HAURAKI PLAINS COUNTY

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5326, 14 September 1928, Page 3

HAURAKI PLAINS COUNTY

MONTHLY MEETING OF COUNCIL. ROUTINE BUSINESS. » The Hauraki Plains County Council met at Ngatea yesterday, Cr. E. V Walton presiding, over Crfi. C. W. Harris, J. C. .Miller, C. Parfitt, H. H. Tiickd, J. A. Reid, A. L. Fisher, F. J. Mayn, and! Messrs F. Ba.sham (engineer) apjd E. A. Mahoney (clerk). KOPUARAHI BACKROAD. The special committee, comprising Messrs Walton, Miller, Basham, a,nd Mahoney, set up to consider the petition of Messrs Campbell a.nd McLean. of Kopuarahi .recommended .•Athe council to take steps to secure a} the land necessary for a road through Section 3 Block XI, Thames S.D. The* recommendation was adopted. • HAURAKI BRIDGE. The chairman reported, on the conference with. the, Thames Borough Council and Thames County Council concerning the disposal of the Kopu ferry and the maintenance- of t'he Ha.uraki bridge as reported in this paper last week. The report was adopted, and the chairman mentioned that the money received from the sale of feSTy assets would be used to reduce the term of the ferry loan. QUESTipN OF ACCESS. An Auckland legal firm, acting on behalf of the Hauraki Flaxgrowers and Hemp Producers Ltd., which cOjmpany P r °P osed to Purchase land in J Awaiti from C. E. Hayward and others., wrote asking if the council would approve the Waihou River as, a sufficient access in lieu of a road to - ■ enable a subdivision to be granted. ‘ The chairman explained) that there was provision in the Public Works n Act permitting, a local bojdy to recommcind a. subdivision tc : be ma.de where the frontage, was navigable water in place of a dedicated road. The provision was largely used in. other districts, but cases were' rare in these parts. He could nc.fi see htat a dan- ' gerous. precedent would be iidraated. Cr. Harris raid that if might be desirable, as, the flax company might v4.be induced to-have its fibre carted by ’water instead of by the roads of the county. The granting of permission wojuld not affect the rating position. On the motion of the chairman the . ’ council resolved that section 116 of the Public .Works Act could apply to this subdivision. .. WAITAKARURU BRIDGE. The Local Bodies Loans Beard a.dvised that despite the fact that the £9OO loan was being advanced: by the Highways Board, application would have to be made f^, peiTnission to proceed. * ■ . The formal applying for L . permission to raise the- loan were ■Mi carried. LAND FOR ROAD. Mr J. L. Rountree halving consented give a strip of lanjd 50 links wide required in connection with the: enlarging of the drain on the >n|orth side of Orchard West Road, the Department ojf Lands and Survey asked the council tq agree to the land being taken affd used as part of a rbad. — . Agreed to. METAL FOR TOREHAPE. p- The Minister of Lands, the Hon. A. ’ * D. -McLeod, replied to the, further re- • presentations ’O,f the council to the . effect that the question of allowing the council to take the metal stored a.t the side of Toyehape Road had been given further consideration,. It was pointed out that the coun- : / oil’s original estimate, for metalling 455- chains of the Morrinsville road was £2506, and the cept to date: for chains was £2200. This left 25 '•■f chains of the Original proposal incomplete, thqugh.it was understood that J the counjcil intended to metal an Md I’- 1 ’- P ‘ tional length of 25 chains, at an e.sti- ' mated cost of £250 l for the off chains. The finance in respect of the 455 chains was being provided by l°» n . moneys subsidised by tlhe Public Works Department on a £2 for £1 basis, and, taking ihjto consideration . the extra cost to Cftrnplete the .work, it would seem that the original estimate would l only be exceeded by £l6. As substantial subsidies were: being A provided by .the State for roadworks within the county, and) as the metal now desired actually cost the department approximately 2s per cubic yard, it was felt that tlhe council was somewhat unreasonable in proffering ■its request. Actually, if the metal • Y wa.s given the practical effect would • be to increase the subsidies beyond the £2 for £1 basis, and in view of; the liberal manner in which the: coun- ' cil has already been; met regretted that he was unwilling to approve of the council’s application. OFFER OF METAL. The- Thames County Council wrote Offering metal from its Matatoki quarry delivered on Ngataipua Rqa.d at 14s; 6d per yard. The couijcjl was also prepared to quqte for. metal at its L hoppers. a The chairman mentioned that red metal could be delivered on. the road for 12s per yard. The cost of the. Matatoki metal would! be increased by j two or three shillings a, yard when ythe damage to the Kopu bridge ap- • proa ch roads an.d other roads was taken into co’iiside,ration. PATETONGA ROADING. Cr. Mayn advocated that ii( .the event of the Patetonga roads loan poll being carried a deputation fro ( m the council shquty proceed <toj Wellington, tq urge that the: work be commenced the Lands. Department during the coming summer. As ither county clerk would be proceeding to Wellington shortly, the . matter was left in- his hands; ROAD IN AWAITI. The engineer was instructed to inspect the: work don,e on the Tirojhia j road by the landowner. ; ' J MIRANDA ROAD. J Cr. Harris advocAtqd that the balance of £53-Ojdd in the old Waitakar to ruru roads loan be expended in further metalling on Miranda Road. — Agreed to.