COUNTY BUSINESS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5237, 10 February 1928, Page 3

COUNTY BUSINESS.

PLAINS MONTHLY STATEMENTS.

REPORTS BEFORE COUNCIL. Tlie following reports were received by the Hauraki Plains County Council at its monthly meeting yesterday : FINANCE. - The treasurer r Mr E. A. Mahoney, reported that the receipts for the month of January totalled £2874 8s 7d, being £1822 19s 3d fom rates and the balance .from m’scellaneious, among which were - the following. Pipiroa ferry, £95 ; Komata ferry, £52 19s 2d ; dog tax, £4 10s ; .house rents, £64; sale of rails, £3o'; licenses, £47 5. WORKS. The county engineer, Mr F. Basham, reported as follows :— “Kaihere-T&rehape Gravelling. The contractors, have made good progress with delivery of gravel, and to date over one mile of. road .has been gravelled. “Coxhead’s Filling—Filling, new channel, clearing creek, and stopbank are completed in a atisfactory manner, Owing to a discrepancy between the level of filling an'd raising of the old bridge, the contractor has constructed the filling nine inches higher than was shAwn on. .tlie plan,, thereby delivering tome 350 yards of filling more than he. tendered f ol '-” Reporting verbally, Mr Basham said that some) spoil had been washed a.way by :a flood after the plans had been drawn. In addition, the contractor .had mistaken the levels. Lt was decided to pay for the extra work

“Pekapeka Road.—Work on tfiatportion of road included in the Keiepeehi Riding loan will be completed by the end of this week. On Monday I proposje starting on tlie balance of, road in the old Netherton loan area, which should be completed next week. “Mochau Road.— Delivery of metal on to this road will be commenced op Monday next. “Old Main Road, Netherton.—The old bridge at Chester’s has been ret placed with concrete pipes and the filling completed. Scarifying and grading should be commenced in about 10 days’ time. Red metal will bej laid as fast as, grading permits. “Main Highways.—The grader Has ✓been constantly employed during the month and the roads maintained as well as continued dry weather and traffic will permit So far the experimental lengths of Colfix are standing satisfactorily, the only signs of wear being on the haunches of the road. This trouble is common to all classes of bitumen treated roads.”

•Cr. Fisher thought thq time wasj fast coming when the whole of the •main roads should be bitumen sealed. O’ni his motion it was decided, that the engineer prepare a. report showing the comparative costs of Coldflx sealing and other methods of maintaining the main roads. '

“Turua Bitumen Roads—Considerable sanding has been necessary on account of bleeding on certain roads, bn Huirau Road from Newman’s Road eastward the surface has cracked very badly over the whole length. It is oveir three years since this r°ad was constructed, and a coat of bitumen and chips is now due.”—'Left to the works committee, with power to act. “Patetonga Riding.—An old wooden culvert at Nelson’s has been removed and the trench filled with clay. A 30in pipe culvert has been put in on the upper Patetonga road in place of a rotten culvert frame. Repairs to Pullman’s bridge are now being effected. “Government Grants. —All claims for moneys due on the above have been submitted to the Public Works Department.” The report was adopted. NOXIOUS WEEDS.

Thq county inpector, Mr R. H. Cameron,' reported having issued 29 motor drivers’ licenses.

He stated that noxious weeds were very thick on abandoned Crown sections, and there was a very bad daisy —apparently not a. noxious weed growing in the Ngatea saleyaids paddocks. Councillors commented that this daisy was certainly becoming a curseIt should be identified anid declared a noxious weed if necessary. No action was taken.