PLAINS COUNTY WORKS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVI, Issue 4892, 19 October 1925, Page 3

PLAINS COUNTY WORKS.

ENGINEER’S REPORT. DISCUSSION BY COUNCIL. To the the Hauraki Plains County Council meeting on Tuesday the engineer (Mr F. Basham) reported as follows :— “Pipiroa Ferry.—l estimate the cost of installing this ferry service to be: Approaches and ferry £450; pontoon £6OO, wire ropes, winches, engine, etc., £2OO ; total, £1250.” Cr. Parfitt suggested calling tenders for the running of the ferry, the ’ < tenderer to provide his owji equipment and the council the approaches. Cr. Harris reported having interviewed the chairman of the ■ County Council, and also Mr A-. E. E. — Dodd, and neither of them had* any objection .to lending the council the Old punt. Mr Dodd had referred him to Mr Gibbons, but he was unabJe to meet him. Cr. Parfitt moved that the council provide the approaches or subsidise the work up -to £450 in the event of a satisfactory tender being received. Seconded by Cr. Harris and carried. “Hikutaia Quarry.—This quarry is now in working order. There; has K'. been; throughout the job, considerable delay and loss due to wet weather. It was only the urgency of obtaining metal th,at warranted cariying put the work during the winter months. The locomotive has arrived, - and with the exception of the wheel flanges being too deep for the rails it is quite satisfactory. The flanges have been reduced. The .trucks are on the s.s. Hartford, due on November 4. As there has been so much delay in obtaining delivery of the compressor set on order I have cancelled the order and am obtaining an ‘ alternative set from Australia. In the meantime the contractor is using, hand-drills. Having to alter the original scheme to meet the objections to the crusher being erected at Hikutaia caused considerable extra expenditure, and. consequently the original, estimate will be exceeded. Ballasting -of the tram is well in hand. Crushing will commence in a day or two.” , A lengthy futile discussion arose concerning the appointment of a quarry committee at the end of the previous meeting when there was a bare quorum present in view of the fact that a committee had previous!} - been appointed to deal with the development of the quarry. The matter was talked out to the luncheon adjournment, - after a motion had been passed appointing the chairman cbn- . verier of committee meetings. A table was presented showing the J position of the Turua-Nethertori loan to date'. The balance in hand was £524 4s lid. The assets as set out totalled £5334, and .the amount required was given as £6OOO. Suspense accounts totalled £4'357 10s sd. The report continued: “From the. foregoing figures it will be seen that even by cutting"-tlm balance .of the work to an unsafe minimum there will not be Sufficient money?to com- . plete the work.” - Cr. Madgwick pointed out that the ■ Public Works Department now' stated that the subsidy was only,£looo, It had previously been understood that it was 5s in the £ on the whole, loan, and that the £lOOO Was only the first instalment. Unless the balance was obtained the position would be serious. ' The clerk, engineer, and Cr. Madgwick were deputed to deal with the matter. “Bitumen Roads. —Crs; Hare,-Madg-"wick and I attended at an address on “Bitumen, Road” given by Mr Park- . hunst, engineer to the Neuchatel Asphalt Co. The various, methods of construction were dealt with, and in every case the importance of good foundation was emphatically stressed. I afterwards discussed our problem with Mr Parkhurst, and he was able to assure me, from personal experience, that the proposal to use 3in of sand as a bottom course, had proved the only solution in similar country to ours in other parts of the world. We also discussed the merits of bituminous macadam as against penetration, and agreed that omitting the overhead charges for plant the — construction. costs were very, little greater in the former method .while being much superior in result” Cr. Madgwick advocated the whole council, inspecting .the bitumen roads which had been completed, so that it could be seen how the different classes Of work were standing. When the council had learned that the work had been understated it had instructed the engineer to reduce the amount ’* -of metal. This had been done, and ; the difference in the roads was veiy jmarked. The roads which had been (done as intended by the engineer ■were standing all right, but the roads (done according to the councils instructions were not as satisfactory, as it Was obvious that the foundations were not .sufficient. The council. should see the effect before it discussed any further bitumen work. It was agreed to inpsect the roads on .the following day. “Public Works Grants.—ln the afternoon we interviewed the district engineer of the Public Works Department concerning the above. We were informed that .the amount of cash we could expend prior to March 31 was £6300 on account of the Public Works Department, and £3900 for construction work on main highways. The rpincipal items were:— P.W.D.: Turua-Netherton £1250, Orchard East £BOO, M'orrinsville-Wai-.takaruru £650, Kaihere Landing Road £2OOO-, Hicks’ Road £9OO ; total, £5600. Main Highways: Pekapeka Road £l2OO, Wilson’s Road £1750, Waitokaruru Stream Road £413, NetheTton■Awaiti £3OO ; total, £3663. " “Proposals have been forwarded for the following work : Pekapeka Road £2849 10s, Wilson’s Road £4627, Orchard East £5696 ss. “Maintenance of Bitumen Roads — In future provision must be made for bitumen roads from the first construction, particularly during the first year’s life. If all star cracks and in-

cipient holes are attended to as soon as they develop much money will be (.saved. A small portable boiler and can and a sand heater are required, the cost of same being about £94. “Pipe Moulds.—The pipe moulds are now to hand, and I propose commencing manufacture of pipes as soon as cement arrives.” The report was adopted.