THAMES COUNTY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4828, 11 May 1925, Page 3

THAMES COUNTY.

MONTHLY MEETING.

The regular meeting of the Thames County Conucil was held on Thursday last ,Cr. H. Lowe presiding over the following: Crs. • J. McCormick, A. Alley, W. Brunton, F. J. McMahon, H. Cory-Wright,' G. H. A. Cribb, and R. Cox. the clerk (Mr H. T. G, McElroy), and the engineer (Mr J. Higgins).. TAPU FLAT RESERVE. Mr i'. W. Rhodes forwarded a coinmuidcation from the Minister for Lands advising that a further Order-in-Couiicil had been made extending for a further period .of six months the prohibition of alienation, ctlier than in favour of the Crown, of the Tapu Fla 1 , i eserve. The question of a Government grant would be brought up for consideration when the Estimates were being framed. KOPU DAIRY FACTORY. .The N.Z. Co-op. Dairy Co. wrote advising that the price of the company's factory property .at Kopu, and also the right to the water main from the nil to, including the right to supply the ritames Harbour Board and Kopu residents, was £750.. it was decided to purchase the propel ty. ROAD SIGNS. Tne secretary of the Counties’ Association forwarded a copy of the regulations showing the standard signs ant. mile posts which'had been adopted by the Highways Board. It was desirable that these be introduced when and where possible, with due regard 0 to eocnbmy. WAIHI-WHANGAMATA ROAD. ■ fhe secretary of the Wnangamata Settlers’ Association wrote requesting tha. the council make application, in coi .junction with the Ohinemuri County Council, for a grant to be placed or. the estimates sufficient for the erection -'.:f a bridge over the Parakiwai stream, the boundary between the two counties. i-.ie Ohinemuri County wrote asking the Thames Council’s co-cperation in’ the matter. was decided to do all that wats possible to comply with the requests. PROTECTION OF PUBLIC. Air E. Whitcombe, Pahiatua, forwarded a proposal for the council s endrosement or otherwise in which it was asked that legislation be promt ted providing that landowners having frontages on the lower side of steep .Milling roads be permitted to erect fences on the edge of the road formation so as to protest the travelling public, but so a« not to be considered in law as an obstruction oi that the erection of the fence in such position should not constitute an adverse- possession of the land enclosed thereby.—Referred to the council in committee. MAIN HIGHWAYS. Tiie No. 2 District Council forwarded a schedule for completion by the council when submitting applications for construction, reconstruction, maintenance, or- repairs to be undertaken on main highways or Government rortls.—Referred to the engineer foi a report on proposals for road from Hikutaia to Waikawau. MOTOR LORRY REGULATIONS. The Engineer-in-Chief and Undersecretary, Public Works Department, wrote advising that motor lorry regulati’ms were now in force, and the council could issue licenses and collect fees, but any heavy traffic licenses already issued must be allowed to expire or to continue until December 31, 1925, whichever was the earlier. SIGNBOARDS NEAR SCHOOL. The headmaster of the district school at Hikutaia wrote drawing attention to the increasing amount of motor traffic on the Thames-Paeroa road and suggesting that the council have warning notices creeled on eacn iside of the school, so that the possibility of accident to school children might be lessened.- -Agreed to. KOPU MATTERS. W. C. Kelly, Kopu, forwarded a letter endorsed by 27 other rseidents asking that the road from the post office to the ferry be repaired, .that the drains be cleaned, that certain culverts be replaced by larger ones or lowered, that a footpath he constructed, that electric street lights be installed, and that the council use its influence with the Railway Department to get a. footpath into the railway station. The secretary of the Kopu School Committee also wrote drawing, attention to the speed of motor vehicles co anC, from the ferry.. He also asked for a footpath to be constructed from the post office to the wharf. Cr. McCormick advocated looking inc-) the repair of the road and the establishment of a footpath. It was decided .that the engineer report on the matter. COUNTY ROAD PROPOSAL In accordance with his notice of motion Cr. Cory-Wright moved that the road from Puriri to Tairua be declared a county road. In support he sai.: that the Tairua riding conrtibuted to the main road, which did not touch the riding. Cr. Cribb seconded the motion, contending that it was only common justice to the Tairua riding. (Jr. Lowe said he did not think it wise to declare a track a county road. The Government intended making the Kauaeranga road the main road to Tairua. He was of the opinion that many other hill roads had the same elann. and the queston was where would the matter end. He fully realised the liability of the Tairua riding. By the time it paid its share of the administration costs there was nothing left. Cr. Cox also pointed out that by granting the request other roads would have the same claim. Crs. McCormick and McMahon said that they would have to vote against the motion for the same reason.

Cr. Cory-Wright, in reply, said that the fact that the main highway went through all the other ridings put a different complexion on the matter. The motion was lost.

TENDERS. Numerous tenders were considered

by the council, nad the following wfere accepted. Carting 100 yards of metal for the Hikutaia-Nethcrton Ro.ad, W, Davies, £32 10s; cleaning Cryer’s Road drain, Clark and Green, 4s 6d a chain; Cleaning Townsend’s Road drain, A. W. Bennett, -Is 8d a chain ; cleaning El’iott’s Road drain, Clark and Grejen, 4s 6d a chain ; cleaning Handley’s Road Grain, J. Crosby, 5s 6d a chain. ’lenders for the supply of machinery for the Matatoki quarry were referred to the engineer, and offers to put chase a number of pipes at Kopu were deferred until the next meeting. ENGINEER’S REPORT. Tiie county engineer, Mr J. Higgins, mentioned in his report that the metalling of Bond’s Road had been carried out to about three chains east of the railway crossing, and metal to complete the contract was in hand. Nine chains of 2ft 6in and 2ft drali along Queen Street, Kopu, had been repaired, and the outfall drain had received some attention. Repairs to the Thames-Hikutaia road had been carrieu out, and the Kauaeranga Bridge road had been done. The metal-carting by the Hauraki Plains County Council had terminated, and the reconditioning cf the formation and remetalling as arranged was well in hand, and if the weather wa-' faovurable during the ensuing week the risk of being cut off from the wharf during the winter would have disappeared. Fair progress bad been made with the cleaning of drains in the Wharepoa Road area. He had gone into the quewtion of a neyv bridge over the Omahu stream, and the estimated cost was £l7OO. Repairs costing £225 would make the bridge safe for 12 yeans.