the rate required would be in the £. Details of the estimates were as follows :—

. Mam Highways Section.—TuruaNetherton Road, Kerepeehi riding boundary to Netherton Store, 74 chains. Present formation macadam, very rough. Proposal: Scarify, reform, and lay two courses of metal 12ft wide with lin to 6in metal shoulders, 12ft bitumen grouted. Estimated cost £3360.

Awaiti Road.—Netherton Store to Wilson's Road, 80 chains. Present formation macadam. Proposal: Scarify, reform, and lay two courses of metal 12ft wide with lin to 6in metal shoulders, 12ft bitumen -grouted. Estimated cost £3540. Wilson’s Road.—l4o chain. Present formation clay. Proposal: Lay 3in sand foundation, two courses of metal 12ft wide with lin to 6in metal shoulders, 12ft bitumen grouted. Estimated cost £7700.

Main Road—Puke Bridge to Wilson’s Road, 40 chains. Present formation macadam. Proposal: Scarify, reform. and lay two courses of metal 12ft wide with 18in metal shoulders, 12ft bitumen grouted. Estimated cost £l7BO.

Amount required £16,380, less half contribution by Main Highways Bohrd £Bl9O.

Fisher’s Road.—Present formation clay, 160 chains. Proposal: 3in sand foundation, 6in new metal thoroughly blinded and rolled 10ft wide. Estimated cost £3600.

Munro’s Road.—Present formation ci ay, 50 chains. Proposal: Sin sand foundation, 6in new metal thorough!}’ blinded and rolled lOf twide. Estimated cost £ll4O,

School Road.—Present formation, 30 chains metal not blinded, 70 chains clay. Proposal; Scarify, blind, and roll present metal; 3in sand foundation, 6in new metal thoroughly blinded and rolled 10ft wide on clay formation. Estimated cost £1940.

Old Main Road.—School to Wilson’s Road. Present formation macadam in rough state, 220 chains. Proposal : Scarify, reform, add 3in good metal and chips, and roll thoroughly. Estimated cost £2lOO.

Rangiora Road.—Present formation macadam in very bad condition, 55 chains. Proposal: Scarify, reform, and add 3in good metal and chips, and roll thoroughly, Estimated cost £520.

Awaiti West Road.—Present formation 52 chains macadam, 55 chains clay. Proposal: Scarify, reform, add new chips at 4 yards per chain, and roll present macadam; 3in sand foundation ; 6in metal blinded and rolled on present clay. Estimated cost £1620. Pukahu Road East.—A grant of £lOOO has been voted on this road this year, and will be spent clearing, stumping, forming, and satvling. Proposal: Roil subgrade, put on 6in goo;! metal, blind and roll, 102 chains in length. Estimated cost £2050. Pukahu Road West.—Present formation clay, very rough, 56 chhins. Proposal : Form, roll, put on 3in sand foundation, 6in good metal, blind and roll. Estimated cost £l4OO.

Ngararahl Stopbank Road. —Present formation, 6in course*of sand on clay, 110 chains. Proposal: Reform and roll, add 6in metal, blind and roll. Estimated cost £2120.

Awaiti Road.—From Wilson’s Road southwards. Present formation 120 chains macadam, fair condition, 70 chains clay. Proposal: Scarify, reform. add 3in metal chips, and roll present macadam; 3in sand foundation, 6in metal, blinded and rolled on clay. Estimated cost £2480. Amount required £18,970 J half cost of main highways section £B2OO ; first year’s interest and sinking fund £2045. Total required £29,215.

Subsidies applied for: Lands Department £5914 ; Public Works Department £3570 15s; Total loan required, say £20',000. In reply to Mr G- Death Cr. Hare explained how the old Netherton riding roads loan had been spent. There was very little of it left.

tn reply to Mr J. A. Reid the. engineer said that the foundation of the roads were suitable. Bitumen was only a roof to keep the foundations dry, and in his opinion it was suitable for the district. Bitumen roads over swamps had stood up successfully in Taranaki, where the traffic was heavy and the the country was .still wet and sinking, so that the stumps were coming up on the farm lands. He did not naticipate any trouble tn Tnrua except from the breaking of the edges of the bitumen. Metal haunches had not been provided. Discussing the rating, Cr. Hare mentioned that unless a loan was raised the genera] rate would have to be increased to 3d next year to keep the. roads open. Mr Death said that the settlers could not afford a loan rate in addition to a possibly increased general rate. The engineer stated that the life of

a macadam road depended on ths amount of traffic and maintenance. A metal road required maintenance from the time it was put down. If a bitumen road was put down there would be no rate for the first year or so, and then, when the job was completed, the general rate would come down. An increase in rates was inevitable if there were to be any sort of roads, and it would be cheaper to raise a loan and make a good job than to try to maintain tne existing bad roads out of the general rate. The loan need not be spent at once, for as long as it was cheaper to maintain part of the highway and collect the maintenance subsidy this should be done. Mr Vowles said that the Awaiti settlers were prepared to ask the council to raise a special loan of thee 1 own if the Netherton settlers did not favour the proposal. They would undoubtedly support the riding loan. The engineer suggested that the meeting should not arrive at a decision at present. The details of the scheme would be published in the “Gazette” and discussed by the settlers, so a better expression of opinion could be arrived at later, when a replv had been received with regard to the subsidies applied for. This was endorsed by several speakers, and it was decided that the secretary write to the Awaiti Ratepayers’ Association complaining of its- action in not attending the meeting called al its request. Cr. Hare moved that no resolution regarding the loan be accepted until there was a more representative meeting.

Seconded by Mr J. A. Reid and carried.