OHINEMURI COUNTY.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5261, 11 April 1928, Page 4

OHINEMURI COUNTY.

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL ROUTINE BUSINESS. The monthly meeting of tn© O hinemuri County Council was held on Wednesday lasi, the chairman (Mr H. M. Corbett) presiding over Crs. A. RRobinson, C. Hands, R. R. Morrison, C. E. Mace, C. E. Maftdn, W- F. Johnstone, F. C. Hubbard, J. B. Morris, and Messrs R- W. Evans (clerk) and L. E. Shaw (acting engineer). TIMBER FLOATING LICENSE.

The; Commissioner of Crown Lands, Auckland, writing with reference to the timber floating license held over the Waitawheta. River, stated that the Waitawheta Timber Company was responsible for all damage done as the result of its timber floating operations, and the bond would not be released until satisfactory reports were received as to the condition of the river. It was presumed that the company would make the necessary arrangements for clearing away the daftis, and that matter would be kept under review from time to time before tlie bond was released. In a subsequent letter the. commissioner advised that the company had notified him that only two darns were built in small gullies, and those had been left open. Apparently there were no , obstructions in fchet main river itself, the water having a clear passage." The commissioner desired to know if the council jvould l ha ve any objection to t'hei cancellation of the license and the return of the bond. If it was desired the county engineer could make an inspecton of the liver in company with an officer of the Lands Department and: a representative of the Public Works Department. The chairman said that it was desirable to have the departmental officers appointed before anything further was done.

Cr. Mason said that, in his opinion, everything was. satisfactory, he saw no reason why the bond should not be released. Cr. Robinson thought that particular care, should be given to bridges when the dams were released. It was decided that provided the inspection proved satisfactory the company be released from its bond. GRANTS FOR ROADS. The resident engineer of the Public Works Department, writing in connection with the maintenance by local bodies of roads metalled out of Government grants, advised that with reference to the resolutions which were required to accompany proposals for metalling under Government subsidy the following standard resolution had been framed and adopted throughout New Zealand: “That this council agrees to efficiently maintain, in future, to the satisfaction of the local representative of the Public Works Department, the road metalled under these proposals.” The letter was received, the :c lerk stating that a similar resolution h.ad i always been passed by the council. It was just a matter of moving a resolution as worded by the- Highways Board. POKENO-WAIHI HIGHWAY. A letter was forwarded by the resident engineer, Public Works Department, from the Main Highways Board in connection with-the grading of the county’s portion of the Pokejn'o-Waihi main highway. Reference was made to a report . in. a newspaper of the council’s operations for. January last in which the following extract appeared : “T’he gravel which was put on out of I;he river pits is piled up on both sides/of the foundation, and until such time; as the weather conditions change it will be useless to put this gravel back.” The board pointed out that it might not be necessary or desirable ini such dry weather to grade the whole of the loose material over the surface of the road, but .sufficient of the material at the sides should certainly be kept distributed, over the surface to prevent the forn lation of pot-holes, and also to give r< gasonable; (service to the travelling pul blic. Tlie attention <if the council was drawn to the fact that grading could be carried out at a cost of about 15s a mite, and also that the damage which was bound to be done to the structure of the iroa-.d, due to th.e Lack of. grading, was likely to exceed that 'amount very muuiy times over. As the Highways J Board 1 was paying a preferential subsidy towards the cost of maintenance, of the highway referred to, it difisined to know if tlie council contemplated taking any steps to improve thej maintenance methodsThe chairmrui said, that the letter was rather a peculiar one, and it was evident that the board had an officer in Wellington, Who had nothing to do but watch newspaper reports. Steps would be, and’ had been, taken as funds and circumstances permitted. There was considerable traffic on the highway referred to, and it and was. receiving, consistant attention.

Cr. J'Ohnistone contended that the question of gradiiig was an important one.

