WORK IN MATAMATA COUNTY

Matamata Record, Volume II, Issue 113, 30 December 1918, Page 2

WORK IN MATAMATA COUNTY

Engineers Report. The engiueor submitted his report for tlie month as follows:—The month of October proved to have the- 1 greatest rainfall for any month of the present year. Road "works of all descriptions have been very much relarded ; also the shortage of satisfactory labor is becoming very acute. In the Matamata riding Thomson with the County teams completed the filling of the sand pits at Matamata and the grading of Quinlan’s road. He then moved to Mamaku. I have arranged with J. Hutcheson to proceed with the necessary plough, scoop and grader work required in the riding. He is also carting the metal for repairs to the AVaharoa to Matamata road. The metal for this work is not coming forward as fast as I would like, chiefly owing to work at the quarry being delayed through stress of weather. O’Neill has been engaged in spreading metal, and surface work. In regard to access to Mr Mooro’s section at Okauia I have arranged with Mr Graveson to carry out the necessary work. Re Smith’s drain at AVaharoa —In company with Or. Pohlen I inspected this drain. It will assist to a small extent to drain the road and I propose the council contribute to the extent of 5s per chain for the work. McKibbon has returned to complete his sanding contract of last year at AVaharoa, but the weather to-day will stop him again. In the Patetere riding the new man (Henry Clay) with his grader, plough and scoop team has been working at the Okoroire station and on Totman’s road, but progress has been slow owing to wet weather. Thomson with the County teams has gone to Mamaku to complete the work on the Rotorua road; but, owing to tlie quantity of rain, very little work has been done. Simpson and Jones have not made much progress with their gravelling contract. In company with Or. Stopford I interviewed Mr C. 0. Neal but settlement was deferred pending Mr Jones’ return next week. H. Marsh has been engaged in surface work in various parts of the riding. Yesterday, in company with Cr. Stopford, I visited the Tapapa water works ; we found that the old supply which had given out during the dry season, has now returned to its former condition and with a few minor adjustments the water can he turned on again, but iu order to provide for future dry seasons it will be advisable to proceed with a scheme to provide a permanent supply from the creek below. Some repairs are required to the fences round the stock paddock, also two new gates. In the Mauugatautari riding Mahood has been doing grader, plough and scoop work as far as the weather would pormit. He is now proceeding to complete all necessary grader work in this riding. I again called tenders for the metalling contract, hut have not yet received any tender. In the Taotaoroa riding Mahood has completed grader work on the Cambridge-Tirau road, and I propose to start him sanding this road when he has completed the grader work at Maungatautari. In the Putaruru riding the work on . the Ngatiri-Okohiriki road had to be suspended until labor is available. The work here is proving more costly than was estimated when the work was first laid off. The Government grant has already been Over-spent, and the balance will require to he charged to the riding. Strong has done some repairs to Vincent’s road. Bissett has done some grader work at Tokoroa and on Halse road, hut had to knock off work owing to the wet weather* Strong is proceeding with the plough and scoop wovk in Putaruru township as fast as tlie weather will permit. I have arranged with M. Henderson to provide horses for grader, plough and scoop work on the Puketurua to AVaikato bridge road, and he has started work. Quarrying stone is proceeding for tlie metalling of the roads in Putaruru township. Some of the stone is proving difficult to work, and only slow progress has been made. I shifted the men to another locality, which I hope will give better results. Continuing my report to date. As the month of November advanced the weather improved, hut work was once more held up by the influenza epidemic. In the Matamata riding Hutcheson has been carting metal to repair the AVaharoa to Matamata road, but only a limited amount of metal has come to hand. I have stopped the metal for repairs, as the season is now too advanced for satisfactory work of this kind to be carried on. I hope to complete this work in the autumn. Hutcheson has been engaged in grader, plough and scoop work on the road to AVaharoa, the Pena and Gunn’s road, and is now working on the road between Peria and Hinuera. In company with Crs. Banks and Pohlen I met the settlers at Turanga-o-moana, when it was agreed to sand the road from the school to the AVaharoa swamp ; a large and comprehensive metalling scheme to be considered later on. McKibbon has nearly completed his sanding contract at AVaharoa. I prepared specifications and called tenders for contract 18, 110 chains of sanding on the Richmond . Downs road, contract 19 sanding on the Turaugao moana road miles, and contract 20 sanding 140 chains on Quiulan’s (Continued on page 3)