MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 93, 1 August 1918, Page 1

MATAMATA COUNTY COUNCIL.

Engineer's Report. The engineer, Mr F. Shannon, submited his report for the month ns follows: The wonther conditions of the last month have greatly retarded all kinds of road work, some of which I have found necessary to close down until better conditions prevail. In the Matainata riding, McKibbon was forced to abandon his sanding contract at Waharoa pending finer weather. Surface work has been carried out in the riding during the month. There was a washout and hole, the result of a flood on the road near Hall's bridge. I arranged to have repairs effected. I ordered two trucks of metal to repair gome of the worst places in the MatamataWaharoa road. The inspection of Moore's road and the metal deposit at Blennerhassott's had again to be deferred owing to wet weather. A conference was held on tho 21st June, at Matamata between representatives of the N.Z.D.A., and a committee of your council to consider the damage done to the Waharoa to Matamata road by the motor lorries hauling milk to tho Glaxo Factory, at Matamata. After consideration it was agreed that the N.Z.I).A. should pay a further sum of £ll2 10s making a total payment of £237 10s and that tho county should find the sum of £422 10s, the whole of this sura of £660, to be spent upon tho road referred to at the earliest possible opportunity. It ( is notadvisable to undertake this work until tiie weath- ' er improves, otherwise we will damage more road than we repair. Owing to the continual wet and the increase of traffic, the sanded roads are breaking up in many places, showing that belter material and improved methods of road making, and surfaces will have to be considered in the near future to meet the increasing traffic on our main roads. In tho Taotabroa riding I have taken off the point and widened tho rock cutting at.Fergusou's gully. A surfaceman is iilssh .required in this riding, but it seems very difficult to get a satisfactory man. In the Maungatautari riding only surface work has been done by Stokes during the month. In tho Patetero riding, Middleton after doing some further repairs in the Hinuera Valley, had to abandon woik and take his teams off the road owing to the wet weather. J. Bain and Mackin have been doing repairs at Hinuera, also cleaning out drains, letting off water and putting in culverts. Tho road from the Hinuera station to Hopkins' corner is getting in a rough condition hut no satisfactory work can be done on it at this time of year. When the spring comes it will require to be broken up and sanded throughout. Thomson with the county teams have been doing patching and repairs near Tirau. I expect to send them to Matamata next week. Repairs have been effected at tho Okoroire Springs hill, also,, railing put-up at the approach to the " bridge. I gavo instructions re the cleaning out of drains near Somerville's and Dobson's; there is some gorse that requires. cutting and re- i moving before the whole of these drains can be cleaned. Further on I found tiiat tho gorse had been cut and allowed to lay in watertablo stopping the silt and diverting the water into the roadway. I have sent tho owner notice to remove it. In the Putaruru riding the surfaceman has been engaged mostly on surface work and repairs, with Harwoods assisting. With Or. Barnett I went [ to Puketurua, we met Mr Daniell and ! Mr McGregor, from Pukeatua, and went with them to the Waikato ! bridge. I pegged positions for twelve new culverts, and it was agreed that if the council provided the pipes and material for tho culverts, and our surfaceman supervises tho work, they would cart the pipes and timber for culverts aud send three men to do the work. In regard to the NgatiriOkohoriki road owingto the continued wet weather, Strong had to stop horse work on this road, and will take up the work again when the weather improves. In the mean time the men are clearing scrub, fencing and putting in culverts, prepartory for the horse work later. On the Tokoroa to Lichfield road Bissett has been doing grader and scoop work when the weather permitted but I think that all grader work should now be stopped until the spring. I think that we should at onco lay off our programme of work for the year with a view of having it in order for the September meeting. Our objective should bo to have all grader work completed before the end of December and all sanding and metalling completed by the 31st March.