COUNTY ENGINEER'S REPORT

Levin Daily Chronicle, 10 March 1917, Page 3

COUNTY ENGINEER'S REPORT

e . The engineer's report read at the Comity Council meeting to-day was as follows :— Te Horo Roding. The. surfaiceman reports that thei roads in the southern, and including the Eild and Ngatiawa sections, are in lair order. The section of the main road between Te Horo and the flaxmill is getting pretty rough. I have given instructions to get this attended to at once. The cleaning of the Paetawa drains is now in hand and a notice has been served on the Pahiko settlers to get their draiinr cleaning put in hand at once; the limit of their time is the 20tli of this month. The Hautere water races have again got their, lialf-yeearly clean, and I anticipate there will be no complaints, for a time at least, about them. Very little progress is being made with the overbridge south of the Otaki river; there is some timber and gravel on the ground ibut when I was there the other day there was no one at work. The widening of the Gorge road at the "Blue Bluff" is started at last and from reports received it is getting on well. In reference to the request of the Taungata settlers for a road on the north side of the Otaki river: I met some of them when I was up there the- other day and I told them my estimate for a 12-feet 'road would be between £400 and £500 per mile (formation only). 1 understond tliew proposed to petition the council to take the ncessary steps to raise a loan for What is needed. The proposals of those whom I met was to make the road from Taungata bridge to the Waitatapia and abandon the notion of a suspension stock bridge altogether—a .very igood idea in my opinion. Otaki Riding. Nothing is being done in this riding but the usual maintenance and it is being well attended to. I see an account for blinding the metal on the cemetery road rendered by the Otaki Town Board which I consider is excessive, and another thing, I think, is that they should give notice of their proposals before —commencing. All that was needed, in my opinion, was about twelve loads of clay. I have called tenders for extending the Kuku water-races and they are due to-day. As contractors have to tender on a schedule I attach my estimate to guide the council in dealing with the tenders. As instructed, I have prepared an estimate for asphalting the Otaki 'bridge. I sent to the secretary of the 'VRestar Co." in Wanganui for the latest. information. This is fully supplied and from it I think we can do the- Otaki bridge for £135, it is 810 feet long and 14 feet »vide. I have just had this bridge repaired witih rimu as it was in a very dangerous state. iNow, with a little patching it will stand another year. I would suggest trying a shorter bridge first to ascertain the cost definitely

iWirokjino \RSdling. There is little doing in t:-iis liding but the metalling contracts on the Taxarua and Kawiu roads; th.-y are getting on fairly well. 'I would certainly be to the advantage of Ihe contractor if he could get more drays for the Kawiu, but I suppose they are not to be had. The Kawiu format'on contract is just about finished; I here is a large puketea to come down. I thought someone would ask for it for the posts that are in it, but they don't seem to want it. I will have to get the contractor to remove it before taking over 'the contract. The roads generally are in fair order considering the dry weather; the LevinFoxton road will require about 20 yards of metal as soon as the rain comes, as the ironstone at the Foxton end is breaking up badly in places. I have called tenders for the cleaning and deepening of the Koputaroa stream, and they are due to-day. It is unfortunately too late, and there is little chance of getijing it doiwi this season. .1 have, however, allowed 12 months for the work ; surely they I will manage it in that time.

Tokomaru Hiding. The roads in this riding are standing the d-ry weather much better than in other parts of the county; the metal seems to bind better. I have had extensive repairs, effected to the Shan-non-i'oxton bridge. I hope the asphalting will prove a success as the repairs to the traffic planking is a serious tax as the heart of rimu has gone up about 50 percent in the_ last twelve month. The worst of it is the sun does more damage to the plankng than the traffic. If I had been present at last meeting of the council when the question of the traffic planking on the "VVirokino bridge wae discussed I would have suggested that the recess in the centre the grievance complained of— be filled up with asphalt. It would not cost much as it would take a very little stuff to do it- If not too late this suggestion might be sent on to the Boston Borough Council. I candidly thin they should pay the cost entirely, if they had backed ma up when the proposal was before the council before we might have had something iei ent. 1 propose getting; ready for maintenance in this riding 'vm it there is no objection I could have the tenders in at nest meeting. (