The chairman, said ?he took exception t,o the board taking the council to to sk over a.' mere newspaper report. The conncil’s methods were Perhaps not the last word, but the boar 'd should not accept the newspap* Sr reports in preference to the wor : k and .work .of the engineer. He. did not question the newspaper repo- fts as being inaccurate. He m’oved th at the board be, advised that tt'hiej c< nineil was alive to the board’s reel uireme.nts, and that every effort was 1 ieing made to maintain the highway ’ dp to the required standard. Seconded by Cr. Johnstone and! carried. MAO.RILAND ROAD. The Public Works Department’s resident engineer wrote advising that a 'balance of £8 which remained after the last payment of subsidy for the Maoriland Road, Waiteka.uri, had been ■cancelled. MACHINERY FOR ROADS. > 'The; No. 2 District Highways Co.unI -oil w rote in reply to the .council’s in- : quiry asking the terms under whch , '(lie Highways Board facilitated the

purchasing of road-making plant by local bodies, that the board had! ih the past bought plant for local bodies on the condition that the council entered into a hire purchase agreement extending over a period of four years. The plant remained the property of the board during that period 1 , and the council was required to make eight equal half-yearly instalments, including a deposit when the agreement was prepared, to cover the capital outlay by the board, together with interest at the rate of six per cent. Tlie chairman said that the. letter referred to a question of purchasing a suitable tractor-grader. He hopetfl an opportunity would be given the council to see a tractor-grader in action. The terms were quite good, and were less than bank interest. The cost of a suitably machine, particulars of which had been forwarded to tlie board, waft about £750. It would hardly be prudent for the council to rush in and purchase any machine. The matter was referred to the chairman and engineer. TH© chairman expressed the hope that councillors would take every opportunity of seeking information and inspecting similar machines used by neighbouring local bodies. WANDERING STOCK. The Whangamata Settlers’ Association, wrote drawing attention to the prevalence of wandering stock in the district and requesting that a hanger pay a, surprise visit to the district at intervals. The association also asked that in the event of the council appointing a permanent surfaceman at Whangamata preference be given to a married man.

The chairman said that the greater part of the district was in the Thames County. In his opinion there was something more needed) than a ranger to impound all the wandering stock.

It was decided to >reply that the council did not consider it necessary to appoint a ranger to patrol its portion of the road.

With regard to the appointment ’of a surfaceman, it was decided to reply that the greater part of the road: was still under the control of the Public Works Department, but should the council make such an appointment in the future the association's .wishes would receive due consideration. REPAIRS TO BRIDGE. The Mataura Valley Farmers’ Club wrote asking that some repairs be carried out to the Willows bridge, on Leopold’s Road. New plapks were afeo required on, Scobbie’s bridge. On the motion of Cr. Hands the matter was referred to the engineer, with power to act. RYALL’S ROAD. A request was received from Messrs F. Lewis and J, Ryall for metal to be placed on the three chains of unmetalied portion of Ryall’s Road, Paeroa, before the winter set in. Cr. Johnstone stated that the engineer estimated that the length could be metalled at a cost of about £l7, and lie moved that the work be done, the metal to be obtained from the old extraction works. Seconded by Cr. Hubbard and carried. OLD TE AROHA ROAD DRAIN. It was pointed out by Cr. Johnstone that about 66 chains of a dnain required cleaning out on the upper portion, of the Old Te Aroha Road. He would favour the work being done, provided: the settlers contributed onethird of the cost. The benefit to the rpad would justify the cleaning of the drain. He moved that provided the ftettlers were prepared to contribute pnq-third of the cost the drain be cleaned and deepened. Seconded by Cr. Hubband and 1 carried.

KAIMANAWA RIDING DRAINS. On the motion of Cr. Morrison it was resolved to call tenders for th®, cleaning of drains from the flood-gate to Vejdderis Road; also Ferry Road, Robinson’s Road, and to the wharf, and Alexander’s canal drain. Cr. Robinson said that the drains were main outlets, and the settlers should be helped accordingly. In his opinion no drainage boards should be created until the Wailiou and Ohinemuri Rivers improvement scheme was completed and a proper river board was constituted.

The chairman, in answqu to Cr. Mace, said that the drains referred to were within the Kaimanawa special rating area,'land were of great importance to the settlers and th© maintenance of the county’s roads. It was difficult to know at present exactly what was the attitude of the Public Works Department in regard to drains within the area of its rivers improve' 1 ment scheme.